Even if a person doesn't do any forging, this is a good idea for a general purpose surface for those shop moments when you need to beat on something with a hammer. I like this!
All I can say is THANK YOU... I have been so discouraged from gathering supplies and trying my hand at blacksmithing because I can't afford an anvil, and rail is so hard to find by legal means (or illegal ones for that matter!)... I needed to see this, Thank you Jeff!!!
I used a big steel hydraulic valve block for a long while. About a 6" cube with 2 good flat faces, one sloped face and a few handy holes in. Might be worth trying a breakers yard that deals with big earthmoving equipment. I later also got a pivot pin from a large excavator this is about 24 inch x 5 inch diameter. This came from the scrap bin of a large excavator hire company who did all repairs in house, and it was too worn for their use [but not mine] I bought several others in smaller sizes for about $40 all in. I have the big one and aim one day to use it as an anvil for a treadle hammer. Finally after years of searching, I got lucky and found a 450 pound monster anvil in great shape at a really, really low price ... never, ever give up trying, there is an anvil somewhere out there for you.
Awesome railroad track/anvil video's. My cousin worked for the railroad here in Chicago. I told him that I wanted to make a anvil made from railroad tracks. He said be careful. He saw coworkers get embedded with small chucks chipping off the tracks when they accidentally hit them head on with tools they were using. I couldn't believe that but your videos confirmed what he said. Thanks
While living in suburbia, I was taking out the trash and spotted a 1"x 12"x 12" steel plate. Holy Cow! It weighs about 5 pounds. I put it on a dense blue foam pad, on a tool cart. I use it for small craft and hobby projects. I can strike it with a hammer and the noise isn't conducted to the apartment below. Also a 3"x 3"x 12" piece of white oak takes abuse of drilling and grommet setting.
They recently re-laid a length of track through my local station. (The 'Bus-replaces-train' advert on a sign by the station was the give-away). I asked when they were putting in the rails and timed my visit to suit. Looked for a team-boss and politely ask: "Excuse me, I'm a hobby engineer. Is there any chance I could have a short piece of the closure-rail off-cut sir?" "Yes son, you can have this bit" A 10" piece of 113lb rail went in the trunk, and off I went after saying thank-you. It pays to politely ask. Good video!
I like the mounting system; it's straightforward and doable for most people. If you turn it up on end, though, you'll get better response. The same is true for RR track. Thing about using a spatula with the same mass as a tack hammer. Which is gonna do better? That or using a hammer on its side. I found that piece of advice when researching my first RR track anvil, and it made a huge difference. Thanks for the info!
That was a really useful video and a good idea also. Your remarks on the risks to life and liberty from trespassing on the railway were well made. Thanks.
Great idea! Just an FYI. The metal shop you get your steel at will likely be able to drill your hole for you. They may even weld for you. At a price of course!
thanks for the share. it never dawned one me once to scope out the tracks. lol. but I have a welder and torch guess I'll be ordering some steel. thanks again
Great info, good job. Quick about me. 60 years old, 35 or so years Aerospace tooling/tooling inspection, certified weld inspector, 30 plus years as a blacksmith and over 15 as an instructor. Rail makes a VERY bad "anvil" when hacked as most people do to sort of resemble a London pattern anvil. Decades ago I picked up a chunk of light rail LEGALLY from a work camp after asking the supervisor for a cut off. I use it as a example of why a rail is a very poor anvil. The web is too weak, it is spring where you need strength. If someone does manage to get a chunk, through legal means and insists to use it as an anvil, the best way is to set it on end, like it grew as a tree grows. Grind the end flat and hammer on that. This way, there is mass behind the hammer blow, not spring and a serviceable if small anvil can be made. As long as there is mass under the hammer, any metal will work. Smaller work space requires better hammer control but that is a good thing. I advise students to just get to a scrap yard or steel yard and buy a chunk of metal that weighs about 100 pounds and just use that. They will have a better "anvil" than most of recorded history up until the mid 1800s when the metal making processes caught up to demand.
An alternative to the 'technically illegal to own' railroad track, is to buy a section of mining rail track. These are generally shorter than real railroad track, but otherwise work just as well. Mines scrap metal pretty regularly, so try calling their customer service and ask about buying a piece of leftover rail track. The other alternative most farmers around here have always used, is to buy a big sledgehammer (the bigger the better, and usually available at any farm auction) and bury half of it upright into a stump. It'll be small and lightweight, but can definitely work. And a big hammerface is going to be hard steel, generally. Beats most of the random metal anvil-shaped-objects out there.
I fully agree that going on the tracks to get an anvil like object is bad. Thanks for the video. I've been smithing for over 20 years, but my First anvil was a USED chunk of track I got from a scrap yard. Used track is key, as it is basically work hardened and has a nice rolled edge to use as a cut off. Thanks for the video!!
truck and truck trailer shops sometimes have old big rig truck leaf springs they are scrapping.. those work great also.. some are an inch and a quarter thick. . most have a nice taper to them.. all are properly tempered spring steel.
