New Harbor Freight CAST STEEL Doyle anvil review
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Support the channel here www.patreon.com/user?u=16387344
Purchase some of my work here www.etsy.com/shop/OldHickoryForge?ref=shop_sugg
Videography by Dan Bailey
Dan.bailey84@yahoo.com
Anvils aside, I'm more interested in the symbolism in your logo and some in your shop. Do you answer questions here ?
@@BillyR1968 symbolism?
@@OldHickoryForge Yes, symbolism. Can you tell me how you came up with your logo and/○r what it means to you ? How you came up w/it ?
And thank you for getting back to me so soon. 👍
@@BillyR1968 my full name is John Norwood the third. That's why my touch mark is the "JN" with the Roman number three.
@Old Hickory Forge Thank you, John.
But I'm more interested in the [tree of life] the kabbalah tree... the fallen angels tree....the, as above, so below, tree.
It's known to be used by an evil bunch. Just curious, John Norwood the /// . Are you a freemason by any chance ?
You may be the best product reviewer that I've ever seen. I could write several pages on how and why that is. You're knowledgeable. You're thorough. You're insightful. You explain to the layman. You do this all without youtube filler or fluff. You're a damn masterpiece and what other YT people should strive to be. This 15 minute video is nothing but perfection of education. Just wow man. Well damn done.
This guy hits harder than most power hammers
I seen him in person at bladeshow, I’m 6’3 about 210lb and this dude is a monster lol
Haha yah he looks big.
He hits like a working Blacksmith
I noticed the shock waves vibrating the camera. Computer speakers don't convey the energy involved.
Power hammers aren't all about striking power, but rather in consistent blows. Most of the power hammers I've seen have been capable of just lightly tapping ( dusting) the workpiece
$140 is pretty low-cost versus things like a grinder, power-hammer, press and so forth. If you are going to forge, you need a forge and something for an anvil. Vevor has a sub $100 forge (and many options under $200). For $250, you can be forging. Thanks for doing these low-cost reviews. A lot of us are new to the hobby, and don't have hope of sales to offset some of the cost.
you can also make a simple propane forge for reasonable (kaowool, refractory cement, used tank/thick can, and a few parts from supply store)
@@zarathean8758 I made a side blown forge out of dirt, clay and scrap lumber for using charcoal that is strictly for blades. With my coal forge its to easy to burn the steel and make the blade useless and lost work and time. It also makes the heat treatment a lot easier, particularly the tempering.
I have another forge just like the one described above, only instead of a side blown air system. This one has a long fire box made from a long pipe with holes drilled about every two inches. It a yard long, but I can unscrew the end cap and insert a clay plug that regulates the length of the fire box air doesn't get past the plug. This forge is used for longer blades or any longer items that are made of high carbon steel.
Making the metallurgical charcoal is easy and a lot cheaper than propane and even the coal forge is cheaper than a propane forge to run.
So there's my two cents on other ways to make a forge on the cheap. It takes time, but so does learning how to be a blacksmith and making your own tools is an easy way to learn blacksmithing if you do t have someone to teach you.
$140 seems awfully high for a lump of foreign iron... often times new items at HF drop as much as 75% in price over the next year or two... of course, most items at HF just increased in price by 10-50% because of BidenFlation...
I have to say, I have been quite happy with the vast majority of the tools and other items i have purchased from Harbor Freight.
Memories coming back. I bought the "Russian Cast Steel" anvil from Harbor Freight almost 20 years ago. I remember it being about 80 lbs. It was just fine for a hobby knifemaker.
I had a 419lb fwds German double horn made in 1909 5 piece forge welded. I moved to North Carolina and I gave it to a buddy and the rest of my stuff forges tire hammer press hand tools etc was stolen when I was bringing my first trailer to the new place. I recently started building up my tools again and I got the Doyle anvil and I will say I’m very impressed with it. Normally I always went for name brand stuff in everything. Makita or Milwaukee. Since losing everything I stuck with harbor freight for now until I can get back what I had and I’m very impressed. Aside from my welder. All my tools are harbor freight at the moment and from what I can tell they pack more of a punch then Milwaukee. And I use the shit out of them. So as I am surprised about the anvil, I’m not because they definitely stepped there game up.
