PICTURES -- Repainted Famco 3R Arbor Press

And Ill bet it works eversomuch better with a handle!

Wheres the yellow highlights/pinstripes?

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Good score, Igor. I got lucky once at Boeing Surplus, got a nice Dake ratcheting arbor press with rotating platen, in good shape. Didn't need new paint, had a couple of Boeing Machinist stickers on it which I left on. I use the arbor press probably every 8-10 weeks year in and year out.

Grant

Actually, it is a lot nicer with a handle. I was thinking about some semi-naked women stickers to put on the press.

i

Grant, thanks. Could you tell me what exactly do you use it for. I have no experience using one and, I am sure, am missing a lot of useful ideas on what I can do with a press like this.

i

Looks nice, now, except you need to remove all the paint in the work area. You can't place tooling plates or work pieces on the paint. Just sand it off and put a little oil on the metal.

We use one quite often at work to press ribbon connectors, press PEM nuts into circuit boards and press-in connectors into circuit boards. Sometimes our customers come and use one to do the same on prototype circuit boards.

You will need to make some tool holders to fit the end of the ram. I found some scrap square steel tube that would fit over the end of the ram. Cut into 1" lengths and debur. I think I put them in the lathe, using a 4-jaw chuck and squared up the ends. Then drill and tap one side to take a thumb screw to clamp the holder to the ram.

Then cut and fit bottom plates to the holders and braze them in place. Need to be sure the plates are square to the sides of the holder. The press ram will push against the bottom plate and needs a nice fit. When you need to make a custom tool, you can drill and tap the bottom plate to take a threaded pin, or whatever you need.

Some tool holders have a piece of steel welded across the tool holder, rahter than a bottom plate, to make a tool for a particular size or shape of connector. The ribbon connector tool is this way. The PEM nut tool is made on a lathe and then screwed into the tool holder.

I am sure you will find many uses for the press. Just don't use a pipe extension on the handle to get more leverage!

Good luck,

Paul

OK, did not know that, but that sounds right to me. Thanks.

It seems to have some sort of threading inside.

I will check what threading it has, as I said it is threaded. I may be able to get away with using what I have in it now.

I will need to find a bottom plate also.

Yes... The existing handle, with the red handle that I added, ought to be long enough.

Another question concerns mounting. I want to bolt it to the same moving work table that it is on now.

Am I correct in thinking that it needs to be mounted with its "throat" opening forward of the table? That is, its base should not be 100% on the table, but the front part needs to "hang" in front? That would let me press long things out of whatever they are stuck in. Right?

i

Off the top of my head:

pressing arbors into lathe workpieces disassembling many tight assemblies removing & installing bearings pressing a ball through an undersized hole (to dimple it) pressing two balls pinched between a short copper tube (to bellmouth the ends) pressing pins into reamed press-fit holes

It's kind of hard to remember all the uses. Put it in your shop and keep track of how you use yours for a year and post back here, wouldya? You will probably come up with some stuff I didn't think of.

Grant

I LIKE IT!!

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Actually, no. Kind of depends on what you want to use it for and how heavy the table is. As you pull the handle, the press will want to follow it and tip the table. So, ideally the tip of the press handle will be just above the edge of the table when you apply maximum pressure.

A table bolted to a wall, or with feet bolted to a concrete floor will work best. Then the press can be bolted where ever you want on the table.

Paul

I will. Another use I saw suggested was to use it for letter/number stamps. I will try this as soon as I get some time to do it.

i

The table is very heavy, it will not tip if I pull down on the handle of the bolted down press. Even without my stuff, it weighs, perhaps,

300 lbs. It is very heavy. The steel top is 1/4" steel. i

You ABSOLUTELY want the throat opening off the edge of the table! Think of an axle with a bearing on it, and you want to press off the bearing ..

Grant

Pushing key way broaches though couplers is always a favorite.

Wes

I cheat on my bench. I uses some 2" square tube to make a few sockets on the front and corners of the bench. They mate up to mounting plates under different tools. Arbor press, small stake anvils, two different vices, grinder mount and a few other items that don't get used all the time. They get stored on a rolling cart with notches for the tubes. Just pull up the tool and set it in place. Then flip the lock under the bench into place and it's secure. Works nice for those tools you don't use daily and keeps the bench clear. I also have a small overhead trolley lift that I can use to change out the heavy tools OR lift heavy items onto the bench. (Makes working on engines and other bulky things a snap)

LOL, I don't believe you'd want the distraction due to safety concerns! D~

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LOL, I don't believe you'd want the distraction due to safety concerns! D~

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Forums Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup - rec.crafts.metalworking - 109992 messages and counting! ##-----------------------------------------------##