[TheForge] Anvil Bases, Pressure Treated

[Stephen McGehee]

The green plywood and 2x12's in question are soaked in a formulation of
copper, chromium and arsenic aka CCA.  And you want to drop red hot
steel on this and breathe the fumes???
We have enough exposure to materials of questionable safety over the
long term, such as coal smoke, borax, the fumes of various quenchants,
grinding dust, rap "music" and political ads, why knowingly subject
yourself to something as deadly as Arsenic???  Go find a piece of a
tree.
I have several sections of logs in my shop, under various anvils, a
guillotine tool, swage block and several without anything on them for
straightening twists and supporting various things and cannot imagine
replacing any of them with something spiked together out of commercial
lumber, treated or not.  And I recognize that many of us don't have
access to a chainsaw, let alone feel comfortable with one in your hands,
so be creative.  Find someone who does tree work, follow a logger, go to
the local parks dept at closing time with beer,  cast one out of
concrete(the Journal has cool plans for this), but please don't use CCA
lumber scraps...
Stephen on his un-treated soapbox