Homemade power hammer (built for next to nothing!!)
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- There is also a super short edit! This is the detailed film of the construction of my DIY power hammer. It's a long video as I wanted to show my problem solving as well as the construction. Hopefully this will assist any of you who may want to try something similar. My hammer was inspired by the Rusty/Crusty/Dusty etc but mainly Gunnhilda, the hammer built by James from Helmforge!
If you've enjoyed this video - feel free to buy me a beer via paypal :-)
www.paypal.com...
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"If I knew what I was doing, it wouldn't be so much fun, would it?" I love your attitude. Brilliant and entertaining delivery, and always with excellent results.
5 years on and i`ve just rewatched this. Great build. My only complaint is I can`t leave 2 "likes".
"I found it & retrieved it...... after some words" Your videos are Brilliant!
LincTexPilo
Great discussion on the axle problem!
This just proves that true British engineering spirit and ingenuity is alive and well - good job - we need more people like you teaching the youth of today how real engineering works
Thank you, that's very kind. I do actually wish someone had shown me something like this when I was a youth - it would have saved me wasting years working in a call centre!
By far the best power hammer video I’ve seen on RUclips. Big respect for the knowledge and creativity. Wish I had that kind of scrap laying around lol
That's the neatest and most organized scrap pile Ive ever seen
Brilliant video thanks
MASSIVE RESPECT. Why buy stuff when you can use your imagination, and create a true extension of yourself.
The more you know, the less you need.
I love how happy you look when one of the steps works out well.
The best power-hammer how-to on RUclips. I've watched it half a dozen times. Huzzah from Texas sir!
“If I knew what I was doing it wouldn’t be much fun would it” best thing I’ve heard in a while. Gonna use this one at work.
Excellent tutorial of the trials and tribulations of building a power hammer. You are totally right in that it adds to and builds on the on-line library of information for fellow scrappers and budding engineers who see merit in using materials normally left to decay or melted down and charged again. Thank you for an excellent and informative video.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for the kind words!
Thnx for putting this out there mate, by far the best learning video on building a power hammer, explaining the problems that you were having along the way as well...
That was just what I needed to start planning out my own, I had a rough idea before, but no-one had really shown the linkages involved or the explained the problems with the ram or the length problems with the stroke...
you have just saved me a lot of time and cash by showing those issues...
Many Thnx
That's really good to hear - it's exactly the reason I made the video! A bit more height than mine would increase your options and get as much steel in the anvil as possible (something I still need to increase on mine). Good luck with your build - life is much better with a power hammer!
Thnx mate
a friend built one very similar back in 2000. it did the same slipping about in the guide. I took skateboard wheels with bearings and grooved a v in each. Then made brackets to mount on the corners. I hadn't talked to him in awhile but about aa month ago he called and while chatting he told me the skateboard wheels are still working flawless without failure. Might be an idea for when that plate wears down. Nice build video now I'm thinking instead of my foot powered hammer as I'm getting older maybe a power hammer is in my future build list.
I like the skateboard wheel idea, very neat and fits well with my makin' it for next to nothin' approach! Yes I didn't even consider things like power hammers and log splitters until I was the wrong side of forty. There does come a time you have to work smarter not harder!
Been at it for 35 + years. A wise man once told me " Boy you must have the courage of 100 Lions.
"I would have to disagree for obvious reasons. Why would you say such a thing?" I said
He replied "Because the average failure rate of creation from invention is about 99%. Hell I would have offed myself by now and you just keep right on with your failures for only one success. That takes courage sir lots of courage!"
Well done lion heart!
Mate when you were looking for stuff in your yard, I must confess that I held little hope that I'd be impressed. I have to say though, I am indeed impressed. Well done and thank you for the numerous lessons.
You have to see beyond the flaking paint... and the complaints on the state of the property from you-know-who.
So... this video kept showing up in my "recommended for you" list and I successfully ignored it for a few weeks. But it was persistent, so I finally bit the bullet and succumbed to that siren call. Glad I did, because I would say that's hands-down the most brilliant "bits and bobs" piece of junkyard engineering work I've ever seen! Maximus: you're a genius! Thanks!
