S Moroz I did not know that. I was looking for one of those. Now I won’t have to look any longer. Now, if I can just remember what I wanted that for. I like all these changes this guy made as well.
The first modification I made to my Chinese press was to weld pieces of steel tubing, of the appropriate ID, between the pairs of front and back holes in the side channels. That way I don't have to fumble around looking to line the pin up with the back hole while I'm holding the heavy cross piece. Put the support pin in the front hole and it goes right through the back hole, every time.
Make a catch box to go under the press. Put some cardboard or padding of some sort in the box. This will prevent the item being pressed out from being damaged when it hits the floor. This is really important if you are pushing a hardened broach to cut a keyway. If it falls through and hits the concrete floor your very expensive broach will be in two very expensive pieces.
I keep a 5gal. bucket half full of floor dry/kittie litter below my press to catch falling parts. Too, if you get a pneumatic foot valve your hands will be free to keep work in place.
Hey BJ. Drop a couple of small sheets of 3/4 inch plywood in the area between the fore-aft support legs and above your casters. They make a nice shelf to store my press blocks, plates, and metal scraps that are always handy when pressing odd shaped things. Also, when I am pressing, I tend to sit on a stool with one foot up off the floor. The plywood makes a handy footrest when I'm at the bar …. oops, I mean press.
On the table pins, I simply added a single spot weld bead to each pin so the pin is "stopped" at the hole in the upright. When moving the pins, just make sure the pin is rotated so that the weld spot is not at 12:00 and interfere with supporting the table. Thanks for the other tips!
What a bargain your vids are! Picked up a few nuggets in the first few minutes alone!!! I may be a dullard (so my wife informs me!), but I never in my 45 years of wrenching ever thought of "repurposing" old bike tires for vise jaw pads! And I LOVE to repurpose stuff!!! Genius! thanks!
The plates that come with the HF press are prone to cracking under pressure (seen it happen to someone, and had one let go on my own press.....it can be very ugly). By drilling those holes, you've now created 4 stress concentrations on each plate, which could lead to cracking under even less pressure than normal. An alternative would be to take a piece of 1/4" plate, cut it in a square, and use J-B Weld or some other epoxy to attach it to the underside of the main plate. Since it's not load bearing, it doesn't have to be very strong, and doing it this way will keep the plates centered, without creating those stress concentrations.
What I done was weld a strip of flat bar on the edge of the bed where the plates fit down in between. The plates still slide left and right but can not move forward and back.
Mike, I'm guessing that the plates you mentioned are cast, like mine. I am really envying how those presses come equipped with rolled steel ones, now. I expect that they will bend, not shatter. Wish I could swap. Only a hundred or so more bucks from SWAG. The press table has been mentioned as rocking in the Harbor Freight customer reviews, as my older, orange one does. Some guy, somewhere, needed to put a shim under one leg of his welding table. Sheesh, how many years, how many products? I think that the energy stored to press the tables flat before any work gets done is what contributes to the dramatic events following a cracked arbor plate. Two fails in one, by Harbor Freight. Haven't read of any lawsuits, although that guy on the SWAG website sure had a case.
I used to have that same press I like your improvements, but I have one more. My pet peeve was when I was working on something heavy or complicated and I needed to change the height, it was difficult to move the crossbar up or down without removing the work piece. I used mine to press bearings onto fairly long shafts so I had to adjust the height a lot. I wound up making a simple winch with two load lines one to each end of the bar. this allowed me to easily change the height while keeping the crossbar level and leaving the job inplace.
A round disc on the bottom of the press plates works much better than the 4 pins. You can spin the plates rather than lifting them out to change apatures plus for those odd ball jobs you can jog the plates to make them fit the job. I hard mounted my air valve in a foot pedal to free up my hands. I did my handles basically like you. I made my pin stops with washers and short pieces of pipe as handles. I also made spacers to go on the pins to give a half step to the 6" Spalding in the frame. My release valve is getting an aluminium handle someday but the wooden handle works fine. It was a slug from hole sawing a hole in a piece of plywood. Hope this helps you and anyone else Good Luck!
All good ideas. One thing that might be a tad bit more helpful would be to mount the square tube box (for the jack handles) higher. If its high enough the handles extend above the top of the press frame by a couple of inches you could grab the handles more quickly/positively/efficiently. Just a thought. Thanks for posting.
Great video! The thing I always want is a way to raise and lower the bolster, (the load-bearing lower horizontal piece,) so the top is always horizontal. Large, (industrial, expensive,) ones I've seen have a simple hand-cranked boat winch that lifts the bolster with a separate cable and sheave arrangement that always keeps it horizontal. Just so we're clear, the cable, sheaves, and winch, do not carry press loads. They are only involved in raising, lowering, and holding the bolster so you can move the pins to their next position. Some cable sheaves, some cable, a cheap winch, a bit of welding or drilling, your choice, and you have a very convenient way to move the bolster. You can even skip the winch if your bolster is light enough. But the winch allows you to move the bolster with your press tooling and parts in place if needed. The hardware can be cheap garage door hardware, for lighter presses or better stuff for heavier presses.
I know that this video is a couple of years old now, But a quick and easy jack knob replacement that I have done on several of these presses (Mine included) is a knurled knob from McMaster Carr Part # 6333K22 for about $6 now. I open up the hole slightly with a drill slide on (after removing the old roll pin) and tighten the set screw which pretty much lines up with the old divot from the roll pin making it hold nicely.
One thing I did on my HF press was mount a manual winch similar to what would be found on a boat trailer, great for lifting the table with the arbor plates etc...
Would like to see how you set that up. Getting older, I have a hard time lifting the table with one hand while trying to move the pins with my other hand.
The method of using a boat-trailer winch on top to lift arbor plates into position IS ALSO COMMON TO LARGER COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIALS presses. I'd consider this a win for a couple r easons; First the safety of lifting something below you center line, let's say your waist, can increase chance of.back injury. And second you can only assume how long you have to stand there holding onto a heavy object, get distracted, the phone chimes or rings and you awkwardly set a corner of that heavy plate against an edge of something else on your press😩 And it suddenly releases... Thanks again for good ideas as you have really sparked my interest to work on my press!
