Introduction: How to Make an "anvil"

So you need an anvil. Whether it's for starting to get into blacksmithing or you just need something to bang on, here's how to make one.

The tools I used to make this were:

- Angle Grinder

- Sawzall/Portable bandsaw

- Metal Lathe (optional)

- Bucket of water

- Fire extinguisher

- Gloves

Materials Used:

- Some sort of big piece of steel (I used some a piece my school gave me from their old slip roller, but look around your scrap yard and you will find something)

- Sawzall Blades

- WD40 (any oil would work)

-Cutting wheel

- Grinding wheel

- Flap disk

- Wire Wheel

- Spray paint and primer

Disclaimer: You will be working with heavy metal and sparks that can and will start a fire. Never do this without someone you know somewhere near you and without safety precautions. Always be sure of what you are doing. If you aren't sure something is safe, ask someone else or DON'T DO IT. It is better to be safe than sorry. This is just a chunk of steel, it is not worth your life.

Step 1: Find Your Steel

I had some 3" x 5' round stock from a slip roller my school was scrapping and they let me have it. You can also find something in a scrap yard near you. Just remember to bring someone with you, these things are HEAVY.

Step 2: Fire Hazard

Before you start cutting, you need to make sure your work area is safe, especially if you are cutting with an angle grinder. I wet the entire area that I was working in but I still managed to set a piece of wood on fire with the sparks. Always have a fire extinguisher and some sort of water on hand to put out any fires.

Step 3: Start Cutting!

I used an angle grinder to cut most of the way through my piece, but since it was a 4 1/2" grinder, I couldn't get all the way through. I cut the rest of the way through with the sawzall. You can use anything you want to cut through this, it will just take varying amounts of time and effort. You could use a hack saw, sawzall for the whole thing, metal cutting chop saw (careful with this, I burned mine out by trying to cut through another piece this thick with my saw), angle grinder, portable bandsaw, oxy/acetylene, or whatever you have.

Step 4: Smooth the Surface

Since I have access to a lathe at my school, I had my teacher face it off. Our lathe was a little small for this and it ended up leaving the face only a little better than before, so I went back at it with a flap disk on the angle grinder. Again, you can use anything for this, from sandpaper to files to a surface grinder to a milling machine.

Step 5: Paint!

I cleaned off the rust with a wire wheel and then painted!

Step 6: Mount It

I chose to drill a hole in a stump that I had that was the same size as my piece of steel. I used a hole saw, forstner bits, drill bits, and paddle bits, as well as anything else I could find to make it fit.

Step 7: It's Done!

Now that this is done, head on to your next project! Let me know about any upgrades you think I could make in the comments.

Thanks for reading!