Shop Press

[Highpower]

(05-03-2014, 02:30 PM)aametalmaster Wrote: I saw welds like that at the last place i worked too. I was giving a test to a kid i knew and he was doing real bad. I told him to just leave and stop over at my shop later and he could practice a little more which he did but they didn't hire him.
Another kid was leafing thru his textbook before he struck an arc to see how to do it.
These kids have it beat into their head at the welding school that they all will be making 30 bucks an hour when done. Hmmm i heard the same thing 38 years ago when graduating Vocational Machine Trades. 15 bucks an hour right up the street.

Someday I'll get one of the SWAG DIY kits....

[EdK]

(05-03-2014, 07:41 PM)arvidj Wrote:

(05-03-2014, 06:01 PM)EdK Wrote: Arvid,

I'd be grateful if you could get me the name. I've been searching the internet and there is a guy in Montana that makes good ones according to what I've read on numerous web sites but I can't seem to locate a name or address or web site. There's an ebay seller that sells them but only very sporadically.

Thanks.
Ed

Ed,

I just looked and mine and it is made by a company called "Danger, Watch Your Hands and Fingers"

Seriously there is no meaningful labels on it. The "sells it on eBay occasionally and is from Montana" does ring a bell. I bought it at least 5 or more years ago. The fellow did have a web site related to his ranch and some of the metal stuff he offered for sale but the purchases went thru eBay.

The things I did not like about the Northern Tool was

(a) Their attitude. They did not stock it in the store so I called them and asked if I paid for it could they ship it to a store. Note that the store was about 40 miles from where the press brake was and the have a truck that goes there every day.

No problem.

What if, when I went to pick it up at the store I did not like the quality or ??? and did not want it. No problem, we'll just charge you the 15% restocking fee and you do not have to take it.

My interpretation of that policy is "Our press brake is so great we will charge you 15% of the price just to look at it!".

Northern also lists it as a 24 inch brake. On their web site they list the outside dimensions of the brake is 23 so I do not know where the 24 came from. The "Montana" brake was listed as an 18 inch brake because that was the widest width of material you could get between the posts even thought the brake is actually 21 inches wide.

The Northern did not come with a "fence" on the "input side"



or a "depth stop" on the "output side"



Neither is a 'must have' but are nice given it was cheaper than the one from Northern. Regretfully all of this is moot as we can't seem to find the fellow who made the one that I have.

However, as an alternative, I have heard many good things about the stuff from these guys http://www.swagoffroad.com. You can get a "weld it yourself" version for a real reasonable price that includes shipping http://www.swagoffroad.com/20-TON-Press-..._p_40.html or it seems like they have a "we will weld if for you and ship it for free" for less than what Northern wants for theirs without shipping.

Anyway, food for thought,
Arvid

Arvid,

Thanks for your efforts. I may email the ebay seller and see if he can get me one from the Montana guy. My second choice is the SwagOffRoad dude. If I could weld worth a crap I'd get the kit and save some money but it may not be worth the risk so I'll look into their pre-welded version also.

Thanks again.

Ed

[arvidj]

(05-03-2014, 09:28 PM)EdK Wrote: Arvid,

Thanks for your efforts. I may email the ebay seller and see if he can get me one from the Montana guy. My second choice is the SwagOffRoad dude. If I could weld worth a crap I'd get the kit and save some money but it may not be worth the risk so I'll look into their pre-welded version also.

Thanks again.

Ed

Ed,

To be clear, the Montana guy and the person on eBay I bought mine from was the same person. He had a web site showing his ranch and also what he had available for sale but he did not have a store front. He simply referred you to his listings on eBay. Saved him from having to set up a store front on his "ranch" site.

Weld it yourself. You are much better than the welder Northern has hired.

Arvid

[EdK]

(05-04-2014, 08:30 AM)arvidj Wrote: ...

Weld it yourself. You are much better than the welder Northern has hired.

Arvid

Good point.

Ed

[EdK]

I'm setting up the shop press and putting a level across the table it's far from flat. The C-channel is not square but not too bad. The spacers that hold the two pieces of C-channel together must not have been made with parallel ends which is causing the C-channel to tilt. Is this going to be a problem?

Ed

   

[arvidj]

I'm not sure if this is relevant but a level has never been withing 5 feet of my press. Never even thought about it. Usually I have some type of arbor plate on the "table" and they are far from level or machined or parallel in nature ... i.e. what ever I could find that looked to be strong enough.

I consider the press to be in the "brute force device" category and not a precision instrument.

[EdK]

(05-04-2014, 11:09 AM)arvidj Wrote: I'm not sure if this is relevant but a level has never been withing 5 feet of my press. Never even thought about it. Usually I have some type of arbor plate on the "table" and they are far from level or machined or parallel in nature ... i.e. what ever I could find that looked to be strong enough.

I consider the press to be in the "brute force device" category and not a precision instrument.

I was afraid someone would interpret my use of the level as a level when I was only using it as a straight edge.

Thanks for the insight. I'm not going to fret about it then.

Ed

[EdK]

How important is it to have the table at right angles to the side uprights?

Ed

[f350ca]

VERY !!!!!!!!

If it isn't you're not in line with the ram so you'll be pressing bearings in askew, and if you need to use a spacer it can kick out real easy.

On a lighter note. Goofing around one day I tried the phone book in the press on a flat plate, about an inch thick rural one. As the force went up the book started curling slightly then at about 40 tons it sounded like a rifle going off. Punched perfect cycles the size of the end of the ram through every page. Got everyones attention.

[EdK]

(05-04-2014, 04:13 PM)f350ca Wrote: VERY !!!!!!!!

If it isn't you're not in line with the ram so you'll be pressing bearings in askew, and if you need to use a spacer it can kick out real easy.
...

Greg,

That's kind of what I thought. I can't get mine square the way it is so I'll need to elongate some holes. Bummer!

Ed