Restoring This 1800s Saw Makers Anvil!

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My name is Alec Steele and I am a 24 year old blacksmith. We make videos about making interesting things, learning about craft and appreciating the joy of creativity. Great to have you here following along!
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Alec Steele Blacksmith 2022

[@ryanmitchell4426]

Props to the mill for holding up. Having that anvil on the end with the table fully run out must have been an enormous load.

[@jonasschindzielorz]

Good thing Jamie stopped him and he didn’t flip and drop it there

[@MHolt3573]

I thought the same sir. That was alot on the end if the table.

[@ryanmitchell4426]

@@jonasschindzielorz Yeah, that was a yelling at the screen moment. Both for the damage it would potentially due to his hands as well as the mill table.

[@F0XD1E]

RIP to the ways on that mill 🫗

[@haydenschwartz7980]

Bridge ports can hold 480 lbs, roughly

[@willlothridge3197]

Was gifted a 80 ish lb anvil and an ASO from a fellow veteran for the build out of my new to work shop. Goal is to have veterans and first responders over for hammer ins. If I can help one person win their battle with PTSD it’ll be worth it. Hats off Alec and crew for what you’re doing

[@robertsmith470]

As a vet and first responder, this is much appreciated

[@WoodMachinist]

Whilst they were probably used for large handsaws as well, these anvils were largely used for the tensioning of large circular saws and wide band saws during manufacture and maintenance by a "Saw Doctor" which sounds like a ridiculous job title but was actually a very skilled profession at one point in time. They also had their own specialist hammers, the more common ones were the "Doghead" style which were pretty much a one-sided hammer with all the weight on one side, and then you had "Twisthead" style which had opposing diagonal peins on each side of the hammer and another style was the "Crossface" which had a vertical pein on one side and a point on the other. The hammers would be used to pein and bring tension into the saw plate by expansion of the metal in certain spots where it was required which is what made the saw blade rigid and less likely to whip and warp when running at several thousand feet per minute at the rim.

[@joshkamp7499]

We have an antique tractor show with a very large circular saw blade and there's still a few guys that know the art. Have to hammer the stresses for a certain RPM to get it to stabilize. Really cool stuff.

[@blksrsil]

I'm an apprentice Saw Doctor at a steel mill in Australia. Its a dying art, but there are still a couple of us out there. We use an anvil similar to this for circular saw blades anywhere between 630mm and 2m in diameter.

[@WoodMachinist]

@@blksrsil That's very cool! Do you have to go to a college to learn the trade also or is it purely a "on-the-job" apprenticeship? It's only something I've ever seen in the old books I have on the subject from well over 60 years ago.

[@CarletonJohnson]

I'm actually a trained sawsmith and have my own set (handed down to me by my mentor) including a dog head and others, if he ever wanted to see them/use them

[@michaelyaeger8507]

Still a crictal skillset today but very hard to find even 24" vlades we run for an upcut saw can have a shimmy at full speed and hammer tensioning gets rid of that. Most of the saw mills for lumber have someone for there 3 and 4 foot dia blades

[@bobwallace5257]

As much as I’d like to have an anvil I think your idea to send it to a school is where it belongs!

[@osric1730]

Better still if he showed how it was originally used, before giving it away, by making a saw with it.

[@wadkin1973]

I cant imagine schools would use it, too much health & safety

[@Tvngsten]

​@@wadkin1973 national school of blacksmithing exists in the UK.

[@thorwaldjohanson2526]

I like that you don't just give it away to anyone, but try to make sure it is actually being used and will be part of lived history. Restoring old machines and equipment is my favorite content of yours. Please do more of this :)

[@Gixer750pilot]

Alex, slow your RPM down on that big cutter. The tips will last longer . I’ve noticed you run it too fast on other videos . With a large diameter cutter like that you could go down to about 150-180 rpm. On softer steel like stainless or mild you can take a 2mm cut and the cutter and work piece will not over heat .

