One Ton Arbor Press

[Ferg]

One ton Arbor press from Harbor Freight, $45.00

Steel, aluminum, screws etc. $10 - $15.

Fully adjustable and very accurate.

Half inch hole drilled in arbor ram with thumb screw in front to hold tool in hole.

Aluminum blocks are bolted to table, have thumb screws through them to anchor table to arbor base.

Adjustable brackets on back of vertical are Bi-Fold Door hardware.

Any questions, I will try to answer.

ferg

Edited September 20, 2011 by 50 years leather

[Tree Reaper]

I like the adjustable fence idea, that should work well.

[whiteeugene]

Looks cool I'll have to give that a try I have the press and most of the other items, I wonder if you could glue a tape measure blade to each end of the table to make it easier to adjust it. How much pressure do you need to use to get a good imprint?

[Ferg]

You can buy tape measures, some are nylon, that begin with "0" in the middle. I am thinking of centering the "0" on the tool center.

Pressure? That is a relative thing I believe. I simply hold the handle down firmly. Makes great impressions.

Used it with Basket Weave. Takes a little practice but the impressions are very even.

Largest pieces I have used to press an image is about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" . That takes some pretty good pressure.

ferg

Looks cool I'll have to give that a try I have the press and most of the other items, I wonder if you could glue a tape measure blade to each end of the table to make it easier to adjust it. How much pressure do you need to use to get a good imprint?

Tree,

Nice thing about the "rig", I can get more distance from the tools simply by moving the table back and tighten the clamps.

ferg

I like the adjustable fence idea, that should work well.

[MBOGO]

Well done, and another great use for these presses.

[Decadence]

Thanks for posting pictures of your Arbor Press setup. I am thinking of doing something similar but to set snaps. I am just curious how easy it was to drill a hole in the Ram and how deep the hole is? I am not super skilled in metal fabrication but I am hoping that I am able to modify the press myself.

Edited March 9, 2012 by Decadence

[Ferg]

You need a drill press and a good material clamp so you can hold onto the Ram. I made the hole just deep enough so the stamps and snap hardware would be about 1/3 the length of the tool handle. Remember, you also need a threaded hole and a thumb screw to hold the tool in place.

I used mine for snaps. It is easy to clamp the snap button too tight. Takes a little practice, beats that mallet.

ferg

Thanks for posting pictures of your Arbor Press setup. I am thinking of doing something similar but to set snaps. I am just curious how easy it was to drill a hole in the Ram and how deep the hole is? I am not super skilled in metal fabrication but I am hoping that I am able to modify the press myself.

[ouchmyfinger]

I've heard of some people doing something like this to make a cheap clicker, has anyone done this. a guy at a gun show that makes holsters (not the best btw) told me about this. super nice guy but his work that i saw was lacking a few steps to really bump up the professional look. i don't think any of this was due to his homemade clicker though

[Ferg]

Probably could if you only wanted Concho size pieces. There isn't enough surface for a good clicker. Weaver has a hand operated clicker, very expensive I think, may work fine.

ferg

I've heard of some people doing something like this to make a cheap clicker, has anyone done this. a guy at a gun show that makes holsters (not the best btw) told me about this. super nice guy but his work that i saw was lacking a few steps to really bump up the professional look. i don't think any of this was due to his homemade clicker though

[MBOGO]

I've heard of some people doing something like this to make a cheap clicker, has anyone done this. a guy at a gun show that makes holsters (not the best btw) told me about this. super nice guy but his work that i saw was lacking a few steps to really bump up the professional look. i don't think any of this was due to his homemade clicker though

Offhand, it would probably be a larger one, with the bottle type hydraulic jack, like folks use for holster presses.