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I Forge Iron

Taper tool


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Hi All 

 

Any suggestions on taper tool for the air hammer .I need one that is reversed in a way 

For tapered fire tool handles .One that would clean up the taper .

Maybe top and bottom tapers that would forge the steel .I can do it with the hand hammer 

but looking for a better method .The 1-1/8 stock can be a bit hard to do by hand .Thanks 

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Am assuming you have flat dies.  If so, a "slapper" is simply a piece of half round stock with a handle welded to the end.  The radius is used to draw then the tool is flipped over to smooth out the fuller marks.  You do want generous radii on all the edges so no sharp cuts mar your stock.

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Iron,

Any chance you could elaborate on the taper spring tool? I am doing some work with tapers and need some insight. I have a spring set for doint short tapers on the end if quare stock, but it is fixed and doesnt float on different lengths. I'm tring to get a new approach here.

Where in Maine? Our shop is in Carrabassett, a lot of snow this week.

Peter

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Take a piece of flat bar, forge the taper you wish (width wise or length wise), weld a handle onto it (keep it flexible).

You can use it like a fuller/flatter like what Mr Wooldridge was talking about, between power hammer flat dies.

It will naturally bow, turn it over on the bottom die to take the bow out.

 

You don't need anything other than mild steel. Mild steel is VERY forgiving, it's not like you are going to be using it everyday all-day.

It is your 'Get Out of Jail' Card. K.I.S.S.

 

Merry Almost,

Neil

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Iron,

If you want to do it with a two sided taper, it has to be a fixed, like a closed V. have a spring tool like this for pointing square stock. It has size limitations.

I saw a pivoting spring tool but I'm not sure how it works or what is size of stock limitations might be. One other suggestion, cut a piece of 1.5 in round stock in half length wise. Weld a piece of 3/8 flat to the flat of the round. Now use the flat side on the taper and the round under the hammer. It's a set tool so you can ride the taper as you work. The round side evenly redirects the force to the flat side. It's simple and it works.

Hope you are enjoying the coastal Christmas season. Sugarloaf is in full on tourist ski mode. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Peter

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G'day

 

I saw a flatter set up on a power hammer for refining the very long tapered legs on a table on this site a little while ago

 

Seem to recall it could run up and down on a vertical shaft to cater for the material's change in thickness and had the ability to pivot on a horizontal axis to let the flatter face follow the taper, regardless of the angle and smooth it as the taper was drawn through the dies. The bottom hammer die was flat and the top one - can't recall the profile - merely struck the flatter to remove any ridging in the taper from the initial drawing operation

 

Anyone able to find this? There were images in the thread but I can't locate it now, despite having searched under various keywords...

 

Jim Deering

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I don't know about Jim's tool.  But Grant Sarver made Timothy Miller a bottom die that was a variable taper tool.  It was basically a half round sitting in a matching radius recess.  The flat side of the half round sits up and is the face you forge on.   The one Grant made had a retaining groove machined in it so was a little more complicated.  You can also use a v block on the bottom.  This tool is great if you are doing a LOT of varying tapers.  If you are doing only a few tapers a power hammer flatter (or slapper, halfback, probably several other names) is the quickest and most versatile tool to use.

 

A fixed taper tool is better for constant tapers.  Bottom only is cheaper/less time consuming to make. Top and bottom taper tools either spring or dedicated dies are more expensive and can have top bottom registration issues with spring tools but allow you to hold your stock flat rather than having to hold it on an angle. 

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