Convert Harbor Freight 20 ton press to 32 ton

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Originally Posted by redbeard

Great to know, I'll have to save up for a hefty airover. I'd really like to do some bigger stuff. How large a hole can you punch in 1/2"? I've got a bunch of 7/8 holes to do that I am NOT looking forward to drilling.

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7/8" in 1/2" would about max out that 36 ton. Try a rotabroach, that would knock those out pretty easy with a good drill press or a mag drill.

Here is a tonnage chart, that will give you a rough idea of what it takes.

http://www.americanmachinetools.com/...punch_hole.htm

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Originally Posted by redbeard

Great to know, I'll have to save up for a hefty airover. I'd really like to do some bigger stuff. How large a hole can you punch in 1/2"? I've got a bunch of 7/8 holes to do that I am NOT looking forward to drilling.

BTW, I agree about the slowness when actually bending, I was more concerned about the time to take up the slack. Sorta like not having a 2-stage on your log splitter.

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I do have a spacer that I could use to take up the space between the post and the bender that would reduce the time. In the video I wanted to show how long it takes to get it to the bender from the very top. A lot faster than pumping by hand for sure.

I cannot overstate how much better it is having air over hydraulic on the press. It makes using it a lot easier and more accurate. Adding the carriage guides on the side of the carriage has made using it safer as the factory carriage was very loose and had a habit of moving a lot causing the whole press to bend to the side. By reinforcing the side rails, the bed, and using 1 inch pins, it now is a very sturdy press and can handle whatever I need to do safely.

Thanks Rambozo for the chart on punching holes. Yeah, 7/8 inch is a pretty big hole to punch in 1/2 steel. The biggest holes I have punched in 3/8 steel is 3/4 inch. The 36 ton does it pretty easily but I am planning on building a separate addition to the press that will leverage the 36 tons via a lever to punch thicker materials and larger holes. I have the plans in my head right now and have been looking into building a hole press for the 20 ...er I mean 36 ton Harbor Freight hydraulic press.

Yeah, that type of H frame press doesn't lend itself very well to hole punching. Keeping the punch and die in perfect alignment is really important. A lever type press like an Ironworker makes that much easier. I look forward to seeing your lever attachment setup. How do you plan to do the stripping action since this is a one way ram?

Another very nice thing about air over hydraulic, is that you can reach minimum safe distance and or put something solid between you and it, before actuating it for some of the scary things.

Frankenpress.