Choices…

[David Mchone]

So if you got to choose between a treadle hammer and a fly press which one would you pick and why. For a back story I’ve come into enough money to purchase one or the other. 
 

thanks in advance. 

[JHCC]

Buy the fly press. No question.

The reason is simple: you can build a treadle hammer easily enough, but it's almost impossible to build a fly press. I absolutely love my treadle hammer and use it all the time, and it has served me extremely well despite the fact that I'm a middling fabricator at best. If I can do it, you can probably do it to.

There's also a lot of great stuff you can do with a fly press that you can't do or that's a lot harder to do under the treadle hammer.

Buy the fly press.

[David Mchone]

Thanks JHCC, that’s what I was thinking. 

[Anachronist58]

I support JHCC's premise.  My 5 ton flypress gets used for so many different projects.  It is a great mechanics tool, and not only can one aggressively work metals hot or cold, but also with delicacy and finesse....

Sure would like to see a pic or five of that flypress...

Robert Taylor

[ThomasPowers]

Here's one a lot like mine: (Better picture than I have of mine).  Of course with the blasted "Buyer's Reaming" + paying a rigger to load it in my pickup mine ran the better part of US$100.  One of the nicest things about them is that they are *quiet*!