Even better is if you pay for the warranty you just take it back to the shop and walk out with a new one. Not a bad deal.
*Learned more in this15 minutes then in all of last week! KUDOS and THANKS!*
I remember this from Jr high.
We made chisels and hay hooks.
Good ol days. Lots of fun.
Great review John keep up the great work
Thanks buddy. Means a lot coming from you. 💪🏻
Good review. Thanks for not being an anvil snob and realizing who will consider purchasing these. I like your attitude
Great video man, really love that you review entry level stuff, and give us sound advice on these tools. Thank ya.
Really appreciate everything you do to help us folks trying to get into knifemaking!
I love seeing somebody who knows what he is talking about and is good at his craft. It is a joy to see you pound out that steel. Thanks for sharing...
Clicked on to see the anvil review but totally got into your black smithing skill. My first ever video of this type. Great job, I’ll be back!😊
You really did a "quick" demo. Well written too.
"bang out a few projects..." nice.
Thanks for checking this out for us!
You should consider using a respirator when using aerosols and grinding even if you have good ventilation.
Thanks for reviewing this kind of stuff! As someone that is compiling resources for once I get some space it's really helpful.
I want to get started in the smithing as a hobby and to add to my art practice, so this is a great video to learn from. If all goes as planned I'm buying a forge and starting this fall. Definitely followed for sure.
Thank you for the honest review on this anvil. I do believe you just helped me make up my mind, gonna go grab one Friday.
First time I came across your channel; I like your testing, clear pros and cons, and a physical test on the anvil. Can’t wait to see what the rest of your channel has.
Thank you for sharing this content. Those of us who have no access to a direct mentor/teacher, who must more or less figure it all out on our own, & are trying to self educate on a reasonable budget really struggle sometimes, & this type of content is invaluable to us to help us avoid most of the most costly of errors. You are greatly appreciated.
For what I want an anvil for, this is perfect! I'm not doing dedicated forge work, just basic metal fab. For me, I just need a good solid surface if I need to bend some 3/8" round stock to do a zig zag, or some flat stock to make mounting brackets, flatten a bent blade etc. Sure beats using my vice!
I'm not a metal worker and appreciate the entry-level coverage! Thanks!
Very informative and complete review of the anvil. There is no doubt you are a professional at what you do. I look forward to seeing more of your videos, thank you !!!
This is the first video I've watched on this channel, and as soon as i heard, "high speed notebook" I had a flashback and subscribed.
You're lucky it's not one of the ten thousand green notebooks I stole from supply and then never used
I don't do black smithing, I'm not going to start black smithing. I did really enjoy your video though. It was interesting and l, as far as I can tell, very professional. Thanks for posting.
If you can find one used, Harbor Freight at one time sold a ~110 lb "Central Forge" brand steel anvil made in Russia and the one I have rings LOUDLY when you hit it with a hammer and although I've not done a ball bearing test, the hammer rebound is very good. The odd thing that makes it easy to ID is that the 1" hardy hole is diagonal to the axis of the anvil and the horn is completely unfinished.
Yeah, I had one of those years ago. They were actually pretty good anvils.
Awesome job on the review. I'm not a blacksmith, but you made that look easy. I weld, machine fabricate, etc.. so this popped up my feed. I enjoyed it and now I want to try it.
Buyer beware….. I bought a Doyle anvil earlier this year and tried to return it due to a casting defect in the horn that had been filled with weld and crudely ground down with a coarse disc. Since the nearest store seems to have only one in stock at a time, I tried to return it to another store. That store was gracious enough to let me open up and examine the one they had…. but I found an odd defect beneath the tail that was poorly hidden with filler and I didn’t swap. I did eventually exchange it at the original store for the only one they had in stock. Unfortunately, it - too - had a filled defect in the horn and a golfball-sized void along the middle of the Pritchel hole. This one also seemed very soft with poor rebound and little - to no - ring. It dented nearly as easily as the cast iron anvil I have. I suspect it was not properly tempered.
