Thinking of Getting Keyway Broach and Arbor Press

Might be able to see some casting marks on the plates. My Dake plates look okay but they were kind of thin, maybe 1/2" thick and I didn't trust them. I got some 1" thick steel plates to replace them and I feel safer now.
 
I've broached keyways my entire life , and never once on a hydraulic press . 3 ton arbor press is more than you'll ever need for a keyway , unless you're moving up into the 3/4" range . The hydraulic presses are indespensible for removing stubborn bearings and straightening shafts , heavy press fits etc . They have " no feel " when it comes to broaching in my opinion . A co-worker of mine ended up having a broach piece removed from his stomach using a press unsafely . From that day on , I tend to shy away the opposite direction when that pressure gage starts climbing ! :)
 
I watched a Keith Fenner video where he was using a BIG pneumatic / hydraulic press to broach a 1/2" keyway slot and noted that he relieved the pressure several times during each pass and each time the pressure was relieved the broach would kick over. I could see that going very bad if the pressure wasn't relieved. Obviously pressure relieving is a must when broaching with a hydraulic press.
 
That's a decent looking press. I like the ram, it sure beats the hydraulic jack on some Princess Auto ones.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
That's a decent looking press. I like the ram, it sure beats the hydraulic jack on some Princess Auto ones.
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When I went to PA they had the other 12T press on display but not this one. I thought the other one was on the small side and there were some things I didn't like about it. I wasn't sure if this one was the same frame work with a different jack or if there were other differences. I talked to one of their sales people that seemed quite knowledgeable about these things and he informed me this one was more substantial and of better quality. We did a quick comparison on their website and noted the following; this one has a 4" wider bed, 3" longer stroke (using a porta power setup instead of a bottle jack), a 12" longer working range and weighs 52 lbs more. With the sale price on this one it was only $60 more than the other one. The decision to get this one instead of the other one was easy.
 
Whenever I go to a shop auction,the keyway broaches are always broken in at least two,sometimes three pieces.Judging by the ground ends of the break,they have also been used like that...............For the cost of the tool,you could buy a shaper that would do all the keyways you want,with minimal tooling cost.
 
That is sometimes good advice, after all shapers are THE tool for cutting internal keyways and splines. But I've seen only two small 7" shapers and one 10" come up for sale on Craig's List in the last 5 years. And this is the nearest big city. If you seen the TV Show Highway from Hell, he's on the other side.
 
Downwindtracker2 said:
That is sometimes good advice, after all shapers are THE tool for cutting internal keyways and splines. But I've seen only two small 7" shapers and one 10" come up for sale on Craig's List in the last 5 years. And this is the nearest big city. If you seen the TV Show Highway from Hell, he's on the other side.
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I previously thought about getting a shaper (don't know why since I don't really have a need for one). I watched CL and Kijiji for a few months and only seen one come up and the guy wanted something like $2,000 for it. Decided there are a lot of other things that I could get for that kind of money, that I know I would get more use of. I looked at CL and Kijiji today and found one used Atlas 7B in Washington State ( the USA ). I live in Canada. The guy wants $2100. By the time I convert that to $CAD and pay taxes on it, the cost would be at least $3,200 CAD. More if there are duties involved. Too much for a toy I may never use or only use a couple of times.

I got to use the press today. I had to remove a taper adapter from a drill chuck. It took 2 tons of pressure to get it to release and it did so with a bang. Afterwards I pumped it up to 6 tons on some flat plate and could clearly see the bed bend. I didn't mic it but I'm guessing something in the order of 1/16". Not sure if that is normal or could be an issue. Seems to me that it should be sturdier. If need be I could always stiffen it up.

Hey Downwind, I lived in Abbotsford for 28 years and moved to the country outside of Barriere when I retired in 2008.
 
My wife grew up in Barriere so I do know where it is, chuckle. A thirty year difference.

Hydraulic presses can do much more than simply pressing bearing and gears. With a round bar head and two round bar bed you can bend curves. In a shop they get a surprising amount of use. Stand off to one side, just as you shouldn't stand in front of a loaded gun. One of these days ,I got to build one.

I do have a shaper. I got a lead on some high end wood working chisels so I checked it out. It was a pattern maker's tool chest from an estate sale, with E.A. Berg and Wm. Marple & Sons chisels and in channel gouges. Swedish and English chisels, it simply doesn't get better. After some bargaining, I'll be bargaining with St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, we agreed to $275. "Ray what this?" "Oh that's a baby shaper" "A what? " "It removes metal" "OK for $50 more you can have it" "Yeah, I guess so" Another project, I was bursting out with enthusiasm, NOT.

It's a 6" shop built of welded steel. From the 1 5/8" x 3 5/8" 2x4s in the stand, it predates the late '60s. The Tamper brand motor looks very '50ish. I live near Vancouver, at one time Vancouver had more sawmills than any place else in the world. Each one of these mills would have a fairly complete maintenance shop with lathe, mill and forge. The square head bolts used on the stand would suggest sawmill timber construction. Early in my career, in between construction jobs, I worked as a relief millwright in a lot of the ones that remained. I'm not fond of graveyard, so I always turned down steady work. My guess ,it was made in one of those shops.

The specs are 7" or so stroke, three speeds with clutch, gear driven, square ways on the ram.

This is more of a completion than a rebuild.
 
Small world isn't it.

Sounds like you got some smoking deals. Got any pics of the shaper. I'd like to see what a homemade one looks like.

I think the press will come in handy for things I haven't even thought of yet. Really looking forward to the broach set arriving so I can give it a try.
 
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