[@kurokami5964]

id argue that 218 rpm with half of it as feed rate was the best if he had the correct inserts for such hard steel, then he should start with 0.5 mm dept of cut and incrasing until he see that the machine isnt strong enough to that, but with such small machine i doubt he can go more than 1 mm even if such inserts can have an ap of 8 probably regardless such inserts are not made to make sparks only high nickel alloys should do that

[@stevenwest1494]

I've told him so many times to consider cutting fluid, and, he just doesn't have time for that, rather eating through tools. He acknowledges that though in jest, so these are (new) old bad habits creeping in. Thank overnight tool deliveries exist.

[@Volt64bolt]

@@stevenwest1494you shouldn’t need coolant with properly tuned feeds and speeds, the chips should take away most of the heat.

[@Scrial]

@@stevenwest1494 To be fair, for this kind of use, as in milling hardened steel with carbide inserts. You shouldn't use cooling, at least not in the amounts you could get on there with this kind of setup. The thermal shock of repeatedly heating and cooling will destroy the inserts. The only way that might work is if you can flood the whole tool with ungodly amounts of cooling emulsion, and you'll never achieve that on an old, open machine.

[@sunnybeach9145]

When the goal is video content, there needs to be sparks and some level of destruction. Tool life and surface finish are secondary.

[@Nick_Slavik]

Your excitement for blacksmithing, be it the craft or the tools of the craft, is infectious. It does suck that the anvil sales never truly took off. It would've been cool to own one

[@jamesmarks2897]

That "I told you so" was so satisfying.

[@isakkrogh6406]

I have one of these in my workshop and I absolutely love it! It has really great response due to the mass. I have another anvil with a round and a square horn for when I need it, but when I want to move metal I definitely prefer the sawmakers anvil. Armourers anvils were often designed in a similar way.

[@jdshanahan4215]

Man that would be so awesome to see that anvil given to a subscriber. I took the leap and started learning how to forge knives about 8 months ago and it had been difficult for me to find a decent anvil anywhere near me.

[@zanderboy]

absolutely incredible, can we all appreciate the effortless skill here, my amoeba brain cant comprehend some of the thought processes needed to do something like this. brilliant

[@Leightr]

When I built my own shop, not a professional one, just a space for tinkering, working/ hanging out etc) I expected to occasionally have to move heavy things around without any help. I put 3/4 inch eyebolts through several of the 6 inch by 12 inch overhead beams, all the way through, with a nut and a few thick washers on the topside. I also build an extra stout dolly on the strongest casters I could find. With the aid of a block and tackle hooked to the eyebolt this lets me hoist very heavy things out of my truck bed and lower them onto the dolly to be moved about. My own anvil is only 65 lb, but I've used this set up to move a huge cast iron woodstove and an appliance or two.

[@ThatWorks]

Worked on the exact same anvil for 23 years! Loved it

[@stevegrillot]

Is it true thr sawyer anvils are softer

[@Handforgeddreams41]

My great grandfather was a saw maker as well as a lumber jack. When he passed away all that knowledge and his tools never got passed on. I would have loved to have seen and used his tools and sit and listen to his wisdom filled stories.

[@Ivo.Outdoor]

Jamie casually absolutely saved your bridgeport table

[@Lynkah]

I would absolutely love if that anvil went to a school. I don't even want to apply because I hope it goes into the continued education of future smiths! It is a craft very much worth keeping alive and beating!

[@mmartian1969]

Those clips of the milling were really satisfying. Probably the most satisfying I’ve seen here.

[@Fiery25123]

That anvil has a NICE deep sound. I love it.

[@bigoldgrizzly]

I have a 3cwt cast steel London pattern that had the same satisfying 'Thunk'

[@Sarah-fy3qf]

Great music during the milling. Had a small rave whilst watching. Enjoyed the slowmo sparks as well👏

[@tropifiori]

If you put a little bit of white flour on the writing stamped into the anvil and than spread it around with a soft brush, the letters become much easier to read Thanks for showing this. I have a 120 lbs MH anvil with a face that is so dished out it is hard to forge on. I will give the milling process a try.

[@chrisbartolo4308]

You'll likely ruin it. This video was a perfect example of how to ruin an anvil. The surface hardness is only goes down about 3/32" give or take depending upon how the heat treat/quench was done. On vintage anvils they generally couldn't get the hardness to go very deep and milling leaves nothing but a flat, soft surface.

