LG 25 arrived!

D

deloid

Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
458
I got the Little Giant today. Moving into my garage wasn't as bad as I thought. It does roll well on the pipe clamp bars!

As I previously mentioned, I can't dig and buid up a proper footer. It's sitting on concrete temporarily. I was going to use tar paper just to keep it from walking. The sound while directly on my concrete floor worries me though. Our houses are built really close to each other. I stood at one of my neighbors window and the machine puts out about 80db at that distance.

I know it's transmitting more noise than it needs to through my garage floor so...the question. At risk of sacrificing some efficiency in order to remain a "good neighbor" is there an advantage to using a base of plywood and perhaps a layer of horse trailer rubber matting? In other words , do you think this might drop the noise level some?

My intention was to build a Don Hanson 5" platform of plywood.

Pics tomorrow-
 
being on the wood will definitely dampen the noise. in my opinion horse stall mat is too soft, try to find some industrial belting, much tougher and not as soft. Other than dampening noize I wouldnt worry about the foundation too much on a 25, even your average garage floor is plenty concrete.
 
A friend of mine had a 25 LG in his tuck under garage in the heart of Minneapolis sitting on a piece of conveyor belting. He might have lost a little efficiency, but he kept the neighbors happy.
 
on my hammers the most noise comes from the dies hitting the material. isolating the hammer from the floor may not get much there.
 
Hi Bill,

I'm still recovering from a bug courtesy of my daughter...but I would like to visit you soon.
I'm still going to try anything that might drop the noise a bit. I will definately go the Don route and i will take the Guru's excellent advice and throw a block party and make little forged gifts for my neighbors. A good way to introduce them to the strange noises :)
I was also told that die on die noise is worse than actual use noise when hammering hot metal.
Dean
 
Have you considered a spray on sound deadening material around the base of the hammer? Mind you, I don't have a clue what it looks like. But, if you want to deaden the sound, that stuff is designed for it. It's kind of like tar. Car stereo shops spray it inside doors to dampen the sound.
 
Dean, My belief is that isolating the hammer from the floor is going to reduce/eliminate sound and vibration transfered through the floor/ground but that the noise from the dies hitting the steel will see little attenuation. I used to live/forge in town when I lived in Salmon. When I first got my 100 lb little giant it shook my wifes nik naks off the shelves. I put a piece of 1/4 inch belting under the hammer and the vibration wasn't as bad but the noise (accourding to my wife) was the same.
One day while I was in the shop my neighbor who had a small child came over and asked me if I was going to be forging soon. (I am thinking uh oh here it comes) I tell her that no I hadn't been planning to and then asked her if I was bothering the child. She said no that he was kind of cranky and that when i was pounding with the power hammer it always seemed to put him to sleep. I fired up the forge like a good neighbor.



deloid said:
Hi Bill,

I'm still recovering from a bug courtesy of my daughter...but I would like to visit you soon.
I'm still going to try anything that might drop the noise a bit. I will definately go the Don route and i will take the Guru's excellent advice and throw a block party and make little forged gifts for my neighbors. A good way to introduce them to the strange noises :)
I was also told that die on die noise is worse than actual use noise when hammering hot metal.
Dean
Click to expand...
 
Go to The Home Depot and look in the roofing section. Find the tar paper rolls. Look right next to or under them. You will see a roll of this thick material with a textured side and a smooth side. It is called base sheeting, and used for built up roofs. I think this would make a great deadener between layers of 1" plywood. One sheet of plywood ( have the lumber yard cut it into four 2'X4' pieces) and a roll of this would make a 2'X4' base, add a five pound box of #9X3.5" deck screws = about $130 total. Four sheets of wood interspersed with three layers of this material would make a strong and highly vibration attenuating base.
Use the 3.5" deck screws from both sides. Start with a perimeter row 2" in from the edge,with the screws spaced every 4" around the perimeter ( offset the top and bottom screws 2" from each other). Carry these across the surface in rows with the screws spaced every 4". If my calculations are right, that is 105 per side, which should use a good part of the 5# box ( about 280/box). That procedure will put a screw every 2" throughout the base ( 105 from the top and 105 from the bottom). You will definitely need a good drill/driver for this job.
OH, and stand on the stack as you drive the screws. I would put in the four corner screws from both sides first. Then do the perimeter for both sides, and then the rows.
 
Dean, your hammer will hit noticeably harder setting on a solid base made of concrete than it will sitting on a base of wood/laminates. you can make a moveable base from channel iron, rebar and concrete that can still be isolated to reduce noise/vibration. if you try and do most of your hammering during the time when your neighbors are away from home at work and you get along with them you should be ok. have fun.
 
Do you know where I can buy a power hammer?
Do you mind if I ask what you paid for your power hammer?
My wife died recently and I am building a blacksmith shop for my 13 year old daughter and myself.
She wants to learn how to be a blacksmith.
I don't want to spend a ton of money.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
john schert
www.drdebbyharris.com
 
Look up Clay Spencer/tire hammer. A power hammer is not needed to learn blacksmithing. Take a basic blacksmith course get an anvil/forge/hammer and tongs and start hammering away untill you figure it out.

Fill out your profile. you may live near a blacksmith/bladesmith that you could visit.
 
Hi John,

Expect to pay 1,800 to 3,500 depending on how well serviced they are. If you find one for a lower price it the time and money to get it safely up to speed will make the cost similar to this range.
You can find them on Craigslist (the national list) , ebay or posted on some of the metal forging forums.

Expect a love hate relationship as you learn about the machine. There are DVDs and a book that help but Sid is quite the gentleman and offers a lot of advice and, of course sells needed parts.

I have my machine going well now but I need to make a guard and I'm stuck on a design that would work for me.

Good luck and feel free to contact me privately as you need. my e-mail is on my web page.

Dean
 
rocketmann said:
Look up Clay Spencer/tire hammer. A power hammer is not needed to learn blacksmithing. Take a basic blacksmith course get an anvil/forge/hammer and tongs and start hammering away untill you figure it out.

Fill out your profile. you may live near a blacksmith/bladesmith that you could visit.
Click to expand...

I agree,

Before my LFG was properly tuned I could draw out 1 1/2" stock faster than the machine but the machine didn't get tired . Now it's faster and most of the use will be for making damascus. The majority of my work will still be hammer and anvil though I might cheat and use the LG for the rough taper of the blade and tang.
 
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