Good ideas. Any hard, heavy and flat surface will work as an anvil. Granite will work. I would like to point out that many welders would be willing to do a baby fabrication job like that for much less than you might think. Some might do it for a case of beer and a favor later on - like sending people their way. So pricing all the time, lag bolts, threaded rod etc it might be worth just asking a welding shop what they'd charge. I'd also like to mention that if you can find a chunk of tool steel, stick with that. Differential hardening is half the magic of anvils. I don't know why people are so stuck on railroad track. Its really not that good for an anvil unless you flatten the face, cut a hardy hole, harden it and add weight.
When using a RR Track for an anvil, it's better to turn it up on one end to get all the mass of the piece of track underneath the striking surface. Turning it up on end makes the track act a bit more like a real anvil. As to the limited size of the striking surface; you can only use an area the size of your hammer face at any given time. Additionally you can file one side of the base into a cutoff tool and radius the upright into a fullering tool to make drawing out easier. I'll send you a pic on FB of the one I used.
Some good ideas there too sir. I've got a project going to make a practical anvil out of about 80 pounds of track. Looking to weld a treated hardened plate on top of the track with a bit more area and hardness... The end on idea is very good, as it leaves the mass all in line with the hammer strikes. Thanks for your input. I'm beginning the adventure too, and currently have enough to hammer on, but not hard enough to do any real work with. Your ideas will help, thanks!
Really cool anvil design! If one doesn't have a stump for support simply make the post longer and sink it in the ground as deep as you can dig. No concrete necessary. This allows you to easily move it if needed. I mounted my 15 pound HF cast iron anvil to such setup and it doesn't budge. eBay sells train track if someone must think they need it. I think your set up is much more usable and easily obtained. I ordered a chunk of steel off eBay that is 5 5/8" diameter and 10" long, made out of heat treated 4140.
What a great concept. I'm working in my workshop and I have to do a little metal pounding, So I gather up all my tools and I hike out to the “back woods“ and there is my home made anvil waiting for me. I just hope it's not 14° out or raining.
Or you could just bring the whole thing inside the shop. His "stump" was a section cut out of a tree, it was not attached to the ground. If you're near southwestern Indiana hit me up, I'll give you a chunk of oak that's way better than what he used.
I work for a rail engineering company and we work with manganese track all the time we use explosive depth hardening to harden the rail head for crossings and stuff like that we also used thermite welding processes to join the rail too
Thermite must be a 'blast' handling the stuff is incredible. I've seen it on film, and it's pretty interesting stuff! The show "Mythbusters" used to do a lot with explosives abd a little with thermite. It seems that thermite would be hard to conrol easily.
@Jeffrey Santo i have tryed granit!! works better then enything else , the best part is it dosent sing as steel does , i used red granit , dont know if the colouring makes it harder but its darn good !! we have used it since the viking period and some still prefere it to steel anvils , plus its free!!
Excellent idea, and excellent video! I've been thinking bout alternatives to train tracks (there are none in my area) - this gives me something to work with. Thank you!
great video. I find that people take walking down the track for-granted. its illegal for several reasons one its posted private property, secondly its extremely dangerous, amtrak runs though really fast. fast light trains don't give you warning. i worked for PanAm back in 2010 and they had a guy get crushed between two rail cars because he didn't hear it coming. 3rd that piece of steel is bought and paid for by the company they own it you don't. Saying its like stealing garbage is like telling someone its ok to go through your garage cuz your not using it at the moment.
Nice build! But the way I look at it is if the railroad companies consider it stealing when it's laying on the ground in the middle of cow pasture that the railroad track runs thru I suggest they pick up their litter and dispose of it properly! If not it's free game! Don't leave it for the taking if you don't want it took! Have a great day and keep on ⚒️ ing my friend!!
Excellent, no other word for it & look at it this way...those that risk arrest or death for a hunk of railway off the track, will like as not only do it once after getting tagged.
As one who worked for the railroad, I know that in the USA the railroad's right of way is considered as federal property and trespassing is a felony as well as looking for and picking up spikes, tie plates, rail scraps, etc. if you live near a rail yard, car shop, or diesel shop and speak to one of the foremen, many will give you some scrap especially if it's for scouting. I do know that UP, MoPac, and several other roads are big supporters of the Boy Scouts. Peace!
im glad to see this, ive been slowly looking into doing some amateur forging, and of course i need to make an anvil, and was disgusted by the number of railroad track anvil videos, knowing full well that these people were advocating theft. this def gave me some more thoughts, but if i can avoid it, which i assume i will be able to find a different solution, i would rather not have to deal with borrowing a drill press, and the design seems like it has multiple failure points in the wood, which made me less keen with it. im sure it would work for a little while, but i think with some decent usage it would break down pretty hard, and i know replacing the wood pieces wouldnt be that hard. at the end what im saying is thank you for showing a different do it yourself anvil.
I used a slesghammer head for a while. I had it face up in a hole I chizles in a log. It worked well for what I needed it for and it helped me learn to move the work not the hammer. I now use a 70lb Vulcan anvil strapped to a stump. not a log, an actual stump from a dead tree. I cut it too high and used metal band to strap it down. It does not move even when I'm whaling away on a piece of breaker chisel with my 3 lb hammer.
