Anvil post mount question

[boyntonstu]

How about using a concrete column or an I beam post to support an anvil?

Wood is resiliant in comparison to steel or concrete. Is that what we want?

 

[Ed Caffrey]

You want to mount an anvil on something that has resilent..........mounting an anvil that you work on, on either concrete or steel will get you two things.....a LOT of noise, and after a short time a case of tennis elbow that you couldn't buy in Chicago!
There is also another side to this too. Hard stands such as steel or concrete will transmit the energy of the hammer blows through the anvil and stand, and into the ground which the stand sits on. When an anvil is mounted correctly on a resilent material stand, the anvil will transmitt the energy of the hammer blow back to the work piece. In other words, you will do more work with less effort.

 

[Nabok]

I guess you could use concrete if you were sure you would never need to move it around any. I would think you would also need something (like thick rubber mat) between the anvil and the concrete or over time the concrete would start to crack and chip. Check out http://www.dfoggknives.com/Anvil.htm Don Fogg's site has a wealth of info and that particular page is a bladesmithing anvil made by Chuck Robinson. I beam may work, you will need a secure base and again probably thick rubber matting so the thing doesn't ring like a bell. Simple is better, most people use wood because it's traditional, easy, and available. A section from the butt of a tree, 4 x 4 posts held together with threaded rod, plywood frame full of sand. Mr. Caffrey is correct about the wear and tear on your arm as well.

Todd Brandel
Wolverine Forge