Bamaboy13 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Been looking at all the different designs for junkyard power hammers. Then started looking at what I have to work with, in an effort to pinch pennies where I can. I want (started) building a helve/tredel/pneumatic set up. My hammer is mostly finished except for the die holding part. It's 36" from pivot to center of the head mass, have not weighed it yet, but shooting for 50-75#. My idea is to mount a leafspring centered under the pivot and use 2 2-way air cylinders, 1 on each end, to both push and pull at the same time. I really dont think i want to go with a solenoid, but use a 4- way foot control, like a tredel. I have 4" bore cylinders, just have to decide on the stroke I need, with turnbuckle for fine tuning. For my anvil I have a 1/2" wall 12"ID steel pipe 36" tall that weighs over 100#, my plan is to use 5/8x30" rods packed as tight as i can get them as filler, then depending on weight, use what i need for top/bottom to get my ratio right. That steel, my base 1- 1/2"??, and 4140 for dies will be the bulk of my expenses. I was wondering if it would be of any benefit to fill the anvils remaining air space with sand or maybe hydraulic oil?? I'm a big boy, let the constructive criticism fly, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackdawg Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Sand might be a good plan, stabilise the filler rods your using. Hydraulic oil likley to leak splash or otherwise make a mess. Main thing is make it safe, so it doesn't smack you, have bits fly off, or fail catastrophically in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy13 Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 My OCD kinda forces me to over- build things, taking my time putting a lot of thought into it. But I'm striving for simple. What kind of stroke length is normal? And I was wondering about dies, does the top/bottom need to match in weight, or just in shape? I'm thinking heavier bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 An over built hammer is not going to have an anvil made in a manner that is likely to work as independant parts rather than one homogenous piece. depending on the length of stroke of your 4" cylinder you could be using a lot of air. The idea of using the pivoting beam with the air could be really good if your cylinders have a short stroke. Many of the utility style air hammers this size seem to have about a 10" stroke. Ideal would depend on variables you have not given us. you will want to be able to get the tooling you plan to use between the dies and have enough space to get a good blow. Top and bottom dies do not need to be the same weight, I have quite a few that do not match at all, by design. My anvil does not match my hammer either. I would recommend a die system that is easy to change so you can develope tooling to really get the most out of your tool, many people never go there but you may want that option. Hopefully your hammer works really well from the start, if not then it will be like most starting projects and you will likely improve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy13 Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 I agree on your point about the anvil, I inadvertently left out the detail of pouring molted lead around the steel rods resulting in a solid mass, kinda like I've read how some anvil stand legs are built with some sawdust/oil in the top to absorb sound?? I will make interchanging dies, I made a permanent 1/8" metel template to mark bolt holes, and I cut two 1-1/2"x6x6 for top/bottom holders, plan to drill/tap 7/16 holes for grade 5 bolts to hold 1/2 plates with my dies atached. Hammer pivot is a 1-1/4" solid steel shaft with flange bearings and I have 2 more bearings for the frame. Once I get to that point I can experiment with the cylinder mounting and strokes. I'll add some pictures soon. I work 12hr nights in industrial maintenance = too much free time, lol. We're changing several 10" stroke cylinders, so I can snag a couple to rebuild! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy13 Posted March 18, 2017 Author Share Posted March 18, 2017 "Over-built" I used heavy wall 2.5" square tube with a 1.5" steel bar plug welded from the pivot forward, same for the double gussets, all with .25" plate gussets wrapping all external joints, all ends capped. Everything welded & ground smooth. I like me some gusset s! I think I have air covered, 5hp 220v 80 gallon tank with auxiliary tanks and a commercial air dryer. Kinda influential in going with pneumatics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Your anvil idea is still going in the wrong direction. Even pouring a bunch of lead into the mess, you still won't have a solid enough mass. Just buy a length of 6 or 8" round solid, or if budget is a concern start scrounging. Some people make good anvils by sandwiching a bunch of 1" plates (on end) and plug welding/edge welding the stack together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 What part of the state do you live in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 If you go with a 10" long 4" dia. cylinder and run the normal 100# psi that some of the other utillity hammers are running on you will need a larger compressor. With the pivot design you should be able to get 10" stroke with a shorter cylinder. Another way of looking at your anvil is that lead does not rebound like solid steel. should be quiet though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Weight isn't the only thing you NEED in an anvil and lead is soft, virtually no inelastic rebound at all. Seriously, drop a bearing on a smooth block of lead and it'll leave a dent rather than bounce. I'm pretty sure nobody wants an anvil that soft. Taken to the logical extreme for the purpose of example a 55gl. drum of water weighs almost 460lbs. Think that would that make a good anvil or is it just heavy? Keep your eyes open for a solid piece of shafting or an iron casting that fits the bill. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaboy13 Posted March 19, 2017 Author Share Posted March 19, 2017 15 hours ago, Michael Cochran said: What part of the state do you live in? Kinda south central, close to Opp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted March 19, 2017 Share Posted March 19, 2017 That's a good little ride from me. If you haven't done so already, I'd suggest you joint the forge council. I've been to meetings for two of the groups one of which has a little giant. If the group local to you has one you'll be able to see how it's put together and take some notes on how to go about putting yours together. Biggest thing is, as already suggested, finding a solid anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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