I've seen the pins done on the press plates on other videos. I like the idea; however I would not have pressed the pins in. I often stack my plates so I don't have to move the bed up, crank the jack down or dig through my bucket of spacer-widgets. I would have made at least one of the plates with removable pins so they don't get in the way if you have to stack them. I'm going to do both my plates with a socket-head bolt or All-thread. They only need to be finger tight. And if you somehow break one off - easy-peazy to replace! And for my next trick - I'm going to make a set of plates out of Unobtanium so they float in mid-air! No more dropping on my foot! :)
I bought the smaller one and turned it into a welding coupon testing bender i had to do some modifications to it along with a jig i built and the air powered jack instead of the pump it works so awesome
Nicely done! This was a really helpful mod video. These are excellent ideas and very well presented. Thank you so much for posting this and sharing these ideas. I'd already done the pins in the plates but now I plan to do some of these other mods as well. My choice was to drill and tap the holes for the plate pins - in case I ever needed to remove them. And I plan to follow your lead with the pneumatic pump too - excellent idea! I agree with the others about the foot pedal being the best method. I'd been planning to do a swivel type of T handle on the valve but I really like your idea of the round wheel soooo much better! I think when I do the valve handle I'll tack on a short extension to the valve screw rather than grind away the jack platform. My bear paws need as good of access to that valve as possible. Good stuff Tyler. Thanks again for the ideas!
Take a marker and draw a line at the maximum distance of the rams push bar on the 2 side supports so you always know to set your item to be pressed above those marks. It makes it easier to figure out where to set the table height at.
I see that some others have posted about a foot valve, that sounds good too! I was thinking about a hand operated type valve mounted to the side. the only other improvement I see is, to put some better larger support steel on the base. I like the wheel idea, but I really think the metal that is included is just not heavy enough for moving is around that much. Doesn't look like there is much support in the center of those legs!! Good video!! At least I didn't notice that you were trying to talk over the music!! (and it didn't have that heavy bass booming sound! :) :) )
When you have to remove tension spring try this trick. Extend the spring a suitable amount and grab yourself either some thin packers or even snip off some suitable pieces of steel banding strap from an old packing crate and slip between the coils. Fill up the gaps, you may need a decent handful of "packers" and then release the spring and it can only shorten itself until it has grabbed the packers. Effectively the spring ends up longer. It is especially useful when you have dismantled something and you have to install a strong tension spring on reassembly. Simply put the spring in a vice and slip thin packers between each coil, one at a time again and simply it makes the spring "longer". Then install the spring and simply pull out the packers, one at a time and job done. It works amazingly well. You may not be able to physically pull a spring out say 3/4' but you can pull it say 1/16' fairly easily.
I know this is years too late but I just got my self that 20 ton press and think it is Poetry, that you are using the press you are improving to improve it by pressing the pins into those plates.!!!
I would have gone with a roll pin or hitch pin on the last suggestion but altogether great suggestions. I also added a shelf with a large bin at the bottom of mine to store all my plates and fittings so the worktop isnt rediculously heavy when I have to raise or lower it.
Did the 20 ton pneumatic jack trick on my press about 15 years ago, but left the jack as is because use the jack to lift my motor home and truck.... Dozens of times over the years... Good tips! Thanks...
Very cool mods, thanks for the ideas. If you want your air nozzel to be mounted for gery cheap and be easy access and put away. Get some 5lb magnets and glue them to the frame to hold onto the air nozzle
I bought the same press about 5 years ago, but, mine is orange. At the same time, I also bought the air/hydraulic jack for it, which, incidentally, is gray! I don't have a problem using the jack handle on the release valve, but, I also don't like things hanging loose. What I did for the handle sections was mount 2 of those spring clips that people use to hang brooms inside of closet doors. I drilled 2 holes in the side frame and attached them with sheet metal screws. For the air line, I drilled/tapped another hole and used a common "J" hook. I also didn't like the height adjustment pins sliding all the way through, so, I did basically the same as you except I welded washers about 1" in from the end so that I could still pull them out easily. I've never had a major problem with the press plates, but, that's an interesting mod that I'll think about doing.
Got my grandad's press frame. Was already going to replace the springs and jack that were damaged... Some damn good ideas here that will be implemented. Glad I watched the video and didn't buy the original style jack last month when I was there.
Thanks mate. Enjoyed the video and learnt a tip I didn't expect... Using an old tyre to protect metal parts in the Vice. It will always seem simple now but I learnt it here first. Thanks again!
I made my own press with one of those Harbor Freight pneumatic jacks. And I added a foot valve on the floor so I can control it with my foot rather than the squeeze hand valve. Changes everything.
I would really like to see you do a foot pedal mod! Either an off-the-shelf pneumatic pedal or homemade housing for that one. Having both hands-free would be great.
The major improvement i made to mine was a boat winch on top with the strap modified ( loop sewn into middle instead of the end) and each end of strap goes down and bolts to the table part to lift/lower the table for different jobs
Like your video,I made the same mods to my press many years ago,works fine how ever after only a year or so the air pump failed. On inspection I found the plastic piston had cracked in several pieces ,no problem,turned a new one from aluminum, the addition of an oiler in the air supply helps as well.
11:14 LOL LOVE DA ADORABLE PRICELESS "FATHER-SON BONDING-MOMENT" THERE!!! :D :D :D These types of workshop-videos always are more enjoyable when you include "pint-sized" family-members in the show, like they did in the "Barn Find Cars - Split Window VW - part 4 of 8", and South Main Auto Repair's "Vanessa O. Takes Matters Into Her Own Hands" :D
@@coachd6100 Yes. Well, if the children are responsible and non-destructive, then it is a pleasure seeing them interacting with their parents while working in the shop. :)
22:28 If those are the cast plates that come with these presses, there are lots of info that says to throw these out before they break on you and replace them with steel plate. Swag Offroad has some nice ones. I also think some hairpin cotter pins on the support rods on both sides might be better than a nut on one side. Thanks for the video.
I had the older orange HF 20 ton press, the beam that goes up and down had about 1/4 inch of slop on each side which causes the ram to not press evenly and the work piece would shift. I had a slab of nylon and on a table saw I cut out two blocks an channeled them so the bushing would lock over the ends of the beam removing the slack.
The pneumatic conversion is a nice mod. For the pins I would just drill and tap the end and bolt on a fender washer. If you're concerned about it coming loose, a little loctite will prevent that. I just put the jack handles on top of the top cross member. It's made of two pieces of channel iron and the spacing between them is perfect to keep them from rolling off while giving perfect access to the handles.
The press is from harbor freight. Every other month they have a coupon for their blue magnetic LED light for free. I must have about 50 of them around the house. Leave a couple of them stuck up under your press.
Because my garage shop space is super limited, i added a bunch of scrap wooden slats left to right between the angle irons, to give myself a platform for storing a heavy tool box. Since i also added wheels, this gives me a convenient way to move the tools around, and also lowers the center of gravity to reduce the chances of tipping over the hydraulic press.
Issue with the HF pneumatic bottle jack is quality. It will crap out fairly quickly with moderate usage. Already done a lot of these items, and the pneumatic jack was the weak spot. Spend some $$ and get a quality one to save headaches. Also, like many others said, foot peddle for controlling the air, free's up both hands when you need to align parts perfect under the press.
2 more MODs to consider. The cross piece that the ram sits on moves side to side at least 1/4", making it sloppy. I took mine off and added Delrin shims on each side to take out the slop and make it slide up and down smoother. I drilled and tapped a hole on each side and attached the shims with a recessed, beveled screw. Before I added the shims, I also welded some metal shims to tighten up the front to back slop. You could just drill and tap a bolt on each side to adjust the (1/4") slop out. The last MOD was to put the 2 press plates in my mill and surface both sides so they are flat. I did this before putting the locator studs in. As far as I can tell these plates are not plasma cut, they appear to be cast, therefore, at least on mine, they are not very flat. In fact, mine were lumpy as hell so milling them flat was a must so they didn't rock and were both flat and the same thickness. If you don't have access to a mill, at least sand them down with a belt sander.
I have that same press. The modifications I made were, there were holes in the cross pieces where he welded the plates for the casters, I installed spindle casters in those holes, and the other modification I made was, I bought magnetic hooks and placed two on the cross member above the jack and set my jack handle on those.
I'm going to take some of your ideas and apply them to my press. Thanks! If it were me I would mount a magnet to the air valve. That way I can grab it when I need it, and slap it right back to the press frame when I don't!
In Canada we don't have Harbor Freight, we have Princess Auto. Most of their stuff comes from China, at least the shop tools. I also hated the release valve and quickly hung a T-handle on it, didn't even need to take it out. It came with the washers on the table pins. I don't move it much but sometimes it gets in the way, and casters would really help there. I'll have to keep an eye out for the pneumatic jack. I thought the nuts was a little overkill. I started thinking that pressed in pins would be a mistake if they ever should get in the way, but with the drilled through holes you ca always press them out. Lots to think about!!!! Thank you
I've put 2 lengths of PVC tubing over each return spring - one fits inside the other thinking is a spring breaks and a chip flies off it won't Get Me I've a bunch of different widths of hardwood from a table saw to use as shims and spacers and use them All the Time. And as my drill press is right next to the hyd. press they are always handy good video, thanks
What a great idea on the handwheel, I need to make one.... Why not throw it in a square collet chuck holder and use your mill to make it square? I'm going to make a new one on the lathe... Thanks for the video.
Beautiful and nicely done. My brother added a foot pedal valve for his shop press. I have to find out where he got his. And I will let you know a.s.a.p.
I would recommend adding some "GUSSETS" to the Caster Legs! If being moved around alot, one or more of those Angle Iron "Stability Legs" are going to warp/bend... Maybe "Upgrade" the OE Legs with something stronger?
Could weld a short return hanging down off the back of the table to stop the pins going to far through. Then, stick a strong magnet on the back side of it and it will retain the pin from falling forward out if its hole. You could use a magnet for the fine adjustment handle, too.
Love the pneumatic press idea. Been thinking about it for a long time but would rather have electric over hydraulic. For the valve I would have just driven the pin out, cut a slot on the same end 90 degrees from the holes for the pin the stuck 1/2 the handle from the old table saw bolts in the slot and reinserted the pin. For the press plates you could have just laid them on the press and welded a piece of strap steel to the press on the outside of each plate so they're up against a shoulder. But I like it. Nice job.
We took the hand winch off of a jet ski trailer, and mounted it to the press side. Use a pulley at the top and winch the press bed up and down, then put the pins in. Doesn't matter how fast the jack is, raising and lowering the press bed hole by hole takes most of the time. Could use electric winch if you want.
I want to thank you for making the video on this Harbor Freight press I just love it because we bought one about 6 months ago and it just seems like everything's laying everywhere love your videos keep up the good work
LOTS of good improvements. I wonder if there is a way to add air pressure above the oil in the jack to get the piston to slide into position first, then flip a valve and start normal hydraulic pumping. Try removing the rubber plug on the side (the filler hole) and use a rubber tipped blow gun to add some pressure (with a regulator if you have one, and the rag). The holding valve needs to be closed. Looking at a jack diagram, that should move oil through both the check valves, the pump and into the piston. If it works, then you need a way to get a small air line up to it. I had to laugh a little when you added the rubber for the pins to drop on in the can to "lessen the noise" after listening to the air pump. I know you did it to keep them from hammering a bottom out of the pocket. I always thought an oil pressure gauge would be handy. We had one on a similar hydraulic press at work.
try KJ magnetics - they have all sorts of size and strength magnets to hold anything - a 30# magnet will hold your handle and you can move it around until you find a sweet location - same for your air attachment
Hose clamp the air valve to the box that holds the handles. Also paint the different heights for the lower support different colors so you can make sure the bottom is level at a glance. That can really help when you have to work tired or sick. The angle iron legs will twist. Putting some square tubing across will help it be more stable.
