Originally Posted by
Castloader
First of all, I know this thread is old and long, but wow, what a doozie! So, I'm working on a modification of this press that I can produce on my 7x12 bench lathe. Can someone tell me the minimum REASONABLE clearance from the ram face to the underside of the top plate with the ram raised? In the design here, it is 3.5" clearance in reloading mode and 5" in swage mode. I drew a schematic to verify. I plan to swage only, I already have reloading presses. 5" of clearance seems like a lot. In Aneat's pics, it looks like he's got a top punch that could be used as a jousting lance in a pinch. I'm thinking about a 3" swage stroke with 3" of clearance at the top of the stroke. Is this reasonable? I've never swaged in my life, just cast and reload. I appreciate any help.
-David