tribal forge Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Ken, Pictures are great! And thank you!!! My brother and I have been trying to figure out how to make one of these items, and let me tell you some of the things a couple ppl have told me made no sense at al!! But with your photoes and discriptions, I think we can actually do this, Again THANKS/Selden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 Ken, Thank you for your quick response. I feel like I armed with all the information I need to complete this project. Impatience has got a grip on me though. I am still waiting for my air/over jack to arrive. I kind of feel like Wylie Coyote of the Roadrunner cartoons. He spends some restless time waiting for an anvil to arrive from Acme Anvil Company, so he can drop it on the roadrunners head. This is the first I time that I have gotten excited about making something in quite a while. So I just wanted to make sure you knew that I appreciated you information. Thank You Again. Ted Throckmorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guloguloguy Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hey! That's a very clever design, indeed! I'm wondering about the possibility of utilizing a electrically powered hydraulic log splitter, or building something of similar configuration, so that it would be capable of all the basic power hammer type of functions, yet be somewhat portable- (not weigh 3000#'s!). Any comments along this thought-line? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 guloguloguy Dale Russell has one. Here is a URL to the photo of his combo log splitter/press.Dale Forging With Log Splitter - Blacksmith Photo Gallery Enjoy! Ted Throckmorton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 So what happened to the 20 to 1 anvil to hammer ratio? or is that just another myth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Evans Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) Great thread....Have you guys thought about using some ideas from the jewelers press,I will try and post pictures if I cant look for Bonnie Doon Press Rio Grand sells them..On that note if you build one of these presses and later decide to get a full size one,these small presses come in handy for doing allot of different pressing operations for handle and sheath work in pressious metal along with jewelery work so dont think making one is a mistake it is just another added benefit to the shop,found bent guard material can be flattened quickly with this press. I will be building one of these mini presses also. Bonny Doon 20-Ton Mark III Hydraulic Press $1534.00 each Item 110455 Bonny Doon 20-Ton Mark III Electric Hydraulic Press $3340.00 each Item 110457 Bonny Doon Pro 25-Ton Manual Press $5860.00 each Item 110462 And these will take the pressure.They do make a 50 ton version of the pro model and have the pro in electric.... These pics are just to give you guys other ideas on this small press,check out rio grande and see what all you can do with one. Bruce Edited November 28, 2008 by Bruce Evans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Anderson R Posted December 6, 2008 Share Posted December 6, 2008 (edited) looks great, I need to build one. Thanks for the picture walk through, it realy answered the smaller detail questions I had. Edited December 6, 2008 by J Anderson R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawrence Parramore Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Why would the 50 ton one be slower? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroyk Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Ken Kelly Your press looks great. I am thinking abou building one too.I never thought about air over hydraluic pump with about a 5 hp motor. don't know if it will be powerful enough or fast enough' the few times i have tried making a billet i used a friends forge and power h amer. I h ad fair sucess the last billet i made, I added some 15n20 and pure nickel to wood band saw b lades and metal band saw blades. Also some 1095 the peices range from .030 to .050 I stack about 40 layers. It is about 2" thick. and abou 6" long. Do you think this would weld on your air over press. Any info you can give will be greatly apperciated , Leroyhe guyhe block Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroyk Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Ken Kelly Your press looks great. I am thinking abou building one too.I never thought about air over hydraluic pump with about a 5 hp motor. don't know if it will be powerful enough or fast enough' the few times i have tried making a billet i used a friends forge and power h amer. I h ad fair sucess the last billet i made, I added some 15n20 and pure nickel to wood band saw b lades and metal band saw blades. Also some 1095 the peices range from .030 to .050 I stack about 40 layers. It is about 2" thick. and