So, 3 out of 3 were not acceptable to me. It is interesting that the half dozen display models I have seen are nearly PERFECT… but, of course, it is corporate policy that displays can’t be sold or purchased. In my opinion, it is quite possible that the displays were from early production when HF was trying to generate interest in them. I also suspect that as demand increased, quality control decreased to meet demand. I eventually returned mine for a refund and ended up buying a Vevor 66# London-style from Amazon. The casting was noticeably better than the Doyle - as were the rebound and ring. I would definitely not recommend the Doyle anvil at this time…..
The best review I've seen.
Your summation , pro's and con's REALLY WELL DONE.
I was rummaging through an old scrap yard looking for things to resell online and saw the base of what looked like an anvil in the dirt. I dug it out and got the owner to help me lift it. It was an anvil, but the tip of the horn had been broken off. He quoted me a price of $25, but after thinking of how much the freight would be and I was skeptical that I could even sell it, so I passed. I didn't know much about anvils, so when I got home I did some research and that brand was selling used and in poor shape for around $300, not including shipping. I decided to buy it, but when I called the scrap yard the owner said someone saw the anvil and bought it already. I missed out on that sale, just like I missed out on an old Browning splitting axe that I didn't buy. I thought it was a fake, because I didn't know Browning made axes. Turned out it wasn't related to the gun manufacturer, but it was a popular brand in the old days. By the time I got back to buy it, it was already gone as well. Oh well, you win some, you lose some! You can't know everything about everything.
Just ask yourself. Will I kick myself in the butt tomorrow if I don't buy it. 😢
At that time I was struggling just to get by. I had a stroke and was getting zero assistance and couldn't work. So, I was using the little bit of money I had to buy things to sell on Ebay. A $25 dollar buy that took weeks to sell would mean I'd go without a lot of meals. But, I more than made up for those missed buys with some of my other finds. So, it evened out.@@mikeseidner3085
Very interesting video. I particularly liked the Rockwell test. The rest was a learning experience. Great video ! And I might add. Excellent very informative delivery.
Honest, articulate review. Thank you!
Man you have impressed me just subbed. Your one of the better blacksmiths ive watched work and im an amateur at it.
Thanks for the work on the video. Was happily surprised about the new anvil offering from Harbor Freight. Have been looking, unsuccessfully I might add, for a vintage one. After watching your demonstration, and with your recommendation, I'll be heading there in the morning to buy one. And yes, I'll open the box and take a good look at it before I crank my car. You just got yourself a new subscriber.
Thanks for doing this. I can see the value in a good anvil.
I appreciate the vid! Im DOD so I move around every 2-4 years and have training and other things that keep me from home so I haven't gotten into the hobby yet because of the space required. I def would be like you described, putting everything in the corner of the garage or on a shelf until I'm ready to use it. This thing would let me dip my feet in without investing thousands of dollars on grinders, sanders, welders, etc that go along with forging.
Thanks again!
Thanks for a great video! It is great to see some of the things you should do when buying a new out of the box anvil. I did like the rebound on the one you got.
Centaur Forge. Great selection for mid to high price range anvils.
After hammering away for over a year on a piece of railroad track, i made enough to secure a 70# North Carolina Tool steel ferriers anvil. Just over $500, with shipping, arrived in Ohio 5 days after i ordered it, in pristine shape. Has been an amazing mid range anvil. As an artist, it's met my needs and then some.
But for $175, can't go wrong here, for a first anvil.
Yes, i still have, and use, my railroad track "anvil".
Great video! I see they have in stock near me. Super tempted to grab one but really want one in size of the Vevor 132lb anvil (already have their 66lb) Still if I keep having friends over this looks like a no brainer addition to the shop. 👍 Thanks again for posting this
I've noticed a lot of people are using a German style double horn instead of the usual London pattern these days. It's nice to see. I went German style double horn decades ago and never looked back.
This was really great to see. I hadn’t even realized HF upped their anvil game. I think I’ll go out and get one of these thanks to your review!
Just bought this anvil yesterday then saw your review today, thank you nice quality review!
Very informative. I’m going to pick one up now.
Thats pretty dang good for a weekend warrior user like myself! Really appreciate your time for reviewing this for us! New Subscriber!
Thanks, John. I might grab one of these anvils.
