How difficult is it to make a hydraulic or mechanical press with your own hands?

Any car enthusiast, and even a garage master, is familiar with the situation when it is necessary to press out any part from the shell, be it a bearing or a silent block. Someone needs to pack cardboard more compactly, and maybe even make fuel briquettes. But the necessary tool or equipment may not always be at hand. Let's try to figure out how difficult it is to make a press with our own hands and whether it is possible. And if possible, what material will be required and what is the algorithm for such work. To begin with, let's clarify what a press is and what it is intended for.

Factory made hydraulic press

Waste paper press - essentially nothing complicated

What is the purpose and function of the press in everyday life and its types

Such devices have a very wide range of applications. This can be not only the extrusion of various parts, but also a device for walk-behind tractorcollecting hay and laying it in even bales. Perhaps the manufacture of some durable concrete products is required, or maybe a lot of sawdust has accumulated, from which good fuel can be obtained.

Consider the basic work that the press can perform in everyday life.This equipment can be divided into several types. The device of some types is similar, while others have fundamental design differences.

The simplest table press

Press for extruding parts from any base or shell

Such equipment will come in handy in a garage environment. It is not profitable for an ordinary motorist to acquire it, because the cost is quite high, and he rarely performs work. But making a press in the garage with your own hands at minimal cost is quite acceptable.

You can use a similar press for silent blocks or bearings, i.e. for those parts, the assembly and disassembly of which is not amenable to manual work. After spending a little time, you can design and assemble a device, the cost of which in the store can exceed 50,000 rubles.

Wooden press for making fuel briquettes

Device for compacting various materials to the state of dense briquettes

Such a device will help to use old newspapers, which will make good fuel for the furnace. A waste paper press will help you save on the purchase of coal or firewood. In addition, there is no need to dispose of unnecessary mail, which many have accumulated in a huge amount.

Roughly the same principle can be used to make a sawdust press. An excellent fuel that will be obtained when using it has proven itself well not only in stove heating, but even on vacation. Long burning, high heat and no smoke - these advantages have helped to gain popularity of press-made fuel briquettes. Kebab, barbecue or hot fire with minimal flame - what else do you need for a good rest?

And this is a schematic representation of it

There is another option to compress coal chips instead of sawdust. In this case, it will be a fuel that burns for a very long time and generates a huge amount of heat. And there is usually a lot of such a crumb in the coal sheds of houses that they heat. So why not use it too?

Press for recycling plastic and cardboard

Surely many have seen cardboard boxes that are tightly squeezed into a tight pile. This is also the work of the press. After all, it is much more convenient to export such material when it is compactly packed. A cardboard press is one of the easiest to make with your own hands. Other solid materials can be disposed of in much the same way. For example, using a press, plastic bottles are turned into neat layers that are easy to transport.

A mechanical carton press is a very handy device

Still, pressing plants bring the greatest help in agriculture.

Harvesting Helper

To collect the straw remaining in the field, after harvesting, or forage hay, it is optimal to use a homemade baler. Moreover, it will not only facilitate labor. Neat dense bales will roll from the straw, which are convenient for both transport and storage.

It is imperative to indicate the dimensions in the drawings of the hay press with your own hands - this will help in the end to assemble everything correctly. Although there are options for very simple units, but more on that below.

The simplest wooden hay press - minimum material and time to manufacture

Well, for starters, before proceeding with your own hand-made production of such a unit, it is important to understand the designs of its various types, understand their differences and decide on the necessary material.

What is the basic design of the press and its different types

Many may say that there is no point in spending time on design and assembly, and it is much easier to buy a hydraulic press or its mechanical version, but this is fundamentally wrong. Of course, if it is used, for example, in a car service, etc., perhaps the unit will pay for itself after some time.But for home use and performing one-time work, the acquisition will be a very irrational spending of funds.

Baler for walk-behind tractor - convenient when collecting dry grass

For a complete understanding of the essence of the work, we will consider the design features of some types of such units. And you should start with the possibility of making a vacuum press with your own hands.

The main thing to say about this device is that it practically does not find use in everyday life. The fact is that a thermal vacuum press is used most often for the manufacture of doors and window frames, as well as various furniture facades. It is with his help that the parts are covered with film (NDF). In fact, it is a great lamination machine.

Schematic representation of a vacuum press - very difficult to make by hand

Factory round baler

Hay baler design features

Such a simple installation is assembled from boards and is very useful on the farm, since The compressed straw during storage takes up much less space and neat "briquettes" will be conveniently stored.

A similar mechanical press is a wooden box measuring 80 X 80 cm and 3 m long. On one end there is a hatch with a lock, and on the other there is a wooden platform with a long lever, through which the hay is pressed. In order to more fully understand the principle of operation and the device of such an installation, you can watch a short video below.

