Palmgren Arbor press, 0.5 ton, Black

I bought this to use to press in guitar frets and I must say it’s awesome! I tried another cheaper one and it was junk compared to this one. This one didn’t come all dirty and greasy and packed very well. Also much better quality than the other one I ordered and sent back. Also better than the Harbor Freight brand one. I haven’t used it for anything else so not sure how it works for pressing in bearings and stuff like that. It did come with a stop to keep it from falling down too far and a 3/8” hole to add the fret press caul and other accessories. Only thing I wish it had a treaded hole with an Allen nut to lock the fret caul in place but that’s easy enough to do yourself with a drill bit and threader tool. I actually got some 3/8” circle magnets and put up in the whole to hold the fret caul and works out perfectly!If you don’t want to spend the money on the Stew Mac press then this one is definitely worth it! Don’t try to save money and order a cheaper one because you’ll be disappointed and wish you just ordered this one in the first place!

It's a basic arbor press. This baby one at 0.5 ton is not going to move the world, It's a simple rack and pinion + lever advantage tool (normally) used for joining or moving press fit metal components. (arbors, bearings on shafts, etc.) Clever users can find many other applications where controlled downward force is needed rather than brute hammering. For full force application it needs to be bolted to a sturdy bench or stand. A hole in bench beneath anvil may be requited for some applications needing more clearance. Works smart. Don't purchase a tack hammer to drive railroad spikes...This tool is 100% satisfactory in construction and material and for use within its capacity. The rack is reversible for solid or hole end. There is a depth stop clamp for the rack included which is not shown. The holding magnet in the hole end is never intended to receive press force. Supplied tools rest against square rack end, not against the magnet. Consider your application when designing tool holders.Good price and value in its class. I recommend for all hobbyist and/or miniature to small prototype machine shops. Any other light pressing operations that can be imagined.

Well made, flexible to use. If you need a small press .. this is definitely the one you want. Well made, functional and dang what a value. Price them out there ... but you'll be back. Palmgren makes a wonderfully made product. No complaints at all.If the larger presses they offer are as well made as this one ... I might just have to pick one up later. Comparing what I got from Palmgren to the ones available locally ... no comparison. This is much better and comes with the three tips. Reversing the ram to use the tips couldn't be easier. Do I sound please? You bet I am. Great press and I spent at least $30 less than I would have for one that's not even on par with this one!

Plan on doing some mods to make this work. The bores for the pinion shaft are not round and a very sloppy fit on the shaft. Had to ream the bores to make round and fabricate sleeves to get good fit on shaft. Casting surface finish runs from OK to very poor. Had to clean up casting nerds in many areas and repaint. Ram is a poor fit and adjustment screws bear on it in very small areas. Had to shorten the screws and fabricate a couple small flat gibs to get more surface bearing on the ram. Added threaded hole in the bottom of the ram to lock attachments in place using a 1/4" grub screw. Reworked the press plate to clean up the slots and relocated the pivot hole in the base to get the plate under the ram where it should be. Expected a little better quality from Palmgren.

What a reasonable price for a useful machine. I wanted to be able to add a chuck to use 1/4" quick-change hex shank accessories. There is a bore in one end of the ram for mounting the included tools which fit a 3/8" shaft. A small strong magnet is provided inside the bore to hold metal tooling. I found a perfect match for this at Rockler - a 1/4" Professional Quick Change Chuck. This chuck has a 3/8" shank that fits the bore in the ram. I drilled and tapped the ram for a 10-24 set screw, 3/16" long to secure the chuck. Had to file down the top of the set screw (once it was installed) to insure it was flush so the ram could retract all the way, but it was easy to do. It would be nice if the manufacturer provided a set screw so that this was ready to use with a chuck out of the box.

WE USE THIS EVERYDAY AND TODAY IT BROKE !

Item arrived in excellent packaging and condition. Only one end of the arm is drilled for tool insertion, you may need to disassemble at the front cover to reverse the arm as needed; this is easily done with a wrench.IMPORTANT NOTE: Be careful of using tooling aside from the included four toolheads, as the rare earth magnet inside the arm's tooling hole is unprotected and will be destroyed if sufficient pressure is applied to it during operation. The included tooling is "shouldered" and does not damage the magnet.

Aside from the letter carrier leaving it with my neighbor next door instead of delivering it to the correct address, I am fairly well pleased.The two set screws for the collar stop were loose in the box, but not missing, so a minor issue.Three of the cast-in holes in the base were partially plugged by casting slag, and required drilling to open them up. Honestly, it was 10 minutes worth of work, but it shouldn’t have been necessary.I would give 4.5 stars in stead of 5, but that’s not possible with the Amazon feedback system. Still, after some minor adjustments, I am well satisfied.