I switched from a cheap hardware store anvil to a 70lb NC Tool anvil for my scroll work

I was making a set of decorative brackets and the hammer bounce on the old one was killing my arm after about an hour. The new one is so solid it feels like the metal moves under the hammer instead of fighting it. Has anyone else made a tool upgrade that just made the work feel completely different?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby_lane3mo ago

Yeah, a good tool just gets out of your way.

rivera.henry21d ago

You ever notice how that applies to pretty much everything? Once something stops fighting you, you can actually think about what you're doing instead of wrestling with the tool itself. It's like with good scissors - you don't notice them, you just cut. Same with a well tuned car engine or a decent kitchen knife. Bad ones make you focus on them. Good ones make you focus on the job. Realized that's why I hate setting up new software at work. Half the time I'm just fighting the menus instead of doing what I actually need to do.

gavinperez3mo agoMost Upvoted

Man, I know that feeling. I used a worn-out ball peen for years before I got a proper cross peen. The difference in how the metal spreads is crazy, it went from a fight to just guiding it. My wrist still hates me for all that wasted effort.