[TheForge] Sow blocks. Why?

[Ralph Sproul]

	The sow block from my understanding was added as an easier method to
machine it than a full housing.  Granted the housing would still need to be
machined in the first place - but the removable sow would be easier to set
up for repairs, clean up, truing if the dovetails got damaged or worn.

	Height specific tooling was one of the topics I covered.  It was difficult
to do some of the things I demoed in Minnesota on a little giant as compared
to the air hammers I've got in the shop due to a larger open die space.  I
had remade a few of the tools I took to show the "possibilities" - but
explained if there were more room - things could go smoother and easier with
some of the fixtures and jigs I showed.

	Rome Hutchings was sitting there while I explained this then said   "SO, if
I've got a little giant with a removable sow block your telling me all this
tooling is a piece of cake to set up under those dies"   My reply was "my
point exactly".  He also has a removable sow block unlike the hammer we used
at the demo where I'd made some "shorter" tooling to show what was possible.

	Removing the sow block isn't going to do anything except maybe give you
some practice in getting a stuck key out - the rest of the hammer is going
to respond just as it did - only you've got more open die space - so if you
gain another six inches - you can work on a piece of 4 inch flat bar on edge
with a tool above it.......where you'd get away with a 1 1/2" with a tool
withoug the block removed.  Making your work fall in the striking zone of a
little giant is all you need to do - spacers, different tooling, lowering
the pivot link, etc.
	My whole point of the demo in Minnesota was that your imagination is the
limits to the tooling you can build for a power hammer (as well as all the
other tools, jigs, and fixtures that could be applied to torching, railings,
welding, tool making, fastening to rock, and the other topics I covered).

	Expanding your level of use with jigs and fixtures with a removable sow is
a great way to expand hammer use, and I also showed how some of these jigs &
fixtures worked with the low profile tools such as the clamp cages with
locator pins with a fuller above for making bridge washers, ovaled plates,
sculpture bases.......or heavy "feet".

	Having more open die space lets you expand your horizons a bit more with
your power hammer.......... or at least that's the way I look at it.

Ralph

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Rick Korinek
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2006 12:27 PM
To: 'Sponsored by ABANA'
Subject: [TheForge] Sow blocks. Why?


Hello all,

I have been thinking about the height limitations between the dies of Little
Giant power hammers since seeing Ralph Sproul's demo in Minnesota last Fall.
Ralph, and perhaps others have made air hammers with longer throws to allow
for the use of more diverse tooling with flat dies.

Well, I have a 50 lb LG with a removable sow block.  The height of the sow
is 6".  It looks like the dovetail slots at the bottom of the sow are the
same as that of the bottom die.

It seems to me that removing the sow block would give a person an extra 6"
of height for tooling and stock between the dies.  It's not that this setup
would allow one to forge larger stock that the hammer is physically capable
of (about 2" for my 50 pounder).  It's that one would simply have more room
for the tooling above the stock.  So, for example, a person could forge 3-4"
pipe into round balls or really big cattail fronds...

My question to members of theForge is:  Is this kind of work the kind of
thing the removable sow block was designed?  Perhaps the question might be:
What is the purpose or reason for the manufacturer to modify the original
hammer design to add the removable sow block?  Probably would have been a
good question for Fred Kaylor, alas.

If this approach is possible, there is a whole other level of use for this
type of hammer than I have been aware of.  Until now, I have been thinking
that the hammer was limited to the use of low-profile tooling between flat
dies.

Most interested in your thoughts,

-Rick Korinek

Ps.  It was great to see you in MN, Ralph.


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