I finished my version of the "chunk of wood" anvil stand today. I learned quite a lot. This anvil stand started with a walnut stump. The wood is roughly 12x12x22" and is bound on both top and bottom with 2x¼" steel flat bar. Since the wood is green, I sealed it to slow the drying process hoping to keep it from cracking. Of course, with the ends bound in steel (driven on tightly, the steel had to stretch 1/16" to fit on) I'm hoping it won't crack anyway.
The anvil isn't fastened down to the top - it's just secured from moving. I can "walk" the anvil/stand around my shop - portability is a must in my small shop - without the anvil coming loose, but if I need to put them in a truck and drive away I can just lift the anvil off and move them separately.
The ends of the block aren't quite flat. Either is my floor, so I'll be kicking a wedge under a corner. The anvil doesn't quite sit flat on the top but a piece of thin aluminum sheet metal as a shim works very well. With the shim and wedge it sits dead solid.
I used bullseye shellac. I'm sure the hot scale will tear it up but I felt I had to do something.
Next step is to get all the blue paint off the anvil, then start on the forge.
Pix: