Homemade Press Mk II

From Ukcider

Ray's Homemade Press Mk II

After a few seasons of use, the original softwood press was starting to creak (and crack!) a little around the top crossbeam. This seemed to be due to the twisting action of the way we had to mount the screw thread, rather than a lack of strength in the materials used. So the decision was made to go hydraulic and so by necessity, replace and beef-up the crossbeam!

This is what I found when I looked closely at the old press:
Close up

And even more alarmingly:
Close up
This is what happened when I took the bolts out at the other end...
You can see that the softwood timber has started to split along the growth (annual) rings and in the lower image, the timber at the joint has failed - not the PVA glue.

Birch WBP Multiply to the rescue!

I love working with Birch plywood. It's easy to machine, incredibly tough and strong, with inate stability and strength in all directions. Ideal for semi-engineering jobs such as these. It's also very economical to use, flexible and takes a whole range of finishes well.

Here's a few shots of the new beam I made-up by laminating sections of the plywood together:
Close up
The depth of the beam was increased and a card tepmplate made up so that I could cut all the pieces identically using a band-saw. The position and centres of the original bolt holes in the press uprights were very carefully measured and plotted onto the new beam and drilled before assembly.

Close up
The gap between the outer parts of the beam was worked out to be a snug fit onto the two press uprights. To do this I had to add a piece of thinner ply to the central core.

Close up
Curves were added to the lower parts of the beam to avoid cloth snags and also to increase the glueing area onto the press uprights, so adding greater strength and resistance to the shear forces produced by the hydraulic jack when in action.

Close up
The length of the inner core was also worked out to be a snug fit between the press uprights. The next job here is to fit a steel plate to take the direct contact of the hydraulic jack's ram.

Close up
New 130mm bright plated coach bolts were fitted through the upper two holes and they lined up perfectly with the original holes in the press uprights - phew! I then drilled through the whole lot to add a further bolt to each side in a new lower, central position - belts-and-braces approach...

Close up
Fitting the beam required the use of a couple of sash cramps to 'persuade' the beam into position - it was a very snug fit, but that was my intention. I'm pleased with the purposeful look of the finished job.

Close up
When I've got a minute, I plan to sand the whole thing down and give it a few coats of polyurethane varnish. However, I'm also tempted to carve an apple and pear or so into the sides of the new beam....

Parts and materials