Columbian Bench Press - The Jim Wilkins Special

Okay, my little Columbian isn't even in the same league, but I thought you might enjoy seeing what kind of clamping force can be achieved with a premium vise.

I found it interesting that I saw a lot of whining and complaining about the price tag for Jason's vise. That it was way over priced. Its considerably cheaper than what he compares it to. I probably wouldn't scrimp and save to buy one, but if I had a heavy fabrication shop I think it would be a great value to have over the alternatives. I'd probably have a couple of them in a medium or large shop.

Yes, its an almost hour long video, but I timed stamped the link to where it shows the by hand clamping force of all three vises being tested. I find his style entertaining and his voice tolerable. I watch stuff like this while I am having my morning coffee.

He also tested to initial failure and ultimate failure.

Bob La Londe

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Thanks. I don't normally test to destruction unless the part is cheap or someone else is paying. Most of my load cells are second hand, of unknown abuse history and one broke already.

A vise you can hold in your hand reaches the highest pressures:

Weeeeeeelll! That's going to be about useless for pressing in a wrist pin or pressing out a u-joint.

I broke an old vise pressing out u-joints once. That's when I acquired my first "real" press. A 12 ton Horrible Fright I bought from my dad because he had acquired a 20 ton.

I think my second hand HF press came originally as a 12 ton , I stuck a 20 on it . I had to replace a section on the bottom of the top crosspiece , the bolts were pulling thru . I cut the bent parts out and welded in a piece of 1/2" plate . Nothing else has bent or broken ... yet .

I broke an old vise pressing out u-joints once. That's when I acquired my first "real" press. A 12 ton Horrible Fright I bought from my dad because he had acquired a 20 ton.

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My truck's have snap rings. I really struggled with a neighbor's U-joint until I found that they are glued in and release easily when heated.

My press is only a 6 ton and has barely been used, generally an arbor press is enough for what I need. I did a distributor for a friend with the press only for its height, which I had extended.

BTW shielded ball bearings have barely visible snap rings that can be started out with a sharp point under the beveled end. A rubber seal fits the same groove.

I think my second hand HF press came originally as a 12 ton , I stuck a 20 on it . I had to replace a section on the bottom of the top crosspiece , the bolts were pulling thru . I cut the bent parts out and welded in a piece of 1/2" plate . Nothing else has bent or broken ... yet . Snag

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I did a stress analysis on my 6 ton and found it barely adequate at 36ksi. It's all flat strap and angle, no channel like the larger ones. Rolled channel doesn't come in the variety of smaller sizes as angle.

The top crosspiece is 3x4x3/16 square tube , the movable crosspiece is a pair of 2x4 channels . I don't know how much pressure I've put on it but I'm pretty sure I've exceeded 12 tons .

I put a 12 ton air over hydraulic jack on mine, and it was adequate to pull/push it apart on some long forgotten project. It was something long (I forget what) and the damage is down low where it doesn't have any impact on 99.9% of all things I use the press for. The original 12 ton jack has been used a handful of times where nothing else was suitable, and it lives under the press like a troll under a bridge. My

20 ton press lives outside and I hardly ever use it. The air over jack on the 12 ton is so much more convenient. Eventually I'll put a hydraulic cylinder and a pump on the 20 ton, but its not a critical project. It will probably get done on the fly because i need it for something "right now." I've also rebuilt the ram assembly on the 12 ton with a piece of solid bar in place of the heavy wall tube it originally had. I might have bent/kinked it for the same project where I stretched the uprights apart. I don't recall for sure.