- Joined
- Dec 22, 2015
- Messages
- 561
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.
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.