Great tricks, I am definitely going to upgrade my press now. I personally wouldn't drill any holes into the press plates as that could weaken them. I will just tack on a piece of thin bar stock on both sides of the I beam the plates set on to keep the plates centered. Great video!
My first press mod was a couple of magnets on the side for the cylinder (jack) lever. I tell ya-you’ll never drop it off the top (or set it somewhere else in the shop) again!!
I tack weld the pump handle together so it's not falling apart while you're trying to hold something in the press and pump the jack. They are two piece so that they'll fit into the packaging for the jack.
You can by the knobs on the internet, all you do is push out the pin slip on the knob push the pin back in. Get a floor pedal to hook the air hose to, that way you have two hands to hold your work. You can mark the holes by turning the plates ninety degrees and scribing two more lines. Drill the holes inside the corners.
on the release I drifted the pin out and used a bolt and a piece of tubing to make a release handle, but did it with the valve in so I could index the handle to operate on the top, so the base doesn't interfere with the bleed off. I also used a short 1/4" nipple to extend it out, drilled a hole and drifted the pin through it and put the bolt tube on the ther end and indexed the holes in line.
I built my own press with a HF air over hydraulic and added a foot pedal and the next biggest advancement was a winch that lifts the press table up and down so I can leave all the plates on the table and lift and lower as needed. Also machined adaptors that I can extend the rod coming down for length and with of the rod.
I got the pneumatic jack for mine as soon as I got the press. The manual jack is just way too slow when trying to do a job. Now I put the old jack in my truck box for emergencies.
You spent a lot of time fitting that old hand wheel, I simply used a 2" square of 1/4 steel plate with rounded corners and tack welded it to the end of the pressure release. Quick and easy works great.
On my HF engine crane, the pin the jack handle turns to relieve pressure in jack broke off. Real soft steel. I grabbed set of HF (about 6 inch) vise grips and clamped on the screw. Only had to turn 1/4 turn to drop whatever I was lifting. Vise Grips are still on there as I never removed them. 5+ years now. Cheap no fuss solution. KISS. Keep It Stupid Simple.
I know it's an old video, but I would mount a female air fitting to underside of the top cross bar and store the male chuck locked into that, when not connected to air. That maintains your mobility around the shop.
HI Mr Beepin Jeep , I have made most of the same mods = castors pin stops to keep my small tools & rods etc I use magnets from old woofer speakers inside the press channels , I like your work nice job thanks.
I use the small neodymium magnets robbed out of dead hard drives from computers. You can fasten small to large pins to your press, drill press, band saw, etc. They are really handy. They are so powerful that ratchets, wrenches, won't fall off.
For the plates, I'd be more tempted to cut a couple square blocks of 3/4" MDF then countersink a large magnet or a few smaller magnets. That way I can still offset the plates a bit if I need to. Then they can just be tapped back to the center position. Some lights would be good. I used and LED microscope light on my drill press. Circular ring light. But a couple side lights would probably work better on the press. Thanks for the tips.
It looks like you need to tighten up the clearance between the frame and jack plate! I noticed it wobbled around quite a bit and certainly not good for pressing precision parts such as bearing. Thanks for the video it was a lot of great idea's.
22:31 I machined the press plates to be reasonably the same height and flatness. Since they are cast they are not flat. I didn't go completely flat across the whole plate but 80% anyway.
What about a foot valve control for the air, it would leave both hands free to keep whatever you are working on steady.
Yes on this one. I did exactly that on mine. I like to have two hands on most of the projects. I also used a HF air over piston on my engine hoist.
I'd like to see a foot valve as well. It would be pretty convenient.
Harbor Freight also sells those.
S Moroz I did not know that. I was looking for one of those. Now I won’t have to look any longer. Now, if I can just remember what I wanted that for.
I like all these changes this guy made as well.
@@jake-hy2zb Do you have more info about what you did to your engine hoist? I'm very interested to learn more about that setup.
The first modification I made to my Chinese press was to weld pieces of steel tubing, of the appropriate ID, between the pairs of front and back holes in the side channels. That way I don't have to fumble around looking to line the pin up with the back hole while I'm holding the heavy cross piece. Put the support pin in the front hole and it goes right through the back hole, every time.
Excellent idea
Carry a tape measure (or a scale) and measure the needed cross piece vertical clearance BEFORE picking up the item to be pressed off or on.
😊
Make a catch box to go under the press. Put some cardboard or padding of some sort in the box. This will prevent the item being pressed out from being damaged when it hits the floor. This is really important if you are pushing a hardened broach to cut a keyway. If it falls through and hits the concrete floor your very expensive broach will be in two very expensive pieces.
Wouldn't that be two worthless pieces?
Metal Coffee Can...
Always have a cardboard box half full of rags for that reason. Makes it quiet too :)
Not cheap any more... I paid $149 for a 20 Ton before the plandemic... now more like $300...
I keep a 5gal. bucket half full of floor dry/kittie litter below my press to catch falling parts. Too, if you get a pneumatic foot valve your hands will be free to keep work in place.
Hey BJ. Drop a couple of small sheets of 3/4 inch plywood in the area between the fore-aft support legs and above your casters. They make a nice shelf to store my press blocks, plates, and metal scraps that are always handy when pressing odd shaped things. Also, when I am pressing, I tend to sit on a stool with one foot up off the floor. The plywood makes a handy footrest when I'm at the bar …. oops, I mean press.
On the table pins, I simply added a single spot weld bead to each pin so the pin is "stopped" at the hole in the upright. When moving the pins, just make sure the pin is rotated so that the weld spot is not at 12:00 and interfere with supporting the table. Thanks for the other tips!
