Welding Tips and Tricks

Here’s one of many upgrades to the HF press. I took the slop out by welding new ball bearing ends on the press.



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Good idea. Can you post more pics from different angles?

RPat wrote:Good idea. Can you post more pics from different angles?

My thoughts too, back up and let us see your glory!!

Ok! Let’s start with the pieces I cut off.
Now the new pieces welded in (without the cylinder) This picture got cut off on the right side by this site.

Now with it all put together. I machined a new knob for valve, put roll pins in the plates so they can’t fall on your toes,and replaced the standard cylinder with an air operated jack. I also had to cut out the ram or pin because if was assembled with a 10 degree angle. Now, it's welded in strait, 90 degrees and it was turned down, in the lathe, to 1 1/2" diameter, because I going to machine 6 inch, and 3 inch extensions that will be held in with magnets.

Next I will install a trailer winch to raise the table. Finally I’m going to weld a box brake so I can use this press to bend 3/8” steel. This will weigh around 100 pounds so that's the reason for the winch.


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Those are nice upgrades. But, I doubt seriously whether a 20 ton jack will bend 3/8” steel. Might want to upgrade to a 50 ton jack.

cj737 wrote:Those are nice upgrades. But, I doubt seriously whether a 20 ton jack will bend 3/8” steel. Might want to upgrade to a 50 ton jack.

It will do a 3" wide buy 3/8" thick. (I've seen the Swag Off videos) and YES I believe everything on the internet.

tungstendipper wrote:

cj737 wrote:Those are nice upgrades. But, I doubt seriously whether a 20 ton jack will bend 3/8” steel. Might want to upgrade to a 50 ton jack.

It will do a 3" wide buy 3/8" thick. (I've seen the Swag Off videos) and YES I believe everything on the internet.

Well, I stand corrected. You can ignore me henceforth

Those are some nice upgrades. Some of the best money I’ve spent was putting casters on mine. It was awkward to move and in the way 28 days a month before.

Where did you buy the ball bearings with a screw/nut attached to them?

RPat wrote:Where did you buy the ball bearings with a screw/nut attached to them?

Here’s a link to those “ball rollers”.
https://www.mcmaster.com/ball-rollers

The latest upgrades to the 20 ton press. Installed the winch, and cables, also notice the jack handle has a home and is held in place by rare earth magnets


Installed caps and hair pins to keep the table pins from getting pushed through.


Attached the air switch to the side of the press.
.

Finally, machined 3 ram extensions. A 6 inch, 3 inch, a smaller diameter 4 inch extension. All are held in place by rare earth magnets.



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Very nice TD, looks like you're all setup!

Very nice build. When I converted my press from hydraulic to air I installed a foot control air valve. The extra hand comes in real handy sometimes.

Thanks guys! I like the foot control idea!
Put the final piece on the press to finish it. A rack to hold my extensions.



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You should cut holes in that rack to drop your extensions into! Will keep them from tumbling off and breaking your foot

You do nice work out there TD. Looks like your hand has healed up well enough to allow you to keep after it?

cj737 wrote:You should cut holes in that rack to drop your extensions into! Will keep them from tumbling off and breaking your foot

You do nice work out there TD. Looks like your hand has healed up well enough to allow you to keep after it?

Thanks! The extensions are held there by the rare earth magnets inside the extensions, and the counter sunk screws in the middle of the black nylon, plus they have a minus 5 thousands fit. They are hard to pull off!
My hand never healed back to normal, can not flatten it out, and have no feel in my fingers. Friends have told me to sue, but I don't do that.

Thanks for all your help around here I have learned so much from you.
Mark

Very Nice, TD. Now you got my mind (what's left of it) going. I know all about loosing dexterity in the digits and hands. I lost my right little finger movement, and the last 2 knuckles on the left hand. CRASH...got wacked by a drive by on my harley.

Well it’s all done. Finished building the Swag Off Finger Brake, then made a ram extension for this brake, installed knobs to hold brake in press, with set screws to adjust the position fore and aft.



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I'm equally impressed by your storage in the background. I love storage but never have it sorted out properly.

weldin mike 27 wrote:I'm equally impressed by your storage in the background. I love storage but never have it sorted out properly.

Yeah, he’s a bit of a show off with all that fancy, organized storage. Must have too much time on his hands and not enough projects!

This first set of bins I built 35 years ago, and recently covered the old siding plywood with Formica and labeled them.

The second set was an expansion from the first bins done about 15 years ago.

The last set was add 3 years ago.



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If those ever go missing from your shop, look in mine for them

It's all very nice.

Show off

Nice setup Mark

Thanks guys!