Mersi fain munca ta si solutiile tehnice gândite de tine, vor fi valabile multi ani! Multa sanatate tie si familiei tale cu prosperitate si noroc!
hi blacksmith here and a welder im guessing you know by now but railroad track is about 1040 carbon steel so if you do not pre heat it and keep it warm after welding it acts exactly like cast , all carbon steel is the same when you weld it , snaps either side of the weld as the temperature difference is to great for the carbon structure to bridge the gap.
Nicely explained, thank you!
Excellent video. Great confidence that you have to show us your ideas and modifications as you build. I look forward to seeing more of your work. Thanks very much for your time and sharing.
Glad you bolted the head. Makes for easy changes when worn and possibly make different shapes and sizes. Now it just needs a name, great work!
Thank you Mr. Ironthumper, that is one sweet hammer build and great explanation of why you were doing what you did.
Thank you, I appreciate the feedback!
Maximus Ironthumper , sirSir reckon it's been a while at work. So I was just pondering on how its fit n function is going for you? Any problems or work out spots you've had to address?
Thank you for your time and efforts in this build and sharing your vidiography with us, Crawford out.
Thank you very much
You, sir, get full marks as a teacher. Clear, concise without mumbling. I went from a comparable uninitiated to a person capable of bodging a power hammer of my own. You have indeed empowered me as well as my shop. As to materials, I may have to liberate some stock, would you have any lying about?
Mike
I need more stock myself! I still need to beef up the anvil weight a bit. Good luck with your build, it's great fun!
Love hearing your Thought Process! Bravo. Cheers from Arizona USA
Wonderful to watch a solid craftsman make something useful from nothing.
Thank you!
looks good
This was great, I just finished building my first forge, and as I was building it I was dreaming up a power hammer concept something similar to this. Your video has filled in all the gaps, great stuff brother!
Thanks for your sharing your engineering work! saved me a great deal of time and effort on my own build. I'm starting here in a week or so and have changed the spring linkage and hinge detail to take advantage of your work. This is the kind of detail we need more of on RUclips for sure! Again thanks!.
Very happy to have been of some help! Good luck with your build!
Hubby is building same thing and was at point where you fabricated and weighing options including what you have done. This gave him the confidence to continue; thanks! You both have similar instincts it seems. From Arizona USA thanks. ✌️💜🌱😎
That's great to hear! Glad he found it useful and good luck with the rest of his build.
So so great. I love the long version. It's a masterclass in trouble shooting and problem solving. Thanks!
What a great video showing that whole journey. Well done and thanks for creating this
Great work sir!!!! Simple is always better in my opinion. Its not overbuilt so it's not over complicated to build or work!!!!
To Maximus many thanks for taking on your journey to build an Appalachian style helve hammer. I've been salvaging materials for a small power hammer for some time, and for the past several months have been tossing up between a little giant style mechanism or the pivoting helve. Your wonderful clip (including all mistakes, problems and remedies) has finally swayed me towards the helve style. However I have one suggestion for possibly improving the operation of your hammer- use more mass in the anvil base and the support column to deaden vibration. I recall that in the recent past there was a discussion on IForge about the best comparative anvil/ hammer mass ratios for junkyard hammers. I look forward to checking out the rest of your videos. Ps great to see a fellow Landrover enthusiast. Regards from Terra Australis
The column is fine - very hefty tube there, but I agree about the anvil, it needs much more mass! Basically stick as much as you can under the hammer. I've been meaning to upgrade mine ever since building it, but massive lumps of steel are in short supply around here. I've managed to get hold of a huge section of 20mm thick plate from a weighbridge. I intend to chop it into sections and bolt them together, just working up the enthusiasm to do all the cutting!
OMG thats a fair bit of kit! I remember seeing an old steam driven one up in Ironbridge, it has Three hammers each about a ton each. The operator had to stand in a special sling to keep him off the ground, as it vibrated so much it could cause bodily harm 😮 I can only imagine the working conditions those poor men had to endure! 😕
Gives me so much inspiration to build since I'm just starting out. Your video definitely helps better understand the mechanics than text on paper. Thank you!!
