OK, so I went to my friend's epic scrap pile and he has 98% of everything I'll need for an Appalachian style hammer. I may shoot for build-along pics as I go, but for now I have some specific questions about materials selection. He's got so much to choose from!
First question... Let's say I have the choice between a dozen different sizes of leaf springs. Shooting for a 300 pound anvil and 25-30 pound head.
Should I look for a shorter set, 36-40" or so, to minimize the footprint? Or, would a longer set, 60" or so, have better performance?
Next, should I look for a heavier set, so they functioned more like a solid bar, or for a softer set, so that I get more whip?
What would your ideal set be?
Next, questions about the anvil, and the head size and material.
He has some kind of solid axle, 4.5" round, by 60" or so long. Math says that a 36" piece weighs 162 pounds. This by itself isn't enough for a 25 pound head, correct?
Next, he has a mud pump sleeve, easily 150 pounds, about 20" long with a 5 or 5.5" bore down the middle. We're thinking we could use some pipe to shim the gap, weld it all together, and get close to 300 pounds. The solid axle would go straight from the dies to the base plate, with the sleeve on the bottom for extra mass.
Is this a good idea? The 4.5" solid round is the biggest solid we could find.
He also has 2" or 2.5" (eyeballed) square solid stock. 18" of 2" is 20 pounds. 12" of 2.5" is 20 pounds. Along with that would be the roller assembly, the die plate, and the dies, to calculate the head weight, correct?
Jason
The small 25 - 30 pound helve power hammers do not use a reel long spring, the 36" or 40" ether one would be ok I would think,I personally would use the 40".
You need a spring that will have some give to it, it is the snap or whip at the end of the stroke that the hammer gets power to hit and move hot metal, this is how all mechanical power hammers work.
When you adjust the dies on your hammer when you get it built there should be at least one inch or a little more clearance between the bottom and top dies. This will be when you are adjusting
the dies by hand at the bottom stroke - NO POWER SO UNPLUG THE ELECTRIC - once you get this adjusted, you can turn the electric back on and run the power hammer, the dies should just touch or tap
each other when running, this is from the snap or whip at the end of the stroke. It is this speed at the end of the stroke that gives the hammer its power.
The weight of your anvil should be a minimum of 10 times the weight of the hammer, so if the hammer is 30 pounds, then you need a 300 pound anvil minimum, more is better.
The youtube and internet is full of info on power hammers to help you, and you can soon pick out the good info from the not so good info.
Study all that you can, learn all that you can before you build. Draw it out on graph paper to scale before you start building, front, back, side, all views. It is a lot easier to change your plans on paper
before, than after you cut and weld.
Anthony
Jason
Yes the die plate and dies will all add up to the total weight of the hammer.
Anthony