abou 6" long. Do you think this would weld on your air over press. Any info you can give will be greatly apperciated , Leroyk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Kelley Posted January 9, 2009 Author Share Posted January 9, 2009 Ken Kelly Your press looks great. I am thinking abou building one too.I never thought about air over hydraluic pump with about a 5 hp motor. don't know if it will be powerful enough or fast enough' the few times i have tried making a billet i used a friends forge and power h amer. I h ad fair sucess the last billet i made, I added some 15n20 and pure nickel to wood band saw b lades and metal band saw blades. Also some 1095 the peices range from .030 to .050 I stack about 40 layers. It is about 2" thick. and abou 6" long. Do you think this would weld on your air over press. Any info you can give will be greatly apperciated , Leroyk Sorry to be so slow in replying. I haven't checked this forum for a few days. Yes, I think my press would be able to handle a billet that size. I've tried it on a billet that was about 1 & 1/2" thick and it handled it with ease. Even though it is a small package, 20 tons of squoosh power isn't to be sneezed at! The only drawback is the relative slowness of operation compared to its larger cousins. I think I might be able to get a little more ram speed if I hook on a couple of springs to the bottom anvil. Will probably try that when it warms up a bit. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike fronefield Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 hi ken kelley do you have planes for the press Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 So what happened to the 20 to 1 anvil to hammer ratio? or is that just another myth? no clue, but a 5# hammer on a 100# anvil is asking for trouble I would think. more like 30:1 or better, just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Kelley Posted January 23, 2009 Author Share Posted January 23, 2009 hi ken kelley do you have planes for the press Mike, Take a look at post #12 on this thread. I provided a list of the dimensions and stock sizes for all the parts. Also posted links to a bunch of pictures on Photobucket. That should be enough to guide you through the build. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer them as best I can. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reinhard Schwaninger Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 How many nuts can your press crack at once? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Ken, any chance of seeing some before and after items that you have pressed? I'm looking to have a clearer understanding of presses and what they an do and what different folk use them for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandomaniac Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Ken, Having used this a bit now, wonder if you have any thoughts on 'mods'. I thought using 2 uprights on each side would allow for slightly wider area for dies. If you had a heavy (say 1/2" T), wide (4" as opposed to 2") support under the cross bars, that is. In your opinion, would this be overkill for a 20T jack, or maybe the 20 Ton would be inadequate? Thanks for sharing the details of this press. I am hot on the trail of putting something together! Since I am trying to play with pattern laminated forge welding. it should be just the ticket for what I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urnesBeast Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I just made one of these. It is my first welding project, but I think I did well. How does one test this machine. I expect that failure would be at the nut connection, the bolt would shear. I was thinking I could text this by putting a packing blanket over it, wearing lots of safety gear and standing around the corner and let run to full pressure with nothing in there to smoosh. Would this break the jack if the press did not fly apart? Has anyone had this thing fail? I am also thinking of making my bolts out of tool steel. I suspect I would rather just normalize them so if they sheared, they would shear in a gooey way instead of a sharp sudden failure. Ideas? Doug PS. I have some temporary pins in there right now and have crushed some copper tubing the long way. That works wonderfully Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefera4m Posted September 14, 2010 Share Posted September 14, 2010 Well, I finally finished my mini-press (well except for some more enhancements that come to mind). Mostly just a copy, thanks for the original idea Thunderfrom Dfogg! My Mini Press Uprights - 2"x2"x1/4" Base (boxed in by 1/4"x2"x8" flat stock) Base plate 16z" wide x 10" deep x 3/8" Base internal (4) 2"x2"x14" - 10" long Top Plate - 8"x10"x1/4" Bottom Die Holder - 2"x2"x1/4" - 8" long Sides - 2-1/2" x 12" x 1/4" Top Die Holder - 2"x2"x1/4" - 8" long Sides - 