[TheForge] ABANA conference

[Jeffrey Polaski]

>Toby Hickman talk power hammers--just for five minutes or so. I didn't
>get up until lunch time. Not only is Toby a good demonstrator, but he
>showed some pretty useful stuff. I've seen the like before, but somehow
>his presentation really helped me get the point of using tools under
the
>hammer. He is really skilled--he made upsetting 3/8 x 4" plate look
>trivial. Toby feels very strongly that the hammer treadle should be
>worked with the heel, putting your toes on the hammer foundation. The
>muscle group is much stronger, your position is more stable, less
>fatigue and more control. Not having tried it yet, it sure sounds
>reasonable. Quote: "You can finesse anything, but there is no
substitute
>for power".
Toby Hickman is a really neat guy, and a great asses to the CBA. If
anyone gets the chance they should see one of his demos.

>Toby strongly recommends "Blacksmith Manual Illustrated" by Lillico as
>the bible for power hammer setups.

For those who are interested, it's available online as a PDF:

http://www.countryside.gov.uk/NewEnterprise/Economies/RDT03.asp

http://tinyurl.com/pdu6f