Cheers! Very glad to have helped - good luck with your build!
Good job not many can do what you did. Hard work payed off.
"Short a couple inches. Same ol' story." Lol. I am starting my build soon. Great video. Thanks
Thank you for shedding some light on how the machine is built.
This is incredibly helpful. Like you mentioned there aren't a lot of videos that show all the little details and information so to be able to find this is great
You have created a power hammer army! I really enjoyed your explanations. I am going to give it a go.
Enjoy! A power hammer is great fun!
Mr. Maximus: very wonderfull. i am a fan/user of rail road track, and others. Those rectangle, plates which the rail sits on, on top of the wooden ties, MAKE WONDERFULL stands, for pole trouble lamps, as well as a base, for grinders, and other things. Rail, is 1084 steel, very hard. Surprised, in a good manner, for the ' hammer head ' of your build. Leaf springs, good idea !. Take care !
Great job and I liked that you left in the trail and error parts of the video.
And it shows that with a little imagination what can be done with what most people would call a bunch of junk. It wasn't a bunch of junk laying out there. It was a power hammer laying out there. :)
thanks! I keep telling people it's a pile of useful stuff - it was nice to prove it!
this is the only build i have seen that shows the process of working out the design on the fly. good job, and nice work! liked and subbed.
Mate, I have to take my hat off to you, most clips you watch you know they have had a couple of cracks to get it right but yours worked the problem on air, which I really appreciated as I reckon a first time build needs some nutting out and is a bit hit and miss. Good to see you made those couple of inches work too. End result was a workable project which put some coin in your pocket so bloody top effort and well done. Regards fro AUS
Thank you - having to put it straight to work certainly sharpened up my resolve to get it right first time!
This guys a backyard genius all his projects are amazing
Using railway iron will eventually shatter as it is cast steel and brittle. You should use thick flat rolled steel that is two to three even 4 inches thick. It wont shatter or bend then
Love the video…and I totally relate to your figure it out as you go approach. I believe you said it best in that, “ it wouldn’t be much fun if you knew what you were doing.” Or something to that nature. Thanks for the video and hope you and the hammer are still knocking about! Cheers!
You did a great job with this video and the hammer looks terrific! Building machinery from scrap is big fun - thanks for sharing!
Maximus Thank Very Much for filming and posting this video. What a brilliant way to create a power hammer from scrape.
I can't believe how resourceful you are!
I do have a LOT of junk lying around!
half of resourcefulness is being lucky enough to have a huge pile of assorted miscellaneous resources.
That's what I was looking for. A way to make your own hammer. That's bad ass man! Great job
Extremely useful learning video. It'll help me plan out and build my own when I can scrounge up the materials. The motor engagement method is simple but for some reason I didn't think of it when I was working through how to build one on my own. I thank you for your insights and for your trial and error so those of us that follow can learn and improve. .
The tyre clutch has been a revelation, very intuitive to use and I can feather the power to hit just the way I want it. By sort of tapping my foot, I can even make it run at half speed!
How fortunate that you have such a great selection of scrap at hand, some of us guy's have to really scrounge to find stuff like old I-beams & semi-truck leaf spring packs!
I've been collecting scrap for many years - it was great to actually use some of it!
Thank you for this video. I enjoyed watching how you were able to do this and make adjustments as needed for the final outcome. Well done sir.
My freind has just made a power hammer and its great it cost him 12 pounds to make about 8 dollars from junk scrap yours is a nice setup as well it was great to watch you making it great job you did
Thank you. That's about what mine cost too!
I really like how at 10:15 you can see on your face how you are going to fit those to the machine you create. I do the same.
Absolute Awesomeness!!! I got the plan from the internet, I have the idea...but you put everything together in my mind. Kudos for the video mate. I really appreciate all your hard work to put this together. I am now on my way to having my own Power Hammer. Thank You soooo much : ~)
That's brilliant to hear! Good luck with your build - have fun!
Ed Williams where did you find the plans If you wouldn’t mind shareing
Some good plans available?
