In line Treadle hammer

[will52100]

Comes out to about 270 pounds, it's basically 5"x1" flat bar and 1" square stock stacked up and welded with the center 1" hardy left open in the side to be able to get a punch out if need bee. Not counting the 1" base plate or concrete foundation which helps. It'd be nice to have a 600 pound anvil, but there is no way I can get the most out of the 80 pound head only accelerating it with my worn out knees. It feels like it hits like a striker with a 8-10 pound sledge, which is just about rite for most jobs.

The only issue I have with the "rusty" hammer is I had build one years ago and it hit soft compared to a Dupont linkage like the Little Giant. It's slower and more easy to control though, so it's easier to use tooling. If I was to build another rusty, I'd probably go for a 100-150 pound head and make use of the mass. The Dupont linkage gets it's power from velocity. I've got a tire hammer with the dupont linkage and it's great at turning big stock into small stock, but it's a little hard to do fine work on it. Nothing wrong with either hammer style, just have different strengths. For knife making I prefer the little giant style, as I do more blacksmithing I find it'd be nice to have the rocking beam.