So, how many of you smiths can get by on just a press?

jim moyer said:
Dexer, I own a rolling mill and works great when drawing a billett. However - after the pattern is established than forget the mill. It will distort your pattern. I also use mine to put the distal taper in my non damascus blades.
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Jim
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Jim,
Everything you do distorts the pattern in damascus, I use a rolling mill in combination with a press. For getting from .300" down the rolling mill works great. It does, however lengthen the pattern, just like it lengthens the bar.
Del
 
Don Hanson III said:
Not all hammers need a Fuehrebunker size slab :)

The Tom Clark hammer for instance. Though not quite the hammer of a LG 100, it is a nice hammer :p
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Yup...another hammer that doesn't require a special foundation is...wait for it.....9 out of 10 people on the forum know that I'm about to say....AN IRON KISS!!! :D

-d
 
I like what Karl was saying; they sit side by side and work as a team.

My 100lb Big Blue air hammer was here first; so I've had six years to practice on it. It will do about anything.
I got a 25 ton press a couple of years ago and it sits right next to the hammer. One thing I like about a press is shaping the tang, choil and ricasso.
They are easy to position on a press.
I move from one to the other depending on what I am trying to accomplish.

One aspect of the hammer that I like, is you can see what the steel is doing between hammer strokes.

Fred
 
Don Hanson III said:
Not all hammers need a Fuehrebunker size slab :)

The Tom Clark hammer for instance. Though not quite the hammer of a LG 100, it is a nice hammer :p
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I wonder how much of the extra hitting power that your 100 lb LG has can be directly attributed to the way you had it installed? From what I saw of your shop constructions pics, it has a HUGE amount of concrete under it and it isn't going to move at all no matter what you do to it. From what I have read on here and other places about the Tom Clark hammers, you may get a significant amount of extra hitting power with the 60 kg hammer, more than you would think that you wold get just from 22 pounds of extra ram weight. I'm not sure if that is because of the increased stroke, they heavier anvil/frame or all of the above, but it sure seems like it would be worth the extra $2k if you can fit one in your shop.
 
Joe, the ones I've talked to who have used the larger Clark hammer have said the advantage is in the longer stroke and didn't seem like the heavier ram was that significant.

The base under mine and having it bolted down (no movement) does give a harder blow and helps move steel faster. When Sid was here, he said he'd never seen a 100 run this good. Knickmeyer and Dippold said the same. 280 blows per minute and doesn't miss a beat. It's a beast! :D
 
Foundation is everything. When I moved my shop this year, my hammer went from resting on 4 inches of concrete, with three inches of packed gravel, to a floor with 5 inches of vibrated sand and 5 1/2 inches on concrete on top.
The difference in the " stiffness of the hammer blows was very noticeable.

I use a 100 Big Blue and it can really move a billet of steel.

Fred
 
I got my power hammer running today. I bought a 5 HP Baldor motor from fleabay, so that took care of the compressor. Then I replaced the 4 way valve on the hammer itself with a used one I had laying around.

So.... I'll keep using this until I can save up enough $ for a press AND mechanical power hammer.
 
I have both a hammer and press I get much more control with a hammer. All I use my press for is ladder pattern work and more then not it has a set of squaring dies in it to put something back in square if it gets out a little. Mine is a Tom Clark hammer and Don O'l Buddy I will give you the Little Giant 100 will hit harder but it doesn't have near the control of a good air hammer. Ya can crack peanuts with my hammer and not hurt the nut If someone can do it with a 100lb. little giant I wana see.
 
Cliff Parker said:
I have both a hammer and press I get much more control with a hammer. All I use my press for is ladder pattern work and more then not it has a set of squaring dies in it to put something back in square if it gets out a little. Mine is a Tom Clark hammer and Don O'l Buddy I will give you the Little Giant 100 will hit harder but it doesn't have near the control of a good air hammer. Ya can crack peanuts with my hammer and not hurt the nut If someone can do it with a 100lb. little giant I wana see.
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Hey Cliff. I pretty much do agree with ya! :)
 
ha Don , I'll take pretty close from you. Will also say little giant is a whole bunch more exciting to drive. Just nothing like a old train wreck happening 2' in front of your face.
 
Cliff Parker said:
ha Don , I'll take pretty close from you. Will also say little giant is a whole bunch more exciting to drive. Just nothing like a old train wreck happening 2' in front of your face.
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Haha ol' buddy. Love the train wreck comparison.

Here is you and the train wreck. lol

Stacy is goin to freak when he sees this old thread on the front page. lol :D

 
Due to the limitations of my current shop location, I only use a press. And I don't even miss my old airhammer.

While I also enjoy the trainwreck action of a good hammer, I just love the control I have with my press. It can reduce big stock very quickly, form clean contours or set a ricasso with the utmost precision, but will never jostle or bounce your work away from you the way a hammer can. In my experience, the only area where a hammer really beats a good press is on thinner stock, where the press dies will suck the heat out of your steel too quickly. But once I've reduced it that much I usually go to my hand hammers anyway.
 
I used to cringe when watching Bill Moran forge on his LG. He would lean over and his head was almost touching the springs while it pounded away. He never looked up at the mechanism, and just started at the blade as he moved it under what appeared to be wildly jumping dies.
 
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