I has to watch this again - it's marvelous....it looks like the real trick will be controlling this beast but I know your stop block approach and that will work nicely. Cheers mate.
Cheers Rick, Ive not had the chance to use it since i did the video, and yea will be making stop blocks in various sizes, The speed is great and i had wanted it twice that ! Im glad I didnt go that route now. Did you use the press on forged in fire? if so what did you think of it.
Now that's a game changer! Great piece of kit! You touched upon it at the end of your video when you said you needed to order more steel, but I'll suggest it anyway... You may find it more economical now to buy your carbon steel in larger cross section now and re-size it yourself with the aid of some "kiss blocks" of known thicknesses to act as stops in the press. The thinner steel bars marketed to us knife makers is often considerably more expensive than the round section used by machine shops etc. Have fun with your new toy, Happy squishing!
Great job. That looks amazing. I love my forge press. The ability to break down big stock is a heaven send. Also the ability to play with damascus is much easier. Game changer.
Good job Sir. Nice speed and tonnage. That is an impressive amount of steel moved in a single heat. Now several sets of kiss blocks and a few more sets of dies that you are ready to rock.
Nice work, well done on getting it done so quick. I would keep an eye on the temperature of that VFD now that it's enclosed in a box with no ventilation, you're probably fine as the duty cycle is low but keep an eye on it anyway. :-)
Yes i will mate thanks, i have the same set up on my grinder which runs for longer periods i did have a thermometer in there for a while but it never got above 25c
Hi Gary Thank you. sorry mate I didn't work off any plans or draw any and really you can build this to suit your ram size and workshop size, if I had had a much higher workshop I might have placed the ram on top it would have added around 3 feet though. cheers
Wow !! ...thats a beast ....i am a tiny bit jealous of the speed it flattens the steel :) Now in addition you need to start making some fullering dies (to stretch)and some patterning dies....so you do not need to make dust grinding the patterns. Thinking ladder , random pattern.
The PPP potty’s power pusher, great build mate, on your next vid could you tell us where you got the ram and stuff I want to make a wood splitter, Cheers Alan.
Great job on the press, I know how you feel, I built my press n power hammer n treadle hammer n all my grinders n forges it feels good to be able to do that
Hi Loz, Great job on your press. I know what VFD's do, but why did you use it on your press. What was your reasoning. I too will be building a press, and thought of using a VFD. My reasoning is that, the pump could be run at a higher speed when needed. Most that I seen install a pump of about 22 GPM but run a motor of 1740 RPM's. Which will move about 11 GPM's. have you installed a high volume pump ? Dave Gibson Lighting bolt Forge
Hi Dave, I only used a 3 phase motor because I was told single phase can fail with the constant switching on and off 3 phase is also smoother and costs less to run, The motor is 1400 rpm because the faster the revs the more noise the pump makes have seen some presses with noisy screaming pumps and didnt want that, The pump in fact the whole power pack I had the calculations done for me and the power pack built to operate the 30 ton ram to get the speed and tonnage I wanted. It actually turned out perfect in both, ant faster then it is now and it would be difficult to operate, the travel is an inch every 2 seconds with 24 ton of force. Cheers.
Hey Loz, My power pack arrived (same place as yours). Quick question on video 1, you adjusted something that doesnt look like the pressure relief value. I think its the part on top of the pump with an allen key. Am I right? Is that how you adjusted the pump to work quicker? Thanks in advance!
Hi Mate, Yes I remember on the vid that the ram didnt seem to be moving as it should and was adjusting something but actually I figured it was just air in the pipes and also the motor was not running at full speed initially when i ran it at 1400 rpm and the air was purged it was fine. So I didnt actually do any adjustments to the power pack.
@@LozHarrop thank you!!! Did you purge the air yourself? I have a leak currently on the top of my cylinder, where the bsp connector “connects”’. I checked out the connector and looks like it’s faulty. Ordered a new one. Apart from the small leak, works wonderfully. Just preparing all the steel for the push plate, sides, etc. So many “little bits” that need sorting eh!!! Did you use H13 steel for your dies? If so, where did you get the steel from mate. Thanks again for all the help and inspiration !!!
@@Doobrey Just work the ram up and down a few times mate you can hear the noise difference when the air is replaced by fluid. Yes its all the little bits and pieces that seem to take forever. The die plates are just mild steel and most of the dies are made from leaf spring, I got some 25mm thick ones from the scrap yard once you have one die you can then forge weld and press pieces of spring together into bigger blocks etc, some of the spring stock is hard to weld so I just mig all around the joints and press it into shape. it lasts well and so far there has been minimal deformation, I do need to make some taller dies but i will just mig weld more leaf spring pieces on top of the existing ones. look forward to seeing yours in action. Cheers.
Hey - That is such a sweet build. May I ask where did you pick up the power pack from please? Was it locally sourced and did it come with the control valve and motor or did you get these yourself?
Hi thanks, Yes I left the whole of the power pack to guys who understand hydraulics and what I needed from it. told them what i wanted regarding speed and tonnage. I then sourced the ram, motor and hoses to connect to the power pack myself. I got a good understanding of what i would need from the power pack after taking to the guys who put it together I doubt i would have the performance I have trying to figure it out myself its also alot quieter than it would have been had i gone down the route of parts i had put together on paper. Would have saved some money going DIY with the power pack but I am happy i spent the extra getting it right first time. Cheers.
