That time my anvil fell off the stump mid-strike

I was working on a garden gate out in my shed near Elkhart, Indiana about 3 years ago. Had a big piece of 3/8 inch stock I was trying to fuller down, came down hard with my 4 pound hammer and the whole anvil tipped right off the stump. Went flying, hit my toe, and I just stood there cussing for a minute before I realized the stump had rotted out underneath. Had to dig up a fresh oak stump from the treeline and reset everything before I could finish that piece. Anyone else ever had an anvil shift on them mid-swing?

3 comments

3 Comments

ericgonzalez22d ago

You know, I used to think anvils on stumps was just fine and dandy. Always figured the stump would hold steady forever. But after reading your story, I really had to stop and think. An old rotting stump can be downright dangerous when you're swinging a heavy hammer. It made me realize that checking the condition of the stump underneath before each job is just common sense. Now I poke at the base with a screwdriver or just give the stump a good kick before I start. Your experience changed how I look at my whole setup out in the garage.

the_sam21d ago

Tbh I read something similar in a blacksmithing forum a while back. A guy had his whole setup on a stump that looked fine on the outside but was completely hollow inside from rot. He was working on a big piece and the whole thing just gave out. Anvil tipped over, hammer went flying, almost took out his foot. Ever since then I've been paranoid about checking stumps too. I do the screwdriver trick like you said, but I also try to lift the stump off the ground a bit to see if there's any soft spots underneath. People forget that moisture crawls up from the bottom and rots stumps from the inside out. Really glad more folks are talking about this because it's one of those things you don't think about until it almost gets you.

adams.vera15d ago

Yeah that moisture creeping up from the bottom is the real killer, I never thought about lifting the stump to check underneath like that. Do you find the rot is worse if the stump sits on concrete vs dirt?