I've finally had a chance to go through the photos Ron posted. What impressed me most is how LIKE other treadle hammers this one is. That probably means that they all came from the same source. Whether that would be Otto Schmirler's treadle hammer or what, I wouldn't know.
BTW, that Name was quite familiar. I don't have any of Otto Schmirler's books, but they're available. Explore this site for more info:
The most interesting thing about this treadle hammer is the moveable anvil. Interesting idea. Not as necessary when the ram moves vertically, as on the Grasshopper, but interesting, nonetheless. I'll have to give some thought to a bottom "tool" that enables this. Not sure I'd ever build one, but thinking about it would be interesting. I'd envision something that would lock into the hardy hole, and not require those rear arms or front spring. Just speculation, though...
It is clear from these photos that Nahum's TH does not have a weightless ram. That rubber block at the top alone would make that clear. If the hammer has enough momentum at the top of the stroke to bounce back from that rubber block, then there's energy there that had to come from the user's leg.
I think it's quite clever that this hammer seems to require being bolted to the wall. That considerably reduces the structure needed, not that that would be all that much anyway. Makes it less portable, but once installed on a pad, who'd want to move it anyway?
Bruce Freeman