[TheForge] ironworkers vs power hammers

[ries]

These are  two totally different tools, with different uses.
For forging, a powerhammer would be my first purchase.
As you get older, and your arms wear out, you really appreciate ol  
Thomas Edison doing the heavy work for you.
And with a power hammer, you can build all kinds of tooling that  
enables you to do a lot of stuff thats difficult, if not impossible,  
by hand. In the old days, there were always strikers around- usually  
two or three, and a big shop might have a dozen- guys who were human  
power hammers. The one man shop was mostly a myth.
So a power hammer is, in that sense, traditional.
And they have been in common use since the mid 1800's or so.

An ironworker is a fab tool. Its great for doing precise shearing and  
punching, cold. And especially when you are doing large jobs, with  
lots of repetition. I use mine probably 75% for punching holes, and I  
think thats common. If you need 2 dozen 3/4" holes punched in 1/2"  
plate, an ironworker can knock it out in a half hour, including setup  
time. And for shearing stuff to length- a 100 pieces all the same  
length, it cant be beat. But unless you have the volume of work to pay  
for it, an ironworker is a pretty expensive convenience.

Whereas a hammer is more of a necessity, in my book.

As for 3 phase, if you get at all serious about tools, you are gonna  
need 3 phase in your shop. You will want a rotary, rather than static,  
converter, and you will need it sized bigger than you think, as 3  
phase tools have a way of wandering in once you have the juice. A  
small power hammer, like a 25lb little giant, can easily be run on  
single phase- but once you get up towards 3hp to 5hp, 3 phase motors  
are cheaper, easier to find, and more efficient.

Ries

(who has 400 amps of 3 phase from the utility in his shop)


On Jan 14, 2008, at 10:22 AM, Ben Barrett wrote:

Howdy folks, I'd like to prompt a discussion on how ironworkers fit in
with power hammers in the medium-sized smithy, and the pro's and con's
of acquiring one before the other.  I currently have room to expand
into both, and nearing budget for one or the other.  One current [heh]
limitation is 1-phase power, although I understand either could be
modified to a 1-phase motor/source or driven with a phase converter.
I'm looking at the range of processes that I could accomplish, and
would be hoping to get into a 50-150# hammer or a 35-50 ton
ironworker.  Eventually both, if things pan out.  Please advise!

Ben B
or offlist:  ben at nw-arts.com
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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/