2-1/2" x 12" x 3/8" (2) Grade #8 1/2" bolts Dies - #1 = Plate 2"x3"x3/8 plate, 1"x1"2" mild steel Dies - #2 = 3/4"x2" Steel bar (lawn tractor axle stee) Some of my modifications: Quick Change Die Holder - Slip in one side and the center Long 'T'- Handle Hold Down Pin and 'T' - Handle - Tension Pin and Set Screw to hold tight Extendible Tool Rest Tool Rest/Die at Top Rear Hold Down Tool Tray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted September 14, 2010 Share Posted September 14, 2010 Reefera4m Thank You, Nice looking job you did!! I hope to make one this year, and I hope it turns out as nice! Ted Throckmorton (AKA) Stone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefera4m Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Reefera4m Thank You, Nice looking job you did!! I hope to make one this year, and I hope it turns out as nice! Ted Throckmorton (AKA) Stone You're welcome. I'm going to make another one for a friend so I did a couple of extra things with my first one - a schematic and a cost list. The cost quote I got form a local supplier in WA and they were reasonable except for the 3/8" thick 10"x16" base plate. I got a piece from their scrap pile for $10 versus the $83 for a new cut piece. Here's the info (sorry the columns do not line up - the first column is as quoted, the second column is using scrap 3/8" and the 4th column is using 1/4 plate instead of 3/8"): Schematic: Cost: Description Quote 1/4" instead of 3/8 Scrap 3/8" Quantity (2) - 2”x2”x1/4” 24” lengths steel tubing (A36) or mild steel $23.80 $23.80 $23.80 Quantity (4) - 2”x2”x1/4” 10” lengths steel tubing (A36) or mild steel $ 20.83 $ 20.83 $ 20.83 Quantity (2) - 2”x2”x1/4” 8” lengths steel tubing (A36) or mild steel $8.92 $8.92 $8.92 Quantity (1) - 3/8” x 16”x10-1/2” sheet (mild steel) $83.35 $12.00 $20.00 Quantity (1) - ¼” x 8”x10 sheet steel (mild steel) $5.95 $5.95 $5.95 Quantity (2) - 3/8” x 12”x3” sheet steel (mild steel) $6.90 $6.90 $6.90 Quantity (2) - ¼”” x 12”x3” sheet steel (mild steel) $4.60 $4.60 $4.60 Cuts $14.00 $14.00 $14.00 Steel Only total Cost $141.57 $70.22 $78.22 Air over Hydraulic Jack- Harbor Frieght Sales Price $86.71 $86.71 $86.71 Totals w/Jack $228.28 $156.93 $164.93 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Wow!!!! Now that is detail. I would suggest that you make a Blueprint for I Forge Iron. You might check with Glenn .You have saved me a ton of figuring!! Ha ha. Thank you again, I am all smiles Ted Throckmorton (AKA) Stone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefera4m Posted September 16, 2010 Share Posted September 16, 2010 Wow!!!! Now that is detail. I would suggest that you make a Blueprint for I Forge Iron. You might check with Glenn .You have saved me a ton of figuring!! Ha ha. Thank you again, I am all smiles Ted Throckmorton (AKA) Stone Naw, then I'd have to charge for it But the way, my only concern with my press was welding the uprights securely. I have a MillerMatic 175 (220V MIG welder) which will weld 1/4" plate in a single pass. I'm a fair hobby welder, but to to make sure the uprights would hold I beveled the bottoms of both uprights, cranked the welder up to the max for .030 wire and made a two-pass weld on three outer sides of the uprights and a one pass weld on the inside to the 3/8" base. Then I welded up the side of the uprights and across the top of the 2"x2"x1/4" square tubing base and then welded the the upright to the 1/4" top plate of the base. All in all I welded the uprights in 8 places, each weld at least 1/4" thick with the deepest penetration I could achieve. On the beveled ends I was able to get pretty much complete penetration and probably 70% on the rest of the welds. I'm pretty sure, and initial test bear me out, that the uprights won't EVER come off . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviddwilson Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 The jack is an air assisted hydraulic available at HF. HAndy little items. Finnr I have never tried to do any forge welding, but would that be able to weld up cable billets too? And, YES, a BP would be most appreciated! what was your material list, roughly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpotter Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 This is a great idea I make small 20 ton hydraulic presses for jewelers and when I read this thread I went out to the shop and made a set of forging dies out of s7 and put them in my press and they worked great. I have been selling my presses to jewelers to punch out dies and form sheet but this is way more fun. I am going to make dies for forging tennons and flats and punching holes. It wont be doing real heavy work but it can easily do 1 inch stuff which is great for most work. I will try and post a video, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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