Fixing a Harbor Freight style Arbour Press.

[tonyfoale]

I recently got this cheapo chinese Arbour Press

Click on thumbnails for full size pix.

I tend to look at these cheap tools as a kit of parts delivered assembled to ensure that you receive all the parts for subsequent fixing and proper assembly. In this case I was not disappointed, there were a few things to fix before use.

I prepared a PDF file describing the problems and the fixes.

Arbour Press faults and fixes

Update:

This morning I made the steel press plate. It is larger and I have made it square to give the maximum possible support to the workpiece. I ignored the width of the slots in the original plate and made them to suit what I expect to be most used. I wanted to clear shafts of 10 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm, 17 mm, 20 mm and 25 mm. So I cut slots of 11, 16, 21 and 26 mm each with the minimum necessary length to match the widths.

The following photos show the new plate, firstly just the plate and secondly the plate with the original for comparison.



The PDF has been updated to include the new plate.

[Toolmaker51]

'Parts kit, indeed.' No gibs fitted into recesses? Well, it's two-fold. 1.] Gibs add greater expense, compared to when patterns were made. 2.] Missed at assembly?
The remainder would go Python-esque "I have these two.....(ahem, three sir)".
The recess may be lightening cuts, reducing consumption of iron into casting, saving .02 fen coinage. Any rate, none of those are proper features to leave out of an arbor press, just like too small press plate for the throat depth, thrust clamp on gear shaft & unfinished bolt ends.

The only positive, working end is fitted to retain replaceable tools. Even really great arbor presses lack that.
I like adding a stop clamp also. 2 dowels spread across 3 rack teeth, in a square holed 'bushing', and a vertical set screw/ jam nut for increments.

[Frank S]

I recently got this cheapo chinese Arbour Press



I tend to look at these cheap tools as a kit of parts delivered assembled to ensure that you receive all the parts for subsequent fixing and proper assembly. In this case I was not disappointed, there were a few things to fix before use.

I prepared a PDF file describing the problems and the fixes.

Arbour Press faults and fixes

Yes, but how many people buy one of these and have no idea there is a better way for them to function.? They just run in the screws a little more as they wear completely oblivious of real problem.

[Saltfever]

Welcome back, Tony. Very nice write up. What do you think about a piece of Teflon instead of steel for the gib? I would probably throw the plate away and just use 2 pieces of steel with a v-notch in each piece.

[Resident114]

Im using the same press as a bender,and it is very convenient.

[tonyfoale]

Welcome back, Tony. Very nice write up. What do you think about a piece of Teflon instead of steel for the gib?

Teflon, brass, bronze etc. would all work in place of the steel. Teflon would not need any grease, although the rear part on which the rack teeth slide would still need greasing but I suspect that many users would not grease anywhere.

Teflon could be adjusted to be a bit of a tighter fit but teflon flows or creeps and I suspect that over time it would flow away in the region of the screw pressure and hence loosen that initial tighter fit. Maybe a thinner piece of teflon backed up with a steel plate would work well. On a practical side, my scrap box had a few pieces of steel plate but no teflon.

I have a funny story about that. Back in the 1960s I built a rotary disc inlet valve 2 stroke engine. I had just heard about this wonder material "TEFLON" and I thought that it would be the ideal material for the valve because of its low friction. I realised that it might grow due to centrifugal effects at high RPM so I inserted what amounted to a small knife in the lower part of the housing to trim the teflon to the size that it wanted to be. It worked too well. The teflon grew and the knife trimmed it, then the teflon grew and the knife trimmed it, then the teflon grew and the knife trimmed it.......................
I then replaced the teflon with thin steel, hard chromed. That worked well. Here is a pic of the steel version, I have none of the teflon.

Click image for full size.

[tonyfoale]

Im using the same press as a bender, and it is very convenient.

That is one of the reasons why I got it, to make small bent brackets. I have a setup for my hydraulic press which will bend larger sheet but it is heavy and takes time to setup as well as being slow to use. I also have a folder which I made and which is OK for thin sheet but I'll make a tool for this small press which will be more convenient for some small stuff.

[Toolmaker51]

Yes, but how many people buy one of these and have no idea there is a better way for them to function.? They just run in the screws a little more as they wear completely oblivious of real problem.

That's hopeful, IF they'd recognize intent/ purpose of the screws to start with.
My favorite conspiracy theory hinges on things like this.

No less than two generations haven't beneficial exposure to vocational, mechanical and general how-to analysis. It was removed from education at same time all the legislation for offshoring began. Made those values of "should-be", "I'd like...", intuition gained by experience, and DIY initiative not only remote and seemingly obsolete, but mysterious, out of reach, not worth the effort.

So, it follows how inferior look-alike products at attractive prices are seen as equal, when reality is quite the reverse.

[Toolmaker51]

Welcome back, Tony. Very nice write up. What do you think about a piece of Teflon instead of steel for the gib? I would probably throw the plate away and just use 2 pieces of steel with a v-notch in each piece.

Steel, brass, TEFLON®, each have properties that lend desired result. Steel, easily worked, available and dissimilar enough to the ram material to not gall, with a bit of lube. Brass meets those too; I'd cut shim stock long enough (protruding both ends of plate) folded over to keep it in place. Depending on thickness, all 6 screws could be used to distribute pressure evenly. All kinds of non-metallics have potential and sort of endless supply. Holding in place could be simple as a pocket milled into the plates inner side.

[Frank S]

And so far no one has mentioned cast iron or the ultimate material for gibs cast molybdenum. A bit hard to find now days but old military duce& half engines used to be made out of the stuff because it was stronger than regular gray cast iron and was nearly completely immune to wear Old leaf springs can be heated and flattened then worked to any shape desired as well the carbon content in them make them a good choice for non galling gibs