# Railroad Iron Anvil...A Start At Least



## bedwards (Dec 10, 2011)

I didn't flatten (machine) mine when I made it. I have used it as is. Do you think machining it will cut through to the softer metal underneath? I'd love to flatten the top of mine.


be


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## Tenn (Dec 10, 2011)

Whyemier I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one to mill a railroad rail for an anvil and I have to give my hearty agreement !! Sheesh !! They're tough !!!! "jawdrop:


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## ScrapMetal (Dec 10, 2011)

Neat posts.  Now I know that there are others besides myself that have "rails" around for anvils.  I can only assume that my grandfather got them back in the '20s when he worked for the railroad for a time.  I have been using them almost my entire life and hadn't really given them much thought 'til now.

-Ron


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## bedwards (Dec 10, 2011)

So, I need carbide tooling to do this and probably expect to dull it when I do?



be


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## Tenn (Dec 10, 2011)

bedwards said:


> So, I need carbide tooling to do this and probably expect to dull it when I do?
> 
> 
> 
> be



hew: That... is an understatement !!  But they do turn out pretty with a bit of patience. :high5:


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## bedwards (Dec 11, 2011)

I have a Griz G1005z made in Taiwan. Its probably very similar to yours. It looks like it only goes down to 110 rpm. I have a Sheldon Model O horizontal that might do better with some Carbide tooling. What speed would you run it? It has a VFD on it so I can pretty much set the speed where I want.


be


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## Video_man (Dec 12, 2011)

@whyemer, clever use of the indexed tool bits....I have a fly cutter that will fit those, just wondering --- how well do those inserts hold up to an interrupted cut?  I've been using M2 steel but I like the idea...


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## Video_man (Dec 13, 2011)

Thanks for the info, looks like another trip to Harbor Freight...!:biggrin:


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## churchjw (Dec 13, 2011)

I love seeing a track anvil in a shop.  My very first real tool was one.  I was about 12 when I dragged my dad down to a local scrap yard to find one.  All I could find were these long lengths of track.  I asked this guy working there if he could cut one.  He handed me a propane oxy cutting torch and said I could have what ever I cut off.  Can you imagine someone now handing a 12 year old a torch most scrap yards wont even let you walk around.  Well it took me about an hour to finally cut the track but of course I had no idea of how heavy it was so I cut about 6 feet off.  I couldn't even pick one end up :biggrin: So another almost hour I cut about 2 feet off then managed to drag it to the van. hew:  I think everyone at the yard was watching by that point.  But I got it. :biggrin:  Used it to do a lot of blacksmithing over the years.  My parents moved 3 times since I left for college and I had assumed my old anvil was long gone.  Then about 4 years ago my wife and I were at my parents for I think Thanksgiving and we were talking about me doing crazy stuff as a kid. The anvil story came up and after everyone got a good laugh my mom asked if I still wanted my old anvil.  We went outside and there in the garden was my anvil a little rusty but still there.  Its now in my shop and maybe its time to surface it and mill out those bad torch cut marks.  

Your post brought up a lot of great memories thanks.

Jeff


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## irishwoodsman (Dec 13, 2011)

did you guys know its illegal to have a piece of railroad track in the united states:lmao: this law went into effect when the last spike went in the continental railroad and it is still on the books:lmao:


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## Tony Wells (Dec 13, 2011)

I too made one as a kid. I had an uncle who taught me to burn, and I helped him scrap stuff all the time during the summer between school years. I remember burning the general shape, and lots of grinding. Never put any holes in it though. I would now, but then I was 10 and didn't have access to a mill or drill press very handy. I don't have any idea where my first one is. I have a small piece that I could turn into an anvil. Maybe a winter project. Not that I need either an anvil, or another project, but who know?


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## irishwoodsman (Dec 13, 2011)

as a kid we had one across our garage to pull engines with:biggrin:


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## bedwards (Dec 24, 2011)

This thread inspired me to start on mine. I don't mean to hijack the thread but I have some pics and questions. I started on my Sheldon O and intend to finish on the Grissly veriticle unless I can come up with some better cutters for the Sheldon. I used an old carbide cutter that I wouldn't be afraid to loose but it survived the punishment intact.


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## bedwards (Dec 24, 2011)

I turned the camera flash off and got a better pic of the heat and chips generated. I took about .015 a pass. The hot chips we're amazing. They came off read hot and piled up in the floor in a blue pile. The spindle speed was about 3200. Am I taking too big or too fast a cut?


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## Hawkeye (Dec 25, 2011)

Generally speaking, grinding causes sparks. Machining should not cause sparks. I'm guessing that your cutter is about 4" in diameter. A quick calculation tells me that your RPM should be just under 200 for a medium carbon steel and a carbide cutter of that diameter. Tool steel should be more like 155 RPM with a carbide cutter.

These are just guidelines. As Whyemier says, if it's working for you, go for it. It just frightens me to see sparks coming off a milling machine.

Nice solid mill.


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## bedwards (Dec 28, 2011)

I guess my reply was lost Mike. They look like sparks but actually are pretty large hot chips. I turned the flash off the camera so you could see them. I had to vacum a pile up on both sides of the machine when I was finished. I will try to make a smoother finish this weekend and slow it down and see what happens. Here is another view. You can see the chips spinning off and laying around the cut.
thanks for your input guys
be


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## Tony Wells (Dec 29, 2011)

3200 RPM on a horizontal? I wouldn't think the outboard support bushing would be too happy about that. Even with carbide, that's too fast for long tool life. No sparks unless you are using CBM or similar on E52100.


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## bedwards (Dec 29, 2011)

Guys, I stand corrected. I've never used a hand held contact tachometer before and I read the wrong scale. It was 800 rpm spindle speed. :-( Sorry for the error. 


be


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