Bench / Table Top Press

[J Hayes]

Table top drill press may be more versatile than an arbor press, the throat is deeper and the vertical distance between the chuck and plate is greater. A drill press may not produce the same pressing power as an arbor press but it should be more than satisfactory. Also with the drill you will be able to chuck up a burnishing tool for your edge slicking. The drill can easily be fitted with a fence(store bought or shop built) so one can set it and easily puch a series of holes the exact same distance from the edge. I have used my small drill to do this and it will punch 2 layers of 8/9 veg tan easily, no power needed, it would probably "drill" those belt holes even easier but I haven't tried it under power. I also have an arbor press, 1 ton Famco, very nice but none of my punches fit under the ram. Just my .02

[Jason311]

Just wanted to post that the Arbor Press came today and it solves my problem perfectly. I bought the 1 ton from Zoro as posted earlier and it fits my forks perfectly. I won't have to modify the press or my tools for the time being.

Thanks for all your help!

Edited May 7, 2014 by Jason311

[Chef niloc]

I tried the HF one a few years ago and while I'll bet that it would do a fine job if done right I would recommend having a machine shop or at least someone proficient with the right tools drill the hole. My idea was to drill the hole that would accept a drillpress chuck so I could easily switch out Tools punches etc. but I never could get the hole drilled straight so it never works right. From further reading I believe fabricating a "ram" I believe they're called that just attach to the amber shaft is the correct way to go about this, because the pressure exerted on the tools could cause them to get stuck in a hole that was directly drilled into the arbors shaft.

As far as drill presses go I have some insight as well. First they're not meant for punching meaning you shouldn't just put a tool in the chuck and push down on the drill presses. drill presses are meant to be running/drilling to do the job, the gears and hardware in most drill presses won't handle the force of simply punching let alone repeated stamping for long periods of time, the machine simply wasn't meant to do so.

2nd I know a lot of guys that do drill holes in order to sew through. However I have read posts and articles stating that this is not the ideal way of making holes. The hole a awe makes is self closing so it has a gripping action that holds the thread in place. They also make a diamond shaped hole as opposed to a round one giving what many would consider a more attractive stitch. I'm not making a argument here for which method is better I'm just telling both sides of it.

That sad Cambell Bosworth has a "twist press" that is pre setup for many leather working jobs. I don't have one but I have been wanting one for some time. Without getting into the physics of this (because I'm no expert on that subject either) from a what I have read and experienced myself using a fly press (for mettle work) the twisting motion allows for better control of force as well as a greater range of pressure.