[@adb7834]

I love any and all the anvil content from you guys! love that you restored one. love that you are giving it away.

[@aurenian8247]

love this so much. Restoring it to be used as a perpetual piece of living history is absolutely the way.

[@woodennecktie]

man , thats a huge efford , the precision , the finish and the finesse, all those parts wire brushed you certainly moved up a level here !

[@AT02129]

Man the bottle opener video was so good! Another challenge video like that would be good fun

[@hkp9257]

Can you create a 2 man sawblade first? Would be an interesting topic with exhausting testing afterwards :P

[@jaymzafish]

You can hear how solid that anvil is.

[@adamshank7711]

You did a hell of a good job restoring that anvil love your videos

[@slithery9291]

It was nice bumping into you last night mate. You're welcome back to my petrol station any time.

[@MatthewHarrisStudio]

Great video! I’m glad you’re giving it away but honestly I wish you would keep it and use it, to show people that work can be done with a simple block of steel

[@kalebjanson7305]

I love the idea of gifting and regifting as the craft is learned.

[@mannsfamilyforge2558]

i was given 2 crusty rusty anvils had a lot of success using a scotch bright pad on an angle grinder to clean em up. the wire wheel was taking a longggg time to do the same job

[@ChrisAceRsv4]

I love the random camshaft on the shelf of the welding table 😂😂 1:55

[@AlecSteele]

👀

[@ChrisAceRsv4]

👀👀 something you’re not telling us? Lol.

[@terrydavis7389]

its awesome that you are giving that away to a good home, im sure someone will make great use of it.

[@GoldmansGarage]

I really like the bolt holes. Great addition.

[@dave61242]

I signed up for your classes a while ago. I haven't to date done anything. BUT! I finally got myself to a place where i will be able to build my shop again in about a year, hopefully less. I would love that anvil or one like it. It looked like you really liked that one. Plus, how great would it be to learn on a piece of history like that. I wonder what stories it would tell if it could.

[@Little_River_Forge]

That thing would be amazing in my little shop

[@stevenridz]

Possibly the most entering 1 min of KZbin I've seen in a while, Alec Spazzing out over a blown/ tripped fuse. Keep up the Good work!

[@ega7072]

I don't know why, but this video has more hilarious moments per minute than any one i've seen. Alec and Jamie were really on one that day:D

[@Laurelinad]

@AlecSteele they also were used for smaller saws like handsaws and backsaws which on the premium side had tapered blades to make them not bind in the kerf

[@theteenageengineer]

I honestly knew the Bridgeport would give out. That poor 2 horsepower motor just can’t handle a very big depth of cut. Ideally you’d want too use the giant Cincinnati milling machine Jason has that he used to cut Wills anvil because it has a 50 horse power spindle.

[@sjv6598]

Unfortunately that machine is 5000 miles away.

[@cambridgemart2075]

A Sturdimill has a 7.5HP spindle motor and there are plenty of those around.

[@Wilett614]

This kid is an Amateur and Has No idea how to "Properly" operate Machine tools I pray he wont get Hurt doing things that he shouldnt ...

[@voetenlikkerijnl2222]

8:28 You have to collab with the slowmoguys

[@mujtabakhedri8850]

Hi I'm a humble beginner in forging.. I use my dads hammer and I use wood fire with hand crank air blower to forge scrap metal... my anvil.. is a peave of flat metal, 😢 one day I'll be just like you Alec. Making cool stuff for people, one day...

[@jamesstoffel6835]

Great video! Amazing idea on the giveaway! Hope a local school is the recipient!

[@eliduvall1]

Hope all is well! Have a great rest of your day (whoever is reading this).

[@ConnorTaylor17]

I got a Sanderson Bro's saw makers anvil around the same weight and they are so hard to move about and Alec made a smart idea not tipping that anvil on the mill, at best it would of dented and loosened the table at worst the table would be on the floor

[@louiekendall6606]

I go to a training facility called derwent training in malton North Yorkshire anvils n blacksmithing tools wouldn't be much use but any other fabrication/machining tools if u are ever giving anything away I'm sure they would have them. They are a training facility as apposed to a collage so they don't make money so any tools/equipment has to be given to them or fund raised for. Just thought I'd put it out there.

