Helve Hammer

While waiting for the water to warm up in my electrocleaning bath, I decided to tinker with a hammer. I figured one which would have lots of mass and not a very long stroke would be most useful. I drilled a three-eights hole in a hammer head (that was harder to do than I thought it would be...I think it was case hardened) and rounded and put a mirror finish on the business end. A wooden wedge holds the thing in place as you can see. A bungee cord supplies the recovery.
I cut notches in the spring to ensure the thing doesn't slide back and forth. It seems to have seated nicely. It doesn't jar loose when I use it at any rate.
As you can see by the above picture, its not quite finished. Some duct tape, a temporary measure which could become permanent if I am not careful, and a couple of pieces of twine which go down to the motive power below.
And as you can see by the above picture, this is the motive power...my size eight boot stepping on a board. I was a little surprised how well this worked...just shifting my weight forward and back on the board will drive the sledge down on the wooden anvil at a comfortable 60 times per minute. I could do this for an hour without any real effort, lots less effort than say, stair climbing! Compare to swinging the sledge with my arm! Oh my!
Now a better anvil is in order. I am thinking of a forty inch high block of maple from the tree we felled last year. A solid surface may make all the difference...this buck-shee method, although effective, is not really very stable and is of course, only for the proof of concept. And maybe something that looks a little better than the duct tape. I expect the twine to fail soonest, but then, I have been fooled before.

Hammer

This is a picture of a helve-hammer. A foot operated hammer. I want to make one like it. Details that I really like....the foot pedal is a round ring, not so likely to hurt my shin if I walk too close to it. The link between the hammer and the foot lever seems almost infinitely adjustable. The springs can be tightened up if desired, and more can be added if necessary. The whole hammer can be raised a few inches in back. (Though I don't know why....) And I believe the big 6 inch pipe under the anvil can be filled with sand to soak up the blows, and protect the floor.
Things I don't like about this hammer design...
I don't know how I would change anvils. Some of the anvils I use are not metal anvils at all, but rubber, sand bags, or wood blocks. Not sure how adaptable this set up is to swop out anvils. I would like to see a safety stop, where if I suddenly leaned back, a prop would drop in and keep the anvil up and out of harms way. Or maybe a high tech laser/photocell which would do the same. I saw one of those once to keep fingers out of a punch press, and again, to keep fingers out of the blade of a table saw. The distance between the arm and hammer face is a little short for comfort. I would like a longer hammer head to clear edges of metal.
I like the idea of the foot operated hammer. A little safer than a power hammer.

Sort of thinking about hammers this morning...and the arthritics in my shoulder.