Had to pick between a power hammer and a press for my first big tool upgrade

I saved up for about a year and had $3,500 set aside for a new piece of equipment. It came down to a used 25lb Little Giant power hammer or a 12-ton hydraulic press from a local guy. I went with the press because it fit in my small garage shop better. It's been great for drawing out stock, but I still have to do a lot of the shaping by hand. Anyone have tips for getting cleaner bends on a press without a dedicated die set?

2 comments

2 Comments

patking12d ago

Solid choice on the press for space. Cleaner bends are tough without custom dies. Try making some simple radius blocks from scrap steel. A piece of round bar welded to a plate can work for a consistent curve. Go slower than you think on the hydraulics, let the metal move. Sometimes a few light presses work better than one big smash.

caleb_ellis12d ago

My buddy tried that exact thing patking mentioned with the round bar. He rushed the press and ended up with a weird flat spot in the middle. Learned the hard way that slow wins the race.