[TheForge] treadle hammer anvils

[Steve Bloom]

Greetings all --

    I built my hammer with a 6" diameter 3/8" thick wall pipe with a hole 
cut in the
side with an internal plate as a baffle. Top of the anvil is a 1" thick 
plate  with a
1" square 'hardy' hole. Drift pins can be driven thru into the pipe and 
drop out
the side.  There is no way I generate enough force to appreciably flex the pipe
(besides if I need to really move metal, I use the 50lb Little Giant).

The base of my treadle hammer is a 3/8" steel plate ~ 18" left-to-right and 
extends
out just far enough that when the treadle is all the way down, the plate 
extends out
a bit.  I built a carriage to move the beast - basically a 'U' shaped slot 
that slips over
the front end of the base - welded to a spine that has an extended cradle 
that supports
the column of the hammer about 10" down from the top of the anvil.  There is an
axile with a set of large steel wheels about 1/2 way along the spine.  To 
use the
carriage, the head is forced down to the top of the anvil and locked in 
place with
a bit of chain and a turnbuckle. The hammer is rocked back and the carriage is
shoved onto the base with the cradle against the pipe. A loading strap secures
the carriage to the hammer.  Then with great care, the whole unit is tipped 
onto
the wheels. It can then be rolled like a cannon (and feels about the same).

I was able to load and unload the unit from my full size van by myself (wasn't
pleasant but was do-able).  Of course, when I designed and built the unit, I
had a Chevy van and took the measurements from that vehicle. By the time
I moved the hammer the first time, the van was a GMC.  It had about 1/2" less
clearance from floor to roof than the Chevy.  If you ever see my hammer,
that explains the notch at the rear of the floor plate (set up the ramp 
boards...
roll the hammer up the ramp...reach the top...clang/stop...what the 
hell???....).

Steve

Steve Bloom, IronFlower Forge. Archer, FL
     Webmaster for the FABA web site:
	www.blacksmithing.org