[TheForge] punchin holes

[Bob Smolen]

I cant justify an ironworker but what does a 20 ton manual punch look like
and typically go for at auction? I would love to get in on that punching
action.
Thanks,
Bob

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ries Niemi" <rniemi at fidalgo.net>
To: "Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 4:21 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] punchin holes


>
> On Tuesday, June 29, 2004, at 01:49 PM, Dan Tull wrote:
>
> > I own 9 whitney punches.
> > Paid anywhere from $3.00 to $150.00
> > each.   4 ten ton, 4 twenty ton, 1 forty ton.
> > Worth fighting over.
> > I can punch a screw hole faster than I can find the chuck key to
> > change the
> > drill bits.
> > The 20 ton will punch 1/2" hole in 1/2 " plate cold.
> > Love  'em.
> >
> >
> >
>
> I am with you on that one dan- punching is the way to go.
> I have a similar, although slightly smaller pile of garage sale
> punches, starting with a no 5 jr for sheet metal, up to a 20 ton
> benchmount.  Also have a nice 10 ton 24" throat WA whitney no. 94,
> which will only go up to about 1/8" thick stock, but that deep throat
> is sure handy. The whole punch body is cut from one piece of 4" thick
> plate, about 24" x 32", must weigh over 500lbs. Cost a hundred and
> fifty, from a little old lady wearing tennis shoes, who only drove it
> on sundays.
> However, once the hydraulic ironworker came in the shop, those hand
> punches dont seem quite so sexy. Oh, I still use em, but if the job can
> be done on the ironworker, I go to that first.
> My 10 year old was in the shop the other day while I was forging, and
> wanted to do some, so I had him practice pulling a taper, then
> scrolling it. He did a pretty good job on it, but then he lost
> interest, and went off to play some demonic warfare computer game or
> something, and later my 13 year old was actually working in the shop
> with me. I pay him- with the understanding that when he gets his
> paychecks, 1/2 goes in the savings account, and he can blow half.
> So he was helping me make the 10 year olds scroll end on a piece of
> 3/8" round into a little hook on the wall to hold all the headphone
> style hearing protectors that the guys who work for me leave in a big
> heap.
> I had him find a piece of scrap 1/4" x 2" flat bar, cut it to length,
> and sand the edges.
> Then I took em to the ironworker, and showed him how to set the stops
> on it so the holes come out where you want. Turned it on, told him,
> "hit that foot pedal". He did, and the look on his face was priceless-
> sorta a sh*t eating grin. As the punch went through the quarter inch
> stock like butter, with no sound. He thought that was the coolest tool
> he had ever seen. He had walked past it a hundred times, but never used
> it, but now he is hooked.
> And I still feel that way about it, after 5 or 6 years.
> There is something about punching a 3/4" hole in a piece of 1/2" plate
> with an ironworker that just makes you smile every time. When I first
> got, there were holes in almost everything. Learned to restrain myself
> now, but I would rank it right up there with automatic weapons, Vincent
> Black Shadows, and 100 foot cranes in terms of sheer fun.
>
> ries
>
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