What a bargain your vids are! Picked up a few nuggets in the first few minutes alone!!! I may be a dullard (so my wife informs me!), but I never in my 45 years of wrenching ever thought of "repurposing" old bike tires for vise jaw pads! And I LOVE to repurpose stuff!!! Genius! thanks!
The plates that come with the HF press are prone to cracking under pressure (seen it happen to someone, and had one let go on my own press.....it can be very ugly). By drilling those holes, you've now created 4 stress concentrations on each plate, which could lead to cracking under even less pressure than normal.
An alternative would be to take a piece of 1/4" plate, cut it in a square, and use J-B Weld or some other epoxy to attach it to the underside of the main plate. Since it's not load bearing, it doesn't have to be very strong, and doing it this way will keep the plates centered, without creating those stress concentrations.
What I done was weld a strip of flat bar on the edge of the bed where the plates fit down in between. The plates still slide left and right but can not move forward and back.
Mike, I'm guessing that the plates you mentioned are cast, like mine. I am really envying how those presses come equipped with rolled steel ones, now. I expect that they will bend, not shatter. Wish I could swap. Only a hundred or so more bucks from SWAG.
The press table has been mentioned as rocking in the Harbor Freight customer reviews, as my older, orange one does. Some guy, somewhere, needed to put a shim under one leg of his welding table. Sheesh, how many years, how many products? I think that the energy stored to press the tables flat before any work gets done is what contributes to the dramatic events following a cracked arbor plate. Two fails in one, by Harbor Freight. Haven't read of any lawsuits, although that guy on the SWAG website sure had a case.
@ neo 71665 Much better Idea
I set mine on 3/4 sheet of 1/4 plate iron and welded it then welded stabilizer to it
Couldn't you just add a flat metal bar to back of main frame. This would stop plates from sliding off
I used to have that same press I like your improvements, but I have one more. My pet peeve was when I was working on something heavy or complicated and I needed to change the height, it was difficult to move the crossbar up or down without removing the work piece. I used mine to press bearings onto fairly long shafts so I had to adjust the height a lot. I wound up making a simple winch with two load lines one to each end of the bar. this allowed me to easily change the height while keeping the crossbar level and leaving the job inplace.
A round disc on the bottom of the press plates works much better than the 4 pins. You can spin the plates rather than lifting them out to change apatures plus for those odd ball jobs you can jog the plates to make them fit the job. I hard mounted my air valve in a foot pedal to free up my hands. I did my handles basically like you. I made my pin stops with washers and short pieces of pipe as handles. I also made spacers to go on the pins to give a half step to the 6" Spalding in the frame. My release valve is getting an aluminium handle someday but the wooden handle works fine. It was a slug from hole sawing a hole in a piece of plywood. Hope this helps you and anyone else Good Luck!
All good ideas. One thing that might be a tad bit more helpful would be to mount the square tube box (for the jack handles) higher. If its high enough the handles extend above the top of the press frame by a couple of inches you could grab the handles more quickly/positively/efficiently. Just a thought. Thanks for posting.
Great video! The thing I always want is a way to raise and lower the bolster, (the load-bearing lower horizontal piece,) so the top is always horizontal. Large, (industrial, expensive,) ones I've seen have a simple hand-cranked boat winch that lifts the bolster with a separate cable and sheave arrangement that always keeps it horizontal. Just so we're clear, the cable, sheaves, and winch, do not carry press loads. They are only involved in raising, lowering, and holding the bolster so you can move the pins to their next position. Some cable sheaves, some cable, a cheap winch, a bit of welding or drilling, your choice, and you have a very convenient way to move the bolster. You can even skip the winch if your bolster is light enough. But the winch allows you to move the bolster with your press tooling and parts in place if needed. The hardware can be cheap garage door hardware, for lighter presses or better stuff for heavier presses.
Just watched a guy do this to his press.
Use 1/16" rubber strips to keep the plates from sliding. Much simpler and you can position the plates in any direction you need.
I know that this video is a couple of years old now, But a quick and easy jack knob replacement that I have done on several of these presses (Mine included) is a knurled knob from McMaster Carr Part # 6333K22 for about $6 now. I open up the hole slightly with a drill slide on (after removing the old roll pin) and tighten the set screw which pretty much lines up with the old divot from the roll pin making it hold nicely.
One thing I did on my HF press was mount a manual winch similar to what would be found on a boat trailer, great for lifting the table with the arbor plates etc...
Would like to see how you set that up. Getting older, I have a hard time lifting the table with one hand while trying to move the pins with my other hand.
The method of using a boat-trailer winch on top to lift arbor plates into position IS ALSO COMMON TO LARGER COMMERCIAL & INDUSTRIALS presses. I'd consider this a win for a couple r easons; First the safety of lifting something below you center line, let's say your waist, can increase chance of.back injury. And second you can only assume how long you have to stand there holding onto a heavy object, get distracted, the phone chimes or rings and you awkwardly set a corner of that heavy plate against an edge of something else on your press😩 And it suddenly releases... Thanks again for good ideas as you have really sparked my interest to work on my press!
I've seen the pins done on the press plates on other videos. I like the idea; however I would not have pressed the pins in. I often stack my plates so I don't have to move the bed up, crank the jack down or dig through my bucket of spacer-widgets.
I would have made at least one of the plates with removable pins so they don't get in the way if you have to stack them.
I'm going to do both my plates with a socket-head bolt or All-thread. They only need to be finger tight. And if you somehow break one off - easy-peazy to replace!
And for my next trick - I'm going to make a set of plates out of Unobtanium so they float in mid-air! No more dropping on my foot! :)
The pins on the plates are a terrible idea, youre weakening the press plates,.
Clever ideas to improve a nice, inexpensive shop press. Thanks.
