Arbor press stands

[Scott-ak]

I want to move mine off the bench. Anyone got a free standing design they like?

 

[Nogoingback]

Brake drums from heavy trucks make good bases: This one weighs over 100 pounds. 'Course you have to hunt one down, but
truck repair places will sometimes give them away. I got 2 of them for free. The column is 4 x 6 rectangular tube with a 1/4"
wall. The whole deal weighs so much that it doesn't move at all when I'm using it. One advantage of the round base is that
if you need to move it, it can be tilted a bit and rolled across the shop.

 

[projectnut]

I made this one about 15 years ago. It's welded 2'x 2' x 1'4" angle iron.

 

[benmychree]

My suggestion is that whatever the design, it should be bolted down to the floor to avoid tipping it over, all too easy to do given the leverage.

 

[Winegrower]

Imagining an ideal arbor press stand, I like the cutout Nogoingback provided, and I would think that an adjustable work stop somewhere below that cutout would allow very tall work, i.e., allowing a big increase in working height. The stroke is whatever the press could do originally, which for me hasn't been a big limitation compared to throat height.

 

[Nogoingback]

My suggestion is that whatever the design, it should be bolted down to the floor to avoid tipping it over, all too easy to do given the leverage.

A good suggestion, but in the case of this one there is no tendency to tip at all. It may not be evident from the photo, but the
plate the press bolts to is offset to the rear as far as it will go, which reduces the tendency to tip. Mine is only a 2 ton press as well,
so less leverage than a larger press.

 

[Scott-ak]

Thanx, those are nice and simple designs. I use brake drums for my grinder stands and for tall jack stands for my offroad rig, it has 52" ag tires. A design that sets the press back to counter the leverage would be best. I don't like drilling the shop floor. It's too hard to locate the infloor heat tubing. A rack or tray on the side would be nice for storing spacers and other assorted pieces

 

[rabler]

I haven't had luck finding big drums but I'm keeping my eye out for a source.

I like making stands using steel tube for a vertical and a hexagonal base. I use something like 2" x 1/4" flats (rectangular bar). Cut six pieces of the bar that are 12" long and weld them in a hex, gives 24" between opposite corners. I weld in three pieces of angle iron from three corners to the tube, and then fill the base with concrete. Obviously wider flats would use more concrete, but typically I end up with 120 lbs of concrete in 24", mounding it up a bit toward the center. I happily throw in any misc mortar or other masonry products. For a clean look a little Bondo can be used to finish the concrete if you want a really nice base.

Obviously you could use concrete to fill in other shapes too, including brake drums, to add mass.

 

[C-Bag]

This is a mobile stand.

 

[talvare]

I placed my arbor press in a corner. It is on a stand welded to an old flywheel and I have it anchored to the wall as well to prevent tip-over.

Ted