Arbor press bits?

[ttabbal]

So I picked up a press. The ram has a bore at the bottom with a screw for holding a bit of some sort. It looks like they typically come with round, pointed, and squared bits that go there. Do I need them? If so, is there something special about them? I would think they would be easy to make with hardening steel like O1 or similar. The uses I have for it are mostly press fitting parts and broaching keyways, etc..

 

[francist]

Might depend on what you're doing with it. If using it as an anvil to move metal or drive roll pins a hard tip would probably be better and last longer. For driving broaches though, an unhardened pad is less slippery and gives a bit of grip to the end of the broach. Kind of like using a brass hammer on a centre punch vs a steel one. I made a simple round pad / disc for my press out of 1018, works fine.

-frank

 

[ttabbal]

Thanks. Right now I'm leaning toward making one from mild steel and one from O1 to harden later. I have a few parts I'm planning to harden, so I guess I might as well toss that in while I'm at it. Thanks for the thoughts, I've never had one with the optional tips so I wasn't sure what they are used for. It seems like you could make various kinds for cold forming sheet metal, though I expect a hydro press is a better tool for most of that sort of thing.

 

[C-Bag]

It all depends on what you’re doing. For my kind of sheet metal forming it is the only way to go. In the old 1920 catalog I have for my screw press they call the arbor press a speed press. So the slowest is hydraulic, second fastest is the screw press and fastest is an arbor press. I’ve thought of drilling the end of my arbor press to make a receiver but opted to just using square tubing to make attachments. Right now I’ve got a 2” wide piece of 1018 CR on there for making small bends on a piece of square tubing. Next I think I’ll make a receiver to mount different size round dapping tools. Really for like 22ga galvanized your imagination is the limit with an arbor press. Another project is to make a “tuck puck” to use with the dapping tools for form tucks for shrinking edges for making curves and bowels. i can make small tucks with just a dapping tool and hockey puck.

 

[woodchucker]

Thanks. Right now I'm leaning toward making one from mild steel and one from O1 to harden later. I have a few parts I'm planning to harden, so I guess I might as well toss that in while I'm at it. Thanks for the thoughts, I've never had one with the optional tips so I wasn't sure what they are used for. It seems like you could make various kinds for cold forming sheet metal, though I expect a hydro press is a better tool for most of that sort of thing.

I put pin punches, pointed punches, you name it in my hydraulic press. Whatever gets the job done. My anvil is made of O1 as well. I haven't hardened it, but it is pretty hard to begin with. having the hole is great, it gives you so many options. You can make a holder to press numbers, or letters rather than hitting them. I did that for plastic, I was afraid I was going to shatter the plastic by hitting it repeatedly. But pressing the numbers in did the trick, and they were even, rather than off because of angle.

 

[NC Rick]

a Round and soft (like aluminum) end is handy for pushing in pins, bushings and bearings, even some seals in flat and flush.

 

[C-Bag]

Delrin and UHMW wonderful for forming and leave no marks. They are incredibly tough too.

 

[ttabbal]

Nice! I hadn't considered using aluminum, but it makes sense that a non-marring end could be useful. I like the idea for stamps as well. I hadn't even considered some of those uses for the press.

 

[keeena]

OP: yes, I would use dies in the end of your ram if its designed for it. I feel like its a much better route than using the ram end directly - avoids mushrooming the ram and lets you add all sorts of shapes, materials, etc...like other's have mentioned.

The last press I bought didn't have this and was a bit beat up. I faced & bored the ram to 0.500" and added a setscrew.. If you go this route: use flats on the die shaft and brass tips on the set screw to avoid marring up the bore when you remove the die. I also make sure the die seats on the end of the ram to bear the pressing weight (the shaft doesn't bottom out in the bore). To save metal I weld half inch stock to a small counterbore in the die then final machine the weld & die so its a clean 90* corner and squared up relative to the shaft.

 

[C-Bag]

This is the old version of my press blade. Kinda flimsy but was a good test.