Mini 6 Ton Shop Press

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Well I saved some decent 4" channel and 3x3x.25 angle from the last job I was on and decided to build a little shop press, for u-joints, ball joints, bushings, and the like.   I already had a small 6 ton bottle jack, so I built it around that, knowing I could easily go a little larger if I needed to in the future.I went through a few ideas in my head, and based upon the length of material I had and the desired range of motion, came up with my final design.  I decided to weld the frame itself using an 1/8" 7010 root, and an 1/8" 7018 cap, because that should be stronger than 7018 alone, right...?  The rest of the stuff I did with with Tig.   At this point I got in the groove and failed to take pictures (I'm sure you guys can relate!)  Getting the nesting tubes straight and square was a pain in the arse, but with some besseys and the torch I got them sliding nice and free throughout the whole stroke.   TSC had some springs of the perfect dimensions, so I grabbed some for $5 each.   I noticed the web of the channel deforming a little under the pressure of the jack, so I reinforced it with some 4" wide 1/2" flat bar.  (pics to follow)I had a nice piece of 7/8" thick plate I used for die plates.  I sure gave my little chinese porta-band a workout cutting them out   Then I put some angle along the edges to keep them on the bottom of the press.I was worried about strength, so I newfied up a dial and got about 15 thou total deflection with the jack cranked as hard as I could muster.  Do you guys think thats acceptable?
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Reply:ps, would a mod mind fixing that thread title for me....?
Reply:Steel is going to flex a little no matter what you do it's just it's nature, also why it's not brittle like some other harder metals. 15 thou is minimal in my eyes! I'd press the world and never think twice.!Happy bendingPs. Looks sweetReal welders know how to penetrate!(Equipment)Whatever can be used to beat my opponent into submission!
Reply:Nice work....I like the sliding press plates.
Reply:Nice work, 15 thou is more than acceptable and from now on you wont be able to live without a press in the shop.
Reply:Looks good.  I think you're fine with the 6 ton jack but wouldn't go much higher than that without reinforcing the top and bottom a little.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Nice work, Advan!GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:Nice welds and nice press!
Reply:Thanks for the comments, guys!   Now I'm just waiting for someones u-joints to go bad, i'm bored of crushing pop cans and it cant stay this pretty for too long!
Reply:Originally Posted by AdvanThanks for the comments, guys!   Now I'm just waiting for someones u-joints to go bad, i'm bored of crushing pop cans and it cant stay this pretty for too long!
Reply:Originally Posted by woodtick007Have you tried using a large hammer and two impact sockets to remove your u-joints?  Another cheap, quick, and handy tool to remove them is a balljoint press. Its basically a very heavy duty C clamp. The directions say to not use an impact to drive the threaded screw on the balljoint press , but that is the only way I have seen those used.Just uhh tossing those two options out there. . .
Reply:Personally even though I have several presses to choose from I don't using anything but a hammer for u-joints. I can change one in no time flat and I'm a LOT less likely to tear something up while doing it. I've had one to many things torn up when using a press on u-joints.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm