In calculating the forging "effectiveness" of a power hammer, only the anvil weight should be used, not the entire machine weight.The rest of the weight of any self contained hammer adds to the shipping expense, but NOT the forging effectiveness.

The frame weight of a self-contained or two piece hammer does not count for forging effectiveness... period. No, No, No.

In a one-piece utility or self-contained hammer it is difficult to say exactly where the a anvil leaves off and the frame begins. The real answer basically depends on the center of rotation, so for the sake of simplicity, I draw a pyramid shape from the bottom die down, and call that portion of the weight the "anvil".

The anvil:ram ratio of any forging hammer is simply a comparison of the weight of the anvil to the weight of the ram. For example: a forging hammer with a 100 lb. ram and a 1,000 lb anvil would have an anvil:ram ratio of exactly 10:1. Even if this hammer had a cast iron frame that weighed 10,000 lbs, it would still have a 10:1 anvil:ram ratio.

Many (imported) self-contained air hammers ( whether cast or fabricated) have very small anvils. For example: The Kuhn 110 lb.fabricated self contained hammer has an anvil that only weighs about 660 lbs. That means that the anvil/ram ratio is only than 6:1. Imagine trying to hand forge on a 60 LB anvil with a 10 LB sledge... not the most effective arrangement, to be sure. Many other hammers have anvil:ram ratios of even less than 6:1.

In real life experience, there is a "sweet spot" of anvil effectiveness between about 10:1 and 25:1.

Below 10:1, adding RAM weight to the machine does not really increasethe forging effectiveness of the hammer, just the power consumption.

Above 25:1, adding ANVIL weight does not increase the effectiveness enough to justify the added cost. The "sweetest part" of this sweet range is between 15:1 and 25:1 where the maximum forging effectiveness is obtained for the lowest cost per pound of machine. Simple truth derived from a lot of experimentation.

This is my real life experience from designing, building repairing, rebuilding and using literally hundreds of hammers, including steam hammers, mechanical, and self contained hammers.

I recently examined (for a potential buyer) a 50,000 lb. (25 ton RAM) steam hammer, and the anvil weighs just a little more than 1 million lbs, (20:1) and the hammer still requires a pretty enormous founda tion, and a lot of cushion between the hammer and the foundation. The hammer could really use a bigger anvil, but it is cost prohibitive. This is an extreme case, but certainly illustrates that an anvil can't be too big, just too expensive.

The differences in total stroke, useable stroke, cylinder size, ram velocity, blows per minute, HP, "anvil efficiency" etc. etc., are all variables that would need to be accounted for in a mathematical comparison of effectiveness, and even then you would still be comparing apples to oranges from one hammer to another. The Phoenix hammers have the longest stroke, the biggest anvils, and the same or more blows per minute than any other forging hammer being manufactured today, so I reckon I have done my best to maximize these variables in my designs.

The extensive foundation requirements for most (new or old) self-contained hammers are simple proof that their anvils are not big enough. The Phoenix 150(A) shown in the video is not even bolted down, much less needing or sitting on a foundation.