[TheForge] Treadle Hammer Springs

[Steve Smith]

Bruce Freeman wrote:

> Rumor has it that multiple small springs are better
> than one large spring, and you see some treadle
> hammers so constructed.  I haven't given this enough
> though to explain why this should be true.  It MIGHT
> be true because garage-door springs take a load to
> even BEGIN to extend, whereas most small springs
> don't.

This never made sense to me. Spring constant is spring constant, no 
matter whether it comes from a bunch of small springs or one large one.

Changing the spring constant, however, is another issue.

Steve