I love tools. It's no secret. I have a vast collection of handy tools in my shop that is the envy of many I know. Some people I know, including my favorite son Peter, sometimes take too much pleasure in making fun of my selection of tools, commenting that there are some I never use. Peter especially mocks my ownership of a giant anvil that I am especially proud of. But that anvil sure does come in handy and on occasion there is simply no other tool for the job.

This week is a classic example of how handy the anvil truly is. In the last two days alone my trusty anvil has been used TWICE. Yesterday I needed to bend a steel rod. I whipped out a two pound hammer and then used the anvil as a sturdy working surface to hammer on and thus shape the rod. It worked great! I sure was glad I had the anvil in my shop!

This evening the anvil was used yet again. Doug, one of our workshop attendees needed to shape two 3/8 steel rods. It was a precise operation for they needed to match perfectly. I whipped out the two pound hammer once more and using the holes in the anvil surface he had the task done in minutes. He commented to me how handy the anvil was, wishing he had such a sturdy device in his shop back in Illinois. I believe he was more than a little jealous.

If this keeps up I may have to buy a second anvil.

-grampa dan