@@LozHarrop Thanks for the prompt reply! I have been speaking to Kurtis over at Mikrospin! He is very impressed with your build! I am going to source the same setup as yourself (like you I don't know anything about Hydraulics!). Can I ask, the motor you sources, 3phases 4kw, 5HP? Did you get that from the same place or elsewhere? Same on the Inverter? Sorry, but I really want the same setup as you and it's better to ask !!! :D
@@Doobrey Cheers yes you just caught me online as you commented. Yes it was those guys I ended up going with . Motor 4kw 5 hp 3 phase, think it was an ebay seller as was the inverter the huan yang one. The ram came for ramco in Ireland just because they where the only ones who had one back then. hoses etc came from a local firm who did them on the spot. Cheers
@@LozHarrop hahahaha! Sorry Loz, but had hammers for a little while now. It's time to expand to a press also! Thank you for the sub I have subbed at you already! Final quick question on the inverter (bearing in mind, I am not an eleccy person), did you get a 4KW, 220V one to power the 4KW motor? I assume so, but wanted to check!
Only thing I would change on next build is reverse where ur ram is located , I would prefer my work piece to stay in place and not move up down with the dies , it's harder to control , it's better when press is pressing from the top onto ur work piece.
It looks great Loz,,nice and quiet as well ,(nice having it on wheels too) I see lots of damascus,axes ,hammers etc in your future ,(Ha Ha) well done mate. Cheers Jason
hey loz, i know you dont work from plans, but, how did you calculate for pump/ ram/ motor, do the beaver power packs not perform ? i'm really wanting to build a press but i always have to do things on the cheap (recycle/ repurpose) . It's a pleasure watching your vids, hearing a fellow northerner instead of american accents is cool too
Hi Chris, I did some calculations on the power pack and ended up phoning a couple of company's to see what they could provide to power the ram i wanted, there was not alot of difference in cost between building my own and having one purpose built for me, opted for the latter figuring the guys who build them know more than I do ;-) cheers
Just wanted to thank you for your video and info of your knife grinder as i built one same as yours and its great, now i am watching your forge press and its exactly what i have been contemplating for some time for my blacksmith shop here in Australia,, however,, i am thinking due to costs it will work out cheaper to purchase a 30 ton log splitter and transform it into a forging press with an electric motor such as your design,, i would like to ask if there is any benefit to the ram fitted beneath or above the workbed and do you know what the RPM of your motor is?? i am thinking 2800-3000rpm ?? thanks in advance,, and again great machine bud.cheers.
Hi Mate, Glad to help. The motor speed is 1440 rpm, i dont fully understand Hydraulics /motors vs pumps vs flow rate and all the other calculations that need to mesh to get the speed and force you want. The 20 ton log splitters do a good job and the speed is as important as the tonnage, if you can get one inch of travel every 2 - 3 seconds you will be fine, I do know that the pump will be rated for the speed the petrol engine shaft puts out so try and match it as near as possible or you may burn it out.
@@LozHarrop Thanks for the quick reply mate, i may have to check out the literature and specs on the pump that comes with the log splitter, i also watched Tims press build from Big dog forge and it seems to be a goer!! building the frame seems pretty straight forward, judging by what you accomplished, i prefer your design which is a typical traditional style of press as opposed to the single pillar designs i see, and l believe they all have some element of deflection with the open die set-up, but thats just my 2 cents worth,, thanks again bud.
No problem mate, forgot to add ram over or under really does not matter from my research. kept mine below to reduce the overall height of the press, also with the pumps if you run them at higher speeds they scream like crazy
@@LozHarrop yea true i been watching shane from blind dog blades and he went from 3000rpm to 1725 due to the noise,, i was wondering if the drop in rpm would slow down the ram speed?
@@plasmacutter1 i had ago many conversations with hydraulic makers most of it lost now but seem to remember motor speed was not linked to ram speed and force. More hp gives you those
It turned out very well. First I saw the motor and the hoses unprotected I thought he forgot something but you fixed it. I'm still confused and wondering about how the single phase input running a 5,5KW motor without blowing the fuses.
Thanks, I really dont know much about electrics but i had read that 3 phase motors use less power run through a VFD off single phase supply than the same size single phase motor. But that could be rubbish?
It may be time to forge some proper tongs to handle your big billets! The tongs featured in this clip looked functional (barely!) and a bit on the shabby side. Great knives deserve good tongs! Love the press!
@@LozHarrop certainly looking forward to seeing you make proper Damascus billets with your new monster. I think I may have to begin to collect parts for my own press. Being residencial, a power hammer is out of the question. But a 30 ton high speed press would definitely make life easier. Keep forging!
yes in the main, i bought the whole pack assembled because i couldnt be bothered working out all the elements needed to give me the speed and force, i could have maybe saved some money but the unit is compact and exactly how i wanted it.
Hi, this is all I have from the sales invoice but it does list the items used. Cheers. Item 1) 1 - off Power Pack Assembly K2/409/F18/A1-20/17GH/S09-V1-G00/N01/N128-PG90-MAR63250/N03-D05-A Consists Off: 3 Phase 3 Kw 4 Pole Electric Motor Central Manifold with Check & Relief (90-250 Bar) Gear Pump to Deliver 6.3 L/min . 20 Litre Steel Vertical Tank with Filler Cap & Drain Port/Level Gauge Pressure Gauge & Isolator Single Station Cetop 3 Valve P to T AB Block Manual Lever Spring Return 3/8” A & B Ports 1 - off Hydraulic Cylinder 120 Bore 70 Rod 150 Stroke
