Black Frog Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Wondering about a 25lb Little Giant, and mounting or securing it. I see on the LG website an old sheet about having mounting bolts 16" down in reinforced concrete.... That ain't happening where I am. Wondering what those with the smaller 25lb LG's have them mounted or secured, and the results you've experienced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 What do you have? Bolt it to it. I have my demo hammer bolted to a 30x48x3/4 plate with 5/8 belting in between has worked pretty well for years. I have my shop hammers bolted to 6 inches of reinforced concrete with the 5/8 belting cushion. The later is noticably better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Mine is bolted to a hunk of 1.25" x 37" x 72" plate, drilled and tapped for 3/4" bolts (IIRC) 5/8" belting material between hammer and plate. I also have one of my leg vises bolted to one end of this same plate. I have had this set up since 2005, worked some heavy stuff on the hammer and it hasn't moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Frog Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 I don't have a LG, just toying with the idea of someday finding one. And if I did, how would I mount it. I have about 1 stall worth of my garage to use as a shop. The concrete in there isn't the best, several cracks through the main floor. Fine for parking a car, but not so sure about mounting a LG. If I could find a big slab of plate steel, that might be a nice option. But those seem hard to find so far..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas Dean Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I got mine at a pressure vessel shop. I used to work for them when they were under another name back in the 70-80's. Once I told them what I was doing with it the only charged me what they would get for it if sold for scrap!! Nice to have friends in high places :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 A former member of our group built a heavy duty "pallet" out of oak to mount his 25 LG to. It had built into it a 2"x2" solid bar that extended down below the platform by a few inches. He set up his building with trailer hitch receivers set into the concrete floor flush. He moved his hammer with a pallet jack, moving it out of the way when not in use, and when using it, he positioned it and set the bar into the receiver. The platform pallet was on the floor. It worked fine. If he needed the pallet jack, he just put block of wood under the corners of the pallet. The air hammers that Tom Clark used to sell came bolted to two 12"x12" oak beams. Most that I have seen just sit on whatever floor they have and have angle iron or stakes to keep it from walking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOblacksmith0530 Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 It depends a little on what height you need. I need extra height so mine is bolted to 6 by 7 oak timbers and then sits on the floor and I used angle iron to capture it to keep it from walking around. I have the same setup on my self contained air hammer and both work well. I would suggest some sort of cushion between it and the floor not for the cusion effect but to help it grab I had a tire hammer that wal bolted to the floor and had two pieces of indoor outdoor carpet face to face to help it grab. I hava also heard a lot of people use the stall mat you can buy at the farm store. I haven't tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suboc Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 This is how I have my 100# LG temporarily mounted on a slab. I used long lengths of all thread and epoxy to hold the whole thing down. I have mounted a 25# and a 50# the same way. Its not ideal and realy needs an isolation pad/foundation poured, but this will work to a point. This may result in cracking of the slab over time. The construction is 3/4" conveyor belt...timbers tied together with three lengths of all-thread and an angle iron frame around the edges to protect the wood from being torn up. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 the big thing you will need to consider is the height if the dies I made a bundle of 2x6 Pressure treated wood to bring the dies to the right height for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvandewa Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Great photos and ideas here. I picked up a 50# last year and I'm finally getting around to mounting it in the floor. What is the rule of thumb for the height of the dies? Same as my anvil height? Any advice would be appreciated. -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I like mine the same as my anvil 33-34 inches. Some like them higher. I have a friend thats about 6'8" and he likes his at 39-40 inches but thats where is anvil is now that I think about it. I do think you can get them too high to be safe. I like things a little farther from my face if it should get away from me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 You should not confuse hand hammer anvil height with power hammer die height. Are you EVER going to use a hand hammer on the power hammer lower die? It would be hard. You need the hand hammer anvil lower than power hammer anvil due to the hammer that is in your hand. Using that logic the bar of metal you will be working on the power hammer should be at aprox the same height as your hand hammer handle. I have my hammer die at 43" up and would still like it a bit higher. I am 6' tall and do not like to hunch over to use the hammer. Set the die height to be comfortable on your back when using the hammer. After a few hours your back will thank you. smith out Edit to correct 43"-die is at 41" (still pretty high for most folks) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Come on do you really think me or anyone else would try to use hand hammer on a power hammer? I have no problem if you want you lower die at 43 inches or higher. If I am working a 50 or 60 pound chunk of steel I like my elbows just barely flexed. Holding that weight on your hammer die would be very tiring for my arms. Also my bifocals are made to focus at my anvil height if I raised my hammer die up very much I could not see my work very well. All this saying is this is a very personal thing with many factors that are tied to the individuals need. One more thing to think about is if your work under a PH is always bending down you need to lower your die height or raise your arms. If it's bending up of course raise the die/hammer or lower your arms. I am sure a lot of you know this already but some of the less expierenced guys struggle with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I just measured my hammer and it is 41" not the 43" I said earlier, sorry. That height allows me to drop my tong hand as needed just by lowering my hand. Since it seems common to ask if the power hammer anvil should be the same height as hand hammer I had to show the absurdity of that thought.Of course no one will use a hand hammer on the lower die so why is there always the comparison of heights? For me it is all about standing upright, not stooped over.Also I dont see the relevance to of size of stock to die height until you get to be to large to handle with tongs. (The thought of big stock has to done on a lower set die) smith out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvandewa Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Thanks everyone, it sounds like I just need to get out in the shop and take some measurements. The theme I'm seeing here is it's different for everyone and set up whatever is comfortable. I was planning on a concrete pad and then a lumber base on top. I can start a little lower and add lumber if I need to add some more height to the base. It might take a bit of work until I hit that sweet spot but in the long run it should pay off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Suboc, Class job on that hammer. Looks sharp. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H. Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I mounted my 50 LG to 3 elevator counter weights I got for free & redheaded the counter weights to the 4" concrete slab on my back patio / blacksmith shop. Made that hammer hit really hard & never had a problem with the hammer moving. Keep your eyes open at your locla junkyard for those elevator counter weights. They make a great base for a hammer. Dave Huffman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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