I have two of the old cast harbor freight anvils gifted to me when I was beginning the craft. I can confirm that they leave much to be desired. They got the job done, but once I purchased a farriers anvil at an auction, they were only pulled out for rainy day projects
I purchase a Doyle anvil last night. I am new to knife making and look forward to learn knife making skills. Thanks for the video.
Your presentation was excellent young man! I’m glad I happened to see your channel! Thank you!
Hey, thanks for the work and information putting this together, well done.
I learned a lot from your video, thank you for sharing your knowledge, time and effort!
I was thinking just that. I got my old Kohlswa back in around 2006. I was looking at this anvil and thinking about the railroad tie and stuff like that. My Kohlswa has these massive chunks taken out the side. This anvil looks like it can give a good return. To set up in the next hit. This one video probably showed me more on blade smithing than any of my books or videos that I watched. This is a cool channel.
I saw another video where the reviewer pointed out a number of plug welds in the top surface, and that they were notably softer. Now that's a sample size of one, which he was very up front about, but wondering if you noticed anything like that. Got the Vevor mostly because of your review a while back, and thank you for keeping us informed.
I haven't noticed any on mine but that wouldn't surprise me at all.
I saw that one too. I was really surprised. Small holes, yes. But these were pretty big, as in 3.8” to what looked to be over 1/2”. That’s wild. My Vevor 132 black model has a perfect face, though there are some fairly minor defects on the bottom edges. The HF model has sharper definition to the feet. Mine are rather uneven. The horn on this is very round and is finished. The horn on mine is really of the European pattern being flatter on top with more sharply rounded sides, and came unfinished. Mine is just below RC 55, by my tests.By the way, I’ve read in several places that the Vevor (Acciaio) anvils are made in Italy, mostly, with one size being made in Bulgaria. So I don’t know what’s true there as I haven’t tried to research it myself. Great review.
Remember, there was at least one other guy who bought this anvil and had the same plug problem
He left a comment talking about it
I tried to buy one last night and asked if I could look at it before the purchase. It had a plug weld the size of a 50¢ piece and a crack radiating from the hardy hole. I did the same thing today at another harbor freight and it had a few pinholes similar to the ones on the top of the one in this video but looked perfect otherwise. I didn’t want to open every box in the store so I figured good enough and took it home. I pounded the heck out of it when I got home and concentrated hits near the pinholes and it still looks perfect. BTW the price increased by ten bucks today.
@@shadowdog500 thanks for the feedback, appreciate it! 👍
Great video brother. Very informative and educational.
I'm buying the Doyle at HF for my son who finished a comprehensive welding school last year and I think the Doyle looks great for his purposes based on your review. I'm also impressed by the tank forge fab you did and am excited about making one of those for my shop. Thanks for the great reviews!
Excellent review, thank you!
When I wanted to "try my hand" at blacksmithing, I bought a section of RxR track and after shipping, it came out near this price, so there's no free lunch, and since the world turned over, there's not even 'cheap lunch' either. This seems to be the 'next to the best', best option.
Thanks for reviewing it.
I'm glad you do these videos, I have the older version cast iron I don't know how a steel one feels ,so I might go get one of these , thank you
It should certainly be very high on the list of upgrades. It'll hold up miles better and you should notice a difference in how much steel it moves.
If you get this one you will never use that cast iron one again. It would be a serious step up.
WOW....40 years, I thought all anvils were the same except for size. Thanks for posting my new friend, you have a new subscriber, great job.
Thanks for another great review John
I use my 551 pound Swedish antique anvil for blacksmithing. The harbor freight anvil works great for the jewerly making and smaller stuff
You are lucky to have found such a large anvil...I was only able to get a 150# ...but it's a Hay Budden, so at least I got that going.
I don't forge at all or even in the market for anything related to this but I watched the whole video. Great job!
Good, down to earth review! Very much like his high tech note-taking spiral bound notebook! 😅😅😅 Great job!
thanks for the excellent review i bought and OLD anvil and rebuilt it but like the reviews these are getting
Thanks for the review. Very informative.
Thanks for the reveiw. I used to have an old anvil that a farmer lent me but he sold it off now. My dad loves going to harbor freight and i went with him and saw this new anvil there. I already knew from looking that the old blue ones they had were pretty crap, but its good to know this new kind might be of use for a novice like me (most i ever made was knives and a half decent set of tongs).
