Thinking of Getting Keyway Broach and Arbor Press

Well the broach set arrived and I used it to broach a 3/16" keyway. I can see why people commented on the need to pump the handle of the hydraulic press many times to use the broach. But it really wasn't an issue, especially considering that I will likely only use the set very infrequently. But I do like the fact that the press will have many other uses and I loved the way the broach worked. It cleanly cut through the mild steel with little effort. In fact the pressure gauge on the press didn't register any pressure reading while broaching.

Someone asked for a review of the broach set and here it is. Considering that I have no other experience with broaches, this probably doesn't mean much. After cleaning all the protective coating off everything I found some of the collars had very small nicks that left a sharp edge on the sides of the slots. I easily removed these with a diamond card file. Other than that there were no issues I could find, other than a minor thing with the wooden box. One of the holes for the collars needed a small spacer under it so the collar would sit proud of the wooden surface, like all the others. I like the set and I'm sure it will serve my purposes very well.

I am having an issue with the press though and maybe someone here can help me out with this. There is a small plug on top of the hydraulic pump and it has what appears to be a bleed screw on it. There is no mention of it in the owners manual so I am not sure whether it is supposed to be open or closed. I have tried both and this is what I found. With the screw open the press works fine, except that it leaks a significant amount of hydraulic fluid from the bleeder, after using it. If I leave the bleed screw closed the ram will only move a short distance then stop moving, even though I keep pumping. The only way to get it to move is to open the bleeder. Seems that the bleeder needs to be open when in use and closed when finished. That doesn't seem right to me and I think there may be something wrong with the hydraulics.

Here's a pic of the bleeder in the closed position.
1545773573486.png
 
Don't know how yours works but I own a Dake and can tell you how to bleed that. Hopefully yours will be similar.

The ram is pushed up until it is fully seated in the up position.

Dismount the cylinder that has the pump handle attached to it and lay it horizontally so that the bleeder/fill bolt is facing up. Raise the end of the cylinder about 3/4" with a spacer or block of some kind. Fill the cylinder with jack oil until it dribbles out of the hole. Replace the filler plug and wipe up any excess oil. Then remount the cylinder. Open the valve so the cylinder does not build pressure and pump the handle about a dozen times to bleed the cylinder. Then close the valve and check for proper operation.
 
Thanks Mike,

Sounds the same as the instructions that came with my press, except that in this case the pump is mounted vertically, with the fill plug on top. So no need to take it off and place it on an angle to get the plug to the high point. I tried it again and still no joy. It only works if I unscrew the bleeder that is part of the fill plug. I can hear and feel air entering and leaving the bleeder. Somethings not right. I'm going to have to wait until PA opens on the 27th and talk to one of their guys and / or look at one they have set up to see if that bleeder is open or closed.

I'm using AW68 hydraulic oil since the manual doesn't state what hydraulic oil to use.
 
Craig,

You may want to follow this thread about broaches and not rely on my opinion, which is based on one use and no other experience. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/what-brand-of-key-way-broaches.75432/#post-632800 I don't know what to look for with this set to determine if it is of decent quality or not. Having said that, I think it will be fine for my expected limited use. I do know that using this set is far superior to the way I was trying to broach before.

I guess it's kind of like every other piece of equipment or tool I have to do with machining. It is all Chinese. If I had to buy name brand equipment, I probably would've never started this very expensive hobby.:)
 
I've used my hydraulic shop press with a broach to cut a keyway in a tractor steering wheel. I have a large Dake arbor press, but the wheel diameter was too large.

The shop press is slow going, but works fine.

A box with a rag in it makes a nice safety net below in case the broach drops through.

Steve.

Sent from my SM-J737P using Tapatalk
 
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.
I would take issue with the statement that a shaper is THE tool for keyseating! The tool for keyseating is a keyseater, which I had in my shop before selling out to retire, it was a Mitts & Merrill #2 and would cut keyways from tiny to 1 1/4" and 12" through a bore ---- THE TOOL!
 
Back
Top