DIY auto repair press

In detail: a press for auto repair with your own hands from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

When performing various works in a home workshop, it is often necessary to influence the workpieces by pressing. We will talk about how to make a hydraulic press with your own hands to perform such operations in this article.

Homemade hydraulic press

A hydraulic press is an equipment that is specially designed to process parts and workpieces by applying high pressure to them. Such a press works due to the pressure of the liquid acting on the elements of its structure.

Most hydraulic presses are designed with a vertical working cylinder, but there are also models in which it is located horizontally. Various press models can generate operating forces ranging from tens to several thousand tons.

Factory made hydraulic press option

The principle of operation of a hydraulic press is based on Pascal's law, known to us from a school physics course. The design of the press consists of two working chambers of different sizes or, as they are also called, cylinders. The principle of operation of a hydraulic press, to describe it in a few words, is as follows.

In the smaller of its cylinders, a high pressure of the working fluid is created, which is fed through the connecting channel into the chamber of a larger diameter and acts on the piston connected to the working tool. The latter exerts pressure on the workpiece, which is located on a rigid support in order to avoid its movement under its action. All hydraulic presses use special oils as a working fluid.

Video (click to play).

Working principle of a hydraulic press

The most widespread use of hydraulic presses is found in performing such operations on metal parts as stamping, forging, straightening, bending, extrusion of pipes and other profiles. In addition, with the help of such presses, briquetting, packaging and pressing of various materials is carried out (as a rule, a mini-press is used for this purpose).

The device of a hydraulic press makes it possible to actively use it both in enterprises for the production of rubber, plastic and wood products, and in other areas. The variety of functions and scopes of this equipment determine the existence of its various modifications. For example, on sale you can find a hydraulic bench press, a mini-press, a hydraulic floor press, a hydraulic manual press, presses with and without a pressure gauge.

The use of a hydraulic press in a garage or home workshop is quite common. It is possible to use such a press, which is notable for its small size, both when repairing a car, and for performing work of a different nature.

In particular, with the help of such compact equipment, it is possible to press out bearings or silent blocks, as well as press new parts in their place. In addition to automotive repair, the hydraulic press can be used to bend metal parts, create the required pressure when gluing surfaces, briquetting waste, to squeeze out oil and liquid. Factory equipment for this purpose (even a manual hydraulic press) costs a lot of money, and not everyone can buy it. Meanwhile, you can make such a press with your own hands, spending money only on the purchase of the necessary materials.

Using the press as a juicer

Remarkably, the design of a house-made hydraulic press can be immediately adapted to solve a specific problem with a specific part or workpiece. A self-made press does not take up much space; it will be enough to allocate a little space in a workshop or garage to place it. Detailed instructions on how to make a hydraulic press are given below. There is also a video on this topic at the end of the article.

Self-made hydraulic presses should not have too outstanding technical characteristics, it is quite enough that they develop an effort of 10–20 tons. This parameter of a homemade hydraulic press depends on what actions you intend to perform with it.

One of the most common and simple options for a homemade press

There are a number of other parameters that not only industrial, but also home-made household hydraulic presses correspond to:

sizes;
weight of equipment;
piston stroke;
the presence of a pressure gauge in the design of the press;
characteristics of the bed used.

In home-made presses, the pressure in the working cylinder is usually created using a manual hydraulic pump, which can be either built into the design of such a device, or located separately from it. This design feature depends only on what equipment you choose to make such a device. It is very easy to make a hydraulic press with your own hands, if you take a bottle-type jack as the basis for its design. Such a jack, which is convenient, has a built-in hand pump in the design.

Bottle type hydraulic jack is great for use in a DIY hydraulic press

Before you consider purchasing a suitable jack for making your home hydraulic tool, it is important to decide what tasks you will be using it for. Both the design diagram of the manual hydraulic press and the effort that it will develop depends on this. The next step is to develop a drawing of a hydraulic press, which you are going to make with your own hands. You can, of course, find such a drawing on the Internet and even watch photos and videos of the process of making a press from a hydraulic jack with your own hands. But in this case, you will be faced with the need to adjust your existing devices to someone else's homemade press.

Manual hydraulic pump

The development of a blueprint for your future home-made press begins with deciding the question of how it will work. There are only two options here.

The jack will be located at the bottom of the press - on its bed - and will push upwards.
The jack is fixed in the upper part of the press structure and presses down accordingly.

However, when choosing a scheme for the operation of a home-made press, one should take into account the fact that for the main part of jacks produced by modern industry, the only correct location is with the pressing rod upwards, and it is simply not allowed to place them differently. That is why most often the first diagram of a hydraulic press is taken as a basis. The second option is used only in cases where it is required to make hydraulic equipment with your own hands for extruding bearings or bushings from individual assemblies and mechanisms.

