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I Forge Iron

tire hammer?


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hey all, hope everyone has had a merry christmas and enjoying festivities

well ive spent most of my time dreaming about making a small power hammer after finding out about those rusty things,
im not sure if i will be able to build one using college equipment but the dreaming hasnt stopped ive grabbed myself a little 410watt motor out of a washing machine although it looks a little skimpy compared to all the others ive seen on line but it should still be half an hp right?if one hp is 746watts or so i have no idea of speed and it most likely isnt suitable,,

anyway after dreaming and checking out all the bearings i would need etc etc i found a link on here about the rusty and dusty hammers needing adjusting due to the stock size you slap in its teeth and then i noticed how obvious that would be :unsure: , then i checked out the old tyre hammer type hammer and it does seem as if you get a lot more fine tuning of the beats through the treadle it looks as if you could just pat your work down lightly or gnash him up a bit with no adjusting rods and what have you ,, so it is looking somewhat superior also if you have a chunk of big flat then if you adjusted the height on the rusty type to hit him heightways you may not get to hit it on the flanks in the same heat ? i was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on this ??? is that right?? ,

also i was thinking of making a large tank area on the bottom so it could be filled with water and the hammer part would bolt on top (with adequate support under anvil bit and such) making it a little more portable and hopefully really heavy(could even slap a little tap in the bottom to drain it :rolleyes: !!)

this is all dreamy and i may never get round to making something that works or even making something but hey,, hope
any ideas and feedback is well recieved, thanks again guys

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If you can get to a small shop and watch them use a small(around 50 lbs) power hammer a lot concerns you express will be put to rest.
Without seeing it happen it is difficult to describe.
Ted

thanks ted
do you mean the rusty style or the tyre type? or just any home built 50pounder, i have used a blacker and two other power hammers at college one is a massey i dont know of the sizes , and agreed they are amazing thats why im dreaming :rolleyes:

from the videos i have observed the tyre hammer seems to behave much more similarly to non shop built power hammers and gives more control and i want one ! but could you use a 1/2 hp motor for a tyre hammer?
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I think the minimum hp you would want is a 1 HP with a 1725 RPM surely not faster. On the tire hammer a flat pulley on the motor contacts the rubber tire to drive the hammer.

Clay spencer sells a complete set of plans for a tire hammer which is usually 1/2 of the rear axle and hub from a late 80s minivan.
The frame of square tubing. You could use round but square might be easier to weld up inline. All the parts are welded up from easily obtained stock. He has workshops and has jigs so they all are the same size parts.

As a minimum you need access to a good welding machine and a way to cut the steel.
I bought a set of plans and have most of the items needed just never took the time to build. The hammers I saw run were very sweet machines.

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I think the minimum hp you would want is a 1 HP with a 1725 RPM surely not faster. On the tire hammer a flat pulley on the motor contacts the rubber tire to drive the hammer.

Clay spencer sells a complete set of plans for a tire hammer which is usually 1/2 of the rear axle and hub from a late 80s minivan.
The frame of square tubing. You could use round but square might be easier to weld up inline. All the parts are welded up from easily obtained stock. He has workshops and has jigs so they all are the same size parts.

As a minimum you need access to a good welding machine and a way to cut the steel.
I bought a set of plans and have most of the items needed just never took the time to build. The hammers I saw run were very sweet machines.

i think it is some of the clay spencers tyre hammers builds videos that have swayed me totally to the tyre hammer some look as if they run as sweet as the air hammers in college with nice control. as i thgt if i do spend however long trying to knock one of these up then i may aswell spend some money get some plans and a decent motor i dont want to run for the first time after 6months or so and find its not up to it and needs faffing with loads i dont know if the college would let me knock one up or not there is certaintly the kit. im in uk so this van may not be available im sure i could find something else or make something

thanks for the input
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Not sure if its relevant, but I'm only running an old 1/2hp on my "Spencer inspired" tire hammer. Its one of the old cast iron housed ones with an external start capacitor. Some have said that these older ones are more powerful than a new 1/2 hp however

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I have only built a tire hammer style not a Rusty style so I can't say which is easier to knock together with certainty.

I can say the tire hammer is quite simple and a quick build.

I went thru the same indecision , in the end what mattered most was putting down the reading material and digging into the scrap pile.

My very best suggestion is take an inventory of what you have available or can scrounge with your next trip to the scrap metal dealer and bang it out either style decided by whats at hand.

Meanwhile if you crave a PH keep an open eye for what will be your anvil post...if you see a candidate snatch it up....I passed many suitable pieces right up 'til I need it but at the moment I was ready for mine I made the trek around scrap dealers in the area and couldn't find that piece. Ended up welding stacks of cut offs I had stashed and while it works it detracts a bit from the appearence.

There seems to be a fair amount of fancination to small power hammers of any sort. If you built one and decided it didn't do all you wanted or couldn't take dies or what not you needed for your particular use I expect you could recover your costs w/o too much difficulty (particularly if you buy materials at scrap and not from a metals supplier). I recall four posts over the last year on the local Craigs List. 2 were authentic Little Giant hammers and the lower priced advertised for $2000 and the listings stayed up quite a while...but the homebuilts were $500 or less and the ads dissappeared the same day.

Sounds like you are on that path having aquired your motor. Stay on the course of working with available bits and I don't see where you stand to lose. BTW switching motors is very simple on tire hammer...mount it up if the feller you have isn't up to the task you will know with certainty and can remedy w/o losing a lot of time or material.

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I will jump on the tire hammer band wagon. I built the Clay Spencer Hammer last summer. If you have access to a lathe,mill and or drill press, and a welder you are in. I used 1/2 inch plate that I had laying around for the anvil. 14 plates cut 7x34 inches with a 2 inch thick 6x6 piece welded on top of it. It looks good and works great as its mass is much more heavy than what is called out. any way I have under 500 in the total project and that includes a new 1 hp motor from Automation Direct.

I tend to go over board when I build things so looking good is important to me. It comes from my father who was a perfectionist. If you like I can post some pictures later as I am at work right now. I can tell you that I am thrilled with the results. Our club has a 50 pound little giant and this blows it away.

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thanks for all your input guys!

well im hooked on the tyre hammer plan i think it may take me a while to get underway, but i will just collect hunt the scrap piles around for what looks good for the moment starting next week!! the hunt is on!

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