@14:55: bottom left....love the quick appearance and "Hello" of BleepinJeep Jr.!! 👍👍👍
I bought the smaller one and turned it into a welding coupon testing bender i had to do some modifications to it along with a jig i built and the air powered jack instead of the pump it works so awesome
Nicely done! This was a really helpful mod video. These are excellent ideas and very well presented. Thank you so much for posting this and sharing these ideas. I'd already done the pins in the plates but now I plan to do some of these other mods as well. My choice was to drill and tap the holes for the plate pins - in case I ever needed to remove them.
And I plan to follow your lead with the pneumatic pump too - excellent idea! I agree with the others about the foot pedal being the best method. I'd been planning to do a swivel type of T handle on the valve but I really like your idea of the round wheel soooo much better! I think when I do the valve handle I'll tack on a short extension to the valve screw rather than grind away the jack platform. My bear paws need as good of access to that valve as possible.
Good stuff Tyler. Thanks again for the ideas!
Take a marker and draw a line at the maximum distance of the rams push bar on the 2 side supports so you always know to set your item to be pressed above those marks. It makes it easier to figure out where to set the table height at.
I see that some others have posted about a foot valve, that sounds good too! I was thinking about a hand operated type valve mounted to the side. the only other improvement I see is, to put some better larger support steel on the base. I like the wheel idea, but I really think the metal that is included is just not heavy enough for moving is around that much. Doesn't look like there is much support in the center of those legs!! Good video!! At least I didn't notice that you were trying to talk over the music!! (and it didn't have that heavy bass booming sound! :) :) )
Thread a female quick connect to the frame for your air valve. That way you can store it and quick disconnect it.
When you have to remove tension spring try this trick. Extend the spring a suitable amount and grab yourself either some thin packers or even snip off some suitable pieces of steel banding strap from an old packing crate and slip between the coils. Fill up the gaps, you may need a decent handful of "packers" and then release the spring and it can only shorten itself until it has grabbed the packers. Effectively the spring ends up longer. It is especially useful when you have dismantled something and you have to install a strong tension spring on reassembly. Simply put the spring in a vice and slip thin packers between each coil, one at a time again and simply it makes the spring "longer". Then install the spring and simply pull out the packers, one at a time and job done. It works amazingly well. You may not be able to physically pull a spring out say 3/4' but you can pull it say 1/16' fairly easily.
Cool idea
I know this is years too late but I just got my self that 20 ton press and think it is Poetry, that you are using the press you are improving to improve it by pressing the pins into those plates.!!!
great tips. but i would have used a magnet the hold the jack levers on the press.
I would have gone with a roll pin or hitch pin on the last suggestion but altogether great suggestions. I also added a shelf with a large bin at the bottom of mine to store all my plates and fittings so the worktop isnt rediculously heavy when I have to raise or lower it.
Did the 20 ton pneumatic jack trick on my press about 15 years ago, but left the jack as is because use the jack to lift my motor home and truck.... Dozens of times over the years... Good tips! Thanks...
Very cool mods, thanks for the ideas.
If you want your air nozzel to be mounted for gery cheap and be easy access and put away. Get some 5lb magnets and glue them to the frame to hold onto the air nozzle
Use a magnetic mig weld gun holder for the air compressor connection
I bought the same press about 5 years ago, but, mine is orange. At the same time, I also bought the air/hydraulic jack for it, which, incidentally, is gray! I don't have a problem using the jack handle on the release valve, but, I also don't like things hanging loose. What I did for the handle sections was mount 2 of those spring clips that people use to hang brooms inside of closet doors. I drilled 2 holes in the side frame and attached them with sheet metal screws. For the air line, I drilled/tapped another hole and used a common "J" hook. I also didn't like the height adjustment pins sliding all the way through, so, I did basically the same as you except I welded washers about 1" in from the end so that I could still pull them out easily. I've never had a major problem with the press plates, but, that's an interesting mod that I'll think about doing.
Got my grandad's press frame. Was already going to replace the springs and jack that were damaged... Some damn good ideas here that will be implemented. Glad I watched the video and didn't buy the original style jack last month when I was there.
Thanks mate. Enjoyed the video and learnt a tip I didn't expect... Using an old tyre to protect metal parts in the Vice. It will always seem simple now but I learnt it here first. Thanks again!
Stayed tuned, next week we use a 40" tire as a welding table...Good video friend, keep them coming.
I made my own press with one of those Harbor Freight pneumatic jacks. And I added a foot valve on the floor so I can control it with my foot rather than the squeeze hand valve. Changes everything.
I would really like to see you do a foot pedal mod! Either an off-the-shelf pneumatic pedal or homemade housing for that one. Having both hands-free would be great.
I was thinking the same and knew someone had to have that thought also so I checked and here you are!!
The major improvement i made to mine was a boat winch on top with the strap modified ( loop sewn into middle instead of the end) and each end of strap goes down and bolts to the table part to lift/lower the table for different jobs
Like your video,I made the same mods to my press many years ago,works fine how ever after only a year or so the air pump failed. On inspection I found the plastic piston had cracked in several pieces ,no problem,turned a new one from aluminum, the addition of an oiler in the air supply helps as well.
use a 5/16" fender washer folded over the bleed valve screw, works great and easy to do
At the beginning didnt put my money on this video, but I ended up watching carefully. Very good ideas. Comments also worth Gold. Thks.
I'm in industrial maintenance mechanic we use a press just like that but we put a 20ton pneumatic
Jack on it makes it work really good
14:56 Hello!
11:14 LOL LOVE DA ADORABLE PRICELESS "FATHER-SON BONDING-MOMENT" THERE!!! :D :D :D These types of workshop-videos always are more enjoyable when you include "pint-sized" family-members in the show, like they did in the "Barn Find Cars - Split Window VW - part 4 of 8", and South Main Auto Repair's "Vanessa O. Takes Matters Into Her Own Hands" :D
Totally. There's a fine line (having kids in vids) and it's perfectly executed here. Not obnoxious or annoying, just subtle and respectful.
@@coachd6100 Yes. Well, if the children are responsible and non-destructive, then it is a pleasure seeing them interacting with their parents while working in the shop. :)
Great video ! I may try and talk my brother-in-law into going in on a press and your ideas will serve us well .
