Overhead Helve hammer guided way.

[Dawai]

More photos.. of the bell crank stroke adjustor.

Not real fancy, a shaft-bearings from the end of a powder coat paint line I demo'd for the "stuff" to sell off it.

I tig welded two levers on it from 1x1 solid square bar, cross drilled to lock positions for clevis mounts.

THIS Is not a complicated machine, it was built with a drill press and welder. Any "farmer" or construction taught fabricator can duplicate it.

[Dawai]

Ballast.. small "shrinky" project hinged on side, belt sander mounted on 2x2 on back, 12" box break on other side.. All can be removed for clearance.

[kit]

Have you got a tripod you could mount that camera on David?
We are missing out on a lot of detail.

[Dawai]

I ran a 1" beading die today, worked great. I ran a 3" rounded profile today, worked great. I ran the teardrop die today, worked great till I broke the bell crank welds. More reinforcement needed.

This kinda reminds me of a racecar, keep fixing things till it runs real fast and don't break any more.. (or you lose interest or run out of money)

[bobadame]

That's what I've been doing lately too, experimenting with new tooling and putting the machine back together. These Helves are violent beasts.

[Dawai]

I took the weight off the end of the arm on mine. Welded two 1" tubes to cross bolt weights. Plan is to add a tube with shot. I weighed the one inch plate-weights I cut off so I could put it back. Without it, it don't thump like rap music, but I am hoping springs last longer. 30-45 minutes per spring as it was, unknown now. BUT you could do more in that 30 minutes than any machine I have ever saw.

THE pivot bolts, where the arm ties in at the rear, has a 3/4" cross bolt through a pair of two bolt flange bearings, the 3/4" holes in the plate are "egged".. So.. I get to weld more plate on top of them. Spread the load out.

My press did the same thing to the cross pin holes. Impact.

THE part that broke today, was not thought out too well.. I just welded it in to try it. IT works, time to do it up like a battleship. Some gusset plates.

[Dawai]

So, Not sure how long "this spring has lasted allready".

I modified the pad it clamps to, deburred and killed the edge on the belt sander. The springs were breaking there. Also, using a "used" jeep spring it has been wore out before I got it.

Thou I'd like to think I hit on a "perfect design" right off the bat, this is not the case, the rpm-spm ratio is right, the pulleys, the lever length. THE frame is still not strong enough, it'd take a pullmax weight and rigidity to use this machines full potential.

THE thought of the overhead helve was to "enclose" all the dangerous parts in a box on top, which I have not done yet due to the evolution of the machine. KNOWING exactly where the ram-dies were going you can work closer to the action with your hands. A regular helve, if something goes aery It can spring-move a couple inches and "get you".. and I hit my fingers enough with hammers thank you.. much less at the speed this thing hits.

Todays thoughts, making a "driveshaft loop like" to contain top arm, come up with a stroke limiter like Jim Ballie did on his machine now that the weights are off the arm. Find a piece of heavy enough metal to make a faceplate to put between me and the dangerous moving parts. I've been hurt more in the last year I think than the 10 before. Getting knocked in the head at 10 beats per second just don't turn me on much. A pool cue was enough to make me change my ways.

AND, yes, before I cover it all up I will take some better pictures for you Kit.

Midday, It has a safety shield on the front now.
(I ran it about a hour today) Running a hotdog die over the HF rubber mallet it curls metal up like nobodies business. Running the R-Nadia uhmw round die, it curves and shrinks 18 ga.. but now my hands are so sore I can't close them..

I think tomorrow, barring interruptions, I am going to build "Kit's e-wheel grinder jig" from the radius turner I made for the ewheel. Mount it, build a ewheel cradle to spin-polish my rollers and a Radius grinder for helve dies.. I THINK.. now it is supposition.. I can grind a lower radius, fit a urethane top block in the "nadia holder" and bend-shape a perfect radius.. Time will tell. That is if my hands work at all tomorrow from being beat up today.
If it works, it'll be something good to give the forum, if not, well it will provide a comedy relief??
I was like the Wile-E-Coyote today on the end of that flopping steel.

[Dawai]

Remounted the stroke adjustor bellcrank.. put a angle frame on the front.

SHRINKING with the helve.

Thats a ball, welded to a socket mount, a 3" 4140 rod (ewheel blank) I dished out on the lathe in about 20 minutes. One side deep crown, other side slight crown. Drops onto a socket with centering stud.

As you run it, it creates tucks all along the sides, just rotate it under the ball and it shrinks.


As soon as I build Kit's radius grinder for -ewheels.. I can grind the toolmarks mostly out.

It runs.. It shrinks.

I suggested to Carey (tuckpuck man) to build these dies.. I had a pocket full of money at that time.. he snuffed me off.. So.. a better way would be to build them out of UHMW.. It is a "STUMP" mounted in a helve.. rock on..

There is a market for people with "lathes" to build these tools for helves..

[oldgoaly]

David,
it looks like you could polish your dies it will give you a much better surface, Hard to get smooth on a concave surface, unless it 4.5" and matches your angle grinder. tt

[Dawai]

TT.. Tomorrow I hope to get on that Kit radius polisher-grinder he posted. I'll have hammer die jigs and ewheel roller jigs..

He (Kit) asked for help putting it on the free tools section.. I did not explain too well how for him to get it there..


I think most people don't see the "joy" the genius in that tool will bring.. imagine chucking your ewheel anvil into it and rocking it back and forth on a spinning polishing bonnet on the same grinder hub you "radius grind erollers with"...

Communication is not my primary skill.. if you can help him, I'd appreciate it.