Schematic illustration of a round baler of a hay baler

Surely, after watching it, it became clear that such a press does not even require preliminary drawings. As for the press for the walk-behind tractor, there are no fundamental differences between them, with the only difference that the second option does not have a lever. Crimping is carried out using the same pressure platform, but through a cable drive, i.e. the second option is just a more mechanized version of the first.

Factory made miniature hydraulic press

Video: withhomemade bale press

The compact press for everyday small jobs

For home use, the desktop hand press has proven itself very well. Of course, it can be made in a hydraulic version, but we will consider more complex units a little later. Therefore, now let's try to understand what the principle of operation of a mechanical table press is.

Such an installation is a frame welded from shaped iron and reinforced with stiffeners. A manual jack is usually attached from above in such a way that when the handle rotates, it moves towards the lower platform. The rig itself is bolted to the workbench.

Miniature mechanical press - this will not create much effort

Thus, it turns out that by placing a part in the lower part of the steel frame, for example by placing a tube under it, you can easily squeeze out the middle part by rotating the jack handle. This is how the car silent blocks or bearings, etc. are squeezed out, or vice versa, are pressed into place. similar parts into their seats. The main thing is to ensure that there is no distortion under pressure.

You can make a similar bench press or floor, if necessary, large.But at the same time, do not forget that in this case you will need a more powerful jack, or the installation of a reducer to increase the pressure force.

Simple roller press diagram

Compaction press or how to assemble a roller based device

Sometimes it is necessary to roll the wire or make a plate thinner. This is where a roller press comes in handy. The principle of its work is easy to understand for those who remember the old washing machines with manual spinning. Excess moisture from the linen was removed in them by passing the thing between two rollers. Rotating the handle caused them to rotate in opposite directions.

Do-it-yourself roller press - driven by both an electric motor and a manual

This is exactly how a mechanical roller press works, with the only difference that it is possible to adjust the distance between the shafts, and there is also a gearbox that reduces the rotation speed, increasing the power - after all, metal is much tougher than fabric. Such mechanisms can be made both with a manual, mechanical drive, and with an electric one. In this case, instead of a handle through a chain transmission, an induction motor must be connected. The gearbox with this connection will be slightly different. In addition, it is better to connect the motor through a frequency converter. This ensures a smoother start, energy savings and durability of the motor.

Vibrating table in section - that's what you need to make it

Manufacturing of reinforced concrete products - what is needed for this?

Someone may ask - what does concrete products have to do with it when it comes to presses. It turns out that the connection is direct. Precisely for strengthening products such as cinder block, etc. a vibropress is used. Inside such a device, where the mold is located, a mixture of cement, sand, etc. is laid, after which it is pressed by a press and vibration is turned on. As a result, excess air is removed, and the product acquires the necessary strength.

Making such a vibrating press with your own hands is quite possible, although it will require a lot of time, effort and knowledge. Usually, when it comes to paving slabs or something similar, home craftsmen prefer to make an ordinary vibrating table. In fact, there will not be much difference if the solution in the forms is not subjected to pressure, but simply loses unnecessary, excess air in the process of vibration.

The order of work of hydraulics in presses

Hydraulics as the most common form of pressurization

The most interesting and common type of such units is an electrically driven hydraulic press. The principle of operation of such a device is as simple as it is complex - and it really is. The low viscosity engine oil passes through a pump driven by an electric motor and into the cylinder. A high pressure is created in it, which pushes the piston.

Of course, the drive can also be mechanical, without the involvement of an electric motor and oil pump. This is what will be the most common type of press, which is made by hand. For work in the garage, such a device, at times, becomes simply irreplaceable. And, besides, following some prompts, even a novice master who has basic skills in working with a welding machine or making bolted connections can make it.

This is what a homemade hydraulic press should look like.

What is the structure of a hydraulic press and how to make it

A hydraulic press is generally irreplaceable in rural areas. And it was invented back in 1975. Its principle of operation is to use communicating cylinders with pistons of different diameters. Moreover, the less the pressure, i.e. the hydraulic pump and the more receiving - the hydraulic cylinder, the more pressure will be created with less effort. In fact, this can be compared to the movement of a car in a low gear.

How hydraulics work - it's much clearer this way

The most common form of hydraulic press, as already mentioned, is the rectangular frame. And the main task in its manufacture is accurate calculations. The first step is, of course, to draw up a diagram of the future press, because without it, it will be difficult to deal with all the connections. The quality and speed of assembly of the unit depends on how detailed it is.

