Small punch press - should I?

I have one that I got for the hauling off of it. It is not in working order, and is quite a bit larger than that one. I thought about getting it going and making some kind of quick change die setup so I could use it for sheet metal fabrication. Sheet metal is kind of hard to deal with, as cutting it with a bandsaw tends to leave the blade without any teeth, and drilling holes in it isn't very clean. These machines were made for production, butI think with some sort of carefuly devised way of changing the dies out quickly, and some sort of adjustable fences, it could be useful for prototype or small quantities, which is what most of us on this site are intereste in. Take care.
 
GarageGuy said:
:lmao: Whatever the affliction is called, I have it too. If I had shop space, I would be dangerous. I have seen a number of small punch presses for sale in our area. I don't even know why I want one, but I do...

GG
Click to expand...

This affliction is contageous for sure !!
 
samthedog said:
In doing some research about converting a punch press to a mechanical, I have found it is not safe to try it. The recommendation is to stick with a drop hammer or a pneumatic hammer as there is some rebound when the hammer bottoms out. I found a little 4 ton pneumatic press that could be used for punching and a mechanical hammer for forging:

View attachment 83489View attachment 83490

This may be a better solution. Apparently it requires 6 - 8 bar of pressure and uses single phase power to activate the clutch and safety. I didn't think yesterday that I would be researching presses. There aint no cure :whistle:

Ray - I'm not out of the woods yet. I still like the look of the punch press but this little pneumatic machine will be more multifunctional in my little shop.



Paul.

View attachment 83489 View attachment 83490
Click to expand...

A punch press takes a little time to set up. A small one acts the same as a bigger one. Basically need to find the bottom of the stroke of the ram. Helps to have a heavy spring or hard rubber cushion in case the ram crashes during setup. Most of the time the Bottom Stroke has already been marked but the older units can move when the ram is clamped/locked in place. I have seem table top production models used to insert pins in IC sockets.
 
If you don't have a specific need, don't buy it. I actually had 3, now I have 2. I have a specific need, but it has been and continues to be more expensive than I thought. I have been trying to sell the 2 smaller ones, and when I finally sold the 5 ton, I probably walked away with $50 for my effort.

Here is my 25 ton, which is what I needed. 3000 lbs of cast iron.
IMG_20151129_135357682.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top