The NC anvils for example have a large 1.25" "turning hole" in the heel that seems like it would be a great place to run a punch and drift through.
There are also some bells and whistles to some of these farrier anvils that are initially appealing to me, but I'd appreciate insight from anyone more experienced if these would actually work/help as I envision. In reading old posts about farrier anvils I understand they aren't as ideal for general blacksmithing because of the lower weight and the thinner waist (less mass directly under the hammer). Due to my inexperience and knowing blacksmithing encompasses a lot of different size work, what I don't know is at what point would such an anvil show its limitations. Removing the factor of my inability to judge the quality of an anvil or the level of a flaw from the equation has some appeal. Those anvils are a little lighter though, generally 70 lbs, and they all look to be designed for farriers. In my researching around I've also found a few options for brand new anvils that could be had in the same price range. I've been researching which flaws are a bigger concern than others with the notion of trying to find one that could be haggled into the $300-$400 range and be generally worth it. Anything under $500 has some flaw from a life of use whether its chipped edges, sway, or someone has done something silly like cut across the heel with a torch. The asking prices start around $350 and go up from there to the grand range. Looking around locally and semi locally for second hand options the common weight available falls into the 100-150lbs range. I need something I can move in and out of cover in the back yard to actually use, at least until the point I'm into this enough that setting up a shed etc. Second issue is I don't have an actual shop. This purchase needs to fall into my "I can justify this as fun" category.
This is a hobby for me, and my return on investment for at least as far as I can see in the future is smiles not dollars. I have a couple of reasons to not want just the most honking anvil possible. Whether that's size of stock that can be worked or weight of hammer it can take, and where those limits fall. A common refrain is "get the heaviest one you can." What I haven't been able to discern is where you hit the limits at a given weight anvil. I've been trying to do my research by reading through stickies and lots of old posts. I'd like an anvil with some actual beef in the horn section.
The horn on my current anvil was ground in to make it look like an anvil, but it isn't really usable. When making the little hawks I keep wanting to be able to use the horn in ways that I've seen folks do on youtube videos to shape the blade. Also, I started out in the pursuit of bladesmithing knives, but in monkeying around with making little tomahawks I've also become intrigued with the notion of small axe making. I'm currently very jealous of various hardy tools I've seen in the tools section, so I'd like an anvil with a hardy hole which mine does not. My current desire for a next level anvil isn't directly tied to more size.
I've tried reading all the various posts about the weight's impact on the efficiency of blows, but I sort of get the feeling it's one of those things you understand once you've used something sizable and compared. I don't know if my projects are just so small it doesn't matter, or if life would be easier with something bigger and I just don't know it. I haven't noticed that the small size or improper configuration has held me back considerably, but I have nothing to compare to. It was a whopping $30 though and fit the bill for when I was investing the bare minimum just to figure out if this was something I would enjoy doing or not. It only weighs about 20 lbs, and I have since learned that the piece of track would have likely been better left alone and set on end. I'm currently using a piece of railroad track that someone previously ground to the shape of an anvil. I'm still very new to this, but I am now hooked enough that I am starting to consider a legitimate anvil.
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