[TheForge] Treadle Hammer

Tue Jul 8 19:44:01 2003

Michael,

I like it. Looks a lot simpler to build than others. 30lbs seems a bit on the light side. As far as tooling I would just suggest keeping them short...4" or so and try to make all your tools the same length. You may want to drill a series of holes in those three linkage rods so you can adjust the treadle height to accomodate different size tools and material. You could just lock your ram with one of your slide bolts and adjust linkage rods longer or shorter as needed. Nice paint job!

Watch your fingers!

Bob Schade
______

>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 , [email protected]
>http://members.aol.com/lughaid/
>posting from
>  A BRAZEN FORGERY
>Blacksmithing and Metalwork
>Claremont, Ca.
>
>
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