Jason M

Very cool. While paging through I found some blacksmith taps on page 142. I have some of these and always wondered what they were until now. Thanks for sharing. Jason

Thanks guys. I'm definitely gonna aim high. In my welding for income days we used 300 amp Millers which worked great. We used 98/2 for good spray transfer and little to no spatter. I hate using 75/25 but it is all that's available in the little tank I have for my 105 amp welder. Tri gas or stargon works good. Anything with a little oxygen.

Thanks for the info guys. I have some 6x6x.25 wall tube which I am using for the frame of my hammer. I have some 6x6x6 square blocks of steel which I was going to use one for the hammer and one for the anvil. I will probably add some additional tubing under the anvil for support. I am building a parallel linkage type based on the Roberts linkage which I mistakenly referred to it as a grasshopper type in another thread. I started cutting the frame pieces last week. I am going to order the steel for the linkage next week.

I am looking to upgrade to a larger welder. Locally available are Hobart welders. I am thinking of buying either the Handler 187 or 210 which are rated at 5/16 and 3/8 respectively. My question is, what are these things capable of in the real world based on your actual ownership of one of these welders or another of comparable claimed ratings. If anyone has pictures of welds produced using these welders I'd sure like to see them. Thanks, Jason

I've been looking at treadle hammers for ideas to use when I build mine. I noticed some have solid anvils and many have two pieces of round stock with a plate on top. What is the reason for that? Also, I'd appreciate pictures and or descriptions of your holders, tools, etc, that you have created for use with your hammer. Thanks, Jason

Great video Matt. Here is another video that many will probably enjoy. ~ Jason YouTube - Hand forging chains (1) - Blacksmithing

I should correct myself. There are only 8 links required for my mechanism. 15 once you assemble another set of arms on the other side just like a human. I'm guessing that you say his design is simpler than mine based on number of links because you have not seen mine linkage. I don't see any problem drilling accurate holes. I do have full use of a machine shop but will build it at home. I have considered drag between the links but don't think it will be a problem. If necessary I will purchase some washer shaped shims. I got a kick out of your "sweaty, leg killing, wimp hitting, drag" comment. There won't be any ball or roller bearing needed. I was aware of the fact that it is not a true straight line. A more accurate description might be a parallel linkage but thought it might confuse some. I am convince my design is different than Bruce's if there is 12" of horizontal movement for 24" of vertical. There is only one pivot in my design that moves in a horizontal like motion and it travels 6" or so. There are tabs in the rear at about anvil height that the springs will attach to. If you have any pics of your hammer I'd like to see them if your willing to share. Thanks again, Jason

YouTube - SplinterForge's Channel

You seem to know a lot about the grasshopper. Do you own one? The first mechanisms I designed would travel more than 16". Like a lot of straight line linkages only a certain portion of the movement travels in a straight line and can arc in and out. I'll have to see if I can animate one of those designs and post it for the heck of it. I sacrificed that arc travel in order to reduce the number of link arms. I have another site that might be of interest. I was going to mention it earlier but did not have it bookmarked. There are movies for some of the linkages. KMODDL - Kinematic Models for Design Digital Library

I have spent countless hours researching "straight line linkages" including the Watt linkage. One really great site is How round is your circle?. Aside from modeling the linkage I made a wooden version of the design which functions well. I'll admit that my design is complex. There are 15 linkage bars in the mechanism alone. I don't know if my design improves anything other than being compact and as far as reinventing I may not have done that either. I may have just unknowingly copied Bruce's design. It is difficult to see how it has 34" of travel. It looks short front to back like mine which only has about 16" of travel. The spring balance is something I hope to achieve as well. Thanks, again, Jason

I do plan to prove out the design as much as possible. Plans are ultimately only an idea transmitted by paper which are open to interpretation and modification. If I were to sell plans, it would only be with the understanding of the purchaser that I make no claims to the performance, functionality, or usability of the hammer. I have good morals and would never knowingly sell anything for the sake of making money. If I do decide to sell plans at any stage it is ultimately up to the purchaser to determine the value, if any, of the plans to the individual. There you did it, you made me sound like a lawyer. (insert smiley here in case the one I typed was omitted). Thanks, Jason

I am considering sharing at some point depending on interest. I'm looking forward to getting started soon on the real deal. Thanks, Jason

Good point. At first thought there are a couple of ways to go about it. I could adjust the travel of the foot treadle. Or I could make the rear most link adjustable in length. If I adjust the treadle up travel the pedal home position would vary. If I adjust the rear link length the home position would always be the same. I will definately look into this. I think I understand your point about designing before all is known which is one of the reasons I posted here. Although it isn't always possible to foresee every need. I will inevitably run into some situation which will necessitate some change or addition. Thanks, Jason P.S. See above for a responce to your grasshopper question.

There are no captive guides that control the linear movement of the head. The linkage design provides the only linear constraints. Although the linkage bars are intertwined in such a way that they slide against each other through the range of motion which gives them guidance side to side. Again, just an inherent part of the design. Grasshopper comparison: It is difficult to say how it compares to Bruce Freeman's design. I have not seen any photos of a hammer built using his design. I pondered the picture on his site for quite some time and have not been able to figure it out because the linkage is somewhat hidden which is understandable because he is selling plans for his design. I am considering selling plans as well which is why my linkage is covered. I have seen another "grasshopper" design here Grasshopper Treadle Hammer. I modeled this design as well. It would take up too much space in my small garage shop. Thanks, Jason