I've been hunting around on craigslist for an anvil to add to my collection of metal working tools, but the $150 to $400 for some large anvils has been causing me to hesitate - that's a ton of money.

I went browsing around at garage sales this morning and found a guy selling a bunch of old metal working tools, so I jokingly asked if he happened to have an anvil sitting around.

"Well actually... I have this old railroad tie that looks like it's been converted into one."



Six dollars later, I've got myself a nice little 19" 25lb anvil (and the hammer, too!), which is actually perfect for the kind of work that I do.