Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Members
Posted

I had not thought about the stops but it makes good sense. Should they be equal to the hieght of the die? Or a little less 

C. Norman McGlohon

Chapel Stone, LLC

Custom Leather Works

  • Replies 36
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Contributing Member
Posted

tad less, yeah?  just enough to set the die barely a smidge into the cutting board.  If you use a bolt, say like a 16 thread pitch, then maybe make a mark on the bolt head with some nail polish, then you know that each full turn of the bolt will run it 1/16" deeper .. easy math ...

 

JLS  "Observation is 9/10 of the law."

IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.

5 leather patterns

  • Members
Posted

Thanks 

C. Norman McGlohon

Chapel Stone, LLC

Custom Leather Works

  • Moderator
Posted

I used a 20 ton shop press for several years. My dies were all smaller things - headstall pieces, bucking roll parts, latigo carriers, spur straps etc.  I used a piece of cold roll steel set on the rails for the base, LDPE or clicker pad, leather, die, covered that with another piece of cold roll big enough to cover the die, and centered it under the ram. Crank it on down. After a few tries you will learn to hear and feel the die cut through the leather. back off the jack just enough to slide the top plate, die and leather out, reposition, and 3-4 cranks on mine and your were through the next piece. 

I got one of the Weaver bench top presses with an air over hydraulic jack. That is fat city! Press the button and it putt putt putts through and sort of stops on it's own once it goes through.  

Bruce Johnson

Malachi 4:2

"the windshield's bigger than the mirror, somewhere west of Laramie" - Dave Stamey

Vintage Refurbished And Selected New Leather Tools For Sale - www.brucejohnsonleather.com

  • Contributing Member
Posted (edited)

Well, there's the thing.. a shop press travels slowly enough you'd have to be trying pretty hard to "bottom out" with it.

Still, it's a decent compromise even though slow.  Still much faster than cutting everything with a knife, and far cheaper than a swing arm, so ...

I don't have any "stops" on mine, nor do I have any issue with warping or burying dies .. I do replace a cutting surface occasionally, but you'll have that regardless.

Harbor Freight has these currently for $150 (20 ton) - in my email this morning.  Also a $54 drill press ...

 

Edited by JLSleather

JLS  "Observation is 9/10 of the law."

IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.

5 leather patterns

  • 5 months later...
  • Members
Posted

Just finished mine up last night. $150 for the press, $110 for the plates, $90 air jack, $200 for the welding. $15 cutting board. I am getting an air compressor from Santa, so add $150 for a bigger tank model. $700 all in for a 20” x 12” cutting area. 

Weavers mighty Wonders are easier to use but the 4 ton is a smaller cutting area for $995 + shipping at their wholesale price. The 8 Ton is a similar cutting area as the shop press but costs $1,995 + shipping. 

All that’s savings will allow me to afford all of the dies I’ll need to get. Let’s just hope she works ok!

 

 

EA10F211-E855-463E-B7F8-03DAFF54712C.jpeg

BA13CC53-C3BB-4E71-8FDD-E08716B9CCC1.jpeg

1CF68596-1D47-44BD-B98F-668B44BF22F4.jpeg

  • Members
Posted
On 12/10/2017 at 11:57 AM, WoodsHollowLeather said:

Just finished mine up last night. $150 for the press, $110 for the plates, $90 air jack, $200 for the welding. $15 cutting board. I am getting an air compressor from Santa, so add $150 for a bigger tank model. $700 all in for a 20” x 12” cutting area. 

Weavers mighty Wonders are easier to use but the 4 ton is a smaller cutting area for $995 + shipping at their wholesale price. The 8 Ton is a similar cutting area as the shop press but costs $1,995 + shipping. 

All that’s savings will allow me to afford all of the dies I’ll need to get. Let’s just hope she works ok!

 

 

EA10F211-E855-463E-B7F8-03DAFF54712C.jpeg

BA13CC53-C3BB-4E71-8FDD-E08716B9CCC1.jpeg

1CF68596-1D47-44BD-B98F-668B44BF22F4.jpeg

If only I knew how to weld...

I'm revisiting this as I'm designing items where using dies would be ideal.   How is it working for you? 

Posted
On 11/12/2017 at 2:57 AM, WoodsHollowLeather said:

Just finished mine up last night. $150 for the press, $110 for the plates, $90 air jack, $200 for the welding. $15 cutting board. I am getting an air compressor from Santa, so add $150 for a bigger tank model. $700 all in for a 20” x 12” cutting area. 

Weavers mighty Wonders are easier to use but the 4 ton is a smaller cutting area for $995 + shipping at their wholesale price. The 8 Ton is a similar cutting area as the shop press but costs $1,995 + shipping. 

All that’s savings will allow me to afford all of the dies I’ll need to get. Let’s just hope she works ok!

 

 

EA10F211-E855-463E-B7F8-03DAFF54712C.jpeg

BA13CC53-C3BB-4E71-8FDD-E08716B9CCC1.jpeg

1CF68596-1D47-44BD-B98F-668B44BF22F4.jpeg

Nice looking idea. Knowing how heavy clicker presses work and how even massively webbed top plates warp I have to say that you will need a lot of webbing added front and back. I would be surprised that you do not have an upward tilt a little already at the edges from where you have welded already. Honestly I would be tempted to cut a v groove about 1/8" deep right up the middle from left to right on the bottom and then weld the full length back in. This should make the plate come down a bit front and back. This I would do before adding any webbing as I would be trying to keep a little of that bow for as long as possible. May sound crazy now but you will see why later. Note also that as your top deforms up so do your long cutting knives until they become banana shaped useless. Another idea if you prefer is to put 4 heavy wall box pieces on top of your channel and put some bolts into the ends in order to be able to screw them down tighter at the edge ends occasionally. This should allow an occasional re straightening. Regards Brian

WH.jpgWild Harry - Australian made leather goods
YouTube Channel
Instagram

  • Members
Posted
On 12/16/2017 at 3:22 AM, Anubis78 said:

If only I knew how to weld...

I'm revisiting this as I'm designing items where using dies would be ideal.   How is it working for you? 

I don’t weld. But I’m sure someone in your area does. I don’t have dies made yet, so we will see..,

  • 1 month later...
  • Members
Posted

I bought some steel rule and made a few dies for myself. I use my HF 12 ton press with them. For 2 cases of beer, the welding instructor at the local tech school cut me out 3 12"x12"x 1" thick steel plates. I use two on the base with a 12x12 piece of 3/4 mdf as a cutting surface. Leather, die, 3/4 mdf, and then the other steel plate on top. Works great, and the mdf is $35 for a 4'x8' sheet which gives me 32 12x12 pieces. I did add a pressure gauge to the jack. When I here the pop and pressure drops, my leather is  cut.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...