DAMMM... I BEEN TREKK'N THE TRACKS AT NIGHT... JUST TO AVOID DEM COPS. USUALLY... I JUST WALK'N THE CENTER OF TIES, ...WITH MY WALKMAN CASSETTE BLASTIN. THE VIBRATIONS, LIGHTS AND AIRHORN ARE PLENTY OF WARNING. I REALLY REALLY WANT MY ANVIL.
Bradley Dixon Track Anvils on Facebook does a very nice job for not too much money. He polishes the surface enough to use it as a jeweler's anvil. I have one of his in my shop.
Another thought, that may have already been mentioned, but I'm too lazy to scroll... Get a longer 4x4 so that you can bury it 2'-3' (or more if you choose) into the ground, perhaps with some concrete, then back fill. Should be a pretty solidly anchored anvil at that point, and gives you a bit more freedom of movement around your anvil.
If you turn the train track upside down, you have a flat side, and not a curved side like the actual top of the track. No welding needed. Just dress up / paint up the surface of the track and Yatze.
The price of steel is so cheap the scrapyards are holding metal waiting for the prices to rise, the selection is fantastic and most have almost anything you could imagine. I also like walking around to get ideas from what's available. Where I go on Storer Ave in Staten Island, NY for a few bucks they'll cut stuff to length and help load it.
If you don't have a tree stump you could use a 5 gallon bucket and concrete to secure the 4x4 and that should give plenty of weight to the makeshift anvil.
2:00...it's square at THE ENDS...duh....and you dont want a sharp edge only...it'll chip if over used....btw, railways never throw track out...they store it.
Good info and great ideas. I was wondering about what I could use, as a nice good big anvil is several hundred dollars. I do have a piece of train track-that I bought, not collected myself- but I'd also like an anvil, and the ideas you showed here can really come in handy.
I bought 20 inch railroad rail for 37 bucks in the people's republic of California. I cut it in half cut the sides off sandwich them together welded the two rails together tree then ground down the surface to make sqare. Its sounds easy when i type it but with a hacksaw and a borrowed angle grinder from a neighbor who felt sorry for me banging my knuckles every couple minutes now im looking for a log or stump plan on making a forge propane type have a good video or know of a good person who has the experience im a truck driver so not exactly the most experienced person in this but i am persistent
although rail road track is not hardened it provides a perfectly suitable striking surface, and is close enough to a 1000 (ie: 1060, 1070, etc.) series steel to be hardened in most cases. also the clips and a few other parts are all suitable for hardening
Hey, random question since you are local. Where can I get a scraper to flatten the soles of cast iron wood planes? Or are they easy to make? I have a lot of material to flatten and sandpaper on granite is going very slow. Figured I'd ask before diving deep into googling.
I did a little looking around, looks like most are made from either high speed steel or carbide. Here is one company I found in the USA. www.andersonscraper.com
I'm with you on the track walking. Your design is ok for straightening nails and stuff but if you worked with it for an hour or so it would need repairing. You could take that steel and put it on the stump instead of the 4x4, or lay the 4x4 down on the stump and use a couple pieces of angle iron lagged to the stump and use a piece of all thread with washers an nuts. The block you are striking on doesn't need to move at all. If it moves it will move more and more. Happy Hammering
I agree that one can probably find a good, heavy, piece of metal at a scrap yard that would work for a beginner/hobbyist/novice knife maker & especially as a general purpose "shop anvil". But, most everyone, including beginning & veteran "knife makers" / "blacksmiths" holler "gotta have an antique/vintage, cast steel anvil. OR, if homemade, it's gotta be made from high dollar "tool steel"! Funny thing is, probably 75% of those "knife makers" / "blacksmiths", beginners or veterans, couldn't actually tell you the properties of the the steel there "forging" into a knife, but they can "sure" tell you about the "correct", "bounce" & "ring" of an anvil...lol
problem is, the rail is hardened, similarly to an anvil, or even a sledgehammer head. a random block of steel might be ok for really basic beginner stuff, a hardened piece, which provides rebound, makes the whole job much easier and safer.
terje halle- railroad rail is work hardened, unless you get brand new rail. it's not as good as true hardened steel, but is somewhat hardened nonetheless. the older the rail the better.
Chris Henningsen what you are talking about is forging,low carbon steel is low carbon steel no matter how much you workforge it,it will make it stronger yes,but not harder.
a real smith might turn up his nose at such a contraption, does it have rebound? there is a reason an anvil sings that is the force of the hammer rebounding back through the work. take a small ball bearing with you when you select the hunk of steel for your anvil, drop the bearing from a height and see how high it rebounds. it needs to be a little hard say about 35 Rockwell, other wise you will spend a lot , LOT more time pounding steel.
The rebound is nearly identical as I demonstrated in my latest video. Even a "real" smith starts out somewhere, hence the title of the video indicating that it was an alternative for beginners.
i'm not a real smith yet, I've hardly even started to beat metal into submission. however after much looking around I found an anvil $150 at a antique place. never went back it was too beat up. after more searching I found a guy with a furriers anvil for $300, used to belong to his son. I'm trying to save up 3 bills. in the mean time I have a metal scrap yard less then 5 miles away and lo and behold they have chunks of rail for 20-25 bucks. still looking for the 300lb peter wright anvil but until then, this'll do. side trivia about anvils one under constant use that is never abused can last several hundred years...
