Assembling with J clamp

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JPW062

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Nov 3, 2016
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156
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Ohio
Don't do it.
My usual clamp set-up was otherwise occupied, so I went to the clamp rack and selected a J clamp. Several minutes and choice words later I was looking into the bottom half of a Princeton kit at some thoroughly crushed components.
Will be buying an assembly press asap.

Add another to the list of gifts that won't be making it in time for Christmas.
 
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Beautys_Beast

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Sep 27, 2017
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Wisconsin/
I have the PSI pen press, and was just "Ok" with it, until I bought the pen press mods from BeeAMaker. It is Sooo much better now. Definately an upgrade well worth the few bucks he charges for them.
 

gtriever

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Apr 23, 2017
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1,135
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Paducah, Kentucky
Anybody else noticed that HF's prices have gone up for the holidays? That press was 54.95, and the benchtop lathe went up to 229 from 219. I got my press with a 20% off coupon, but even at 60 bucks it's a good buy.
 

Curly

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Nov 20, 2010
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4,828
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Saskatoon SK., Canada.
I've played with wood for better than 4 decades and have never heard of a J clamp. C clamps and F clamps for sure but not that letter. Any chance you have a picture or link to them?
 

randyrls

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Feb 2, 2006
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4,821
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Harrisburg, PA 17112
I've never made the Princeton kit, so take this with a grain of salt. When pressing thin components, don't press on the end. Make a "push block" this is a block with a hole in it so the threads are protected and the end of the block presses against the shoulder of the part, not the thin threaded(?) section. Pressing the thin section is sure to crumple it.
 

turncrazy43

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Joined
Apr 22, 2012
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1,104
Location
Marietta, GA
Try the Pen-Ultimate Assembly tool from CSA. They mount on the lathe and the tail stock is used to press the parts together. Really inexpensive and will not mar any of the metal parts.

Had mine for several years and still working great. They are about $20 now got mine when the were $15. Give them a try.

Turncrazy43
 

Talltim

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Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
650
Location
Tennessee
We do all of our assembly on our lathe. My son printed some MT2 plastic plugs. They work great and are gentle on the parts.

JPWO62 PM me your address and I will send you a set. You can count it an early Christmas for next year. Offer limited to the original poster. Sorry. The rest of you will have to adopt a teenage son with a 3D printer.

BTW that is an olive wood burl JR Gent going together in the photo.
 

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MPVic

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Dec 23, 2011
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612
Location
Hamilton, ON, Canada
We do all of our assembly on our lathe. My son printed some MT2 plastic plugs. They work great and are gentle on the parts.

JPWO62 PM me your address and I will send you a set. You can count it an early Christmas for next year. Offer limited to the original poster. Sorry. The rest of you will have to adopt a teenage son with a 3D printer.

BTW that is an olive wood burl JR Gent going together in the photo.
Very nicely done - thanks for sharing!
 

ronaldcolby

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Joined
Mar 19, 2012
Messages
12
Location
UT
We do all of our assembly on our lathe. My son printed some MT2 plastic plugs. They work great and are gentle on the parts.

JPWO62 PM me your address and I will send you a set. You can count it an early Christmas for next year. Offer limited to the original poster. Sorry. The rest of you will have to adopt a teenage son with a 3D printer.

BTW that is an olive wood burl JR Gent going together in the photo.

Woodcraft has something similar.
https://www.woodcraft.com/products/lathe-pen-press-adapters-2-mt
 
Joined
May 19, 2015
Messages
139
Location
Columbia, Maryland
That Harbor Freight Arbor press seems like a good idea (might need a few mods to protect the kits), i had the fancy pen press from Peach Tree, needless to say about 100 pens later it is in a scrap heap in the corner because the mechanism was not efficient.
 

MRDucks2

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Jul 17, 2017
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3,215
Location
Bristow, IN
Bear in mind that I started all of this in May, but having tried 2 or 3 methods, the HF arbor press is what I settled on.

I do have 2 small strips of wood I use the protect the ends of the pen assembly. If you are doing a one piece that is long, you simply rotate to the widest die gap in the plate and press into the bench surface (you could just set the plate off, also).

With any clamping or screw method, I just had to watch the movement and hope nothing moved suddenly. With the arbor press, even though it is geared, it is a single rack and pinion so you "feel" the press and any movement directly core lates with movement on the pen assembly.


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dogcatcher

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Jul 4, 2007
Messages
2,359
Location
TX, NM or on the road
We do all of our assembly on our lathe. My son printed some MT2 plastic plugs. They work great and are gentle on the parts.

JPWO62 PM me your address and I will send you a set. You can count it an early Christmas for next year. Offer limited to the original poster. Sorry. The rest of you will have to adopt a teenage son with a 3D printer.

BTW that is an olive wood burl JR Gent going together in the photo.

For those of us that do not have a 3D printer, you can use a 2MT arbor with threads. Add a plastic like HDPE or Delrin to the threads. You will need 2 of these. https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHARS-2MT-...113331?hash=item4604047b73:g:Bt0AAOSw9N1VtpFu

The good news is that you can use these arbors gor other things. I have made my own drivers for turning between centers with blanks of wood that I drilled and tapped to fit the threads, and turned to the shape of a TBC bushing. I have other attachments that hold buffing wheels. Simple to take one use off and put the other on.
 

Curly

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Nov 20, 2010
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4,828
Location
Saskatoon SK., Canada.
You could also get a couple machinable arbors and put a couple layers of tape on the end to protect the pen parts.

Or turn some out of hardwood or plastic. The taper doesn't need to be perfect.

Or take a couple small squares or rounds of plywood/MDF, stick some two sided tape on a face and put them on the end of the headstock and tailstock.

There are many ways of pressing parts together using the lathe, drill press, arbor presses, vices, pen presses, and anything else handy in the shop. Just need to look around and try or buy.
 

crokett

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Dec 4, 2012
Messages
610
Location
Mebane, North Carolina
I have the HF arbor press. I took the stock plate off and came up with my own plastic plate to protect the kits. I discovered my plate needs modification or I need a different design for the bolt-action kits. the press doesn't have enough clearance with the plate I have.
 

MRDucks2

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Jul 17, 2017
Messages
3,215
Location
Bristow, IN
I have the HF arbor press. I took the stock plate off and came up with my own plastic plate to protect the kits. I discovered my plate needs modification or I need a different design for the bolt-action kits. the press doesn't have enough clearance with the plate I have.



I have done some pretty long assemblies by going between the legs under the plate.


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JPW062

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Joined
Nov 3, 2016
Messages
156
Location
Ohio
THe bessey is actually what i usually use. I was using it on something else though. It works, but I am not sure other options aren't better.
 
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