shop presses

[farmerjim]

looking into getting a new shop press as my small arbor press just cant cut it for what i'm needing to do. was thinking a 12t should be more than sufficient. what style is better a-frame or flat across the top? what are some good presses, was looking at the hf presses but not so sure about them, northern tool looks to have a decent 1 as well? thanks for any help,jim

 

[looknlearn]

I have got a HF 12ton upright press (not the A frame). It is plenty strong for what I have used it for( punched a hole in 1/8inch steel). My only complaints are that the original bottle jack was junk and the ram has too much play on it's rails. I don't know if that is normal on this type of press but it is a pain if I am trying to press something and when I get presser on it, it pops to the side or if I am pressing something in and it needs to stay perfectly level, (like bearings) I have to constantly fight to get it in straight. Here is the 12 Ton Shop Press I have.
I just read some reviews and one guy used plastic shims to tighten up the play on the ram. I might try that.
But as always, you get what you pay for.

 

[Code54]

Yes- plastic or a rubber shim helps hold everything in place and makes it work much smoother.
I have the HF 20 and it is a good press for the money

 

[evo803]

Just got the HF 12t for 89.99 stand up I wanted the extra length under for longer shafts . It is a great deal and will work even better after some tweaks and adjustments which is SOP for HF tools. No regrets

 

[Argosy]

50 ton that I use more for a brake than press. I've also made dies to form parts with it. If you do a lot of fabricating a bigger one will come in real handy.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

I've used farm shop presses for years. Rule of thumb is that there is no such a thing as too big of press.

I'd go for the extra money and invest in at least a 20 ton unit. Brand doesn't matter much, though some of the "name brand" ones do offer more features and accessories.

A 12 ton is fine as long as you keep in mind the size of objects you will be able to fit up on the table. It makes odd shaped pieces sort of tight. A 20 ton gives you more room. Plus I have seen a 12 ton or so balk at gaulded bearings in typical farm applications.

 

[crazyal]

I've got a 20t press that has a hydraulic cylinder instead of the jack style. I got mine from Greg Smith since they have a place in southern NH. It's the shipping that raises the price up. With the cylinder you can slide it across the top so if you have something large and you need to push on it near the edge it's easy to do. They also sell a 12t model for about half the price.

 

[evo803]

50 ton that I use more for a brake than press. I've also made dies to form parts with it. If you do a lot of fabricating a bigger one will come in real handy.

Would you mind sharing some ideas/ pictures for dies ? I need to make some bends in 12" wide 14 gauge stock and some bends in some 1/4" thats 4" wide. I know I will need to make a few sets depending on metal thickness. Thanks

 

[looknlearn]

Would you mind sharing some ideas/ pictures for dies ? I need to make some bends in 12" wide 14 gauge stock and some bends in some 1/4" thats 4" wide. I know I will need to make a few sets depending on metal thickness. Thanks

I will second that request. I would like to get some die ideas also.

 

[crazyal]

Take a look at this.

20 Ton Press Brake DIY Builder Kit @ Swag Off Road - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

 

[Argosy]

I'm probably the worst person you could ask for pictures. I did find one set, IIRC it was a special request to take pictures, note the date!

This is a cover I made for a refrigerator vent opening on an Airstream RV. I work with a lot of sheet metal and like working with aluminum, the die for this was made of plywood. Basically just cut the opening the size and shape needed, radius the edge on the bottom, wax the punch so the metal will slide without breaking.

This is the formed part in place on the roof. Hopefully it will easier to understand what I did if you know what I wanted to end up with.

The two bottle jacks hold the 'blank' flat and tight against the plywood under them. The ram from the press drives the punch down to form the flange.

You can see the aluminum sheet under the steel tube.

Another shot a little closer, maybe easier to see and understand how it's set up. The punch that will form the flange is the light colored curved part behind the steel tube, the bar that pushes it has to be close to the size of the punch or the plywood will disintegrate instead of forming.

A shot from the end. The steel that drove the punch (light colored oval) down is off, best shot I have of how it works.

If you just want to make a straight bends there are brake dies made for presses. Northern Tool sells them, but they aren't cheap. They're a pretty simple setup, it's kind of hard for me to understand why they're so expensive.

NorthStar Press Brake For 40-Ton Shop Press 29in. Length | Shop Press Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment

I see old brake dies from power brakes for sale all the time, and relatively cheap comparatively. It wouldn't take a lot to make one for a quarter the price.

 

[evo803]

Thanks for the links , looks like I have another project to build in the near future.