Actually, Thomas, the big anvils we're used to are a product of the Industrial age. The one made in this video is the style found through most of history; at least, in the case of metal anvils instead of rock. Rock anvils have been found several feet across, theoretically used by several smiths at a time.
Hold the but of a hammer 10 inches above the anvil and let the hammer head swing freely down to hit the anvil if the head doesn't rebound at least one third the height then it's dead and will work you to death.
Hey Jeffrey i know this is an old post but what if you found and old all metal clothing iron like the ones granma use to put on the wood burning stove and heat up to iron grandpas shirts with might work for a beginner/hobbyists
Just go on ebay. Lots of people selling 1ft old track sections for $50-$70 including the shipping. Not saying the alternative methods aren't functional, but track is really not hard to find or very expensive.
If you go that way and buy something on Ebay be sure and save the printout from the auction. If you are ever questioned about it you can prove it was purchased legally. I get mine at a local scrap yard that sometimes has them, I make sure they write right on the invoice exactly what I have bought. If I ever pass it on to someone else or sell it the receipt goes with it.
I just subscribed I've been wanting to get into forging and the train track anvil is the way I'm going to go there are miles of decommissioned railway where I live nature is just taking the railroad beds back
If you schmooze a scrap yard guy, you may be able to find a length of rail track legally- cheap or free. I got my length of track (about 80# worth) and I got it legally. If you are on a rail frontage or on the track are, you're trespassing, and the removal as even so much as a loose spike is a federal crime. Not many get prosecuted, but it can get you in serious trouble. So find a legal source and avoid the problems you'll invite by "midnight special" parts... Rail track can be used, but it isn't very hardened by it's manufacture, but does have some carbon content (maybe not enough to really harden well.) On grinding, it will often show signs of having some carbon content, but not a lot. I did some grinding today to test mine, and took off a small chunk to have a friend test on some lab equipment. I live near a university with the right equipment to run a test. The professors often like to have an unknown sample to have students practice with so that may work out for me... It will help me figure out what I want to do in the way of making it more practical for use.
To me the bottom of the track is better, just make a base to hold it up right. i use a 12 lb hammer on it never bend it on the side! The top is already grove out to weld some thick wide bar to it
I've been thinking of mounting my pounding surface to a solid 2" drawbar from a trailer hitch. inserting it into my receiver, then putting a house-type screw jack under it to brace it against the ground. Thoughts?
That is not uncommon, there are folks that shoe horses that have their anvils configured to be used with their receiver. From what I understand that is a popular method with farriers in the UK. The only thing that I would question would be the working height of the surface, will it be high enough for your to be comfortable? Other than that I'd love to hear how it works for you.
So with this chunk of metal,,, how do you know you haven't brought a soft grade of it, i guess you could use a file, but if it has been heat treated? At least with the rail track it's a certain grade! I do really like your video, and seriously considering this option, but my only concern was the type of metal i would get. I know for sure if i went to a scrap yard and asked for a chunk of 41** they would triple the price from the start. Happy new year and regards
Even if a person doesn't do any forging, this is a good idea for a general purpose surface for those shop moments when you need to beat on something with a hammer. I like this!
All I can say is THANK YOU... I have been so discouraged from gathering supplies and trying my hand at blacksmithing because I can't afford an anvil, and rail is so hard to find by legal means (or illegal ones for that matter!)... I needed to see this, Thank you Jeff!!!
I have been searching for something more feasible than a rock on the ground and less costly than a large railroad piece. This is perfect THANK YOU!
I used a big steel hydraulic valve block for a long while. About a 6" cube with 2 good flat faces, one sloped face and a few handy holes in. Might be worth trying a breakers yard that deals with big earthmoving equipment.
I later also got a pivot pin from a large excavator this is about 24 inch x 5 inch diameter. This came from the scrap bin of a large excavator hire company who did all repairs in house, and it was too worn for their use [but not mine] I bought several others in smaller sizes for about $40 all in. I have the big one and aim one day to use it as an anvil for a treadle hammer.
Finally after years of searching, I got lucky and found a 450 pound monster anvil in great shape at a really, really low price ... never, ever give up trying, there is an anvil somewhere out there for you.
Awesome railroad track/anvil video's. My cousin worked for the railroad here in Chicago. I told him that I wanted to make a anvil made from railroad tracks. He said be careful. He saw coworkers get embedded with small chucks chipping off the tracks when they accidentally hit them head on with tools they were using. I couldn't believe that but your videos confirmed what he said. Thanks
While living in suburbia, I was taking out the trash and spotted a 1"x 12"x 12" steel plate. Holy Cow!
It weighs about 5 pounds. I put it on a dense blue foam pad, on a tool cart. I use it for small craft and hobby projects.
