You may have caught on that Harbor Freight has a new cast steel anvil for sale. One of my regulars here in the far west of Florida got one for himself and then found a second one, called me asked if I wanted one too (thanks Jack and Dawn). At $150 plus tax I thought it was worth a try.
It is nothing like the low-quality cast-iron anvil Harbor Freight also sells. It is 65 lbs and from the online reviews and from my own use I’d say it stacks up rather well.
In the picture to the above, I’m giving you a “head-to-head” comparison. On top is the Acciaio or “Chinese” anvil that FABA uses for teaching some of their classes, supporting the load is the Harbor Freight DOYLE anvil. As you can see, they are about the same size and weight (30Kg). Biggest difference is the placement of the pritchel which is on the back of the DOYLE whereas the Acciaio anvil has theirs at the base of the horn where it is almost useless. The DOYLE has the ¾”x ¾” hardy more toward the front, near the center of mass which I really like.
When at HF I also purchased a brick cutter and with a bit of grinding and a cut off wheel I had a solid hot cut hardy tool in no time. Having the hardy more over the legs of this lightweight anvil is a definite advantage. I still question why a ¾” pritchel hole but it does work well as a place to punch and drift smaller items like mounting points for hooks.
First blush? It’s not a Holland Anvil by any stretch of your imagination, but if you’re just starting out, or unsure if you’re really into blacksmithing, or if don’t have the money for a better deal, then the DOYLE will make a good training anvil for light to medium hot work.
This is a picture of a Doyle anvil that saw a session with one of my students who kept striking the horn of the anvil with a hammer while trying to bevel the edge of a pizza rocker. As the saying goes “you don’t teach (or learn) hammer control on a $1,000 anvil”.
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