This is the result of allot of thinking and tinkering and using what was available. Most everything that I used to build this was either stuff I had laying around from previous projects or scrap bin salvage at a former employers shop.

The only pieces that I bought was the motor/gearbox assembly and a few nuts and bolts.

I originally thought of the cam design a while back. After doing a bit of research I learned that there is some old guy in Italy, Davince or something, that did a drawing like this.....

trim.FECC9B58-2AC2-4BD3-830F-F94006D662D6.MOV

WOW! I like it! Reminds a bit of the original Bradley design, but without the cushions. Also brings to mind the water powered hammers that predate the mechanical. Very cool!

Very good...

 

If I could issue a suggestion here, I hope you don't mind. I would suggest anchor that back leg down so there's no hop. (In fact, anchor down all three legs) There's a loss of energy through that back leg where if held down, the energy transfer is through the hammer, you'll get more wallop per stroke. Well done on a nice piece of fabrication. 

Great first attempt, now try tripling the speed and add a few hundred pounds to the anvil, you will be impressed with the difference!

WOW! I like it! Reminds a bit of the original Bradley design, but without the cushions. Also brings to mind the water powered hammers that predate the mechanical. Very cool!

Yeah except the bumpers were the springs which all powerhammers need in one form or another.
The helm itself is not likely to bend enough to prevent weld fracturing nevermind work hardening of the rest of the components.

Great first attempt, now try tripling the speed and add a few hundred pounds to the anvil, you will be impressed with the difference!

Yes that would hasten the untimely demise sufficiently to gain the designer's attention I imagine.
At a minimum it work certainly make for a more spectacular failure.

Very good...

If I could issue a suggestion here, I hope you don't mind. I would suggest anchor that back leg down so there's no hop. (In fact, anchor down all three legs) There's a loss of energy through that back leg where if held down, the energy transfer is through the hammer, you'll get more wallop per stroke. Well done on a nice piece of fabrication.

The biggest loss of energy though is that the anvil itself is set so that the frame can flex, not exactly a design improvement.

Is that a gravity fall hammer with a cam lifter? If so very like the old water powered hammers and not subject to speeding up more than gravity will allow for the fall stroke time. A simple spring to accelerate the helve faster than gravity would allow for speeding up. As it stands I think it would make a handy hammer for armouring.

I can't see the movie on my iPhone or mum's iPad, any chance you could post a simple JPEG of it?

Alan

Thanks for the comments, they are certainly appreciated.

I know I don't know the proper terminology for exactly what type of hammer this is. But I do know that it's works for me! As time goes on I'll fix what needs to be fixed and improve on the things that need improvement. As far as tripling the speed, I think that will have to be another experiment.

All of the legs are anchored down, two bolts each. And a foot switch is in the immediate plans.

I do have the next idea already brewing, time will tell if it works out or not.

That is really cool.

I can't see the movie on my iPhone or mum's iPad, any chance you could post a simple JPEG of it?
Alan

Here you go!

That's super cool and looks nice, to boot.  Did your hand get a little warm for a second there??  :)

Cool looking fabrication.

 I think you are missing a trick in having the hammer fall under its own weight. Almost all the helve hammers out there have a spring linkage of some kind so that the motor is pulling the ram down giving more force to the blow, the spring is there so that material thickness differences can be accounted for and also to get a little more travel from the head as it whips,

I would also run some kind of clutch in the drive chain so that you can alter the hit speed with a foot pedal.

 

 That looks like a great base for what could be a great hammer.

Thank you for posting the JPEGs, I have also been able to see the movie on my MacBook now. Nice work, and I know what you mean by going with what you had around. I am going to post up a some photos of my foot hammer following another thread, that was designed using an electric-fence-wire drum roller for the frame initially, and then some bits of shafting and pillow blocks from the scrapyard plus motor car seat belts for the linkage….

 

On a design developmental point for your hammer I would probably reverse the tripod configuration…have the anvil block/post going straight down to the ground to take out any flex and make the most of the power, and have the two stabilising legs at the back.

 

Having said that one of the best smiths I know/knew who used to work in the eighteenth century style, exclusively used a relatively small anvil mounted on a light angle iron frame and I could swear it flexed and jumped with every blow. It did not seem to be a significant problem for him!

 

Alan

Very neat bit of construction.  I've never seen a "modern" hammer designed with a cam lift.  It's almost hypnotic to watch the cam turning!