I can strike it with a hammer and the noise isn't conducted to the apartment below. Also a 3"x 3"x 12" piece of white oak takes abuse of drilling and grommet setting.
Thankyou very much for your advice on the railroad anvil substitute idea
They recently re-laid a length of track through my local station. (The 'Bus-replaces-train' advert on a sign by the station was the give-away). I asked when they were putting in the rails and timed my visit to suit. Looked for a team-boss and politely ask: "Excuse me, I'm a hobby engineer. Is there any chance I could have a short piece of the closure-rail off-cut sir?" "Yes son, you can have this bit" A 10" piece of 113lb rail went in the trunk, and off I went after saying thank-you. It pays to politely ask. Good video!
Bravo for the clever solution for easy anvil. Thak you.
I second the above motion
I like the mounting system; it's straightforward and doable for most people. If you turn it up on end, though, you'll get better response. The same is true for RR track. Thing about using a spatula with the same mass as a tack hammer. Which is gonna do better? That or using a hammer on its side. I found that piece of advice when researching my first RR track anvil, and it made a huge difference. Thanks for the info!
That was a really useful video and a good idea also. Your remarks on the risks to life and liberty from trespassing on the railway were well made. Thanks.
Great idea!
Just an FYI. The metal shop you get your steel at will likely be able to drill your hole for you. They may even weld for you. At a price of course!
thanks for the share. it never dawned one me once to scope out the tracks. lol. but I have a welder and torch guess I'll be ordering some steel. thanks again
I took an old rail , an old surface grinder, a drill press and a couple of adjustable clamps and made a hell of an anvil for a friend.
Great info, good job.
Quick about me. 60 years old, 35 or so years Aerospace tooling/tooling inspection, certified weld inspector, 30 plus years as a blacksmith and over 15 as an instructor.
Rail makes a VERY bad "anvil" when hacked as most people do to sort of resemble a London pattern anvil. Decades ago I picked up a chunk of light rail LEGALLY from a work camp after asking the supervisor for a cut off. I use it as a example of why a rail is a very poor anvil. The web is too weak, it is spring where you need strength. If someone does manage to get a chunk, through legal means and insists to use it as an anvil, the best way is to set it on end, like it grew as a tree grows. Grind the end flat and hammer on that. This way, there is mass behind the hammer blow, not spring and a serviceable if small anvil can be made. As long as there is mass under the hammer, any metal will work. Smaller work space requires better hammer control but that is a good thing.
I advise students to just get to a scrap yard or steel yard and buy a chunk of metal that weighs about 100 pounds and just use that. They will have a better "anvil" than most of recorded history up until the mid 1800s when the metal making processes caught up to demand.
wayne parris hello sir i was thinking about welding that web section,so it's one piece with its bottom part,is that going to work or not?
I love this idea! Thank you for the video I'll be making one of these for myself soon!
An alternative to the 'technically illegal to own' railroad track, is to buy a section of mining rail track. These are generally shorter than real railroad track, but otherwise work just as well. Mines scrap metal pretty regularly, so try calling their customer service and ask about buying a piece of leftover rail track.
The other alternative most farmers around here have always used, is to buy a big sledgehammer (the bigger the better, and usually available at any farm auction) and bury half of it upright into a stump. It'll be small and lightweight, but can definitely work. And a big hammerface is going to be hard steel, generally. Beats most of the random metal anvil-shaped-objects out there.
It's not illegal to own. It's illegal to take from RR property without permission. There is a difference.
Good idea. I have a few pieces of track, but I still use a flat block of steel simply because it's wider and flat.
I fully agree that going on the tracks to get an anvil like object is bad. Thanks for the video. I've been smithing for over 20 years, but my First anvil was a USED chunk of track I got from a scrap yard. Used track is key, as it is basically work hardened and has a nice rolled edge to use as a cut off. Thanks for the video!!
truck and truck trailer shops sometimes have old big rig truck leaf springs they are scrapping.. those work great also.. some are an inch and a quarter thick. . most have a nice taper to them.. all are properly tempered spring steel.
Good ideas. Any hard, heavy and flat surface will work as an anvil. Granite will work. I would like to point out that many welders would be willing to do a baby fabrication job like that for much less than you might think. Some might do it for a case of beer and a favor later on - like sending people their way. So pricing all the time, lag bolts, threaded rod etc it might be worth just asking a welding shop what they'd charge. I'd also like to mention that if you can find a chunk of tool steel, stick with that. Differential hardening is half the magic of anvils. I don't know why people are so stuck on railroad track. Its really not that good for an anvil unless you flatten the face, cut a hardy hole, harden it and add weight.
When using a RR Track for an anvil, it's better to turn it up on one end to get all the mass of the piece of track underneath the striking surface. Turning it up on end makes the track act a bit more like a real anvil. As to the limited size of the striking surface; you can only use an area the size of your hammer face at any given time. Additionally you can file one side of the base into a cutoff tool and radius the upright into a fullering tool to make drawing out easier. I'll send you a pic on FB of the one I used.
