Warning: Spent $300 on a power hammer attachment and it was a total disaster

So I bought this thing that's supposed to turn my anvil into a mini power hammer. It was like a spring-loaded arm with a die on the end, cost me $300 from a guy in Ohio. First 10 swings worked great for drawing out some 1 inch round. Then the spring snapped and the arm flew off, almost took my leg out. Lucky I was wearing my apron. On the flip side, my buddy spent $250 on a hand-cranked fly press from a farm auction and that thing has been a beast for bending and punching. Anyone else had luck with cheap power hammer setups or is it just not worth it?

2 comments

2 Comments

riley_schmidt6d ago

Three hundred bucks for a bolt-on spring arm from some guy in Ohio? That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen even before the spring broke. I've seen those DIY plans online and half of them look like they'd fold on the first 10 hits, no way that's a "real" power hammer. Your buddy's fly press is a different animal though, those old farm tools are usually built with actual thought and solid iron.

alicecooper6d ago

You ever notice how people always want the cheap fix first, then pay triple later when it breaks? @riley_schmidt you're dead on about the fly press being solid because those old timers built stuff to last, not to look good on Instagram. Same thing happens with air compressors. Guys buy a $200 pancake from the hardware store, run it hard for six months, then wonder why it burns up and they end up dropping $600 on a real Quincy. The Ohio arm guy probably tested his on a piece of mild steel in the driveway and called it good.