Greenerd #3 Arbor Press = Free!

[extropic]

For adjusting handle clocking:

At the top of the ram, mill enough of the portion without teeth away. Enough means so the pinion is free to rotate but so the ram will not fall out.

Alternative method:
Remove the stock handle.
Mill the head of the pinion to a fractional hex size.
Use a 12 point socket and long breaker bar as a handle.

Note, if you were to use a ratchet, you'd have to reverse the ratchet to lift the ram = PITA.

Very nice addition to the shop (if you need an arbor press).

 

[Just for fun]

Very nice Jeff, Congrats!

 

[Janderso]

Best to bolt the stand to the floor, all too easy to tip them over, A worthwhile project would be to make a ratchet arm to replace the fixed handle, I have one very similar to yours but another brand.

Ratchet like a breaker bar ratchet wrench?
Im listening
Thats a good idea

 

[benmychree]

For adjusting handle clocking:

At the top of the ram, mill enough of the portion without teeth away. Enough means so the pinion is free to rotate but so the ram will not fall out.

Alternative method:
Remove the stock handle.
Mill the head of the pinion to a fractional hex size.
Use a 12 point socket and long breaker bar as a handle.

Note, if you were to use a ratchet, you'd have to reverse the ratchet to lift the ram = PITA.

Very nice addition to the shop (if you need an arbor press).

Not necessary to reverse the ratchet to return; the ram is returned with a handwheel on the other side of the pinion. Look for catalog pages that illustrate how all this is laid out.

 

[extropic]

Not necessary to reverse the ratchet to return; the ram is returned with a handwheel on the other side of the pinion. Look for catalog pages that illustrate how all this is laid out.

Check his pictures. His press has no hand wheel. Could be added I suppose.

I have an AP with a factory ratchet handle and hand wheel.

@Janderso
Before I spent a bunch of time, work and money turning that AP into something it isn't, I'd sell it and buy a HF hydraulic press. The APs are pretty marketable and that one seems to be in good original condition. Wipe it down and sell it. YMMV

 

[Dhal22]

Does it include free shipping? If so my address is,, wait, YOU got it free. Ahh. The title says free arbor press..........

 

[projectnut]

I've had a model 3B for over 22 years. In all that time I've never needed to grind any teeth off it to get the ram in a specific position. It has a 3 ton capacity and an arm long enough that sufficient force can be applied from almost any position. I think your stand may be a little light if you intend to use the full capacity of the press. I made a stand for mine out of 2x 2 x1/4 angle iron.

 

[Janderso]

Check his pictures. His press has no hand wheel. Could be added I suppose.

I have an AP with a factory ratchet handle and hand wheel.

@Janderso
Before I spent a bunch of time, work and money turning that AP into something it isn't, I'd sell it and buy a HF hydraulic press. The APs are pretty marketable and that one seems to be in good original condition. Wipe it down and sell it. YMMV

I did check around, 3 ton arbor presses are like everything else these days = Way over priced!
Used arbor presses of this size run from $800 to $2,000. Good luck

 

[Janderso]

I've had a model 3B for over 22 years. In all that time I've never needed to grind any teeth off it to get the ram in a specific position. It has a 3 ton capacity and an arm long enough that sufficient force can be applied from almost any position. I think your stand may be a little light if you intend to use the full capacity of the press. I made a stand for mine out of 2x 2 x1/4 angle iron.

Good advice, maybe i’ll leave it alone to see if i even need to change it.

 

[Nogoingback]

The problem with modifying the press to get the handle "where you want it" is
that handle position depends on the height of the part you're pressing which of
course varies. You might consider having some flat pieces of steel plate around
to stack under your part if the handle position is wrong for a particular job.

The stand looks too light: you want a setup that's not going to move when you lean on the
handle.