[TheForge] press vs power hammer

[Ralph Sproul]

        ............... and I thought you could keep a secret.    :-)

On my web site is a hammer/press combination that has the Kinyon style
hammer on one side or a large wide flange beam, and the 36 ton press on the
other.  It saves on floor space in the shop with a vice mounted on side
three as well.

I use the press & vice on that unit all the time, but the air hammer gets
used mostly in workshops here at my place.  I find the open die space in the
air hammer to be limiting and I'm now finishing up that new style air hammer
I started three years ago.

Amazing how projects come out of the moth balls - when someone wants to
build one and offers free help so they can see how it's done.  That makes it
more fun and inspired me to blow the dust of the stuff.

I had two guys show up for the last work day on this hammer - and now there
are five guys talking on coming in two weeks to finish this unit up (so they
can all build one)   :-)
I've taken to making jigs, fixtures & patterns - to make parts while
building these projects, as doing a workshop aferwards is so much easier
than trying to measure everything and refigure it all over again.

I've done this with my coal forges, gas forges, and smithing magicians and
folks really like the step by step, all materials figured, and instructions
with images of parts in progress........to make their projects go a bit
easier.  You can have some real fun workshops in your local clubs with
projects like this.  The brainstorming and ideas that come out with five
guys working on a prototype is amazing.  That alone is worth the day spent
helping someone.

As to this posts original content, I haven't made a mechanical hammer with
fabrication methods yet.  I've only rebuilt, repaired, or worked on Little
Giants, Fairbanks/Duponts, Beaudry's, etc.

The real heart of a mechanical hammer seems to be the springs that take up
the shock, inconsitent stock height, and change of speed with the flywheel.
All mechanical hammers have the frame, anvil, motor, flywheel, concentric
pin, guided ram, etc..........the real trick is the springs you make to take
up the items above.  I don't know how that Rusty/Dusty would hold up, but it
appears to be easily scrounged parts and if folks use em and run em - what
can you loose for the cost of the plans to check it out.  Of course positive
results
is hard to argue with......... find folks who built them and like them, and
ask why.

Build it with some friends, it's a great excuse to spend some time in the
shop during the winter months.

Ralph


----- Original Message -----
From: "RICK KORINEK" <rickkorinek at rcn.com>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2005 8:39 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] press vs power hammer


> Or you could do like Ralph and make one of each.
> -Rick
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