Some good ideas there too sir. I've got a project going to make a practical anvil out of about 80 pounds of track. Looking to weld a treated hardened plate on top of the track with a bit more area and hardness... The end on idea is very good, as it leaves the mass all in line with the hammer strikes. Thanks for your input. I'm beginning the adventure too, and currently have enough to hammer on, but not hard enough to do any real work with. Your ideas will help, thanks!
Two pieces of track side by side with a thick piece of plate welded to both is a good start. There are plenty of videos of RR track anvils on here.
If your good enough with a hammer you can use a railroad track! Practice hammer skills
@@stageforgejon905 Start small and slow.
@@scottleft3672 yes sir i agree!!
Really cool anvil design! If one doesn't have a stump for support simply make the post longer and sink it in the ground as deep as you can dig. No concrete necessary. This allows you to easily move it if needed. I mounted my 15 pound HF cast iron anvil to such setup and it doesn't budge. eBay sells train track if someone must think they need it. I think your set up is much more usable and easily obtained. I ordered a chunk of steel off eBay that is 5 5/8" diameter and 10" long, made out of heat treated 4140.
What a great concept. I'm working in my workshop and I have to do a little metal pounding, So I gather up all my tools and I hike out to the “back woods“ and there is my home made anvil waiting for me. I just hope it's not 14° out or raining.
Or you could just bring the whole thing inside the shop. His "stump" was a section cut out of a tree, it was not attached to the ground. If you're near southwestern Indiana hit me up, I'll give you a chunk of oak that's way better than what he used.
I work for a rail engineering company and we work with manganese track all the time we use explosive depth hardening to harden the rail head for crossings and stuff like that we also used thermite welding processes to join the rail too
Thermite must be a 'blast' handling the stuff is incredible. I've seen it on film, and it's pretty interesting stuff! The show "Mythbusters" used to do a lot with explosives abd a little with thermite. It seems that thermite would be hard to conrol easily.
Enjoyed the build. Thanks for posting.
thanks Jeff great video
I snagged a RR track piece at a garage sale and ground it flat-ish. I love it.
@Jeffrey Santo i have tryed granit!! works better then enything else , the best part is it dosent sing as steel does , i used red granit , dont know if the colouring makes it harder but its darn good !! we have used it since the viking period and some still prefere it to steel anvils , plus its free!!
Excellent idea, and excellent video! I've been thinking bout alternatives to train tracks (there are none in my area) - this gives me something to work with. Thank you!
lol cottoned that stump move off the bat ! ..... nice to see straightforward video's from genuine people !
great video. I find that people take walking down the track for-granted. its illegal for several reasons one its posted private property, secondly its extremely dangerous, amtrak runs though really fast. fast light trains don't give you warning. i worked for PanAm back in 2010 and they had a guy get crushed between two rail cars because he didn't hear it coming. 3rd that piece of steel is bought and paid for by the company they own it you don't. Saying its like stealing garbage is like telling someone its ok to go through your garage cuz your not using it at the moment.
Nice build! But the way I look at it is if the railroad companies consider it stealing when it's laying on the ground in the middle of cow pasture that the railroad track runs thru I suggest they pick up their litter and dispose of it properly! If not it's free game! Don't leave it for the taking if you don't want it took! Have a great day and keep on ⚒️ ing my friend!!
Excellent, no other word for it & look at it this way...those that risk arrest or death for a hunk of railway off the track, will like as not only do it once after getting tagged.
As one who worked for the railroad, I know that in the USA the railroad's right of way is considered as federal property and trespassing is a felony as well as looking for and picking up spikes, tie plates, rail scraps, etc. if you live near a rail yard, car shop, or diesel shop and speak to one of the foremen, many will give you some scrap especially if it's for scouting. I do know that UP, MoPac, and several other roads are big supporters of the Boy Scouts.
Peace!
Thanks for the great video & advise
Thats pretty awesome! Thanks
im glad to see this, ive been slowly looking into doing some amateur forging, and of course i need to make an anvil, and was disgusted by the number of railroad track anvil videos, knowing full well that these people were advocating theft. this def gave me some more thoughts, but if i can avoid it, which i assume i will be able to find a different solution, i would rather not have to deal with borrowing a drill press, and the design seems like it has multiple failure points in the wood, which made me less keen with it. im sure it would work for a little while, but i think with some decent usage it would break down pretty hard, and i know replacing the wood pieces wouldnt be that hard. at the end what im saying is thank you for showing a different do it yourself anvil.
Thank you for the warning and the alternative idea
I used a slesghammer head for a while. I had it face up in a hole I chizles in a log. It worked well for what I needed it for and it helped me learn to move the work not the hammer. I now use a 70lb Vulcan anvil strapped to a stump. not a log, an actual stump from a dead tree. I cut it too high and used metal band to strap it down. It does not move even when I'm whaling away on a piece of breaker chisel with my 3 lb hammer.
Nice alternative to an actual anvil. Thanks for sharing.
Nice vid sir. Thanks for diy project
Thank you so much !
DAMMM... I BEEN TREKK'N THE TRACKS AT NIGHT... JUST TO AVOID DEM COPS.
USUALLY... I JUST WALK'N THE CENTER OF TIES, ...WITH MY WALKMAN CASSETTE BLASTIN.
