Where to locate the powerhammer?

[imagedude]

I hope to have a new workshop which will be a dedicated smithy. It won't be very large, only 12 feet x 10 feet. I was wondering where the best place to locate the powerhammer would be. In a corner, half way along one side or dead centre? I need to make a decision before I cast the new concrete floor. A central location may allow the best access but in a corner or against the wall takes less space.

[Daryl]

I placed my power hammer handy to my fire and far enough away from my anvil that it would not be in the way of a striker. Everything kinda has to work together. The shop I am currently in is 14' x 24' and houses my forge, bellows, anvil, shop heater (need that to live in Saskatchewan), coal bucket, mig and arc welders, steel storage (on the wall), workbench, drill press, bench grinder and lathe. It took quite a bit of placing and moving things around to get the shop to where it wasn't cluttered and you could still use all the items effectively. Take a look at the pictures of the different smithys in the gallery section to get a better idea of how everyone makes their shop work for them. The shop I am preparing to go into will be much larger and have a similar layout, though with some changes according to my personal taste.

[agsolder]

As with the vise, be sure to position the trip hammer so long stock can be worked without it running into a wall or a post. And so anything can be worked without you running back and forth and losing heat en route. Jack Andrews has a diagram you might look at in the first edition of The Edge of the Anvil (dunno re: The New Edge) showing his zones of activity around the forge.

[habu68]

use empty cardboard boxes to mark the spaces for your forge and each of your work centers, anvil, drill, vise, power hammer, work table, etc. Then take a 4' bar of steel and move from the "forge" to the anvil, to the power hammer, vise, drill and work table. This will give you a feel for the space and save your back.

Another hint: for a 10x12 space, if you can, make sliding doors or out swing doors, this way the door does not use valuable floor space. Also a window set at the level of your chop box can allow for the cutting of long stock. My wood shop has an out swing door and a window on opposite ends and my radial arm saw in the middle. I can rip 20' stock in my 10' foot building

[Frosty]

Another thing to consider about heat is relative power. Place your anvil and post vise closer to the forge than the power hammer. Your power hammer doesn't need the steel to be as hot as hand work does so you can take the extra step without it being a problem.

I'd put it centered on a wall aligned with the door so you can work long stock.

Frosty

[Chris Pook]

How big of power hammer? I have my 3b Nazel tucked into the corner on a angle, that allows me to run stock out the door if its longer then 10' and I need to work material longways on the dies. But do to the size of the hammer it still gives me 10' going across the short way on dies . My little giant sits besides the nazel but more centered and perpindiculer to the wallspaced about a 1' off the wall which still gives me 6'+ passed the dies to work before I get near the wall.

A big part of it is what kind of work do you plan on doing? I do a fair bit of texturing of stock for gates and railings so I need room to run long lengths through the hammer, and the room to swing them around the shop.

[Mike Turner]

I have mine in the middle of the shop close to my roll up door for now till I move my shop to my other building, I did this so I have no problem working long stock. A friend had his in the middle of a wall and we kept running into the wall with the stock. That was frustrating.

[Ten Hammers]

My Kerrihard is in the corner. I can get 7 ' tripod legs into it pretty well but that is the max. It works really well in it's location. Small shop I understand.

[Valentin]

well...i have mine in the corner caz of the very small shop about half a meter away from both walls i can work arround 2 meters long stock ...never nedet more in my work ...this is when i texture the entire 2 meters...but there is no problem what so ever when i just make the ends of the scrolls or the spikes from a long stock... i gues...it depens on what do u want 2 forge with it ...plus mine is on wodden bean so i can still move it arround ...not that i ever moved it from it's place...but just in case..ohh and the window never opend it 2 make way for the bars + it opens on the inside and it hit's the hammer so only if i brake the glass

[imagedude]

Is that a Beche?