Arbor press

[FleurFeroce]

By any chance does anyone have a have a two or 3 ton arbor press that you no longer need or use. Willing to pay fair market value 
An arbor press is a small hand-operated press. It is typically used to perform smaller jobs, such as staking, riveting, installing, configuring and removing bearings and other press fit work. Punches, inserters, or other tools/dies may be added to the end of the ram depending on the desired task. ALSO LOOKING FOR 2 6 by 6 inch 1/2 “ steel plates and 2 polymer plates also strong magnets

[AlamoJoe2002]

FF, I'm an hour drive from you...Philadelphia. I'm thinking of making my own press as a clicker press and heated stamp press. Did you take a look at the bottle jack designs as apposed to the arbor press designs? I also am looking at hydraulic actuators and screw type actuators which will use a 120 volt motor...trying to stay away from the hydraulic fluids which use air pressure to run the hydraulic pump which will supply tons of pressure....something that will move and reset quickly.

I like the inexpensive magnets from harbor freight...however, I never compressed one to failure. I envision an press I can center an item on a plate which has an adapter bore to accommodate various stamps and set-ups. 

Let me know what you are thinking about. I have a friend who has a machine shop that will build what I need using recycled older presses...I need to get a custom clicker plate made for hole punches in double pronged belts or slings. Looking at Texas Custom Dies this week.

Let me know how your doing neighbor. JOE

[Atalanta]

Hi neighbors! I'm in Lower Bucks County along the Delaware.

Now, I've been thinking on either the arbor press (like I need an excuse to spend money at Harbor Freight!) or the "leather hole puncher" thingie I found on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TBKGFBW/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=A1CZK6KBEA5RDC&th=1)

I did spend the $$ last year on a press from Goldstar and wished I had done so long ago. But I can't do much else with it unless I have the right dies (got it used and it came with a bunch of dies).

So, what I'm thinking, is an arbor press with a DONUT SHAPED MAGNET! OMG why hasn't anyone mentioned this before???? This will hold your tool to the press and you won't be exerting any pressure on the magnet itself. It also has the advantage of not taking away from the space you have. Course I ask this now when I should have thought of this LAST YEAR before I got the Goldstar press. I'd better start selling my leather so BF doesn't give me too much grief for buying more tools! LOL

So now I'm going to measure the diameter of my tools so I know what magnets to order and then take the mess to HF and try them out in a press to see if it works. These are the donut magnets: https://www.kjmagnetics.com/products.asp?cat=16&scri=51&scri=52&scri=53

[mike02130]

Goldstar sells dies and punches.  The Amazon contraption gets good reviews from apartment dwellers and folks with new kids.  An arbor press may be more trouble than it's worth.  Even with a magnet, you would need to hold and guide the punch, hold the item being punched and with your third hand you would operate the press.  There are some good YouTube videos on the subject.  I have a Harbor Freight press and I tried to trick it out but it just didn't work well.  There are other cheap presses that have a hole in the bottom of the ram for tools.

[Atalanta]

4 minutes ago, mike02130 said:

An arbor press may be more trouble than it's worth.  Even with a magnet, you would need to hold and guide the punch, hold the item being punched and with your third hand you would operate the press

Did you try this with a flat magnet or a donut shaped magnet. I'm thinking the donut shape would work better to steady the tool rather than just having it being held with just the flat surface of the top of the tool. I've seen people suggest putting a stack of magnets on the top of the ram to magnetize the whole shaft, but again, limits you to the end of the tool.

[mike02130]

Nope, I never used a donut magnet.  I did try others, though.  The smallest donut hole magnet that you linked is one with a 1/2" donut hole.  What sizes is the tool you want to use?

[Rickard]

Just remember that the stuff å magnet is made of can exploid in 1000 fragment and harm your eyes with the pressure a 1-3 ton abor press can gain. I use a one ton aborpress to cut/ make holes in leather craft and i seldom screw tools into it . I hold the tool i use steady in my hands and with a little practise it work out well. If i would purchase a new one today i would choose a 2 or 3 ton for the extra power.

[mrwatch]

If I remember correctly a Harbor Freight press does not have a hole predrilled at the end of the ram to hold items, although the new ones may have. This can be done for you. Also some good tips on YouTube to make it better. 

[327fed]

Wonder if the magnets you rub on a screwdriver to magnetize it would be powerful enough to magnetize the arbor?

[fredk]

No

[327fed]

I am no familiar with donut magnets, but would a flat round magnet with hole drilled serve the same end?

[fredk]

No

[toxo]

The thread that started this is over a year old but here's my twopenn'orth. My 1 ton arbor press has a hole drilled in the bottom of the ram with a locking screw in the side. The hole is big enough to take most punches and stamps (It doesn't matter if the thinner ones are offset slightly). I also use it as a clicker press with a 10mm plate on top of the dies. It also has an aluminium block with three heaters in it that can be attached to the bottom of the ram for embossing/ hot embossing or hot foiling. I have a few sets of the cutting shapes that I use by just putting a flat magnet under the bottom of the ram with whatever shape I'm using just stuck on the magnet. I don't usually use thicker that 2.4mm leather so I don't have to use much pressure and I haven't seen any wear on the magnet. Sometimes the shape doesn't come up with the magnet but that's ok with me. I don't have a crew punch so pulling the shape out of the leather occasionally still beats punching two holes and cutting in between.

[Doc Reaper]

On 12/3/2021 at 2:01 PM, mike02130 said:

Goldstar sells dies and punches.  The Amazon contraption gets good reviews from apartment dwellers and folks with new kids.  An arbor press may be more trouble than it's worth.  Even with a magnet, you would need to hold and guide the punch, hold the item being punched and with your third hand you would operate the press.  There are some good YouTube videos on the subject.  I have a Harbor Freight press and I tried to trick it out but it just didn't work well.  There are other cheap presses that have a hole in the bottom of the ram for tools.

You just need an extra metal plate to replace the clover shaped piece, I have also drilled a hole to hold other tools, and put a longer handle on it for more pressure 

[JayEhl]

On 12/8/2021 at 8:02 PM, Doc Reaper said:

You just need an extra metal plate to replace the clover shaped piece, I have also drilled a hole to hold other tools, and put a longer handle on it for more pressure 

is this the press you are referring?
https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=arbor press

To save both space and money by not buying two, I was wondering if these other presses could also double down as the arbor press with some machining of the ram part as mentioned as well as for clicking out some leather. 

I was looking at the six ton press
https://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-a-frame-bench-shop-press-1666.html

or the 12 ton press

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

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by JayEhl