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Thread: Making my own single stage press ...

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Making my own single stage press ...

    The press has been completed and it is operational as of Sept 1st, 2018. I am calling it my "Mega Press"








    ************************************************** **************


    Ever since I read this long post, I have been dreaming of making my own reloading press:
    http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-a-Swage-press

    Cost was not bad, but I do machining and welding projects, and I have a lot of left over pieces, steel that I bought years ago for other projects, etc., so I decided to try to build the press with as few purchase parts/pieces as possible, even if that "costs" me substantially more time to get it done.

    Since I am not interested in a swage press at this point, I have scaled down the ideas from that post, and I have also decided to have the top 30 deg offset from the base for easier access, with the 2 guide/support rods on 4.60" center to center:



    I did buy from McMaster the bushings, and since I have left over 4140 steel rods from another project, all 3 rods (2x support/guide and ram) will be the same diameter:



    I don't have a piece of steel thick enough for the base, but I have 3x pieces I can weld together. I will weld them together on all 4 edges, but will also do internal plug welds to give them more integrity:







    Trim the excess:
    Last edited by wquiles; 10-02-2018 at 12:38 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
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    I then of course have to trim and square everything:





    Then need to make everything as flat as possible:



    This is how the base will look like:

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    I used some scrap aluminum for the guide block:







    For the top, I am using a steel piece which is right at .72" thick, which I also had to make perfectly flat:



    The top will be drilled for the standard 7/8-14 dies I currently use:



    After marking the center, spot drill, drill, and thread:









  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    Of course I had to test it. I love the fact that this has a LOT less play than the same die in my Rock Chucker





    Then using the DRO, I move 2.300" inches on each side to drill the 3/8" holes:




    Chamfer the edges:
    Last edited by wquiles; 07-21-2018 at 09:13 PM.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    The clearance between the guide block and the top is going to be 6", so the side rods will be right at 7.5" long (EDIT: NOTE this was a design error which I learned later on. These rods should have been an 1" to 1.5" longer, given the ram movement of 6" of travel. So 9" should have been the correct length!):





    Cutting the 1.5" dia rods (4140 steel):



    (I WILL KEEP UPDATING THE THREAD AS I MAKE MORE PROGRESS)

    Will
    Last edited by wquiles; 08-13-2018 at 07:01 AM.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
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    WOW!

    Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Shawlerbrook's Avatar
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    Man, that is quite a project. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master
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    Wow ,wish I had your skills looking toward to the finished product.

  9. #9
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    MrWolf's Avatar
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    I will third the wow! Keep posting.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
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    Thank you guys. I got a little bit more done today before my lathe's coolant pump died

    So before coolant stopped, I was able to start work on one of the guide rods on the lathe:



    Once I got the edge perfectly flat (facing cut) I spotted, and drilled a hole for the 3/8" bolts, and started the threads so that they would be perfectly aligned with the hole/center:






    I then started work on the OD. It is approx. 1.5" in diameter, and it needs to be turned down to 1.250" for the bushings (which have an ID of 1.251" or so):





    Once to proper diameter, I used my large gauge to mark 7.5":





    And just as I was going to part the rod to size, to then drill/tap the other hole, the pump stopped. After trying several things, I decided to go ahead and open it:



    Yup, the internal capacitor exploded:




    4140 steel is a little tough to machine without the coolant, so I stopped for today. The replacement pump arrives during the week, so hopefully next weekend I can continue making progress.

    Will
    Last edited by wquiles; 07-22-2018 at 07:17 PM.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    I have this thread marked to follow. Good job!

  12. #12
    Boolit Master



    TNsailorman's Avatar
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    Better than I expected, you have me on edge to see more. james

  13. #13
    Boolit Master



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    Very nice! I can't wait to see the finished preaa.
    At one with the gun.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master
    Shiloh's Avatar
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    What an amazing skill.
    Post finished product.

    Shiloh
    Je suis Charlie

    "A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves."
    Bertrand de Jouvenel

    “Any government that does not trust its citizens with firearms is either a tyranny, or planning to become one.” – Joseph P. Martino

    “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert , in five years there would be a shortage of sand.” – Milton Friedman

    "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns; why should we let them have ideas?" - J. Stalin

  15. #15
    Boolit Master

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    VERY cool project. Like those posting before me, I'm excited to see this project unfold. Please keep us posted!

  16. #16
    Boolit Bub Steppenwolf's Avatar
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    Great project and photos too, lets us live vicariously though you

  17. #17
    Boolit Master




    EMC45's Avatar
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    Excellent pics, write up and progress. I look forward to seeing the end result as well.
    You can miss fast & you can miss a lot, but only hits count.

  18. #18
    Banned








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    cool but you defineatly have to have more time then money and even buying the steal has to put you up near the cost of a used rock chucker. You remind me of my neighbor. He has a lathe and a milling machine and will spend 3 days making something he could buy for 50 bucks. But he has fun doing it anyway.

  19. #19
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    Lloyd: It doesn't have anything to do with the money. It's all about the project.

    I'm building a entire Jeep from scratch. and I mean from scratch. I couldn't, and still can't, buy a Jeep with a Diesel engine in it, even though they have been promising it for 20 years +.

    The only Jeep part on this vehicle is the Grill! I built the entire drive train, frame and undercarriage. Body is Fiberglass. It has A/C, Yukon Denali Seats and is close to being driveable.

    I could have probably bought a new Jeep and swapped in a diesel with all the necessary mods for what I've got in this project. Practicality has about as much to do with it as not "needing" a new gun. But you still buy it!

    But it wouldn't be this Jeep! This one will last me and whomever buys it from me for the rest of our lives. I try to build things so I don't ever have to work on them again. Sometimes I get it right.

    Sorry for the Hijack but I know exactly where the OP is coming from, and I already did the reloading press project.

    Good luck on your project and we'll need to see finished pics when done. I know where you're coming from, and you're doin' good!

    Randy
    Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 07-24-2018 at 07:57 PM.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    I agree and disagree Lloyd. You can buy a used RCBS for $50 but you can’t buy what the OP is going to have for $50.

    I build lots of stuff I could buy but I also have lots of stuff I couldn’t afford if I bought everything vs doing things myself.

    I could have called an AC repair company when it was 108F and an AC unit quit on Sunday, who knows what that would have cost but instead I went out to my shop and in what my wife calls “junk” found a capacitor that had it back cooling before a repair man could figure out just how much they wanted to gouge me.

    Good work wquiles keep it up and we might be close enough to have a few beers sometime.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check