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Old 06-24-2017, 09:25 PM
mark g mark g is offline
Metal Shaper of the Month, April 2011, December 2012, May 2016
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Southern VT
Posts: 362
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I have two arbor presses that I acquired for exactly this kind of work. One is a large 12ton Greenerd No. 5 with a 13" throat, and the other is a 5 ton Weaver "Motor Service Press" that has a nice set up with both rack and pinion and acme screw. The nice thing about the Weaver is that the acme screw can be used to set and limit the depth of the ram. After the rack and pinion bottoms out the acme screw can be adjusted further to a set point. It's nice for making consistent, uniform passes. Also for uniform point bending of pipe and flat stock into rings or arches.

I haven't found it to be prohibitively slow. I rigged the Greenerd up in a way that did away with the big counter balanced lever and made it foot actuated. I need to refine that aspect of the set up but it works, and shapes 16 ga stainless very easily with the same UHMW and steel dies that I use on air power hammer and reciprocating machine. I think of it as being as fast as using a mallet and stump for roughing thicker gauges or bronze that work hardens quickly. I set them up with a tool post typical to an APH and use cupped upper dies over domed lowers usually.
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Last edited by mark g; 06-24-2017 at 09:28 PM.
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