macbruce

Saw this hammer vid on FB and thought it was very inovative........

One of my old mentors Lloyd W Hammond grew up in Cheynne Wy in the 30's and told me a story about a drill press accident........ Going home from school he would hike over a viaduct that went over the tracks and Union Pacific shops (which were huge in the 30's) and he could look down into the machine shop windows.......One summer with the windows open he saw more than he wanted to. A guy operating a large drill press had maybe even got his glove snagged up in the thing but the end result was when it got done winding up his arm his whole body followed and wound him round and round until somebody got around to switching it off, too late, he was dead.....Lloyd warned me about drill presses....... :ph34r:

I dunno, the guy with his head centered between the chains looks a little.....Well, he just doesn't look like he gets dirty much.....

The stationary ones can kill. Drill presses,lathes,pedestal buffers/grinders all seem to want to draw you in when things go south and scare me way more than power hammers. Hope you mend ok. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CFUQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2FUS%2Fyale-university-student-michele-dufault-killed-machine-shop%2Fstory%3Fid%3D13366121&ei=k0O-UvuZMYjboASnl4DYBw&usg=AFQjCNGkMuAOwp-z1YVQb-8oiluRePg3Hg&bvm=bv.58187178,d.cGU&cad=rja

Another image of manly swagger with a two handled sledge no less....... B)

Methinks your thinking is a little off Ivan.......The 80,000lbs is spread over 8 wheels and the track is continuous, which is way less stress than putting 66,000lbs over a 8'' piece or so. I had concerns about this but I'm glad it turned out ok. The deflection between the dies seems a bit severe, but hey if it gets the job done why not........... B)

Steve, are you planing to weld your static/lower die to that red plate with the sq holes in it as the main frame for the press?

The only one I'd spend any money on and travel hours to get is the Colonial.......That one is cool....... B)

I think you pegged it NJ......... ;)

The Zip already does that...... B)

Yeah, Sipola has it down............Just thought I'd add an experiment i tried awhile back...........It lives in the weeds now, a C frame i built for my big hand held job........It did work after a fashion but it was a pain to control and operate even with a foot pedal. I figured my little air PH did everything and more with less noise and wear tear on me than this flop.......Nothing ventured, nothing gained...... B)

They come in many sizes and shapes, from the little pistol grip .410's to the hefty D handle jobs that take .680 round or 3/4'' hex. Above that you may as well get a PH. It's all about bore and stroke and what you want/need to do........Here's my arsenal of hand held jobs and that C frame thingy in the background........

Those electric tools are either ON or OFF. Pneumatic hammers have FINE control which makes all the difference in the world in controlling what you are forging.......... A waste of time and money imo.

Nice work, did you forge the grapes?

When I first got into the artisan thing in the 70's I made stained glass with lead came. I would mindlessly put a small piece of came in my mouth and chaw on it while I worked away........I mean heck, I remember rubbing mercury on pennies when I was a kid......Anyway my brother in law Bill (rip) took notice of my chosen 'snack' and set me strait in no uncertian terms saying it would cause dementia among other horrible things, so no more of THAT.....It didn't seem to affect me.......or did it? :unsure:

Ya got a point there Rich, but if you part your hair right you'll never see it....... :P

Skived, sewn leather by a pro belting is still the best but it's spendy and hard to find.....I feel your pain.

THERMITE! Remember the movie ''The Thing'', that's how they got that monster out of the ice..... :ph34r:

Looks like a peach and in such good shape for an older one, can't wait to see your progress........ B)

Thanks, The stand also has a little feature to aid in moving as I found a direct approach to grappling the thing none too comfy......I welded a !'' nut to the frame so I could screw in a 1'' bolt which has about 32'' of 3/4'' pipe welded to that for a handle. This makes it far easier to handle for moving (I can move every tool in my shop except the PH"s) The handle also serves to prevent the strong inclination the thing had to go past center and wind up crashing to the floor....not an option..... :( I also welded a crossbar to the bottom of the T for stability(not shown)......Maybe I'll paint it,,,,,nah..... B)

I promised Santa I would use it to make presents..... ^_^ I mainly got it for a semi big railing (54ft) that needs alot of bar ends nice and smooth but I already use it every day which was a big criteria. I've been getting good deals (i think)on belts through ebay in lots of ten for $3-7 ea..... ALL the PRO's run em backwards!! :rolleyes: Took you guys long enough :lol: I'll check out pops, thanks.

I haven't bought a *new* major machine since I can't remember when so I took the plunge. A new Beaumont KMG 2x72 belt grinder, something I'll use everyday....... B)

Once my shop gets to where I can't see my breath (40+)I'm good to go, I'll take that over 95+ any ol time........... B)

I'm no stranger to the hammer toss especially when I was younger..... :angry: .....I also remember working high iron as you have done and one of the things I loved about it was how sharply I had to concentrate and be aware of WHAT I was doing or pay the price. No time for snits or rages, focus or else. So you have it in you, try approaching your work calmly and methodically a bit like you must have done when you were ten stories up..... B)

Looks like you have it down to a science. Nice looking bit of kit, how much do they cost?.......... B)