[@Ty-bz7zx]

Really cool anvil. GJ as always

[@shadowgolem9158]

What!? No ball bearing test? Sadness. You are a patron of the arts and a fine fellow to boot!

[@workaholic5318]

The use of anvils for saws was not limited to cross cut saws, in fact they were of limited use in that venue. They were more commonly used for putting the tension in the center of larger circle saws, which require a slight dishing in order to run true when they run up to speed.

[@kyflyboy965]

I’m glad that someone made this comment. A sawyers anvil would typically be set up under a large circular saw that was set on a turntable laying in the horizontal position. The saw blade would just ride over the anvil so that the sawyer could hammer on the blade to adjust it into true. And, they typically had a slight crown to the anvil face, not truly flat. That way the sawyer could focus the energy from the hammer in one precise place on the blade.

[@joshschneider9766]

If you google mouse hole forge it was a well knowb anvil maker and its water wheel powered factory is now a living history museum. Thats a real prized piece of English industrial heritage you randomly found on a pallet Alec!

[@BakerVS]

Before giving it away, have a go at making a saw! I'm not an expert, but from what I've heard it's harder than it looks. There's the shape, the thinner back and toe, cutting and seeing the teeth, and tensioning the blade. Would be fun to watch!

[@BraxxJuventa]

Thanks for filming Alec. 😁👍🏼😁👍🏼

[@davidbackus6375]

Mad my 1st anvil from rail iron.Drilled hardy with 1/2" drill and a good file.Wore out my angle grinder squaring face and shaping the horn.Rings loud and annoys the neighbors.Nice job on your restore job.Hopefully it finds the right home !And sees alot of hot iron and hammers! Keep up the good work Yall!

[@caveofskarzs1544]

Love anvil restorations! Hope it goes to good use.

[@andrewroberts7145]

Alec does his best Captain America imitation: "It appears to run on some form of electricity!"

[@williambeasant1055]

There is a place in Oxfordshire that is trying to maintain the old school skills easily lost in time, such as blacksmithing and I'm hoping to help them. i can't offer my full time to the cause but i think this is a strong if not the best candidate for this new anvil's new home. I'd be happy to share the story with you and hopefully you can get on board with maintaing the history of blacksmithing in the uk

[@JeepinBoon]

I've made that agreement with many anvils. I've kept two from my thirteen and don't regret it. Forklift forks and railroad track make perfect anvils. I know.

[@danielgray2135]

yeah I understand that feeling of thinking you broke something, having a quiet panic and annoyed but relieved it was a simple fix

[@ohiovalleyforge5383]

What an amazing piece of English History

[@brodybishop7647]

My favorite project on this channel was the Damascus pear of anquish

[@David-jf3uf]

I like it when Alec says the words then he goes bam and hits the metal

[@BioMusing]

I wish he had side shield glasses on around the mill.

[@MiyamotoMusashi9]

If your ever in ohio you must see ASM materials park , its an 80 ton geodesic dome ,free to visit . Its tensegrity on the worlds largest lattice dome a celebration to discovery of minerals and alloys. Buckminster Fuller

[@xxPenjoxx]

6:45 karaoke stream when? 😂 This was a super restoration, and it's good to hear you are giving it away to somewhere that needs it. 👍

[@pete762x51]

I would suggest rounding the corners of the mounting plate or they will draw blood.

[@qrubmeeaz]

Surely it can't be legal to have this much fun.

[@lukek8032]

Mill the feet of the anvil first. Face of the anvil will be much flatter than the feet. Mill it till a couple corners clean up. Flip it over and mill the face. You’ll remove minimal material and you’ll have parallel faces.

[@1pcfred]

He indicated and shimmed it. Which is the right thing to do. You're just making extra worthless work with your brilliant plans. It's an anvil, not a setup block. If you want the face level shim the base up. The floor you put it on probably isn't going to be level anyways.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Awesome job sir. Can't wait to see more updates an projects and many more videos soon my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.

[@alexh3974]

That's a impressive job. From scrap metal to fully functioning and ready to work.

