[TheForge] Treadle Hammer

[Michael Horgan]

I just posted a couple of in process pictures of the treadle hammer I'm 
building on the photo site under Power Hammers.
No, not a mistake, it's built to be motorized later when I move.  ( I do my 
work on the patio of my apartment, don't think the neighbors would 
appreciate the power hammer!)
Kind of a cross between Clay Spencer's original hammer, and the Rusty power 
hammer from http://www.appaltree.net/aba/
I started with 75 pounds of steel for the anvil, welded to a 6 inch square 
heavy wall column. And there it sat for several years, getting used 
occasionally as an extra anvil, until I went to the CBA  Spring Conference 
and got to see what Mike Boone could do with a treadle hammer for carving 
and repousee. I looked at all the hammers I could find at the conference, 
and online, and decided I wanted a vertical hammer. The grasshopper looked 
nice, but complicated, Clay's skate wheels just didn't appeal, so I built 
it like a machine slide. Half a turn on any of the slide bolts lets me lock 
the30 pound hammer head in place, or let it run free. The extra link at the 
top of the hammer allows the lift arm to pivot while the hammer head goes 
up and down.
The three rod sliding linkage from the treadle can be clamped at any 
length.  Once I establish proper heights for some of the tooling I'm using, 
I'll drill through from the side for a locking pin.

I got to use it this weekend. Made up some hammer tooling, and forged out 
some oak leaves,  then made a few acorns with the top and bottom dies I 
made recently.  Looks like I need to relieve the edges a bit more, 
though.  Also laid out a tooling plate so I can use hardy tools on it, and 
looks like smithing will be a lot more fun.  (My striker is only 2 years 
old now, and not too much help!)
  So, any suggestions for hammer tooling?  I already made a fuller/flatter 
in a "D" shape with one edge cut off  to hammer on and the other edge left 
sharper to use to isolate an area if a bar.

Michael D. Horgan , lughaid@earthlink.net
http://members.aol.com/lughaid/
posting from
  A BRAZEN FORGERY
Blacksmithing and Metalwork
Claremont, Ca.