There are several changes which could be made to improve the operation of this hammer. A proper spring hammer uses the action of the spring to accelerate the hammer downward against the anvil. The energy stored in the spring is what is actually throwing the hammer against the anvil, not the momentum of the arm. A properly adjusted spring hammer should never have the hammer contacting the anvil when it is at rest in the fully downward position. As the arm is moving it must have sufficient momentum and stroke to compress the spring against the inertia and upward momentum of the hammer. The hammer must be massive enough for its inertia to act against the spring when at rest. A proper size spring must be selected in order for it to store and transfer energy effectively and not break under the tremendous forces. This spring used must be straight rather than curved in order for proper energy transfer to occur. The cycle is as follows: As the arm starts to move downward, it carries the spring and hammer upward with it. With enough momentum pulling the hammer upward the hammer will continue to travel upward while the ram is at the end of its stroke. On the next stroke of the arm the inertia of the hammer will cause the spring to become compressed, storing energy from the momentum of the arm. This energy is released as the ram travels farther, accelerating the hammer towards the anvil, effectively multiplying the force applied at the anvil.
That's a nice design and a better construction! Only that if I were to make it, I would have used brass bushings instead of ball bearings at the top pivot.
Love your blueprint. You think like I do, except I prefer cardboard boxes and magic markers. Great build.
Where most would see junk, this man sees a power hammer. Lovely work, sir!
Thank you! I saw lots of junk, but also a power hammer!
Max .
Stumbled across your vids a few days back . loving what you get up to and your enthusiasm . felt your pain a few times , Wrong torque settings , leaks after the event , revisiting jobs signed off etc . I don't need a power hammer in my life , but i have kept lots of hedge condition equipment going in the past with some of your methods !!!
Anyhoo , Keep at it Big Man Stina
I know this video is a couple years old but I just wanted to say maybe taking out a few leaf springs would get a little more bounce out of that thing. It’s beating it’s self up haha. Good work, I love the build.
Very nice! I built one similar to yours using stuff I had around the place but years ago.... thinking about getting back into it... actually taking a knife making class soon... I would like to build a bigger forge... but it's plenty big and hot to make knives if I find it is my nitch ... It is nice to see people out there still forging... wasn't very many when I got started 20 years ago... but maybe there were and it's the technology that lets me see more now... I Love It! :)
Great video and Great build. Not having the rail welded makes it even better for me I can swap out the rail for a wedge and split wood when I'm not hammering.
Well done Max, you anticipatedd and solved problems before they existed
You made that look easy..Very impressive.Thanks for sharing mate.
Awesome perspective on physics. Good on you mate 🤟
Max, you are a thinker and innovator, flexible and talented, I expect your background is in the metal working trades and you seem to be a master! Would love to spend some time with you,me in your shop fine tuning details and you in mine doing the same. We are half a world apart but I am subscribing to keep up with your projects!
I am not a thief, but I will steal this idea. Very informative, everyone can understand.
You can't steal the idea - it's being given away! I couldn't have built mine without other peoples videos - it's nice to give something back!
This makes me wish I had documented the building of my own power hammer. Good job and stay safe with that monster.
honestly, this the least scary leaf spring power hammer i´ve seen on youtube, nice work man.
is always those damn couple of inches...
Mate! You are fantastic!!! Living the dream for sure. I am inspired and motivated to follow in your foot steps! So the journey begins! Thank you!!!
Nicely done, sir. Lots of good information here for anyone that wants to take the leap and build their own Bash-o-matic 5000.
I almost need to wear ear protection to watch this, Great build, I enjoyed watching as you worked thru you're problem-solving.
Thank you - I enjoyed making it!
Great video with a lot of insight into building one of these that most other guys don't touch on. I've seen some guys recommend ultra high molecular weight polyethylene bearings for the the guide but I guess it depends on your budget. Maybe you can fill the centre column up with sand to give it more weight and reduce the vibrations and add some bracing to the guide arm as well to improve its stiffness. All in all a great video 👍
Thank you! Yep, the special plastic has been mentioned - but the brass plates had the advantage of being free :-) Thanks for the ideas, they can all go on my upgrade wish-list!
