[TheForge] Re: Chain & Treadle Video

[Don Sinclaire]

I looked at the chain making video about 200 times, repeating the same few
frames over and over.  I don't think this is just a treadle hammer.  I am
convinced there is power involved.  At first I thought it was foot powered,
then I began to think he was operating a clutch with his right hand, but
that was not right either.

The helve hammer has a yoke and a vertical rod extending up out of the
picture, probably to a return spring to lift the hammer.  The helve also has
horizontal arm extending towards the camera. There is a vertical link, about
a foot long extending down from the end of that arm to what is probably a
C-shaped piece which in turn continues down to the treadle via a slightly
curved rod.

The helve is normally up and out of the way until he steps on the treadle
which pulls the hammer down to the working position.

The C-shaped link hooks onto a rotating (powered) excentric.  His weight on
the treadle keeps the link following the excentric, operating the helve and
shakes his leg up-and-down.  What I thought was the clutch handle is
actually his hand hammer handle--  He uses the hammer to keep the cam
follower on the excentric.  Near the end you can see him raise the handle
and start hand hammering the chain link with that hand hammer. 

Most of this is my own interpretation of what I can make out of the video.
Any other insights to this?