Used my press for setting snaps and punching last night. Wonderful!

[Tallbald]

Last night I used my little arbor press to set snaps for the first time. In the past, on a rare occasion I have set snaps with a hammer and always had issues with the setter going off to a side as my fingers went numb, causing a crooked post with an uneven roll-over. Last night I machined a stainless steel adapter to let me use the 1/4 inch shank setter in my press which has a 5/16 inch center hole. After the first attempt I saw very quickly that I should not treat it like I'm pressing in a 2 inch bearing but rather use a light touch and go easy. Worked great. I did have to put a small piece of scrap oak under the leather when setting the male part though because the press is so strong it dents the plastic table top I made.
I also used the press to punch holes for the snaps with great ease and precision. A satisfying cutting sound as it went through, and I used the same scrap wood under the leather. The hole punches are a $6.00 set from, of course, Harbor Freight that I bought to get the 1/2 inch size so I could punch out felt wads for black powder. Thanks, Don.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Don, they make a concave anvil that you are supposed to use under your snap head, ( the part you see) http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/home/department/Tools/8056-00.aspx

[rickk]

This will set 20 and 24 snaps and several sizes of cap rivets as well:

http://zackwhite.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17643&cat=0&page=1

I have noticed that most tools seem to have similar handle diameters. Would they fit into your press as they come, or do you have to modify the handles to put them into the press setup you have?

[Cliff Fendley]

Hey tallbald, why don't you rig up an awl so you can punch your leather with that thing and let us know how it works? I've been thinking about making something like that for some time but just havent gotten it done. I've been thinking of a channel of some sort the leather would slide under so when you pull the awl out it wont lift the leather. What do you think?

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I went to harbor freight website& saw they had a 1 ton arbor press, and a HALF ton press.  They seem to have a similar "throw"  Any thoughts?

Can a Jacobs chuck be rigged to hold various sizes of punches?

[Tallbald]

Hi all. We just got back to the house from Saturday errands. Ten, I did use the little concave anvil to support the snap head, but the problem happened when I did the other part ( i guess the male part). The anvil is so strong, it pushed the backing piece a little down into the table leaving an impression I was worried would transfer into the back of leather I am embossing. I put the scrap wood under the backing piece between it and the leather and it kept it from doing it again.

The 1 ton model is what I chose because of the deeper throat depth than the 1/2 ton, and the ram is 1 inch or so square instead of 3/4 inch. I lose throat depth with a guide, and height from the locking screw that retains the embossing tool/punch/rivet setter. But if I was sure I would not ever need the extra dimension, the 1/2 ton would have been fine too.

I would think the hole in the end of the ram could be drilled to accommodate the size most punch handles are , but since I am making my own punches from 5/16 inch diameter stainless bolts, that's what I chose to drill mine. I made a simple step down adapter on my lathe last night to accept the 1/4 inch diameter snap setter punch. It has one end 5/16 inch diameter to slide up into the ram hole, and a 1/4 inch diameter hole 1 inch deep in the other to hold the punch. Again, the extra height of the 1 ton model helps.

It would, if one desired, be do-able to drill and tap a hole in the end of the ram to accept a drill chuck that is threaded arbor mounted. The difficult part could be that without a lathe or drill press and angle plates to secure the ram for drilling and then starting the tap, the hole could end up not being concentric with the axis of the ram, which could lead to bent, or worse yet, broken punches and stamps. I always use wear my safety bifocals when using the tool.

I had thought of making an adapter to hold an awl point, but the upward pulling motion of the awl as it's retracted from the leather would mean for me that a hold-down would need to be sturdy enough to keep the leather on the table. The leverage exerted on the hold-down would mean I would have to attach the hold-down arm to the press itself and would involve drilling the frame. I don't want to do this because it could weaken the integrity of the casting and possibly lead to breakage.

A couple things I have found I will be doing to the press is to drill some 3/8 inch or so holes in a hardwood block and attach it to the oak plate the press is bolted to. Then, instead of chasing the different punches across the kitchen tabletop, they can be turned upside down and put in the holes. Shadows from the kitchen light and the top of the press make it hard to see my location on the leather sometimes. I think Harbor Freight sells small gooseneck lamps I can mount to the oak plate. AND I got another 20% off coupon in the mail the other day, so wish me luck.
Thanks to everyone. Don

[rickk]

Those 20% off Harbor Freight coupons  are so cool. I get there at 8:15 AM or so on a Sunday morning and wait with all the other serious shoppers for 8:30 to happen. 

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Don, when I set my snaps, I do it on a solid steel 15# anvil that I also got from HF, and when setting I use a steel hammer too, not a mallet, I place the concave small anvil for setting the snaps on my big Anvil and work off that, if your going to use your press to do this, try using a steel base, you'll get much better results, IMHO.


          tEN wOLVES 

[Rayban]

I just bought the HF 1-ton last Sat. and during the week a buddy of mine milled out a tear-drop shape hole in the rack.
I can now use the line 24 snap thingys (steel base came with the press) and up to the 1/2" dia. rams of my other tools.
The set screw snugs things up in the hole......works great.