Usefulness of an Arbor Press jig?

[Steve WanParticipant @stevewan33894]

[Steve WanParticipant @stevewan33894]

Hi Guys,

 

Great to be back again for more tips from you guys! I pass this hardware shop weekly and staring at this little Arbor press, all wrap up in plastic though China-made, I keep wondering how useful can an Arbor press be in a small workshop? Occasionally, I do make tight fitting joints, a vise is used for that. Any riveting can be done nicely with a ball pein hammer and a hollow-rivet punch…what more can an Arbor press useful in? The only time I see a small press like this in a watch-repair shop when I changed batteries in my wrist watch. Any tips will be appreciated here.

 

Steve Wan

[magpieParticipant @magpie]

Hi Steve

I have a small arbor press, and have made various size hole punches, and a small tool for making louvers in sheet metal. The punched holes are much neater in sheet metal than drilled holes. Also as you say,very good for pressed in parts, as you don’t have to try holding both parts while trying to tighten the vice.

 

Cheers Derek

[Steve WanParticipant @stevewan33894]

Hi Derek

 

Thanks! After google a whole lot of arbor press images for ideas…I find that the hand fly press is of better design in terms of using a screw thread than rack and pinion. Will be making one instead of buying using angle plates with 2 screw thread support. It can be adjusted to different heights similar to a book binding press.

 

Steve

 

 

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Steve,

 

Do not forget that the fly press relies upon the weights driving the ram via a very coarse thread, so you have all that energy driving the punch. Are you really proposing to make a vertical screw vise?

[Steve WanParticipant @stevewan33894]

Hi KWIL

 

Yes! You read my mind, am making a vertical screw vise. As you mentioned about extra weight is needed, I have given some thoughts over it. I saw a number of fly press photos constructed with extra loads at the flywheel for extra torque to drive the ram.

 

I’m not punching any sheet metal but more in using it for driving dowel pins rather using hammer as it’s noisy at night with neighbours nearby.

 

Will be using M10 at most, a normal thread to make or replace easily. Acme threads are better but needs to lathe cut, too much work here.

 

Advantage of it being adjustable in height, it will be useful for bearing insertion as I have a bearing puller already.

 

Steve

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Steve,

 

Fortunately my bearing puller is hydraulic so I have a 5 tonne facility to push and pull with!

 

K

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