We had many ideas in common although your approaches were different and a lot friendlier to the non-machinist. Nicely done.
22:28 If those are the cast plates that come with these presses, there are lots of info that says to throw these out before they break on you and replace them with steel plate. Swag Offroad has some nice ones.
I also think some hairpin cotter pins on the support rods on both sides might be better than a nut on one side.
Thanks for the video.
I had the older orange HF 20 ton press, the beam that goes up and down had about 1/4 inch of slop on each side which causes the ram to not press evenly and the work piece would shift. I had a slab of nylon and on a table saw I cut out two blocks an channeled them so the bushing would lock over the ends of the beam removing the slack.
The pneumatic conversion is a nice mod. For the pins I would just drill and tap the end and bolt on a fender washer. If you're concerned about it coming loose, a little loctite will prevent that. I just put the jack handles on top of the top cross member. It's made of two pieces of channel iron and the spacing between them is perfect to keep them from rolling off while giving perfect access to the handles.
I like your fender washer idea. Thanks!
its called a magnet strip =), led light under the press,
The press is from harbor freight. Every other month they have a coupon for their blue magnetic LED light for free. I must have about 50 of them around the house. Leave a couple of them stuck up under your press.
Why put a light on it?
@@jsolo7576 presumably so you could see a foot switch or pump
This is a freaking cool video. I don't even have a press yet, but now I never needed one so much.
Because my garage shop space is super limited, i added a bunch of scrap wooden slats left to right between the angle irons, to give myself a platform for storing a heavy tool box. Since i also added wheels, this gives me a convenient way to move the tools around, and also lowers the center of gravity to reduce the chances of tipping over the hydraulic press.
Issue with the HF pneumatic bottle jack is quality. It will crap out fairly quickly with moderate usage. Already done a lot of these items, and the pneumatic jack was the weak spot. Spend some $$ and get a quality one to save headaches. Also, like many others said, foot peddle for controlling the air, free's up both hands when you need to align parts perfect under the press.
Tho for a press how much do you Th I g the average guy is really going to use it this would probaby be then place where I would think its best used
2 more MODs to consider. The cross piece that the ram sits on moves side to side at least 1/4", making it sloppy. I took mine off and added Delrin shims on each side to take out the slop and make it slide up and down smoother. I drilled and tapped a hole on each side and attached the shims with a recessed, beveled screw. Before I added the shims, I also welded some metal shims to tighten up the front to back slop. You could just drill and tap a bolt on each side to adjust the (1/4") slop out. The last MOD was to put the 2 press plates in my mill and surface both sides so they are flat. I did this before putting the locator studs in. As far as I can tell these plates are not plasma cut, they appear to be cast, therefore, at least on mine, they are not very flat. In fact, mine were lumpy as hell so milling them flat was a must so they didn't rock and were both flat and the same thickness. If you don't have access to a mill, at least sand them down with a belt sander.
I have that same press. The modifications I made were, there were holes in the cross pieces where he welded the plates for the casters, I installed spindle casters in those holes, and the other modification I made was, I bought magnetic hooks and placed two on the cross member above the jack and set my jack handle on those.
I'm going to take some of your ideas and apply them to my press. Thanks! If it were me I would mount a magnet to the air valve. That way I can grab it when I need it, and slap it right back to the press frame when I don't!
Very professional and instructional video.. well done
In Canada we don't have Harbor Freight, we have Princess Auto. Most of their stuff comes from China, at least the shop tools. I also hated the release valve and quickly hung a T-handle on it, didn't even need to take it out. It came with the washers on the table pins. I don't move it much but sometimes it gets in the way, and casters would really help there. I'll have to keep an eye out for the pneumatic jack. I thought the nuts was a little overkill. I started thinking that pressed in pins would be a mistake if they ever should get in the way, but with the drilled through holes you ca always press them out. Lots to think about!!!! Thank you
I've put 2 lengths of PVC tubing over each return spring - one fits inside the other
thinking is a spring breaks and a chip flies off it won't Get Me
I've a bunch of different widths of hardwood from a table saw
to use as shims and spacers and use them All the Time.
And as my drill press is right next to the hyd. press they are always handy
good video, thanks
Great info. I'll be watching this video more than once!
What a great idea on the handwheel, I need to make one.... Why not throw it in a square collet chuck holder and use your mill to make it square? I'm going to make a new one on the lathe... Thanks for the video.
Beautiful and nicely done. My brother added a foot pedal valve for his shop press. I have to find out where he got his. And I will let you know a.s.a.p.
I would recommend adding some "GUSSETS" to the Caster Legs!
If being moved around alot, one or more of those Angle Iron "Stability Legs" are going to warp/bend...
Maybe "Upgrade" the OE Legs with something stronger?
Could weld a short return hanging down off the back of the table to stop the pins going to far through. Then, stick a strong magnet on the back side of it and it will retain the pin from falling forward out if its hole.
You could use a magnet for the fine adjustment handle, too.
Love the pneumatic press idea. Been thinking about it for a long time but would rather have electric over hydraulic. For the valve I would have just driven the pin out, cut a slot on the same end 90 degrees from the holes for the pin the stuck 1/2 the handle from the old table saw bolts in the slot and reinserted the pin. For the press plates you could have just laid them on the press and welded a piece of strap steel to the press on the outside of each plate so they're up against a shoulder. But I like it. Nice job.
neo-did-leum magnets also are nice for holding the plates in place.
They are. I stick some big ones under the I beams. Works like a charm and don't have to worry about them shattering.
We took the hand winch off of a jet ski trailer, and mounted it to the press side. Use a pulley at the top and winch the press bed up and down, then put the pins in. Doesn't matter how fast the jack is, raising and lowering the press bed hole by hole takes most of the time. Could use electric winch if you want.
I've wanted to replace that valve on my press and cherry picker... You've given me the inspiration
The pins in the base plates is what I'm on right away. Thanks for sharing!
