Shop Press

[EdK]

I'm thinking of adding this project to my list.

http://people.delphiforums.com/perristal..._Press.htm

Except I wouldn't use any wood in the construction. It's big enough for most of my needs and would take up very little room compared to a full sized shop press.

Ed

[sasquatch]

Built out of all steel , the press is usable, but that has to be the flimsiest press i have ever seen.

An accident waiting to happen.

[f350ca]

Looks a little scary with the wood beams and screws attaching them to the uprights, but you got to give the guy an A for ingenuity.

[EdK]

Yup, no wood for me. I do like the size though.

Ed

[arvidj]

By the time you get the materials, buy a jack and do the fabrication I still think something like this ... with an additional 20% off coupon ... is a better way to go.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a-fra...-1666.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop...33497.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-shop...32879.html

The last two even come with arbor plates.

The 12 ton is only 6 inches wider and deeper so not that much larger a foot print. And even if you have a jack it is nice to have one dedicated to the press so you can just use it rather than hunt it down from where ever you put it after you jacked up the car.

Arvid

[EdK]

(04-02-2013, 01:48 PM)arvidj Wrote: By the time you get the materials, buy a jack and do the fabrication I still think something like this ... with an additional 20% off coupon ... is a better way to go.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a-fra...-1666.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-shop...33497.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-ton-shop...32879.html

The last two even come with arbor plates.

The 12 ton is only 6 inches wider and deeper so not that much larger a foot print. And even if you have a jack it is nice to have one dedicated to the press so you can just use it rather than hunt it down from where ever you put it after you jacked up the car.

Arvid

Good points Arvid. I should measure the maximum length my CRV can haul. I see the length of the 20 ton is only 5ft so it might fit. If not then the 12 ton is only 4 1/2ft long. I know that will fit.

I'll have to think about this some more.

Ed

[arvidj]

Based on the manuals and the pictures ... which may or may not reflect reality ... it looks like the 12 ton comes completely disassembled and you bolt the head piece to the top of the legs. That would mean that you could take everything out of the box and very likely put all of the pieces in the CRV with the most onerous pieces being the two individual 'slightly over four foot long" legs.

The 20 ton seems to have the head piece welded to the top of the two legs so now you have a relatively heavy 5 foot by 27 inch "open at one end" rectangle to horse around. Certainly not a show stopper, just a little more work.

Arvid

[TomG]

Wood is not something I've ever considered using to build and arbor press. I'm pretty sure that 4 ton bottle jack could easily destroy it.

Arvid is right, it's pretty tough to build a press as cheap as you can buy one these days. I have a HF press myself and it's one of the few HF products I'm actually satisfied with, other than shop rags and stuff with one moving part or fewer.

Tom

[EdK]

You guys are right. I'll hold out for a proper shop press. I measured the CRV and I could just fit the 20 ton in. There's plenty of width and just barely enough length.

Does anyone know if the 12 ton would be adequate for a home shop or would I be better off getting the 20 ton? I know it depends a lot on what you work on but for normal metalworking home shops is the 12 ton adequate? I don't work on autos at all so it would be just for the metalworking hobby.

Ed

[sasquatch]

Ed, if i was doing this, i would go for the 20 if you can swing it, if not 12 will do a fair bit of work.
It would be nice to have the extra power though to straighten a shaft, bend some flat bar into certain degrees of angle or those kids of things. JMO