[TheForge] Upper die mount for hydraulic press

[Bob Ehrenberger]

Steve,

We have a die system similar to what you are discribing.  I had put pictures 
on theforge gallary a couple years ago, don't know if they are still there. 
We just had them pinned on the front side to hold them in place.  Our dies 
are real loose, (1/32 " gap) once they make contact with the work they 
aren't going any where. It's not like a hammer where they need to be real 
tight, a press moved slow an won't shake loose.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net

Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:42:56 -0500
From: smith at blacksmithing.org
Subject: [TheForge] Upper die mount for hydraulic press

Greetings all -- 

I've finally gotten around to building the moving-frame hydraulic press
suggested by Bruce Freeman (http://www.ironflower.com/plans/press.htm) and
am reaching the point of fabricating the upper die mount.  The idea is to
have dies on easily removable plates (6"x6"x1/2") that slide into a set of
brackets (left and right) with a stop block at the rear.  The front edge
would be blocked with a 5/8" pin dropped thru a block welded to the upper
frame edge.  My question for those of you with press experience is just how
tight should the plate be?  I can envision two pins acting as register pins
and two cam lock levers (left & right) use to 'snug' the plate to the frame
top, but is any of this really necessary? What I want to avoid is the need
to use a hammer to remove the plate or having the plate and die 'clatter'
and move relative to the lower die.

Suggestions please!

Steve Bloom