How to make a homemade hydraulic press in your garage

In most cases, a garage is used not only for storing a car. As a rule, this is also a workshop where the driver repairs faulty or makes new parts for his car. This requires a variety of tools and equipment, which are quite expensive. A garage press is a necessary and functional device that you can do yourself. This is not an easy task, but quite doable even for a novice master. It is necessary to develop a competent scheme of the mechanism, select high-quality tools and materials.

Design features of a homemade press

A hydraulic press is a piece of equipment used to process or shape objects by applying a certain amount of force. The work is carried out due to the movement of fluid in the internal cylinders of the device.

With the help of a lever, pressure is exerted on the working chamber. The liquid through the valve enters a large hydraulic cylinder, where the pressure rises, the piston moves, pressure is exerted on the part. With further pressure, it increases until the desired result is achieved. Special compositions are used as filler in the cylinders. To perform precise work with the specified parameters, the product can be equipped with pressure gauges.

Having made a do-it-yourself hydraulic press for the garage, you can perform the following manipulations:

• sheet metal stamping;
• straightening bent objects;
• connection of bearings to shafts or their extrusion;
• bending of round and profiled pipes;
• chasing, application of inscriptions and logos;
• displacement of water and technical fluids;
• preparation of wine, juice and other drinks, where the separation of cake is required;
• production of cake and sunflower oil;
• waste briquetting;
• gluing objects.

Factory-made equipment has a considerable price. To make a press with your own hands from a jack to the garage, you only need to spend money on purchasing materials, and there are always tools for work.

Press project preparation

With the right approach to business, competent planning and installation accuracy, a homemade garage press will in no way be inferior to factory counterparts. It is rather difficult to create a drawing yourself without preliminary theoretical training. You can use one of the ready-made solutions.

The machine can be large, medium and miniature in size. The smallest models can even be a desk accessory. The same applies to the orientation of the work pieces of the equipment. The stem can move up, down or sideways. There are solutions for the location of the device. Depending on the layout, size and design of the building, it is made free-standing, wall-mounted or suspended. Here the master himself determines how more convenient and functional the product he has assembled will be used.

What to assemble a press from

For most drivers, a garage is a workshop that does more than just repairing a car. There are often certain installation activities associated with some improvements in the house or in the country. And this assumes the presence of a fairly serious arsenal, designed for all occasions.

To assemble the press, you will need the following tools:

• welding machine;
• angle grinder;
• roulette;
• polishing machine for metal;
• level;
• square;
• electric drill;
• spanners;
• screwdrivers;
• core;
• puncher;
• paint brush;
• marker.

From the materials you need to purchase:

• electrodes;
• grinder discs;
• corner 40x40 mm;
• channel;
• corners;
• hydraulic jack in working order;
• anti-corrosion agent;
• acrylic paint;
• powerful springs (2);
• mounts if the product is wall-mounted.

Metal work is associated with certain health risks. It must be performed with goggles, gloves and a respirator. When welding, it is necessary to wear tarpaulin clothing, gaiters and a mask.

DIY hydraulic press

For domestic use, it is enough to make a universal press that develops a pressure of up to 10 tons. A more powerful product requires more manufacturing costs and a lot of space, which is always limited in the garage. Large, more resembling industrial equipment, fixtures are not used to their full potential. Large dimensions make it difficult to work with small parts when high precision and accuracy are required.

When designing, it is necessary to pay attention to the details that will subsequently determine the technical characteristics of the device:

• dimensions (width, height, depth);
• the total weight of the equipment, its type is mobile or stationary;
• the working stroke of the piston, which determines the limiting dimensions of the objects to be processed.

Products with a gear or hydraulic drive are used as a source of pressure generation. The first type costs less, but its capabilities are also limited. Hydraulic devices are more powerful and efficient. You can use used jacks that have lost their presentability, but have retained their functionality.

The press device assumes the presence of a powerful frame that can withstand high loads. The pressure will be applied to the top and bottom rungs, which means they should not bend and the weld should be duplicated with an additional diagonal strap. The lower part of the frame must be made heavier so that it provides stability and stability to the entire structure.

The next question that needs to be determined is the size of the internal opening of the product. This parameter is calculated taking into account the following initial data:

• Lift size. Its height is measured with the stem fully raised and lowered.
• The maximum size of the part that is planned to be processed on the machine in the future.
• Availability of free space in the room, on the floor, in a niche, on a workbench.

The location of the platform at the bottom is considered optimal, and the pushing of the pressing part at the top. So the objects to be processed are easier to lay, they are better visible, it is more convenient to manipulate containers and liquids.

When the project is completed and verified, the tools and materials are ready, you can begin the practical part of the process.

First you need to prepare a workplace, since you should not engage in cutting and welding work in the garage. Soot will ruin the interior lining, and the risk of ignition from sparks is quite high. Therefore, the assembly should be carried out at a safe distance from the building. To do this in comfort, you can build a small canopy that will protect the craftsman and tools from the sun and rain.

The work itself consists of the following stages:

1. Assembling the frame. It is carried out from a channel 100x50 mm. The sides are cut out and laid on a flat base. Then the alignment is carried out vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Use a template for precise angles. First, the structure is tacked with spot welding, then the final seam is made.
2. Attaching the bottom plate.It is welded to the lower frame, gives stability to the product, shifts its center of gravity downward.
3. Assembling the movable shelf on which the jack will be installed. For fixation in the frame, cavities in the channel are used. Maintaining the horizontal position is ensured by plates with curved edges and side latches on the outside.
4. Spring hinge attachment. The easiest way is to take a piece of a corner and make a hole of the appropriate diameter in it. Then the hinges are welded to the top bar and movable shelf.
5. Jack installation. Welding is considered a quick and easy solution. But it is better to bolt the device. This will make it easier to disconnect for repair, replacement or modernization of the press.
6. Springs meshing. They should be slightly tightened so that the shelf with the jack does not fall spontaneously.
7. Cleaning the product from scale and dirt. Lubrication of moving joints, painting of stationary parts.

For ease of handling small and large items, you can install a removable stop element. It serves to move it along the guide by means of a screw drive with a handwheel and fix the working plate at a minimum distance from the stem.

If there is no channel or it was not enough, the profile of the desired configuration can be made from 50x50 mm corners.