Shop press (HF)

[wshytle]

I've been needing a shop press and have been thinking of getting the 12 ton HF model because of the cheap price. I received a coupon book the other day that had the 20 ton press at a reasonable price so I went ahead and got it. It's cheap but the shop press is such a simple tool even cheap can be good I feel. It sure does the job just fine. I would post a pic but I think everyone knows what the thing looks like and even the color. Now I can get on making some adaptors for bending small pieces of heavy gauge sheet metal as in battery compartment replacements.

 

[csrussell]

You did good in getting the 20 ton. I have had a 12 ton for many years, long enough to replace the jack twice, and even though it has lasted it has it's weak spots. The 12 ton frame is angle iron uprights and under enough pressure they will start to buckle. I've welded flat stock tying the angle to each other and that helped some but it will still buckle some under heavy pressure. For the price difference you made the right call.

 

[wshytle]

So far it's done very well. I'm now thinking of getting the air over hydraulics for it because it's sooooooo slow. It may still be slow afterwards but I'll be able to stand there not pumping. I've since made a press brake that works well and I'm finishing up a sheet metal brake that should handle around 33 1/2" sheets.

I need to get back on the cubs.

 

[jbaker]

We have one at work from HF and it works great

 

[mhomrighausen]

Wayne S. I've notice that Northern Hydraulic and Harbor Freight "seem" to share a lot of characteristics on some of their products. We didn't have the funds to buy a good air compressor at the time so I used a special offer to buy a HF compressor. It does the job only I sure miss the one that I bought at Menards and my oldest son had.

 

[wshytle]

I agree with you Marlin. Northern and Harbor Freight have many similarities the main one being Made in China. I don't mind that except we don't know the quality of steel they use and since the name of the game is save money it makes me wonder. I'm sure there are standards they must go by especially with air compressors and things of that nature. They both sell a lot of potentially dangerous tools.

I just found a guy that makes jewelry presses among other things. He appears to be a "man of steel" with all of the wonderful machines he has. He has a website, potterusaDOTcom . His presses are small but stout and of course expensive being USA made. He has several videos on YouTube; one shows a Cincinnati milling machine that was made (I think) in 1942. One video shows him moving into the ultimate machine shop and shows several large metal lathes he has.

I'm happy with this ole slow-poke of a press so far. It has come in quite useful.