Funny story about the tongs actually, made them out of rebar as a beginner project, but i didnt have actual rivets, so i had a bent nail to hinge them on for ages until i went to a local blacksmithing club and asked one of the more experienced guys there how i did. He told me their a difficult thing to make for a new smith, and that other than the bent nail i did an alright job. Took the nail out and he showed me how to put in a rivet instead.
If anyone else here is like me and has very little experience, try out a local club if you can find one. I went to 3 different ones before, and while the availability of decent tools was inconsistent, the people were always great and extremley helpful. Never had a bad time at any of them, and never went to one without learning something new.
Great video love to start blacksmithing when I retire
Good review, John! Thanks!
I don't even forge and I have an anvil in my workshop and it's a handy item that I use for cold working things fairly often. Sometimes ya just gotta bash stuff around some. When you do an anvil is the best place to do it on.
Great information. Thank you for honest review.
Thanks for the review. Great information.
Yea I have been a machinist for 47 years/ never seen any thing like this - really cool thanks
My arm hurts just watching! Thank you so much for the video!
I bought a smaller one from them. I am not a heavy user, mine mounts on a cheap table. It works for what I need. I actually drilled and tapped holes in base and bolted to a sheet of plywood. I just need a place to hammer on stuff a few blows at a time. Not iron, softer metals. I am not doing knife making.
Great, honest review. I don't even need an anvil, but now I want one. lol
First time viewer, Sub'd. Thanks for the content and informative well put together video 👍
That looks like a lot of work. I have one from my grandfather that’s made out of a railroad track. Don’t really use it for anything, but it’s sentimental.
I welded a 1/2 inch steel plate to the top of my HF anvil. Works good
Very nice video this week. Very informative and very helpful video review. Can’t wait to see more videos soon. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Forge lit. Keep Making. God Bless.
I've always liked the idea of an anvil. Even as a kid watching old Westerns on TV, I've always liked anvils.
Hey John!!
GREAT video!! I had seen both of your YT videos of the 85 pounder. And I actually signed up for a one day basic beginner’s blacksmithing class just last night [4-2-2023]!! I enrolled in it twice because of my high interest & low cost for it. I think it’s only for EIGHT participants. I was lucky and snagged the last opening for the first class this coming Saturday AM!!
Thanks for your time & Good Luck to you and in your labors!!
ps-sent from Casey ILLINOIS, home of The World’s Largest Golf Tee & MANY, MANY other things!
PSA-a mere seven miles to the east is 1.) The World’s Largest Horseshoe +
2.) The World’s Largest Anvil!!
See ya!!
Hi Mike, I was at the blacksmith class working right next to you! It was great fun and I'm afraid I found something else to spend money on on. Really enjoyable hobby!
Excellent review. Thanks much.
This was very informative.
Thank you!
I GOT ONE OF THESE 30+ YRS AGO ! & HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT !!
I remember the old harbor freight anvils used to be 10% filler so definitely an improvement
For comparison, Porsche 356 valve seats were Rockwell 58. VW bugs were Rockwell 46.
The Porsche 356 was literally made out of Volkswagen parts.
@@dmac1259 only at first. Years ago, One of the car magazines did an essay comparing Porsche to Cord. One of the big factors in P’s survival and C’s demise was the ability to maintain high quality outsourced parts.
Incidentally, yesterday I had to do a fluorescent magnetic particle test on a gear with a specification of Rockwell hardness of 46-58.
I got mine just before I saw your review and would agree 👍
Very thorough. Thanks.
Excellent video and detailed review..kudos
Thank you, very useful information
Railroad track section rocks!
I recently bought one of these. Nice rebound, but I did ding the face pretty good with a bad stike with a cross peen
Harbor Freight is aggressively pursuing quality. I congratulate them on their response to costumer desires. This is the sign of quality service!
I’ve been happy with everything I’ve bought. Shopped there since the ‘90’s.
Great video man. I didn't know HF came out with newer (and apparently much better) anvils. Liked and sub'd. Good content brother keep it up
Great presentation and education skills. I'm in!
I know a 55 lbs isn’t really very big, but it really looks like a toy with you leaning over it John.
One thing you will never find in my shop is a tool from Harbor Freight.