[@AmishDonut]

The slo-mo and up close right before the bridge port broke 😮😮😮…I could watch that for hours

[@StreetTrial38]

Oh boy! I could too! And I need the name of that song, if anyone got it!

[@DefenetlynotNik]

That's a cool paper waight you got there😊

[@robert.brokaw3829]

Nice anvil and great was to pass a part of the past to a younger generation. Stay safe.

[@nutwiss]

Jamie is my new hero.

[@snake2261]

You two crack me up. Maybe you need to have an Alex vs. Jamie challenge like you did with Will. They would be entertaining!

[@ibrahim-sj2cr]

best squarespace advert i have ever seen

[@jeffwhite6343]

We need to see Will in the UK for a Steele vs Stelter.

[@georgewhitehead8185]

I am a Dentist and really into tiny "fit and finish" objects, but I just LOVED to watch this video, and how it is entirely off the other end of the spectrum. Super nice. Doctor George Whitehead

[@JM-hy2ve]

I cant remember and maybe someone more experienced than me can comment but I’m pretty sure with carbide you want to cut dry or flood coolant but not between, something with thermal shock

[@UnderfundedScientist]

Wow I'm view number 2 , wild. Long time subscriber. Love the content

[@cocon16_PW]

Thank god for Jamie "the voice of reason" cameraman

[@monkeyseatcatfood]

Not the most consistent viewer of Alec Steele, but I saw a giant anvil in the thumbnail and knew I had to watch it 👍

[@jamesbanghart8230]

You should run down to harbor freight and get some evapo-rust next time. I use it all the time when restoring antiques and it would have gotten that rust off in a few hours (passively) and saved the trouble of all the rust in the air. Stuffs a miracle worker. Probably wouldn't have made as nice a clip though.

[@CarDoc221]

Sisterhood of the traveling anvil

[@DavoShed]

Oh I watched the whole video only to hear the words “In the UK” 🤠 Once it’s on the boat it doesn’t matter how far it goes! Nice anvil. Hard work for the Bridgeport!

[@Nemozoli]

I kept replaying 9:41 at least 10 times till I was crying with laughter... :DDD

[@nathanpinnock9541]

I love it when the cameraman does that 😂

[@gregvw123]

The BEST "I told you so!!" EVER!!

[@arcowie]

Alec should make one of those two-man logging saws

[@MrZOMBIE170]

He should visit Thomas Flinn in Sheffield the last traditional sawmaker in the UK and the last company in the world to make two man crosscut saws

[@arcowie]

Yea, that's a great idea

[@pukinpaja1974]

Saw setting The surface of the anvil is usually convex and not straight. They have the correct tension set on the circular saw blades. 🎅🏻👍🏻🇫🇮

[@foihdzas]

I recently got in to hitting steel with a hammer. Using a railroad track and chain welded to it. I can see now why a heavy anvil is preferred. You lose so much energy in to the ground with a light anvil! Let’s hope a school gets in on this.

[@TimothyHall13]

Oh Yeah!!! Thanks Alec!!!

[@theflamingbanana7491]

I'm not in the UK but I really want that anvil. Those tools are hard for me to come by at the moment and I disfigured both of my hands. I can still hold tools in both of my hands and I'm still determined to learn

[@Ddt-jk3gv]

Some information about saw makers anvils. They have an ever so slight crown. Just a few thousandths in the middle. They are also used for leveling and tensioning circle saws more so than the old misery whips.

[@DavidMCheney]

Nice project!

[@Shaggyfauvorite]

I could use that anvil as a leg rest under my desk! Thanks!

[@cfalletta7220]

I heard that using a 50-50 mix of vinegar and water can remove rust very effectively and letting your metal just sit in that solution it just melts the rust away

[@heinrichholl6537]

Oi Alec. You need Ruwag drill bits and Harden tools. Lemme hook you up.

[@GoldmansGarage]

I believe Ilya uses a style of sawyers anvil as his main @thatworks?

[@jonasc3150]

Why does it look so good.

[@albratgaming2348]

Jamie sprayed the tool as requested... The tool using the tap. :P

[@waterandsteel4713]

ROFL I see what you did there🤣

[@Noluckman]

Okay but does anyone else think Alec's voice was actually really good in that "I told you so" bit?