Manley mechanical press

When I was looking them up I saw the arbour press on some. Would be a solid spot to mount one. I have a Chinese 3 ton one, crude, but gets used a lot more than the Manley will. Most times you don't need a ton of force (pun intended) to locate or dislocate a bearing, or press in a dowel pin.
Some of them show a beam with centers mounted on the front press beam. Mine has the holes where it would go. Guessing it s for straightening shafts. Wonder if thats just the stored position, and you move it between the beams and bolt it back on to be under the ram?

Greg
 
I have a Manley catalog from around 1920 and the ones they show are the arbor press being between the upper beams on one side or the other with the bed extended on that side. Very handy. I’ve been meaning to scan that old catalog and post it in this thread.

I am getting to like the old Manley better and better because of the speed and the “feel” like with the arbor press. Having three levels of mechanical advantage is incredibly handy and all with feel that hydraulic just doesn’t have.
 
My BIL was given a big old hyd press decades ago and not being the brightest bulb just stuck it outside :( It was I think a 60tn and I can’t remember if it had an arbor press. It ended up being hauled off for scrap.

i had never really thought about it but many of the larger presses have frames that are not solid side channels like our Manley’s. But have like flat bar side frames. It was pointed out to me that was done so you could put long things like axels through the sides to be able to straighten long items. I have thought of plasma’ing some port holes in my over built side channels for just that kind of thing. They also have clamping setups on the rams( or screw body on my press) so you can move the head along the head frames to wherever you want.

Some would probably see it as sacralage to mod this antique as I’ve not seen another exactly this vintage but I’ve already modded it so why not make it custom?
 
The prices for arbor presses like at MSC have gotten retarded. Arbor press is something that you can't really understand until you have one around. I'd not really been around one until a big project in the orange house we were working where I had to broach like 20 shiv in a row. All on their arbor presses. They had a 1tn and a 3tn. The 3tn had a ratchet and I really came to appreciate both of them. Hydraulic press sux for broaching IMHO, tried it and went back to the arbor presses. So I'd been on the look out for one for 20yrs. The 2tn Jet I have I picked up local for $35, couldn't pass it up for that. It has turned into one of my favorite multi use tools. Even with the Manley I can't let the Jet go. I'm in the process of moving it to a portable HD stand I have along with my vise.
 
C-Bag said:
The prices for arbor presses like at MSC have gotten retarded. Arbor press is something that you can't really understand until you have one around. I'd not really been around one until a big project in the orange house we were working where I had to broach like 20 shiv in a row. All on their arbor presses. They had a 1tn and a 3tn. The 3tn had a ratchet and I really came to appreciate both of them. Hydraulic press sux for broaching IMHO, tried it and went back to the arbor presses. So I'd been on the look out for one for 20yrs. The 2tn Jet I have I picked up local for $35, couldn't pass it up for that. It has turned into one of my favorite multi use tools. Even with the Manley I can't let the Jet go. I'm in the process of moving it to a portable HD stand I have along with my vise.
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You sure can't beat them for pressing bearings and broaching. You just don't have any feel with a hydraulic press. A hobby machinist could explode a broach..... Ask me how I know.
 
Janderso said:
A hobby machinist could explode a broach..... Ask me how I know.
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You my friend experienced what I’ve always been terrified of. I’m glad it wasn’t a lethal lesson.
 
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