Fixing a Harbor Freight style Arbour Press.

[tonyfoale]

Come on chaps, let's get real. Galling???. This is a small hand operated press for odd jobs. The speed of the ram will hardly exceed zero and the number of cycles will likely be less than a few hundred in a lifetime. A layer of grease will protect it from significant wear and corrosion for years. Whatever wear occurs will overwhelmingly be confined to the rack and pinion teeth. The teeth will be subject to high forces while the gibs will not.

[Saltfever]

Thanks for the update and the reminder, Tony. Yeah, I have a chunk of PTFE in the scarp drawer and instantly thought of it as I read your PDF . . . completely forgetting about creep! I agree and wont be using it.

Also, a caution for others. When you mentioned the press I immediately looked at Harbor Freight because there is one in a nearby town and I have been thinking of getting a press for the same reasons as you. I usually go to the 1-star reviews for a quick look at potential problems. Its fairly easy to discern failures due to user abuse or the product. However, this review is not so definitive. Did the user use an extension bar and put excessive force on a 1 ton press or was there a flaw in the Chinese casting? Buyer beware.

Central Machinery 1 ton press:

[tonyfoale]

Also, a caution for others. When you mentioned the press I immediately looked at Harbor Freight because there is one in a nearby town and I have been thinking of getting a press for the same reasons as you. I usually go to the 1-star reviews for a quick look at potential problems. Its fairly easy to discern failures due to user abuse or the product. However, this review is not so definitive. Did the user use an extension bar and put excessive force on a 1 ton press or was there a flaw in the Chinese casting? Buyer beware.

Central Machinery 1 ton press:

Mine is not actually from Horror Fright, I used the title "Harbor Freight STYLE". There are no HF stores here in Spain. I have just had a look on the HF site and judging by the photo there the casting looks to be of lower quality, but it is hard to tell from a photo though. There is no ridge around the back side like there is on mine so it starts weaker by design.

The photo that you show is really bad, surely that has to have been due to overloading as you surmise. Maybe there was a shrinkage crack in the casting to start with?. I followed your example and read some of the 1 star comments. I noticed that one said that the operating arm bent, that would only happen if the user put a pipe over it. Other comments are true horrors.

[Saltfever]

I understood that you were using Harbor Freight in a generic manner. However, since they are close that was my first look and also a good reference on what to look out for. There are plenty of inexpensive designs so it won't be too hard to find something suitable. But a big thank you for posting your work because I assume no matter what brand, I will be following your example.

Does your rack have cast teeth or are they machined? None of the model descriptions give that information.

[NortonDommi]

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

"cast molybdenum", wear plate like Bissalloy 450 would work well and it machines O.K. using Carbide and keeping it cool.
https://www.bisalloy.com.au

[tonyfoale]

I understood that you were using Harbor Freight in a generic manner. However, since they are close that was my first look and also a good reference on what to look out for. There are plenty of inexpensive designs so it won't be too hard to find something suitable. But a big thank you for posting your work because I assume no matter what brand, I will be following your example.

Does your rack have cast teeth or are they machined? None of the model descriptions give that information.

FWIW here is the listing of the one that I bought eBay_listing Overall I am quite happy (so far) with the quality of it. My complaints do not relate to the quality just to the lack of gibs and a poorly positioned and sized press plate (questions of design not quality).

My ram/rack is made from square steel bar, sawn to length with machined teeth.

I noted one of the HF reviews said that teeth broke off, which indicates that the ram was cast iron, quite unsuitable. Speaking of the HF reviews. There was one which said that it did not do his job even though he beat on the lever, another said that he fitted a long breaker bar to it. Some people just ask for problems.

[Frank S]

I've gone to shops and noticed the top of the ram on their arbor press mushroomed like an abused cold chisel or the handle bent into an L. It made me wonder what level of supervision if any those shops had over their employees

[DIYer]

Thanks tonyfoale! We've added your Arbor Press Modifications to our Brakes and Presses category,
as well as to your builder page: tonyfoale's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Arbor Press Modifications by tonyfoale

tags: arbor press, modification

[Toolmaker51]

I've gone to shops and noticed the top of the ram on their arbor press mushroomed like an abused cold chisel or the handle bent into an L. It made me wonder what level of supervision if any those shops had over their employees

We see things like that all the time. Ultimately, supervision is the issue. Not only lack of how/ who it gets that way (ie mushroomed or bent), but failure to have adequate equipment in place; I regard that even worse.
But damage also traces to workers who didn't PAY for the instrument. Very typical wherever bulk of are crib issued tools, not personal.

[jlrice54]

I have two from Harbor Freight, a 1/2T size and a 1T version. I also have 3.5T model from Enco which is exactly the same design, upscaled to 3.5T but three or four levels of quality control above Harbor Freight. I've had my Harbor Freight versions for about 12-15 years. They both came with thin steel gib plates under the screws and the ram is machined steel. So did the Enco press. I assume the less quality of the Harbor Freight presses currently supplied is pure cost cutting probably at the Chinese suppler. Enco was always a better cut of imported tooling in my experience. I've been careful of the rating and only have used them within their designed operating envelope and have had no issues at all from any of the three presses.