Yes I like your video on building the power hammer I'm going to try build my own. Thanks
Very good job!!! Beautiful machine. Simple and functional.
Super cool bro. I would have material stored just as you do and my n laws would say "i was a hoarder". Most of the world population are walking zombies and could never fathom or hav the skills to achieve such a feat. Way to go
You are a very clever and skilled man!
Hell yeah!! You got a Power Hammer now! It was a lot of work and I wish I could have been there to help you, but I was watching and pushing for you all the way bud. I hope they liked the table legs, but even if they don't ......"POWER HAMMER!!" I wish I had one . Good job bud.
Thank you. It was actually a lot of fun to build!
Adding to the anvil should help a bit. I'll guess anything over 1.5" stock will be a workout with the weight of the ram. Good stuff for tight guide shims is called UHMW plastic, some small engines use cams made of it rated for 5000 hours. It's impact, wear and friction resistant. If it was the bolt that broke on top of the tup/ram grade 8 are more likely to sheer than grade 5, some power hammer plans will say grade 8 shouldn't be used in some spots. Really nice hammer built on the spot, I'd call that a big success.
Thanks, you have some good info there too! I will try to remember to mention the plastic as a possible upgrade when I come to do my follow up video. It was actually a join in the box section that encloses the tub weight that broke - it was only part welded and my mate found the weakness! It was soon redone properly!
I thought I was the most laid back man of all but after listening to you , you might have me beat.
"I took it back anyway just to make a point." I'm wetting myself laughing! Maximus that's the best!
Wow! I love this video, man! I have been pondering building a power hammer myself but I just couldn't piece it all together in my mind. You do a great job of explaining the steps and the trouble points! Great job! Cheers!
Thanks! Go for it! I chose this design party because it was the easiest for me to get my head around (and partly because I think it's looks cool!).
Who came here after watching a blacksmith make a sword and wanted to learn about pneumonic hammers?
Nice job man. That looks like you will be able to do some good work with it. Cut up and shape some more replacement track sections in different tool shapes and you will be able to do even more...so bolting it together appears to be a plus not a work around of a problem. Very pleased with it. Scary as it is lol
Thanks, and yes, more dies from rail sections are on the to do list!
Good job any very useful indeed. I got the link from Helm Forge. The both of you guys have given me new hope in building my machine. As I said on Helm's video, I bought the manual and watched the video on a few builds. Wish I had seen you guys sooner. Very informative, THANK YOU..Hammer on..Hap Smith Jr. Smith Forge, U.S. Marine Corps 2112-8531 (retired)
Very impressive! You probably saved your right arm too!
Boy will be boy.. Buy some new toy, or make some.
That is an amazing build, on your power hammer sir. Simple and working.
Thanks for making this video. Greetings from Indonesia sir.
This thing is really cool! Also incredibly terrifying.
Great video. Really enjoyed how you made something out from digging things out of a pile of stuff that doesn't look useful.
Thanks! It was about time my pile of stuff made itself useful!
Tremendous work! In concept and execution... and thrift!!!
I'm weighing the merits of building one myself my concept is something of a solid hangman's gaff hanging a spring down to a swing arm that holds the hammer. I don't have a lot of room, you see.
Anyway, great work, cheers!
"So......Bugger" Couldn't have put it better myself! Excellent video and a really neat project, nicely done sir!
At Minute 14, just use a metal shim, grind a taper in it to fit the gap. Easy fix. At Minute 41 you need to preheat cast iron and slowly cool it. Great video.
Wow great work, thank you so much for the video and the clear explanation.
Love your videos I've watched nearly all of them. I'm sure the railway track is rolled steel and that it was acting as a massive heat soak, that's why your weld didn't take. Heating it up with the blow torch first would have allowed the weld to penetrate more and hold. Please keep the video's coming 😀
It appears that you could compete in an episode of Junkyard Wars. Very clever, sir.
i feel like he could be the junkyard wars stig
Awesome job, excellent workmanship.
Thank you for the experience now I have a bit of hope gor building my own one day!
That's pretty darned ingenious. Thanks for sharing it.