THE VIBRATIONS, LIGHTS AND AIRHORN ARE PLENTY OF WARNING.
I REALLY REALLY WANT MY ANVIL.
thanks for sharing
Grand idea, thanks for sharing it with us.
Bradley Dixon Track Anvils on Facebook does a very nice job for not too much money. He polishes the surface enough to use it as a jeweler's anvil. I have one of his in my shop.
The rail stolen from the Railroad, and your design for the anvil was really great! I really liked your vid!
Very nice 👍👍👍
Thats clever and offers a good start to an aspiring smith. Good on ya man.
Another thought, that may have already been mentioned, but I'm too lazy to scroll... Get a longer 4x4 so that you can bury it 2'-3' (or more if you choose) into the ground, perhaps with some concrete, then back fill. Should be a pretty solidly anchored anvil at that point, and gives you a bit more freedom of movement around your anvil.
That 31" 4X4 a bit tall, top of anvil recommend at knuckle hight when arm hanging relaxed.
If you turn the train track upside down, you have a flat side, and not a curved side like the actual top of the track. No welding needed. Just dress up / paint up the surface of the track and Yatze.
My "anvil" is a ¼ inch thick steel plate bolted to a 2x4, works great for small projects
love your message.
be safe
Great Thank You
I got a peace of train track for $20 dollars in OfferUp, you can also get them in craigslist, the still block is a good option
Great idea and video, enjoyed your style. Thanks!
Thank you for your good idea!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!
keep it legal keep it safe words to live by thank you for the information sir
The price of steel is so cheap the scrapyards are holding metal waiting for the prices to rise, the selection is fantastic and most have almost anything you could imagine. I also like walking around to get ideas from what's available. Where I go on Storer Ave in Staten Island, NY for a few bucks they'll cut stuff to length and help load it.
James Zivny me and my dad love to go scrap yard picking.
I like what had to say to every one good job and thanks
If you don't have a tree stump you could use a 5 gallon bucket and concrete to secure the 4x4 and that should give plenty of weight to the makeshift anvil.
Excellent suggestion :)
2:00...it's square at THE ENDS...duh....and you dont want a sharp edge only...it'll chip if over used....btw, railways never throw track out...they store it.
Good info and great ideas. I was wondering about what I could use, as a nice good big anvil is several hundred dollars. I do have a piece of train track-that I bought, not collected myself- but I'd also like an anvil, and the ideas you showed here can really come in handy.
I bought 20 inch railroad rail for 37 bucks in the people's republic of California. I cut it in half cut the sides off sandwich them together welded the two rails together tree then ground down the surface to make sqare. Its sounds easy when i type it but with a hacksaw and a borrowed angle grinder from a neighbor who felt sorry for me banging my knuckles every couple minutes now im looking for a log or stump plan on making a forge propane type have a good video or know of a good person who has the experience im a truck driver so not exactly the most experienced person in this but i am persistent
Remember kids, always hammer towards your shin. XD
Very good idea.
Really nice video! Thanks for the help!
The only thing I"d change would be to drive the lags into the post at a down angle, so they pull the block down tight to the top of the post.
although rail road track is not hardened it provides a perfectly suitable striking surface, and is close enough to a 1000 (ie: 1060, 1070, etc.) series steel to be hardened in most cases. also the clips and a few other parts are all suitable for hardening
Ha, Rowayton station! I live right down the street. Great video!
Hey, random question since you are local. Where can I get a scraper to flatten the soles of cast iron wood planes? Or are they easy to make? I have a lot of material to flatten and sandpaper on granite is going very slow. Figured I'd ask before diving deep into googling.
I did a little looking around, looks like most are made from either high speed steel or carbide. Here is one company I found in the USA. www.andersonscraper.com
Very cool idea.
I'm with you on the track walking. Your design is ok for straightening nails and stuff but if you worked with it for an hour or so it would need repairing. You could take that steel and put it on the stump instead of the 4x4, or lay the 4x4 down on the stump and use a couple pieces of angle iron lagged to the stump and use a piece of all thread with washers an nuts. The block you are striking on doesn't need to move at all. If it moves it will move more and more. Happy Hammering
Awesome idea thanks a lot
Very cool!
I agree that one can probably find a good, heavy, piece of metal at a scrap yard that would work for a beginner/hobbyist/novice knife maker & especially as a general purpose "shop anvil". But, most everyone, including beginning & veteran "knife makers" / "blacksmiths" holler "gotta have an antique/vintage, cast steel anvil. OR, if homemade, it's gotta be made from high dollar "tool steel"! Funny thing is, probably 75% of those "knife makers" / "blacksmiths", beginners or veterans, couldn't actually tell you the properties of the the steel there "forging" into a knife, but they can "sure" tell you about the "correct", "bounce" & "ring" of an anvil...lol
The sup[port post needs a bolt nearer the top of the stump to reduce the side movement.
I have 2 rail evils :) they are OK, and I found both of them on scrap-heap :D
Great Idea Thank you
Thank you for the warning, cheers :)
good idea thanks.
problem is, the rail is hardened, similarly to an anvil, or even a sledgehammer head. a random block of steel might be ok for really basic beginner stuff, a hardened piece, which provides rebound, makes the whole job much easier and safer.
