Anvil from a forklift tine

[Shedendman]

My search for a real anvil got me nowhere,reason being those that were good would cost a fortune,or were miles away,those that were affordable were rubbish.
So the other option was to make one,now i had ideas about one from a rail track,big no there couldn't get a bit,i even know guys who work on the rails,they cant even have any due to everything now being recycled and accounted for,blah blah blah.

Next thing from searching the net i saw another option of using a tine from a forklift,BINGO i cried theres a place near me that does service and repairs on forklifts bound to get one there,yer,er no,due to H&S rubbish they're not allowed to even sell the scrap ones they put in the skip,dont ask ok,but with a few minutes of me explaining what i wanted it for i managed to get one for a tenner(cap in hand and begging on all fours,bloody joke it was)

Right now i have it tucked away in the workshop with me looking at it i want to ask you clever chaps if any of you has made one from a tine before and what design did you find best,doing a bit of net searching theres a conflict to weather i make this up using the vertical method or lateral as it cutting and welding it.

Cutting it in bits is not a problem at all,welding it(i'll be using arc DC+) together i understand 4.0mm 7018 rods are the way to go,yer?
Erm what steel are tines made from?
As for a base i've got 2 options a large wood block or some big mother RSJ's to mount it on.

I'll post progress photos up once i get the green light in my head with the plan
Your input comments are welcomed
Cheers

 

[brightspark]

weld it to an rsj exta weight then mount on a block of wood or a piece of tree trunk. take the shock out of it

 

[Shedendman]

Thats the road i had in mind,bolted to the block,big eff off coach screws?

 

[Maker]

Erm what steel are tines made from?

I would guess something wear resistant with a high manganese content, same as a piece of train track. I don't know how well stacking it up and welding it will work, I want to say it will but all my googling says it won't. I think it would be fine provided you grind a big Vee and clamp it all really securely when welding. Grind the surfaces nice and flat before you weld it and I doubt you'd have any problems. What are the dimensions of a FL tine?
I think I might know of a couple of them, laying forgotten on the local airfield.

It doesn't seem like an uncommon idea

 

[Shedendman]

I am more for not cutting it into small bits to make a block,i would rather go the horizontal route,as for the dimensions i'll get back to you on this,i do like the look of what i saw here for the final project
http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/19977-finished-fork-lift-tine-anvil-mostly/
or sort of along those lines

 

[Maker]

One thing I've noticed with homemade anvils is everyone want to hardface them, isn't hardfacing for wear resistance? It seems kinds pointless on an anvil to me.

 

[rory1]

7018 will weld the material just fine, and just for the record - ive never had to weld the end 1" of a fork back on because I cut the end off with a PUG cutter , honest.

 

[Shox Dr]

Me neither.

Mine is currently awaiting a round tuit, they just throw them in a pile here [unfortunately not round tuits].
I was only looking for a flat surface, to beat things on. So I'll watch this space with interest

 

[skotl]

Sounds like an interesting project! I bought an anvil a few weeks ago but suspect it will be two to three years until I get round to picking it up

 

[Shox Dr]

http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/19977-finished-fork-lift-tine-anvil-mostly/

They're a happy bunch

 

[MattF]

Sounds like an interesting project! I bought an anvil a few weeks ago but suspect it will be two to three years until I get round to picking it up

Glad I'm not the only one who's sometimes a tardy git when it comes to collecting things.

 

[skotl]

Glad I'm not the only one who's sometimes a tardy git when it comes to collecting things.

As long as it's paid, our conscience is clear, right?

I like to view it as "babysitting fees"...

 

[MattF]

Aye, I always like to make sure everything is paid for and such straight away too, whenever possible. I'd be a nervous wreck if I didn't sort that side of things out straight off the bat. Still always feel a bit guilty knowing something's stuck in someones way though, especially when you say you'll be through for it as soon as, and then end up turning up a year or two later. The best laid plans and intentions always seem to go tits up with a vengeance though, if you're owt like me.

 

[Kent]

They're a happy bunch

That stuff is par for the course on so many forums, yes sometimes the blind lead the blind but willy waftin shouldn't be allowed. Whenever someone says they have done something for 30,40 yrs etc I am always tempted to ask why they never got really good at it.

 

[Bill Edwards]

This may be of interest to you regarding the type of steel used for a forklift tine:
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/engineering-steels.htm

 

[Shedendman]

Right,thought i'd make a start this morning,1st off give it a bit of a wipe down with petrol,remove some of the grease etc
If you've never handled one of these before then take my advice,they're blinking heavy nor do they balance very well(easy to tip over) so lay it down flat best you can




Plus its 100mmx40mm dont ask me the other numbers as i dont know

I'll start by cutting it in half so to speak, the up right bit i hope to use as the striking face,i'll worry about the rest as i go on.
So out with my old clarke power hacksaw,job and a half getting that to sit flat on the bed i tell ya,couple of axle stands to take the weight as it felt like the saw would topple over


The white stuff is this

yes my saw does have a coolant/cutting squirty thing but i dont have any fluid,to tight and lazy to buy any plus a can of that is only £4
I did shoot a quick video of it cutting but how boring that is,and this is going to take an age to get through that lump,so go make a cuppa and come back later
Why do we say ok i'll leave that to do its thing while i get on with something else,then stand there watching for near on all the time through the cutting

I suppose i'm lucky enough to have a power hacksaw if you dont and you want to cut this beast then your down to the angle grinder my friends good luck is all i can say

40 mins later plus 2 mugs of tea i hear the click of it finished


not a bad cut,but when i put a flat edge up to it i noticed it curved in by say a mm,oh well beggers cant be choosers it'll have to do

So what am i left with as you can see the upright as i said before will be the top striking face


to be continued

 

[Shedendman]

ignore those markings,due to change of mind i went another way 1st was to cut off the right hand lug,so back in the saw it went didnt make any tea but still took 40 mins to cut,the left hand lug i had to grind most of the weld off then cut it using my recip saw tbh although it was slow it didnt do a bad job
What am i left with well this



Thats as far as i got today due to her indoors wanting me to do other things far less important than this,grrrrrrrrr
I dont think i'll go with doing the horn or just cut that flush with the top,still in two minds weather to keep that curve on the left..............i have a rethink tomorrow

 

[brightspark]

keep the curve u will regret later cutting it off

 

[Shedendman]

Its far from straight nor square so will need loads of grinding,but it has that feature

 

[arceyered]

I agree keep the curve you will find it useful ,also as posted "Iforge iron" is a very good forum I use it all the time when i'm not on here.
You need the mass so when you hit the hot iron you don't loose all the force of the blow.
Most anvils do not have sharp edges google anvil radius, might be useful?.