Porta power press ?

[ronan]

Has anyone built a general useage workshop press using a porta power or the like ? I need a press occasionally and they are expensive for what they are, rubbishy chinese presses are priced way above what they are worth, i'd rather build one.

 

[Lewis_RX8]

It's on my round to it , have the porta press kit I used to move the lathe and other bits about very handy but not buily a press frame for it yet slowly skip diving some scrap strong enough for it lol

 

[winchman]

I also bought a portapower to build a press collected a few bits but a Clarke one came along cheap so I bought that instead, its only a bench top one but cant fault it. I would still like to build a bigger one but up to now we have managed

 

[Dcal]

@slim_boy_fat made one.
My last press was a proper factory made job that took a porta power, it worked well withing it's limits but 10t is not a lot of pressing power.

I still have it somewhere, I was going to add two more porta power rams and convert it into a mini press-break but it's another of those jobs that I have on the long finger.
If you need any measurements or photos I'll drag it out.

 

[wyn]

This is one i made a couple of years ago.
It's small and has 4 legs of angle with the base and top made of channel.
The ram attaches at the top with one of the threaded attachments welded on.
The gap between base and ram is only about 10" as it was built to bend 3mm flat in a jig.
It runs off one of those air/hydraulic pumps.
The pic is a bit of a lash up for curving handrail ends.

 

[zzr1200]

2 uprights of 6"x 3" x 3/8" U channel, some 1/2" plate for the bed sides, 30mm bar for cross pins and 20mm plate for pressing plates/v supports and ram support.
6mm plate for general brackets and feet.

 

[ronan]

2 uprights of 6"x 3" x 3/8" U channel, some 1/2" plate for the bed sides, 30mm bar for cross pins and 20mm plate for pressing plates/v supports and ram support.
6mm plate for general brackets and feet.

Yeah, it was along those lines i was thinking. I know where there is a bit of 100x100 box with what seems like a 10mm wall doing nothing. I'll enquire after christmas.

 

[gt6s]

Has anyone built a general useage workshop press using a porta power or the like ? I need a press occasionally and they are expensive for what they are, rubbishy chinese presses are priced way above what they are worth, i'd rather build one.

I have a Chineseium press I bought CHEAP off my local tame market tool trader. Based on a 20 Ton bottle jack. It is more than fine.

 

[brightspark]

i have a portapower with all the attachments and use it between the concrete walls in my work pit instead of a metal frame for pressing it works perfectly

 

[SierraV6]

i have a portapower with all the attachments and use it between the concrete walls in my work pit instead of a metal frame for pressing it works perfectly

I’ve been known to use a bottle jack against the underside of a very heavily constructed (and well bolted down) bench at my mates garage…. Deep down we all have animalistic tendencies!

 

[zzr1200]

Yeah, it was along those lines i was thinking. I know where there is a bit of 100x100 box with what seems like a 10mm wall doing nothing. I'll enquire after christmas.

A 4 inch wide press, it could be interesting to balance a stub axle or other parts on such a small area.
My press is about 8 inches wide, the movable bed is on the inside of the uprights.
The flipover press plates are about 8/9 inches wide, flat one side with V blocks on the other.

If your going to build a press, look at all the features you require and the way manufacturers build them, then make your design spec...

 

[stevethegrease]

I built this which is a copy of one I saw in a catalogue. The ram is out at the moment as I'm in the middle of moving it back in place in my rather cramped workshop. The section that the ram screws into, on the top rail with the plate, I bought online from either Sealey or Machine mart, as a spare telling them it had been lost in a move.