Mounting Power Hammer?

[KYBOY]

We have all the parts for our hammer. The build starts this week. Tomorrow we are going to pour a small concrete pad to mount it on (shop floor is dirt) Gonna be about 5" thick ro so...The hammer base plate is roughly 1/2" thick plate. Heres the main question, I was thinking of putting a layer of mining belt between the plate and concrete..
Now for folks who dont know what "Mining Belt" is. Its a roughly 3/4" thick rubber/nylon belted material used on conveyor belts to move coal out of the mine. Very tough and dense, like a mix of leather/rubber. Do you think a layer of this would help for shock absorbsion or would it hurt anything???

[Wesley Chambers]

Love that stuff, use it a lot for horse mats, I think it would be nice to have, help deaden the sound a bit

[thecelticforge]

I am thinking you may want to make the slab a bit thicker. I am thinking at least two feet thick and well reinforced with rebar. The rubber mat is a great idea along with a layer of oak. 4X4's glued together with the section under the anvil be made of end grain wood.

http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/power_hammer_info.htm

[harrismetalsmith]

I use the conveyor belting under both of my trip hammers, it definitely helps a bit with shock. I think its easier on the hammers as well.
I would definitely make the pad thicker than 5"
12" minimal 24" is better yet.
I have a hammer mounted on a 36" base and it runs much better than the one I move around on the 1 1/2" thick plate.

[Mainely,Bob]

I am thinking you may want to make the slab a bit thicker. I am thinking at least two feet thick and well reinforced with rebar. The rubber mat is a great idea along with a layer of oak. 4X4's glued together with the section under the anvil be made of end grain wood.

http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/power_hammer_info.htm

I`d also vote for a much thicker foundation.All the machinery I have set up for myself and others has been placed on pads that are 18 inches thick at a minimum and reinforced.This includes wood lathes in home shops.The only times I went with thinner slabs has been when I hit ledge or large boulders that kept me from digging deeper.Even then I pinned the slab to the rock to make it part of the base.
The larger the base the better it can withstand and absorb vibration.
You can rent an electric jack hammer that will break up 5" concrete in no time.What do you think your hammer anchor bolts will do to it?

I`d also plan now to cast the mounting bolts into the slab as cast in L or T bolts have always held better than any other anchors I have drilled in an existing slab.I usually use bolts 10 inches in length with 8 of that buried in the concrete.The longer the reach(within reason) the better the hold.

[KYBOY]

I cant go much thicker. My shop is built on a part of the property thats all rock fill. Pure rock and gravel, no dirt other than an inch or two. The grounds as hard as the concrete..
Its gonna be an appalachian hammer, about a 35lb ram.

[Mainely,Bob]

I cant go much thicker. My shop is built on a part of the property thats all rock fill. Pure rock and gravel, no dirt other than an inch or two. The grounds as hard as the concrete..
Its gonna be an appalachian hammer, about a 35lb ram.

If that`s all the depth I could get then I`d think about bolting the hammer down to oak 6X6s(or bigger) held together with threaded rod rather than 5" of concrete.