Harbor freight anvil

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Scored 4’ of RR steel
I saw 5 or 6 white shirts in a huddle at. RR crossing . obvious they were supervision
I pulled up and bold as brass interrupted the meeting with a huge Howdy Fellers!!
Where Can I get some discarded track to use as an anvil?
Conversation turned to whispers and side glances. Lol
One of the guys said You are in luck, I found this chunk today
Opened his tailgate. 4’. Track
He said
You did not get it from me, we did not have this conversation. Then he said I am glad I do not have to unload it
 
I have a memory of being in one of My Dads friends Shop , he was a wood worker, he had about a 6 inch chunk of railway track, that had been worked into a mini anvil, with a horn and a square tail. It made an impression on my young mind.
 
handiest piece of metal in my shop right now is a pin off of a back hoe
Easily weighs 4/5 pound
Use it to beat with or beat on it
I use it for hard to get to spots to set rivets.

Next would be that transformer I yanked out of a microwave. Nice small anvil or a weight to hold projects down
 

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With all due respect, if t is not steel, it s not an anvil.
I researched & study anvils long before I bought my 150 pound 1925 London style anvil for $420.00, it is a steel at that price.
I also now the history of the anvil, Grandfather to son to daughter. It s cast steel with a steel plate on top, the steel plate makes all the differences.
The steel plate is why the anvil rings & a hammer bounce when it lite strike the top of an anvil.
An block or round of steel, a rail road track from a strap yard is better than 300 pound cast iron block.
 
I Agree with Joel's post for real smithing a steel topped Iron anvil gives the best rebound, return for your swing. but since most people will not swing their hammer and only tap the hot iron, do most need a real anvil ? Un topped cast will break, be really carefull of that. sometimes it explodes.
 
HF is not the place to buy tools you will use every day.
If you make a living with tools buy good one and I don't mean over priced Snap-On.
However if you are a DIYer then HF tools are probably fine.
I bought a floor standing drill press some time in the 80s and it's still going strong.
I checked it when I first got it home and it has less than .002 runout.
In other words it does not wobble.
Their hand tools are guaranteed for life.
I will add this.
Under no circumstances buy any tools made in India.
 
My two old anvils are cast iron with steel tops. Newly made anvils are cast steel then hardened to approx 54 rockwell. I'm not sure if there is a modern anvil made from cast iron with a steel top. Peddinghaus isn't made that way. When I still belonged to the guild there were guys that had rebound testers made from a drop tube and a big ball bearing.

Modern anvils and vintage anvils are two different things. Made differently

I still think the doyle cast steel anvil is a good value.
 
I would think that a cast steel Anvil if cast properly would be as good of better than a steel top, because the whole thing is a unit. maybe they don't sound the same? the rebound could be actually better, I don't know. But sometimes old stories trump empirical data. one of the things is nomenclature, cast steel and cast Iron are not the same animal.
 
For some really fascinating smithing check out the third world smith's. Tai, Philippines, Pakistani, folks like that. None of them have a real anvil.
There is one on you tube called K&k daily. Their anvil is a 6 inch dia chunk of shaft. The top is mushroomed over. That's their job for their region. Not having a "real" anvil has not slowed them down a bit.
 
To each their own on how and where a person spends their money. I buy tools with the expectation that it will last my lifetime and beyond. When I was a kid my dad made an anvil out of a piece of railroad track. Wish I had it now.
Years ago when I owned a welding shop, I bought a bunch of clamps and other tools. When they were delivered I saw the Made in China label on most of the items. I wouldn't even take them in to the shop and gave them all away. I'm glad that some people are happy with made in China stuff, the Chinese communist military needs the support. I avoid it as much as possible.
 
Out of curiosity i went looking for a photo of an anvil we had on the farm when i was a kid. This anvil has a very similar shape. Ours was smaller, maybe 75lbs but almost identical. It disappeared after a tornado flattened the building it was in. Don't remember what became of it.

Anyway, found this one for sale. I've never needed one to spend this kind of money. Even when we had cattle I might have equipment that needs an anvil for repairs once or twice a year, a rr rail works just fine.

It had the specs listed on that page, interesting.

120 lbs. - JHM Legend Anvil
Specifications:

Height: 10"
Overall Length: 23.5"
Base: 8.75" x 10"
Face: 3-7/8" x 13.75"
Round horn: 3-1/2 x 9.75""
Hardie Hole: 1"
Pritchel Hole = .500"
Rockwell Hardness: 48-52

All stages of the manufacturing use ISO certified suppliers. Made of ductile iron and has an actual weight of 112-115 lbs. the JHM round horn anvil is a great blacksmith anvil or farrier anvil.
This anvil is very stout with a large throat going to the base. It is our most popular anvil in the USA, resembling the old Hay Budden Anvil. This has a traditional round horn design and is used in competition forging because of its stocky size and weight.

