Lets make a Swage press

[just bill]

I was cruising this site because the plans for a build your own were teasing me. I sent them to a machine shop and was called 1 hour after the email when he reached $1200 on his estimate and asked do I want to continue. He said that the base plate had over $250 shop time in it alone. Interesting.

Bill

[woodbutcher]

Now this is why I joined up here.Superb thread.Thanks.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[screamingjohnny]

I Enjoy the fact that you guys share this information. I would like to get into swaging at some time in the future. This thread can certainly help me with getting started, and reducing the cost, of a press.Thanks

[saxguy]

I gotta make me one of these... I have no excuse, I have a small home engineering shop that gets no use. I have a Colchester lathe, brand new Milling machine (Bridgeport copy) with DDR, surface grinder, Gas/MIG/TIG/Stick welders etc.... But NO TIME to do anything!!!!

[Chuckalac]

I am building a 50Cal hydraulic powered version of the press. So far so good but one question has me stumped. how much clearance would I have to give the top punch for float. I am making the punches from 5/8" round bar with the initial stepdown to 9/16" then the actual punch dia. I am using 2" hyraulic ram rounds for the ram and side columns. The top beam is 2" of 4140 6"X12" cold roll about 135 ksi, the bolt holes on 9' centers 1" gr 8 bolts, the bolts are the sacraficial items for overpressure. My dies will be 2" od. I am using a 4" enerpac cylinder and 4 trampoline springs for ejection force/return

[SoCalDeere]

[QUOTE=Buckshot;838235][QUOTE=ANeat;836331]
Ordering from one of the internet based metal shops and paying the shipping its probably about $200.00 in materials.
If a guy had a local metal shop that could supply the material without having to pay shipping you would save quite a bit off that.

.............Funny thing you should mention that. I was needing some 12L14. I've normally gone to Klure & Harris in Riverside, CA for structural stuff but they also carry other stuff. They're about 30 miles round trip. I called and they didn't have any. Checking a couple other places in the Yellow Pages that I wasn't familiar with gave me the idea that all anyone carried around here was hot and cold rolled stuff. Box, tubes, flats, sheets and etc. There are a LOT of ornamental steel outfits around, due to the latino population

The last place in the listings before it turned into Stock & Bond Brokers was Cal-Mesa in Yucaipa, Ca. It's kind of a small bedroom community at the east end of the valley, but I figured what the heck and gave them a call. I asked if they had any 12L14 and the guy said sure, what did I need? I asked if they had an 7/8" bar and he said "Sure do". Eureka! I did check On-Line Metals and 7/8" 12' long bars were $34 each and estimated shipping on 2 of'em would be another $34.

I asked the guy how much they were and he said $34 each. I said I only had a pickup and he said they would cut them in half for me, no charge. Getting better by the minute! When I to their place (4.2 miles from my driveway) in the lobby on the phone was James, the guy I'd talked to. We talked a minute or two and he gave me my will call reciept and said to see Carlos out in the building to my left as I went out the door. He also said it was okay if I 'milled around' a bit too

I found Carlos and gave him the paper and said James said it was okay if I milled around a bit to see what they had. Carlos said he'd show me so we walked around and he pointed out where they kept all the tool steels like the S and D series steels, the various 41 and 43 series stuff, 8620, 1045, and then the leaded steels 41L40, 11L44, 12L14, and then the low carbon A36 and such. The other 2 buildings were sheet, box, pierced, expanded ornamental & angle, and then aluminum and cast iron was in the last one!!!!!!!!

I think I was in heaven Unlike K&H where I'd been going before who toss all the drops and rems into large wooden boxes, this place marks them with a paint pen and they put them into short racks in front of the long racks the full length pieces are in. At K&H they simply sell rems by the pound and really don't know what anything is. At Cal-Mesa they sell the rems by the pound also (different prices for different types) and it's nice to know WHAT you're buying!

Making that last phone call sure paid off, and they sure seem like nice folks to boot.

