Making die

[Rotate]

A friend of my has a 20 ton hydralic press which he uses mostly for rebuiling gearbox. He asked me if I can machine him a die which will punch a 1" hole in 1/8" mild steel plate. First of all, how do I know if 20 ton is sufficient for the task and where can I find information about the size of the die and the steel type which should be used. I'm assuming that the die will need to be heat treated. I'm not sure if I'd undertake this project but it sound challenging and I like that.

Albert



[This message has been edited by Rotate (edited 05-22-2002).]

[metal mite]

Rotate ,
Is this guy gonna pay you, or sue you, if the die blows up in his face?
He's running a business, he can buy his own die.
Thats my opinion!
mite

[Rotate]

Hi Metal Mite,

He's an automechanic and he owns his own shop. He has agreed to pay me for the job. Can you buy this kind of die off the shelf? If so, I'll just direct him to the source. Thanks for the warning about getting sued. As I deal with more people for doing the odd jobs I'm growing more concerned about liability. Do most machine shop have product liability insurance? My old boss who was an electrical engineer use to say, "it's a good thing we don't build bridges".

Albert

[Uncle Dunc]

Machinery's Handbook offers the formula

pressure in tons = diameter in inches x thickness in inches x 80

If you don't have Machinery's Handbook, get a copy. If you can't afford a new one, buy an older one on eBay. It's not a coincidence that machinist's tool chests have a drawer exactly the size of Machinery's Handbook.

[Rotate]

Uncle Dunc,

I do have an old copy of the machinery's handbook, but don't recall seeing this. I'll check it again. Thanks.

Albert

[Thrud]

Albert
You could buy a Greenlee conduit or chassis punch in the appropriate size and adapt it - they use a stepped punch so you should have more than enough tonnage.

I would be most concerned with alignment. His cross bar on the press should be locked solidly to the press frame to prevent misalignment of punch and die - which could destroy both.

I would not consider a proper punch & die due to their high cost and alignment problems.



[This message has been edited by Thrud (edited 05-22-2002).]

[halfnut]

It will take about 12 ton to do this hole with mild steel I believe. Doubt that this 20 ton rated mechanics press will do it. I know it says 20 tons, but that is with a gorrilla or Thrud on the end of a long handle. One can modify the punch to reduce tonnage slightly.

They overate these cheap presses really bad.

Tell the guy to go and buy an Ironworker.

[mike thomas]

Thrud Dangerfield---can't get no respect. I love it halfnut. Was the gorrill/Thrud remark due to his mentioning of his size, or that one post where he mentioned shaving his chest? You know the one. He volunteered to be Brent's daughter. Every time I pull out the lower drawer of my tool chest, I think of a really huge guy standing in one shaving. I will say one thing, this site has sure added to the entertainment I get machining. I damn near crashed the other night laughing about someone putting autographed paper moons under the windshield wipers of cop cars. Another guy was in the shop, and all of the sudden I am laughing and yelling oh sh-t. I looked like the doc who did my vasectomy after he cut the wrong thing. It would have been funny to anyone else. Mike

[halfnut]

Mike,

I missed the one about Thrud's chest hair. He cracks me up, got to pick on him a bit. He may be bigger than I, but he lives way up there in the frozen northland, I feel I'm safe way down here in Missouri. But he mentioned traveling, so I better not be so hard on him.

I've noticed that whenever a thread gets long it means a good BS session is going on.

[Rotate]

Thank Thrud, Greenlee has just the part. If I ever collect a finder's fee from this guy, I send them your way.

Albert

[Stepside]

On thin stock like .125, he might want to use an annular cutter. Use it with a drill press or a hand drill or a milling machine.
Now if he is wanting to keep the 1" diameter slug, this won't work.The solution then is a bar of 1"CRS and a hacksaw (just funnin)

[Thrud]

Albert
The greenlee punch should work just fine - if wussie electricians can make holes with em, a press can too.


Mike, Halfnut:

Being a 400Lb. Gorilla has its benefits - people never get in your way at a smorg. If they do, all you have to do is give a gutteral growl and bite an alka-seltzer while staring them down. The always move after that. Us little guys need our roast beef, smashed 'taters, & gravy mmmmmh! gravy...

A quack once told me, "You know, you can get hair transplants so you look better..."
That ticked me off something fierce - who the hell needs hair anyway? I snapped back "yeah well, if you ever want some for your head I have an acre on my ass you can have..."

Moral: when you fart in a ski-doo suit you are the only one who gets to enjoy it, first.

And for the record - I do not own a ski-doo suit...

[sketch15]

Rotate,
Being a sheet metal engineer and programming for these things (turrets) every day. The correct determination is:

perimeter x material thickness x tensile strength

If it were me I would just tell you friend to buy one. He can probably get a used one from a sheet metal job shop that has become to sloppy for the shop to use any longer but may be fine for automotive repair use.
Why reinvent the wheel?

Just a thought,
sketch

[John Stevenson]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Thrud:
Mike, Halfnut:
Being a 400Lb. Gorilla has its benefits - people never get in your way at a smorg. </font>

Thrud
Best SOP [ standard operating procedure ]at a smorg is to kneel down at one end of the table and gat a mate with a front loader to shovel it all along towards you.
DON'T pick anythng up that falls off or people will think you are greedy.

John S.

P.S. Ower Gert keeps telling me I'm out of shape. ??????
Last time I looked round was a shape.

[Thrud]

John S.
I feel your pain brother - I hate it when the bucket drops stuff on the floor like that - especially the 'taters & gravy. MMMmmh! Graaavvy!