Made of ductile iron, machined, and heat treated in the USA.

z a anvil 120lb_.png
 
Found this too... in case anyone needs a small anvil. 🤣

w anvil_jewelers_1_anvil_sm.jpg


Antique jewelers anvil photo (c) 1999 Jock Dempsey Jewelers anvils are made in an old style that has not changed for 300 years or more. They have a squarish body and long slender bicks. Some have stakes to embed in a bench and others a large base. Jewelers anvils are made of forged or cast tool steel and finely finished all over. Weights range from a few ounces to a few pounds. Jewelers anvils were also sold as silversmiths, watch and clockmakers anvils.
----------------------------------

And they are for sale! 1.5lbs, funny.

w Jewlers anvil zit.png
 
Peanut said:
Out of curiosity i went looking for a photo of an anvil we had on the farm when i was a kid. This anvil has a very similar shape. Ours was smaller, maybe 75lbs but almost identical. It disappeared after a tornado flattened the building it was in. Don't remember what became of it.

Anyway, found this one for sale. I've never needed one to spend this kind of money. Even when we had cattle I might have equipment that needs an anvil for repairs once or twice a year, a rr rail works just fine.

It had the specs listed on that page, interesting.

120 lbs. - JHM Legend Anvil
Specifications:

Height: 10"
Overall Length: 23.5"
Base: 8.75" x 10"
Face: 3-7/8" x 13.75"
Round horn: 3-1/2 x 9.75""
Hardie Hole: 1"
Pritchel Hole = .500"
Rockwell Hardness: 48-52

All stages of the manufacturing use ISO certified suppliers. Made of ductile iron and has an actual weight of 112-115 lbs. the JHM round horn anvil is a great blacksmith anvil or farrier anvil.
This anvil is very stout with a large throat going to the base. It is our most popular anvil in the USA, resembling the old Hay Budden Anvil. This has a traditional round horn design and is used in competition forging because of its stocky size and weight.

Made of ductile iron, machined, and heat treated in the USA.

View attachment 125188
Click to expand...
Not a bad price compared to what I see used around here. Hay Budden anvil are very nice
 
Harbor freight tools?

I recently took in a splitting maul that gave up the ghost. The epoxy failed and the handle separated from the head. I'd used it for ten years, having split over twenty cords of wood with it. They exchanged it for a new one, free of charge. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
Peanut said:
Out of curiosity i went looking for a photo of an anvil we had on the farm when i was a kid. This anvil has a very similar shape. Ours was smaller, maybe 75lbs but almost identical. It disappeared after a tornado flattened the building it was in. Don't remember what became of it.

Anyway, found this one for sale. I've never needed one to spend this kind of money. Even when we had cattle I might have equipment that needs an anvil for repairs once or twice a year, a rr rail works just fine.

It had the specs listed on that page, interesting.

120 lbs. - JHM Legend Anvil
Specifications:

Height: 10"
Overall Length: 23.5"
Base: 8.75" x 10"
Face: 3-7/8" x 13.75"
Round horn: 3-1/2 x 9.75""
Hardie Hole: 1"
Pritchel Hole = .500"
Rockwell Hardness: 48-52

All stages of the manufacturing use ISO certified suppliers. Made of ductile iron and has an actual weight of 112-115 lbs. the JHM round horn anvil is a great blacksmith anvil or farrier anvil.
This anvil is very stout with a large throat going to the base. It is our most popular anvil in the USA, resembling the old Hay Budden Anvil. This has a traditional round horn design and is used in competition forging because of its stocky size and weight.

Made of ductile iron, machined, and heat treated in the USA.

View attachment 125188
Click to expand...
That's just what I need. I'll keep my eyes open for a larger one too. I'd also like to get one about 20 pounds for little jobs in my fur shed.
 
dademoss said:
Decades ago, Harbor Freight had em on sale for somewhere around 20 bucks, I got one :)

Also have a piece of rail, wouldn't mind finding another foot or so, but they got really good about picking up their scrap.
Click to expand...
The railroad actually considers scrap any steel down to spikes, their property.
 
A couple of weeks ago I bought a 4-1/2" vice. It has a flat area for pounding on for small jobs. It's a Bessy vice. Can't remember where it's made, but I do remember it's not Chinese. It seems to be well made and I'm happy with it. I mounted it on my new butcher block work bench in the fur shed.
On my construction list this year is a small blacksmith shop, about 16×16. Speaking of blacksmithing, does anyone know where I can find a set of blacksmith drills? I have an old hand powered drill press and I'd like to get a set of drill bits for it.
 
Mountain trapper said:
A couple of weeks ago I bought a 4-1/2" vice. It has a flat area for pounding on for small jobs. It's a Bessy vice. Can't remember where it's made, but I do remember it's not Chinese. It seems to be well made and I'm happy with it. I mounted it on my new butcher block work bench in the fur shed.
On my construction list this year is a small blacksmith shop, about 16×16. Speaking of blacksmithing, does anyone know where I can find a set of blacksmith drills? I have an old hand powered drill press and I'd like to get a set of drill bits for it.
Click to expand...
I have a bunch up to 2 inch in dia. A alternative in the meantime you could get a drill chuck with a morse taper on it and use regular drills. Provided your drill press has a Morse taper
 
randyt said:
I have a bunch up to 2 inch in dia. A alternative in the meantime you could get a drill chuck with a morse taper on it and use regular drills. Provided your drill press has a Morse taper
Click to expand...
I don't think it does, but I'll go out to the barn later and take a look. I'll get a picture of it too. It'd be nice to start using it again.
 
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