Chris Henningsen Arild rails are low Carbon steel,not hard at all.
terje halle- railroad rail is work hardened, unless you get brand new rail. it's not as good as true hardened steel, but is somewhat hardened nonetheless. the older the rail the better.
Chris Henningsen what you are talking about is forging,low carbon steel is low carbon steel no matter how much you workforge it,it will make it stronger yes,but not harder.
Really good info, thanx👍🏾👍👍🏽👍🏼
Really good thing man !!!!
awesome video
a real smith might turn up his nose at such a contraption, does it have rebound? there is a reason an anvil sings that is the force of the hammer rebounding back through the work. take a small ball bearing with you when you select the hunk of steel for your anvil, drop the bearing from a height and see how high it rebounds. it needs to be a little hard say about 35 Rockwell, other wise you will spend a lot , LOT more time pounding steel.
The rebound is nearly identical as I demonstrated in my latest video. Even a "real" smith starts out somewhere, hence the title of the video indicating that it was an alternative for beginners.
i'm not a real smith yet, I've hardly even started to beat metal into submission. however after much looking around I found an anvil $150 at a antique place. never went back it was too beat up. after more searching I found a guy with a furriers anvil for $300, used to belong to his son. I'm trying to save up 3 bills. in the mean time I have a metal scrap yard less then 5 miles away and lo and behold they have chunks of rail for 20-25 bucks. still looking for the 300lb peter wright anvil but until then, this'll do. side trivia about anvils one under constant use that is never abused can last several hundred years...
Actually, Thomas, the big anvils we're used to are a product of the Industrial age. The one made in this video is the style found through most of history; at least, in the case of metal anvils instead of rock. Rock anvils have been found several feet across, theoretically used by several smiths at a time.
Hold the but of a hammer 10 inches above the anvil and let the hammer head swing freely down to hit the anvil if the head doesn't rebound at least one third the height then it's dead and will work you to death.
Haha, maintenance in the way! Stay safe out there, from a retired hog head and Thanks for the video.
Hey Jeffrey i know this is an old post but what if you found and old all metal clothing iron like the ones granma use to put on the wood burning stove and heat up to iron grandpas shirts with might work for a beginner/hobbyists
I love you man. Ty.
thank you going to try this
You could fill a bucket with cement, place this in it and bury it in your yard for a little more stability.
MetalNekomata good idea
Just go on ebay. Lots of people selling 1ft old track sections for $50-$70 including the shipping. Not saying the alternative methods aren't functional, but track is really not hard to find or very expensive.
If you go that way and buy something on Ebay be sure and save the printout from the auction. If you are ever questioned about it you can prove it was purchased legally. I get mine at a local scrap yard that sometimes has them, I make sure they write right on the invoice exactly what I have bought. If I ever pass it on to someone else or sell it the receipt goes with it.
put steel on a tree stunp.....or make a concrete mould put steel in middle.....bump up the cement level X2.
I just subscribed I've been wanting to get into forging and the train track anvil is the way I'm going to go there are miles of decommissioned railway where I live nature is just taking the railroad beds back
If you schmooze a scrap yard guy, you may be able to find a length of rail track legally- cheap or free. I got my length of track (about 80# worth) and I got it legally.
If you are on a rail frontage or on the track are, you're trespassing, and the removal as even so much as a loose spike is a federal crime. Not many get prosecuted, but it can get you in serious trouble. So find a legal source and avoid the problems you'll invite by "midnight special" parts... Rail track can be used, but it isn't very hardened by it's manufacture, but does have some carbon content (maybe not enough to really harden well.) On grinding, it will often show signs of having some carbon content, but not a lot. I did some grinding today to test mine, and took off a small chunk to have a friend test on some lab equipment. I live near a university with the right equipment to run a test. The professors often like to have an unknown sample to have students practice with so that may work out for me... It will help me figure out what I want to do in the way of making it more practical for use.
To me the bottom of the track is better, just make a base to hold it up right. i use a 12 lb hammer on it never bend it on the side! The top is already grove out to weld some thick wide bar to it
I've been thinking of mounting my pounding surface to a solid 2" drawbar from a trailer hitch. inserting it into my receiver, then putting a house-type screw jack under it to brace it against the ground. Thoughts?
That is not uncommon, there are folks that shoe horses that have their anvils configured to be used with their receiver. From what I understand that is a popular method with farriers in the UK. The only thing that I would question would be the working height of the surface, will it be high enough for your to be comfortable? Other than that I'd love to hear how it works for you.
So with this chunk of metal,,, how do you know you haven't brought a soft grade of it, i guess you could use a file, but if it has been heat treated? At least with the rail track it's a certain grade! I do really like your video, and seriously considering this option, but my only concern was the type of metal i would get. I know for sure if i went to a scrap yard and asked for a chunk of 41** they would triple the price from the start. Happy new year and regards
Ha just seen your video to the reply from a comment. So best take a file and a hammer to the scrap yard.