FieryFurnace Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) So this past weekend we went to a craft fair. In short the whole thing was HORRIBLE and we made a total of negative $20.00. (I.E. we came home with $20.00 less than what we left with!) Well, there was another blacksmith shop there at the craft fair. A regular shop with roof and walls! One of the smiths who was demoing through the weekend had a treadle hammer pushed over in a corner obveously unused. SOOOO, I figured, "uhhhh all he can do is say no." Sooo, I asked the owner about it and he said "YES!" $300 "hmmm says I.....$300? ehhh." I agonized over spending $300, all weekend! Finally I decided that I would get it and we loaded it after some dificulty, on my trailer! I am not sure what is the exact weight of the hammer blows. But it does move steel much faster than I can with a 2.5 lb cross peen. I used it some in the shop there just to see how it worked. I have it set up at the house here and hope to use it tomorrow! Edited July 21, 2009 by mod07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Looks like a good deal to me, congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Congrats. $300 sound like a good deal. You said that it works and moves metal faster than your hand hammer. I'd say that it was worth it. Did it come with any extra tooling,ie. dies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 I got three fullering tools and a chisel tool. I also got the stock stableizer that is pictured boltrd in front of the anvil piece. I will post pictures of the other tools but they are on photobucket and that site is currently down. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 WOW!! You really did get a deal!! Congrats. We'll watch for the pix.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I've seen treadle hammers before I want to see some pretty things made from it! Good score Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chyancarrek Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 You done good Dave! Look forward to seeing pics of the work that comes off it! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 That is the chisel tool and the other tools are picturedin my first post! The guy said that he thought he had more at home and if he found them he would send them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratel10mm Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Brilliant score mate, well done! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Parker Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Very nice, I have only ever seen one at work and would love to have my own. Congrats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Browne Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Great score, you should be really happy with that. One question, the hammer doesn't tend to wander sideways in use does it? I can only see the channel at the back as its guide. Just wondering because I have been looking at plans and that is a simple as it gets so if it works well I have just knocked a whole lot off my plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lumpkins Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 FFF.flv video by canepole - Photobucket Dave it was good meeting you at the Threshermans show. Boy's.. take a look at the clip above to see how happy dave was about the new toy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Thanks for the video! Now I have a voice I can put to Dave's face. Gotta love the smile. Congratulations Dave! Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 It's a beautiful smile isn't it Forsty! LOL LOL LOL Soory I just couldn't help myself. So I got to use the hammer some yesterday. Did a 12 inch taper in 3/8 round and about half a leaf on the end of it in 20 minutes. Now that's slow to most of y'all, but for me it's moving. I wasn't even using the hammer really hard as it is still awkward to be hammering with my foot. It usually takes me twice that long to get just the taper when I am using the cross peen. (It's a 7 ft bar so I'm fighting the weight of the steel while I hammer which slows me down.) With the treadle I don't have to fight the weight of the lengthy stock so it was really nice! I'll get a video of it working soon and I'll be sure to post pics of the finished curtain rod when I'm done. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Lovely smile Dave just lovely. Don't you have a blacksmith's helper? As in a stand to hold or steady long or ackward stock. It'll also get faster as you discover just how you like everything adjusted. Just don't start adjusting things much till you have some time on it. The human body is a marvelously adaptable piece of machinery that easily compensates for little things and given time major things. Machinery (mechanical that is) can't adapt at all without human help and little changes can have BIG consequences. So, let your body make the adjustments it can and only adjust the machine for the things your body seriously doesn't like. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medieval Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Before I could afford a power hammer, I built a parallel-link treadle hammer (like the one shown). I didn't use it much until I started to make hammers (forging, repousse and specialty). Then it really got a workout, cause punching the hammer eye was near impossible, alone, by hand. Then I built a guiotine fuller (with interchangeable dies) for it, and began chiseling, it then became indispensable. I use it nearly as much as my power hammer. I know that everyone wants a power hammer, but building a treadle hammer is cheap, a good intermediate step, and profoundly useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FieryFurnace Posted August 17, 2009 Author Share Posted August 17, 2009 Finally got some pics of the work that comes out of it!!!! These are some of the curtain rods I am doing for the house. The limbs on the end are obveously just random. I did the taper and the octagon with the hammer, as well as the taper on the oposite end. So there it is! The hooks that hold the curtain rods up are 1/4 inch round and were tapered with the hammer as well! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Looking good Dave! So does this mean you don't hate the treadle hammer? Well done. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiFerro Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 really that power has a mallet (hammer) that pedal force than a hammer in hand? Should build a contraption like that or is it just wasted effort? Hello from Italy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 They're not a wasted effort if you need one. Think of them like a fly press in their uses. Chasing, incising, tool and die striking, etc. They are not particularly so good for general drawing but are still faster and hit MUCH harder than a hand hammer. A treadle hammer is better for general smithing than a fly press but a power hammer is the answer for general smithing anyway. Like all good tools they have their strengths and weaknesses, can be pushed outside their designed purposes with more or less success and once you own one will become indispensible. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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