Okay, before i get asked this question, yes I have used a power, LGs, but never an Appalachian style.

My power hammer will have an 8" stroke. My question is, do I have to make the stroke adjustable or do the springs flex, but how do I make is so that I can forge let's say 4"(large knife billet) stock all the way down to 1/8"(finished width for blade) without screwing up the motor system and linkage?

Do I have to make it adjustable? Because if I have to do that, that would really slow things down. Anyhow here are some pictures....

Obviosuly, the first picture is it all the way down.


This picture could represent a larger billet or working with hand held tooling.
http://www.appaltree.net/rusty/images/super_rusty.jpg





This might sound like a really dumb question, but i honestly can't figure this out. So how do I make it, so that I can forge different stock heights with this, or do I really have to make the linkage at adjustable heights on the wheel? I take it that maybe the linkage in the middle of the drive in the blue picture would do the adjusting?

Edited May 25, 200917 yr by m_brothers

It is the turnbuckle on the connecting rod that makes this style hammer adjustable. You will have to adjust it forging 4 inch down to 1/8th by shortening the length of the connecting rod.

I have a hammer of this style. It has the turnbuckle to adjust. Yes the springs flex. I usually use my first finger thickness to set daylight. This means that at rest, machine turned off, I use the thickness of the billet PLUS the finger thickness to gage the setting. If I am working 1/2" thick and below, I never change. I usually do adjust for 3/4" and up. You get more effeicient as you work in the "sweet spot" but you can run outside that envelope. It really only takes a few seconds.

You have to have the turnbuckle to adjust it. With mine set at no clearance, it will work up to 1" stock when I am drawing out reins on flat stock tongs. Of course this will depend on the flex rate of your spring. If you springs are stiffer you will have to adjust it closer to the size of stock you ar forging. I don't see anyway to get away from having this adjustment.

I see no way you could get to flex more than about an inch in thickness, unless you use a really weak spring, then the hammer would be ineffective.

The first picture is a standard turnbuckle, it has one end in lefthand and the other in right hand thread so it pulls or pushes the ends in and out depending on the way you turn it. They make different styles, one is open in the middle, the drawback is you have to do some welding to get the threaded ends on. You would put this in the middle of the "up shaft".

The other two are of my top turnbuckle near the spring. As you can see I used a 3/4" threaded shaft for my "upshaft". You loosen the locknut, pull the crossbolt and turn the whole thing up and down. I use pretty mcuh 1/2" or under stock, so I don't ever need to adjust mine from the "dies together" setting.

Edited May 25, 200917 yr by unkle spike

Okay, so than does anyone have any suggestions for a place that I cna get one that is 1/2" or 3/4" x 12"? I Have found some on the internet, but they are like $70. I don't think that is cheapest I can get one for though. Thanks a lot guys for all of your input as well.

See Above I added pics ^^^^^^ Also I PM'd you

Edited May 25, 200917 yr by unkle spike

Jeff, try having a little space between your dies like p-tree says. On my 75# I use a 1" space between the dies for thin work, this seems to give a longer stroke, more impact.

I never experimented to see how much "whip" it has on the downstroke.

I need to move them up gradually and see how much space I can go to, and still get die contact. Today would be a good day for this, nothing better to do.

I hope I didn't come off as the guru of these hammers, I just know setting one up with no adjustment would NOT work. Thanks for the input Arftist, still have a few things to learn on this hammer.