PSA: Check your anvil base before it shifts

Last Tuesday my anvil tipped mid-strike. Almost lost two fingers. The base was a stack of old railroad ties I'd used for 3 years. Rot got to them. Replaced it with a 4x4 steel plate bolted to concrete. Anyone else ever had their anvil shift on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade_jenkins21d ago

Mia, gotta clear something up real quick - steel plate is good but bolting it to concrete is the REAL safety move. The plate by itself won't stop the anvil from shifting if you hit it hard enough off-center. I learned that the hard way when mine spun around on a steel plate after a heavy strike. You gotta drill into the concrete and use anchor bolts. The other thing is make sure the anvil is level on the plate too. A little rock and it'll still want to walk on you. Railroad ties are honestly a ticking time bomb, saw a guy's entire setup collapse after they rotted through.

hannah40021d ago

Yeah but @jade_jenkins bolting to concrete just cracks the slab over time...

mia70021d ago

Man, that's scary close call. I had a buddy lose a piece of his thumb the same way, anvil walked right off a stacked tire base. Glad you caught it before worse happened, a steel plate sounds like the right move.