Bottom Jack Option

The supporting element of any press, including home-made ones, is the bed, the development of the drawing of which should be approached as responsibly as possible. Structurally, the bed is a frame, inside of which there is a jack with a working tool that exerts pressure on the part or workpiece.

The type of bed can vary significantly depending on the purpose of the press.

The lower part of the bed - its base - is designed taking into account the fact that it must ensure high stability of the entire structure. When calculating the width of the internal opening of the frame of a home-made press, take into account both the dimensions of the parts and workpieces that will be processed on it, and the total dimensions of all the constituent elements of the future press.

Another bed option with a simpler base design for stability

When calculating the height of the inner opening of the frame, the following parameters are summed up: the height of the jack, the desired amount of free stroke of its rod, the thickness of the working body and the part that needs to be processed. If a homemade press is made according to the first scheme, then its design looks as follows: the jack is installed on the lower base, and the part is installed in the upper part of the frame; the force from the jack to the part is transmitted through its rod and a movable working platform moving along the guides in the side frame elements.

In order to ensure the return of the rod to its original state, two springs are used, the lower part of which is attached to the base, and the upper part to the movable working platform. If you decide to make a press from a jack with your own hands, then it is very important to correctly calculate the stiffness of the springs so that they effectively perform all the functions assigned to them.When implementing the second scheme, a part is placed on the lower base, and the jack is installed on a movable platform, to which springs are also attached, connecting it to the upper crossbar of the frame. Both in the first and in the second case, a so-called socket is made at the point of contact of the rod with the movable platform or the upper crossbeam of the frame, which can be used as a piece of pipe of the corresponding diameter.The inability to adjust the height of the working area simplifies the design, but significantly limits the options for using the pressA do-it-yourself hydraulic press will be much more convenient to use if it provides for the possibility of adjusting the free jack rod, which also affects the permissible height of the workpiece. To do this, you can do the following.

An additional plate is located in the upper part of the inner contour of the frame, which can be moved along the guides due to a screw drive with a steering wheel. Thus, it is possible to change the clearance within a sufficiently wide range for the arrangement of parts inside the frame.

You can make a removable stop, which is most often used as a removable mobile platform. The position of such a stop inside the frame can be fixed using bolted connections, for which holes are drilled in the frame with a certain pitch. In this case, the pitch of the location of such holes in height should not exceed the value of the free stroke of the jack rod.

From a solid piece of metal or a metal profile, you can make several replaceable spacers of different thicknesses.

You can also use several of the above methods at the same time.

DIY garage press

Content of step-by-step instructions:

The unit in question allows you to process a variety of products and materials using pressure. A special fluid is responsible for the operation of the mechanism. In the system under consideration, it is under increased pressure.

The design consists of two main cylinders, they are also chambers. In a container of a smaller size, the pressure of the liquid increases and it is transferred to the working container, which has an increased size.

The cylinders are connected to each other using a special channel or pipeline. In a large compartment, a liquid (usually a special oil) exerts a force on a special piston. From there, the force is transmitted to the installed operating tool and further to the workpiece.

As a rule, the slave cylinder is installed in a vertical position. In some situations, it is installed horizontally.

The press can develop forces up to several thousand tons. The specific value is selected in accordance with the characteristics of the workpieces being processed and the tasks performed.

The presses are widely used in pipe processing, pressing of various products, production of various kinds of pressed blanks from rubber, wood chips, plastic, etc.

Homemade hydraulic press for a garage

In the garage, such a press will be an excellent assistant in self-repairing the car and performing other tasks. For example, having built a homemade press, you can independently press out the bearing, and then press in a new product instead. That is, you do not have to go to a car service and spend money.

The press will allow you to straighten, reliably glue various parts under pressure, squeeze out liquid, bend a metal product, compress old bottles, cardboard, cans and other similar materials.

Ready-made press equipment of factory production costs quite a lot of money. In case of self-assembly, you will have to spend money exclusively on the necessary components. An additional advantage of self-assembly of the press is that you will personally control the process at every stage and will be able to get such a unit that will best fit your needs.

For a private garage, a press with a capacity of up to 10-15 tons is enough. Otherwise, focus on your own needs.

Large containers are usually pressurized with an integral or separate pump.The lightest option in execution is a press assembled on the basis of a bottle jack with a hand pump provided.

Think about what kind of work you will perform using a homemade press, and determine the required force of the unit. Only then go to the store to buy a jack and select it in accordance with the previously determined force value.

Before assembling the press, you need to choose a suitable drawing of the mechanism, but it is better to do it yourself. From ready-made solutions, a drawing of any press designed and assembled on the basis of available rolled metal and simple hydraulic equipment will suit you.

The disadvantage of ready-made drawings is that they will not always meet your specific needs. As a result, you can spend a lot of time adjusting the structure to the parameters of the purchased jack.