I want to thank you for making the video on this Harbor Freight press I just love it because we bought one about 6 months ago and it just seems like everything's laying everywhere love your videos keep up the good work
LOTS of good improvements. I wonder if there is a way to add air pressure above the oil in the jack to get the piston to slide into position first, then flip a valve and start normal hydraulic pumping. Try removing the rubber plug on the side (the filler hole) and use a rubber tipped blow gun to add some pressure (with a regulator if you have one, and the rag). The holding valve needs to be closed. Looking at a jack diagram, that should move oil through both the check valves, the pump and into the piston. If it works, then you need a way to get a small air line up to it. I had to laugh a little when you added the rubber for the pins to drop on in the can to "lessen the noise" after listening to the air pump. I know you did it to keep them from hammering a bottom out of the pocket. I always thought an oil pressure gauge would be handy. We had one on a similar hydraulic press at work.
Great video man! You always put out the most informative videos! Keep em coming!! Oh and hello from Alabama!
I've had my air control latch/lock engage when I didn't want it to so I removed it and its much safer #6
try KJ magnetics - they have all sorts of size and strength magnets to hold anything - a 30# magnet will hold your handle and you can move it around until you find a sweet location - same for your air attachment
make the pneumatic lever into a foot pedal that way your hands are both free to hold on to work pieces and it gets it out of the way
I weld large flat washers on my relief valves. Works great
Cool stuff and better
Keep thinking is worth it and every thing can be improved
I installed air over hyd
Hose clamp the air valve to the box that holds the handles. Also paint the different heights for the lower support different colors so you can make sure the bottom is level at a glance. That can really help when you have to work tired or sick.
The angle iron legs will twist. Putting some square tubing across will help it be more stable.
What a great job...new fans over at how2wrench...subbed and will start diving into the rabbit hole of your videos...😁
Great video i will use some of your ideas on mine the one thing I will try to do is add a foot Pedal to run the jack ,
Thanks
Great tricks, I am definitely going to upgrade my press now. I personally wouldn't drill any holes into the press plates as that could weaken them. I will just tack on a piece of thin bar stock on both sides of the I beam the plates set on to keep the plates centered. Great video!
My first press mod was a couple of magnets on the side for the cylinder (jack) lever. I tell ya-you’ll never drop it off the top (or set it somewhere else in the shop) again!!
I tack weld the pump handle together so it's not falling apart while you're trying to hold something in the press and pump the jack. They are two piece so that they'll fit into the packaging for the jack.
You can by the knobs on the internet, all you do is push out the pin slip on the knob push the pin back in. Get a floor pedal to hook the air hose to, that way you have two hands to hold your work. You can mark the holes by turning the plates ninety degrees and scribing two more lines. Drill the holes inside the corners.
on the release I drifted the pin out and used a bolt and a piece of tubing to make a release handle, but did it with the valve in so I could index the handle to operate on the top, so the base doesn't interfere with the bleed off. I also used a short 1/4" nipple to extend it out, drilled a hole and drifted the pin through it and put the bolt tube on the ther end and indexed the holes in line.
Switch out that air chuck for a pneumatic foot pedal. There's some cheap ones on amazon, idk if harbor freight sells one
I was just coming on here to suggest that. Having a foot switch would leave your hand free while using the press....
I built my own press with a HF air over hydraulic and added a foot pedal and the next biggest advancement was a winch that lifts the press table up and down so I can leave all the plates on the table and lift and lower as needed. Also machined adaptors that I can extend the rod coming down for length and with of the rod.
I got the pneumatic jack for mine as soon as I got the press. The manual jack is just way too slow when trying to do a job. Now I put the old jack in my truck box for emergencies.
You spent a lot of time fitting that old hand wheel, I simply used a 2" square of 1/4 steel plate with rounded corners and tack welded it to the end of the pressure release. Quick and easy works great.
Nice mods, especially the dowel pins.
Terry from Australia.
On my HF engine crane, the pin the jack handle turns to relieve pressure in jack broke off. Real soft steel. I grabbed set of HF (about 6 inch) vise grips and clamped on the screw. Only had to turn 1/4 turn to drop whatever I was lifting. Vise Grips are still on there as I never removed them. 5+ years now. Cheap no fuss solution. KISS. Keep It Stupid Simple.
I know it's an old video, but I would mount a female air fitting to underside of the top cross bar and store the male chuck locked into that, when not connected to air. That maintains your mobility around the shop.
Rogue Fabrication, makes a knob to replace the bleed off valve. Knock the pin out of the bleed off valve. Last I checked it was $10+ shipping
I put mine on a wooden floor with wheels. Gives me a place to store all the bits I use with the press, Plates, tubes, jigs etc.
If you don't want to do a foot pedal just yet, attach a hook to the bolts for the handle holder and hang the chuck from that.
HI Mr Beepin Jeep , I have made most of the same mods = castors pin stops to keep my small tools & rods etc I use magnets from old woofer speakers inside the press channels , I like your work nice job thanks.
Did that about 4 years ago, works great. Wish they had a foot control so as to allow hands free to work on the things.
I use the small neodymium magnets robbed out of dead hard drives from computers. You can fasten small to large pins to your press, drill press, band saw, etc.
They are really handy. They are so powerful that ratchets, wrenches, won't fall off.
For the plates, I'd be more tempted to cut a couple square blocks of 3/4" MDF then countersink a large magnet or a few smaller magnets. That way I can still offset the plates a bit if I need to. Then they can just be tapped back to the center position.
Some lights would be good. I used and LED microscope light on my drill press. Circular ring light. But a couple side lights would probably work better on the press.
Thanks for the tips.
That pneumatic jack is a HUGE upgrade.
It looks like you need to tighten up the clearance between the frame and jack plate! I noticed it wobbled around quite a bit and certainly not good for pressing precision parts such as bearing. Thanks for the video it was a lot of great idea's.
22:31 I machined the press plates to be reasonably the same height and flatness. Since they are cast they are not flat. I didn't go completely flat across the whole plate but 80% anyway.