..............Buckshot

Howdy Neibor Menifee here, great to know there a local (ish) sorce I dont weld but this might worth learning how to weld

[AF FAL]

I tried searching the Denver area for materials to match Aneat's original list, no real luck. Only a couple places carry cold finished, and then it is in very limited sizes, ans they will only sell a 12 foot stick, and to top it off they charge if you want to cut it. Hot roll, limited sizes, and only a few places sell it cut to requested lengths. I checked around and ordering everything from Speedy Metals was actually cheaper, even after shipping, than buying locally, best thing is they actually have every size needed on Aneat's material list. I called in my order, and talked to Trevin, he gave student and/or military discount wherever he could, didn't amount to alot because they are so cheap already, but anything helps. Also if you call ALL the cuts are 1/8" over size so you can square the ends and get everything to to exact length, ordering from the site you'll notice everything is + or - a little.

Not sure this will be the case for everyone, but it was for me.

[tja6435]

Anyone making these presses available for sale? I'd be interested in buying up to 6 over the next 5-6 months. Could take 1 immediately, depending on price.

[R.Ph. 380]

Check out the Vendor Sponsor Forum for Up North and his offering. Mine is soon to ship.

Bill

[wacki]

................

[Blublister]

My press is almost done, just the slot in the ram left. I cant wait to mill the last bit and put this monster together. I'll post pics when I'm done.

[wacki]

ok which bronze bushings did you buy? Size?

Here are the 1" ID olight bronze bushings. Or did you go 1.003?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#sae-841-bro...shings/=smj6gt

Also, what tool did you use to cut the groves in the toggle / pivot plate?


How many tap & dies do I need to get? Just one? for the 1.5" hole? Do you have a recommended brand for threading?

[sprinkintime]

ok which bronze bushings did you buy? Size?

Here are the 1" ID olight bronze bushings. Or did you go 1.003?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#sae-841-bro...shings/=smj6gt

Also, what tool did you use to cut the groves in the toggle / pivot plate?


How many tap & dies do I need to get? Just one? for the 1.5" hole? Do you have a recommended brand for threading?

Wacki; I would not try to tap it, it will be to hard to pull thru unless you single point the thread first and then tap the last 10% or so. If you are not going to load fifties, I would use a smaller hole, then you will need a adapter to reduce the thread size for your other dies, just a suggestion.
Sprink.

[AF FAL]

I tapped the 1.5 hole by hand, LOTS of cutting oil I got one of the 1 1/2-12 to 7/8-14 adapters from RCBS. May never use it, but I like the option in case I ever want to use it.

[AF FAL]

I am going to make a shorter ram and toggle links, when I go back to class, but so far here is the monster. I got the ball handle on it now, just no pics of it yet. Also need to make a wedge for the mount, just ran out of time with class.


Next project is making some swage dies.

[Blublister]

Wacki, I tapped mine to 1 1/2-6 by hand because I had a tap lying around. If your going to buy a hand tap it would be cheaper to take it to a machine shop and single point thread it. You will also end up with a cleaner thread imho. Those big taps are pricy. My thread is very sloppy because of the force needed for hand tapping and trying to keep it straight. Im going to redo my thread on single point to the next size for better quality threads. I will be making my own adapter so the size of the thread does not bother me. Just compare the price of your tap to the price of a machine shop thread. You might be pleasantly surprized.

[wacki]

How do you guys bend the arm?

[wacki]

And how do you drill the big holes? Take it to a machine shop again?

[Blublister]

I used a boring head on my lathe mill drill combo for the big holes. It can make a hole of pretty much any size. For the arm I used two pieces of steel and welded it together in the desired angle. I think you should be able to bend it if you heat it to cherry red.

[gimp4ever]

Hi ! All New to hear But Been Reading it for awhile .Very Inspired at all the Ides. just getting in swagging have a Walnut Hill, 4 Corbin Mitty Mite , 6 RCBS. can Do 22cal,6mm,6.5mm,7mm,308,44.so far. only have done 22 so far (1500-1600) Pretty Cool. Anet Your Press is the Reason I Joined The Form. After Reading and Looking at it all. and all the other Guy's That Have Built it. and ALL ARE VERY NICELY DONE. I Thank That I May Build one as well. Thank You and May God Bless All.