If you build a power hammer do yourself a favor and dont do anything like this!!!

 

 

 

Looks pretty good to me. Some guards around the moving parts wouldn't be a bad idea, but it's certainly plenty robust.

And at least in the start he is working not in line with any of the moving bits save the flywheel in back.

When that thing lets go it will be exciting!  And it will let go, all that looseness in the ram is going to be putting sideways loads in unexpected places.  

I don't know, I don't see any lateral motion. Everything is in line: motor, pullys, flywheels, crank, helve arm, link arms, springs. I don't like having the link arm sticking out in the work space but it might be scary enough everybody stays clear. Guards would be nice but I don't think OSHA would approve no matter what. I've seen worse 3rd. world home builds. 

Thanks for the link, I'll have to watch it in pieces but it's a good show.

Frosty The Lucky.

Look closely at how the ram shuckles back and forth on impact.  That and the rattly clack of linkages says things are moving in directions they shouldn't.  

Definitely very loud

What an animal for a hammer and look no ear plugs i wonder if its powered by 3 phase or hooked up direct to the power line. 

While its easy to criticize from a distance this machine has probably been in daily service for years, it never fails to amaze me the ingenuity of people who do not have access to anything better. I find it a great source of motivation and I admire these sort of people doing the best they can and often producing very good work with little 

There are many places for collecting ideas for your own smithy.  The air gate from the blower to the fire, size and depth of the fire, smoke from the fire etc.

It will take more than one watching to learn what he is doing  other than blacksmithing.  

Thank you for the link. 

Yeah, say what you want about the hammer, it certainly hits hard and changing the top dies seems pretty straightforward. I like the whole jackshaft configuration for stepping down the motor RPM and the foot pedal seems to give him good control even without an obvious brake.  I admit the proximity of the link arm to his head terrifies me, but the whole thing is easily as effective as any homebuilt hammer I've seen here in the "1st world".

His fire management is certainly laudable.  Keeping two high carbon billets going in the fire simultaneously without ever approaching torching an edge or corner is impressive. Also, super clean forging from keeping the stock in the neutral or reducing zone and appropriate planishing blows throughout.

His capture hood certainly leaves a lot to be desired, but I guess that is an advantage of working essentially outside.  Also, did you catch the parallel blowers run off the same drive shaft?  pretty clever way to keep the coal smoke blown out of the shop when you have a ineffective hood (and not to different from the blower and slot grille that Thomas Powers worked up to transfer heat away from the front of his former gas forge.  I was also impressed with that quick and seemingly effortless single heat hot cut and his ability to turn out two very similarly sized pieces without ever measuring them next to each other during forging.  Then there is the differential water quench heat treatment with auto-tempering like the Tibetan kamis do for their kukhris. That is a lot of experience showing.

A fascinating video, thanks for sharing it.

Thanks for posting the video, enjoyed it.

Experience shows!