holly_williams•1mo agoProlific Poster

I finally spent the money on a proper anvil stand and wish I'd done it years ago

For two years I was using this old railroad tie I found behind a barn. It worked fine, or so I told myself. But I kept having to re-set my anvil every few hours because the wood would shift. Last month I finally paid $180 for a fabricated steel stand from a guy I met at a hammer-in. The difference in stability is night and day. My hammer strikes feel more solid and I'm getting way better control on my scroll work. Plus my back doesn't ache after a full day at the forge. Has anyone else used a cheap setup for way too long before upgrading?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadea531mo ago

You been using a railroad tie too? Man, I did that for almost three years. The worst part wasn't even the shifting - it was how the tie would soak up moisture from the ground and start to rot underneath. I switched to a fabricated stand from a local welder and it cost me about the same as yours. The first time I did a heavy draw out without the anvil walking across the floor I felt like an idiot for waiting so long. Your back pain comment hits home too - I wish someone had told me earlier that a proper stand fixes a lot of that just by getting the anvil at the right height.

markm271mo ago

@wadea53 did you bolt the anvil down or just set it in place? I chiseled a pocket in my tie and still had to shim it after a few months.