There are 2 main options for assembling a garage press, namely:

the jack is placed on the base of the bed and exerts upward pressure;
the jack is locked towards the top of the bed and pressure is applied downward.

Be sure to check the correct working position for your jack before assembling the press. If the manufacturer said that the jack rod should move up, then this is exactly the way it should be - you cannot turn the tool over.

Most often, structures are assembled that provide for the installation of a jack on the base of the bed. The second option is more highly specialized and is used mainly in professional locksmith shops.

One of the most important elements of the structure under consideration is the bed. It is a frame. A jack is placed inside such a frame. The bed must be strong enough to withstand the force generated by the jack with some margin. The reserve is needed for the reason that during operation the press will exert pressure immediately down and up, and without a reserve, the structure can simply burst.

The base of the bed is best done in the form of a platform. Select the width of the platform opening in accordance with the dimensions of the materials that you plan to process in the future on your press. Under any circumstances, the opening must be larger than the total dimensions of all elements of the equipment being placed.

To determine a suitable height, you need to add the following parameters together:

jack dimensions;
the size of the working stroke of the main tool stem;
the thickness of the mobile table;
the height of the workpieces to be pressed.

In this case, the jack is installed on the base of the frame, and the upper part of the frame will take over the function of support for the workpieces. The transfer of force from the jack rod to the workpiece is carried out by means of a mobile work table. The very same table is installed on the frame. A jack is placed between the frame and the table.

The table is set up in such a way that it can move freely up and down the frame, supported by side rails.

Springs of sufficient rigidity are placed on the sides of the hydraulic jack. One eyelet of each spring is attached to the base of the support frame, the other to the movable table. The installed springs will compress the hydraulic jack to the start position with the stem hidden. Select the dimensions of the springs and their rigidity in accordance with the characteristics of the jack.

The stroke of the jack rod, and with it the height of the parts to be pressed, can be adjusted in several ways:

by installing a screw drive at the top of the frame. This element must be equipped with a steering wheel. During the operation of the press, it will be possible to screw in the screw, which will reduce the size of the clearance for the workpieces inside the frame;
by creating a removable movable mobile table. If necessary, it can be attached to the bed using rods or bolts.Previously, holes must be made in the frame, the step of which in height should be slightly less than the stroke of the jack rod;
using removable pads. For the manufacture of these elements, a hollow or solid steel profile is well suited;
applying the methods described above in combination.

All significant dimensions must be entered into the drawing. In this case, the dimensions should be given taking into account the dimensions of the jack, the processed products, as well as the rolled metal that will be used to assemble the hydraulic press.

No special tools are required to assemble the press. The only difficulties for a beginner may arise when using a welding machine. It is recommended for beginners to train on inverter-type units - they are the easiest to learn. If desired, the welding work can be entrusted to a qualified technician.

Welding machine and electrodes.
Grinder with a disc for metal. If you don't have a grinder, you can use a hacksaw, but it takes longer and more difficult to cut with it.
Electric drill.
Screwdriver.
Level.
Yardstick.

The main power unit of the installation under consideration is a hydraulic jack. The need for pull-back springs was mentioned earlier. You can take door springs, springs from the front seats of the car, and any others that fit the given requirements.

If you fix the jack in the lower position, you can use a special bridge mushroom for the pull-off device - it is simply put on the stem, after which the springs are attached to the base of the frame and directly to the mushroom. The bridge fungus should be with shifted slots.

Select the dimensions and the required volume of rolled metal in accordance with your drawing of the hydraulic press.

In the process of assembling a garage press, check your drawings at each stage. On the whole, the sequence of work is quite simple. You just need to step by step follow the proposed recommendations.

Cut the metal into parts of the appropriate size, referring to the drawing. If the drawing provides for the presence of holes in any structural elements, drill them with an electric drill.

Weld the base from pieces of square or rectangular pipe. Weld the joint seams at the bottom and top. Attach the steel plate on top. Use welding for fastening. Use welding to make the structure in the shape of the letter "P". The corners of this structure must be strictly 90 degrees. Weld the structure to the base and you have a finished bed.

Make a mobile work table. Use a pipe or channel for this. The length of the pipe must be cut so that it is slightly less than the gap between the frame posts. Weld to the main pipe the small piece of pipe that you prepared for the stem of your jack.

Sliding table guides are made from steel strip pieces. The width of the rails should be the same as the width of the frame. Insert the pipe into the space between the bed posts, place steel strips on the sides and securely tighten the structure using bolts and nuts. Make a replaceable adjustment stop in the same way. The only difference is that holes must be made in front of the racks for fixing at the required height.

Fix the pull-down springs according to your drawings. Pull back the movable work table and install the jack.

Your personal abs are now ready. In the future, the jack can be quickly removed from the structure and used for other tasks.

Video (click to play).