All structural elements must be made of steel, at least 15 mm thick. This is done so that the frame does not lead during work, because the effort will be significant. The main thing to think about is the design itself. It should be remembered that hydraulic jacks are designed specifically to work in a vertical position and cannot be laid on their side, as well as installed with the stem down.

Hydraulic press mechanics become much easier

Ideally, you should get the following construction. The rectangular frame extending upwards is fixed to the bed. Inside the frame, vertically along the edges, there are 2 guides along which the horizontal bar goes up and down. On it, from above, a hydraulic jack is fixed, and the cross beam itself is suspended from the upper part of the frame by springs, which provide a reverse spin of the cross beam when the jack is loosened.

The perfect example of a homemade hydraulic press

The hydraulic press produced in this way will press down when the jack is "inflated" and rise up when it is released by the springs. A large nut can be welded to the bottom of the beam, where various tips necessary for this or that work will be screwed in the future.

If you have a separate hydraulic cylinder and a hydraulic pump at hand, then you can make a more convenient unit. Indeed, in this case, it becomes possible to install a pedal, and during the work, both hands remain free, which is sometimes extremely necessary.

In general, how to make a hydraulic press is everyone's business. And the answer to this question is limited only by the imagination and wishes of the master. A little smart and now an exclusive device is ready that meets all the requirements of convenience.

Drawing diagram of a hydraulic press - everything is clear and clear

The Importance of Drawing a DIY Hydraulic Press

The main task in such work is accuracy and attentiveness. And if the dimensions, for example, of the vertical struts do not match, the unit may push a little to the side, which in some cases can be critical. And for that, drawing up drawings of a manual hydraulic press with your own hands is very important. Moreover, all sizes on them must be spelled out and calculated to the millimeter. And during manufacturing, deviation from the drawing is unacceptable.

The press hydraulic drawing of which is drawn up correctly and will function perfectly. For a typical garage installation, a 50 cm wide and up to 1 m high base frame is ideal.

DIY hydraulic press - how long will such work take and which connections are better

It is best to assemble a frame on a hydraulic press with your own hands for welding joints. In this case, the seams must be of high quality. Of course, if a jack for 3 tons is installed, super-efforts will not be applied to the frame, but it is still better to play it safe.

But what will happen if the weak seams do not hold up and the structure "leads"? Let's look at this with an example. It is necessary to replace the failed motor bearing. It is pressed into a duralumin cover, and therefore it is necessary to work with a homemade hydraulic press to remove it. And if, during its extrusion, the frame of the structure leads, the force on the bearing arrives unevenly in a circle. As a result, the duralumin engine cover breaks. Have arrived.Now, in addition to the bearing, it is necessary to purchase an induction motor cover (well, or a generator, the meaning does not change from this).

Such a jack is also suitable for a mechanical press, but they need to work with caution.

That is why, before making a press with your own hands, you should think about the connections. If you are not sure of your ability to make high-quality welds, then it is better to either turn to a professional or stop at bolted joints. But even with this type of installation, you need to be careful. It is not worth spending 2-3 small-diameter bolts on one connection, this will not make it stronger. The best thing for a garage hydraulic press is a single but thick bolt connection.

Perfect bolted frame connections

Related article:

Do-it-yourself jack press - how effective is it?

If you take a factory-made hydraulic press as an example, you will notice that it has a hydraulic cylinder that presses on the part, and a hydraulic pump that pumps up pressure. In fact, this is the same "bottle" jack in a disassembled state, and therefore the efficiency depends on the correctness of the drawing of the hydraulic press, with your own hands, compliance with the proportions and accuracy of the frame, its strength. The jack must be fastened so that it can be removed at any time. After all, this is such a thing that can always come in handy.

The jack must be removable - in case it comes in handy

One more point. It is possible to manufacture a home-made press using a jack and without drawings - you just need to assemble a frame in the shape of the letter "P" with mounting platforms on the bases with your own hands. This structure is fixed on bolts to the workbench, and a jack is installed under it with the stem up. It turns out the simplest, quick-detachable hydraulic press from a jack, which does not take up space in the garage and is installed, if necessary, in a few minutes. But such a device will not be designed for heavy loads, and therefore they need to be used very carefully, without overloading.

If you figure it out, then making a press from a hydraulic jack with your own hands is not so difficult, you just need to turn on the head, and then connect your hands to it. And then, subject to all the rules, you will get a functional tool with which you can easily do the kind of work that had to be entrusted to professionals before.

And why is such a homemade product worse than the factory press? Nothing, and maybe better

Summing up everything that has been said, there are several main points:

If everything is done correctly, then a wonderful working unit will appear in the garage, and with the money saved it will be possible to purchase something more necessary.

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