I built my first treadle hammer last week and thought I'd share with the class so to speak. Does hit as hard as I'd like but it's better than nothing. Don't mind the crappy welding, if anyone has any thoughts or ways to improve please let me know. It's based off of "Big Dog Forge"s design. Has a 90lb spring, 10 or 12 lb. Sledge head as the hammer and another as the "anvil". 

Looks to be more of an oliver.  More rigid mass in the anvil would help a lot, say a RR car axle type of thing.

They need the minimum spring to raise it so you can put more umph into the stomp. I can't tell if that spring is just right for that set up.   

Is that pipe concentrating the shock right below the hammer head on a wooden handle inside it?

My first welding project after getting power to my shop is a treadle hammer. So I've been looking and evaluating them for quite a few years (and scrounging). I have a good sized slab of 1" thick steel, (appx: 2' x 4') to use as  the base and some 5.75" diameter solid steel to use as the anvil and a chunk of I beam for the rear upright.  I'm going for a vertical hammer motion for tool use.

Having a heavy steel anvil would juice up yours the most, the fastest!

You could make it hit a bit harder by moving the connection for the chain closer to the head of the hammer and use a lighter spring.  I haven't had a chance to use one for any length of time but they definitely make some operations easier. 

Good job and let us know how it's working and if you make any modifications. 

Pnut

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Looks to be more of an oliver.  More rigid mass in the anvil would help a lot, say a RR car axle type of thing.

The pipe is holding the sledge hammer to the pivot. Was a quick decision since I cant weld wood to metal. Its riveted in so that the hammer handle is in the middle of the pipe. It hits fairly square, but hits angular using top tools. Would I need it to hit over square to the bottom "anvil" so that it would hit square on a top tool? Or am I overthinking this?

I put 4 sets of holes in the upright where the hammer handle pivots on mine. Gives me more adjustments for using top tools or hammering thicker metal, etc so it hits more squarely.

On 12/17/2019 at 4:59 PM, DeepwaterForgeWorks said:

if anyone has any thoughts or ways to improve please let me know. It's based off of "Big Dog Forge"s design. 

The Big Dog Forge treadle hammer is based on this one: 

 

The video walks you through the hammer design, use, and tooling. There used to be a thorough write up on his web page, but it has been reorganized and I cannot find it currently. 

On 12/17/2019 at 3:06 PM, ThomasPowers said:

I've been looking and evaluating them for quite a few years (and scrounging).

I have been trying to work out a way to cheat the mechanical limitations of these hammers - I want three inches of heel stomp to translate into fully efficient repetitive hammer blows.

I you have ever watched an old ore stamp mill in operation, that would be the closest analogy I have, at present.

Would the escapement principle satisfy? In other words, my 3" foot stomp would accelerate, or throw, the "linkless" actuator upward.  I have already envisioned the completed escapement cycle.

Thoughts?

I this gets me egg on my face, I prefer mine scrambled.

Robert Taylor

Three inches doesn't give you much acceleration time for the mass with direct drive.  I have seen some using an air cylinder to make a "powered treadle hammer";  but cycle time was fairly long.  I'm not trying to get around having a powerhammer. I was just rather enthralled with slitting and drifting 1" sq high C rock drill shaft in one heat using my screwpress and was thinking about a treadle to do similar work with less shoulder strain.

As for stamp mills, how old is old?  I'm mainly familiar with the ones Agricola displayed in the mid 1500's in De Re Metallica.

Go check your headlights - I think they are running low on kerosene!

Oh, like the ones in use in California, 1850's - 1900's - I hope there were not too many styles in that bracket. Typically, one to four two pawl actuators on an inline shaft to raise, then drop the stamp(s).

Just finished perusing images of Agricola's tome - mind boggling!

What is the pitch (TPI) on your screw press?

Edited February 14, 20206 yr by Anachronist58

On 12/17/2019 at 6:09 PM, pnut said:

You could make it hit a bit harder by moving the connection for the chain closer to the head of the hammer 

Definitely this. Makes a startling difference in the speed of the head, and the faster it goes, the harder it hits.

Here's a walkaround of my own treadle hammer (before a couple of minor tweaks):

 

On 12/17/2019 at 8:02 PM, DeepwaterForgeWorks said:

It hits fairly square, but hits angular using top tools. Would I need it to hit over square to the bottom "anvil" so that it would hit square on a top tool? Or am I overthinking this?

Treadle hammers really aren't great for direct hammering on the workpiece, but are great with top tools. Try to get it set up so that the striking face of the hammer is parallel to the anvil when it's about 6-8" above the surface. That will give you room for the workpiece and the tool, while still having the hammer hit fairly flat. If the angle is too severe, the top tool is going to go shooting out the side (possibly even breaking a handle), and that is awkward and inefficient at best and dangerous at worst.

I really like that. Great walk around presentation.

Robert Taylor

10 hours ago, Anachronist58 said:

Oh, like the ones in use in California, 1850's - 1900's - I hope there were not too many styles in that bracket.

Like this?

Exactly like that! I believe that I may have seen that one - location?

I think that one is in downtown Nevada City, but there are a bunch in this area. It could be from Empire mine or Malakoff Diggins though. They get the one at Malakoff going when the do their annual "Humbug Days". I always thought it would make a great power hammer. Set it up with your 5 most used heads and you can move from one head to the other.