Power Hammer or Hydraulic Press?

i4Marc

i4Marc

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Oct 19, 2011
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Power Hammer or Hydraulic Press?

If you could only afford one, which would you get and why? If you have both, which is more useful/versatile (please explain why)?
 
i4Marc said:
If you could only afford one, which would you get and why
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It depends on what you are doing. If all i was doing was damascus kitchen knives, I'd say a press. But if you are going to be doing any amount of time drawing out bars, the id say a power hammer.
 
I'd say a press, just because you don't have to mount it to the ground. I don't have that kind of dedicated space, and you don't need it for a press.
 
I've always wondered what the purpose is of each... A press seems to be superior in every way from what I can tell, as long as it's a faster one. But maybe someone can enlighten me!
 
A power hammer will draw out material a lot faster.
A power hammer tends to move metal more from the outside in, whereas a press will move the inside of a piece more due to the extra cooling on the surface from the dies being in contact with the work a lot longer than with a power hammer
 
Tom Lewis said:
I have both. If I could only have one it would be the power hammer.
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Bruce Bump once told me the exact opposite. I don't have either but have used both, and would say that you can do everything with a press that you can do with a hammer (albeit more slowly, perhaps) but the opposite is not true. And if precision is more important to you than speed, the press wins 100%. That's not to say amazing work can't be done with a hammer, but if you can only pick one, pick the one that gives you more options.
 
How close to the city do you live? A power hammer is much louder than a press. A press will work better for larger work and a power hammer will work better for thinner work assuming both are a similar size, once I get down to 3/16” thick the press stops working well to go thinner, to the point it’s faster to hand hammer a billet thinner then clean up on the press to make sure it’s flat. A power hammer will work better to forge thin knives but they struggle with larger work unless you have a very large power hammer. So ultimately which is better is relative to the size of the machine and what you do the most of and how understanding your neighbors are.
 
The latest Kyle Royer YouTube video is a bunch of Q&A. The question he answered in the most detail was about differences between the hammer and press...
 
There is a lot of point of views, but as a press user i can affirm that press will solve 90% of you problems and its easier to install, you can put wheels on it and move around the shop, dont need any concrete base and wont crack your shop/house.
Oh and your neighbors will prefer the press to, less noisy!! hahaha
For forging finish power hammer its amazing, also in damascus the deformation is different from the press, wich is good in some cases, and bad in anothers.
Press can do almost everything the power hammer does, but the oposit isnt true, think about.
 
Thanks gentlemen. Doesn't definitively point one way or the other but good points made for either option. Noise shouldn't be a problem. I'll be in the middle of nowhere. But not sure how thick the slab is in the workshop. Probably wasn't built with a power hammer in mind. I think I'm leaning towards the press right now. That will get me going and give me time to think more about the power hammer and prepare a foundation for it if/when I add that capability.
 
i4Marc said:
not sure how thick the slab is in the workshop
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Not an issue with the self-contained hammers like the Say-mak.

Edit: I guess this could be an issue with overall slab thickness. I was referring to not needing a dedicated/separated foundation for the hammer
 
I have a hammer but not a press. You've gotten good point/counterpoint in this thread. My hammer welds and draws billets just fine. It's great for forging tangs and distal tapers. It's not ideal for canister, but kind of works if you use patterns where distortion doesn't matter. Press is more precise as far as squishing without distortion.
 
I want to get a press down the road so I can do damascus billets and canister. Power hammer is louder and hits harder, but for what I want it for I think a press would be better. There is a forge near me I can pay each day to use their space/equipment, including a 450# power hammer :)
 
weo said:
Not an issue with the self-contained hammers like the Say-mak.

Edit: I guess this could be an issue with overall slab thickness. I was referring to not needing a dedicated/separated foundation for the hammer
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About Say-Mak Hammers

50kg, 60kg and 75kg air hammers available in the US. 50kg model also single phase.
www.saymakhammers.com

$17,000 to $21,000 for a say mak now.

I could build 10 presses for that, and put some pretty fancy electronic controllers on it.

Yes you can also build a 50 pound tire hammer for the same price, but I think I'd rather have the press first.
 
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Also,
A hammer is a fixed object that requires a substantially thick concrete base (up to a couple feet thick), will shake the whole shop if not properly installed with a vibration isolator, and it makes a lot of noise.
A press or rolling mill is movable around the shop, takes no special base, and is much quieter.
 
It’s a huge time saver for the final forging
Quiet, moveable, great for laminated steels

Here’s a student from Paris trying it out

1BLuTt6.mp4
 
Taz said:
I want to get a press down the road so I can do damascus billets and canister. Power hammer is louder and hits harder, but for what I want it for I think a press would be better. There is a forge near me I can pay each day to use their space/equipment, including a 450# power hammer :)
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is said place the Virginia Institute of blacksmithing?
 
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