I have been on an equipment-buying run lately, and decided to splurge on a Palmgren 1-ton arbor press.
Intended Use
I mostly plan on using the arbor press to push dowel pins into parts, punch small holes in light sheet metal, broach round shafts to hex and possibly square shapes, and for random assembly and disassembly tasks here and there. I have gotten around not having an arbor press by using compound leverage pliers and dead blow hammers.
Advertisement
Brand
I didn’t want to scout out the used tool market, nor could I afford a USA-made Dake press, so I went with Palmgren.
Palmgren is (or at least was) a very good name when it comes to small machine vises, and arbor presses as well. I figured that, even though these arbor presses are made overseas, they might still be decent quality.
The price difference between the Palmgren and a generic import press was maybe $20, which isn’t too much.
Sizing
A 1/2-ton press would have been a little light for some of the broaching I want to do, and a 2-ton press too heavy to move to and from my active work area and wherever I decide to store in.
I figured a 1-ton press might be suitable for the time being while giving me room to grow.
Features
Two features I was most interested in was the handwheel, since most of my intended usage will be light duty tasks, and a reversible ram that can accept custom punches and adapters.
Advertisement
One end of the anvil is straight and flat (or close to it) and the other has a hole for the three included punch shapes. This way I can more easily create a broach adapter or custom punch holders.
First Impression and Initial Problems
I am about halfway done cleaning off the packing grease, and took a break to write this post. Well, that’s part of the story – I first had to make a quick call to Palmgren to order replacement parts.
One thing struck me as odd – I would have expected to see Palmgren’s name on the side of the press, but it only appeared on a small index-card-sized label on the side of the cardboard box the arbor press shipped in. I can’t read into this further without knowing if Palmgren branded their arbor presses back when they were still made in the USA.
When I unpacked the arbor press, there was a bit of plastic tape holding a key to the keyway of the pinion. It was sitting diagonal, which struck me as weird.
This is the handwheel:
Here is the geared shaft:
And finally, the key:
The key mates the handwheel to the pinion shaft to lower and raise and the ram. I couldn’t press the key into the keyway or straighten it from its 45° angle, nor could I remove it by hand, I had to pull out a pry bar.
As you can see from the image, there are bits of steel raised off the sides of the key.
I don’t have a bench grinder, and even if I did, something like this would be tough to grind down. Besides, I don’t have the time to correct a flaw in a brand new product, nor should I have to.
What really frustrates me is that it looks like the key was hammered down into the keyway. There’s no way those steel lips would be created if the key was pressed in by hand. Scotch tape, or a similar light duty plastic tape, was used to secure the key to the keyway for shipping. Or at least I believe that’s what the plastic tape was intended to do. In reality, the key wasn’t floating in the keyway, it was jammed in at an angle.
So, the key was forced into the keyway, jammed at an angle, left that way, wrapped with tape, boxed, and shipped off.
Luckily, there’s good news to this story – I called Palmgren and they’re sending over a replacement key and a replacement pinion. I requested replacements for both parts to ensure I don’t have to call again.
Either the key is oversized, or the keyway was cut undersized. With replacements for both parts inbound I *should* have a properly assembled and working press in about a week or so.
Overall, I’m happy about the press’s features and general quality, at least for what I paid, and Palmgren’s customer service was quick and easy to get ahold of. But it’s still incredibly frustrating to know that this issue could have been caught and fixed at the Palmgren factory in China.
During the call I asked whether Palmgren makes any arbor presses in the USA anymore, thinking that there might be two lines of presses, but they don’t. Before I placed the order for the Palmgren, I priced a USA-made Dake 1-ton arbor press at $350.
This press cost me $56 from Enco. Its list price is $85 or so, but it was $70 on sale, and $56 after additional 20% discount. Shipping was free with a stacking coupon code.
Buy Now(via Enco)
Palmgren Arbor Presses(via Amazon)
If you look at some of the reviews on Amazon, keep in mind that some are from when the presses were still made in the USA.
Jerry
Glad they took care of you. If the key was too big, and the slots matched, you could always clamp the key in a vise and use a file to size it.
Stuart
True, but right now the vise is on the floor, one worktable is cluttered with newly received items, the other is in the process of being built.
But to be frank, I probably would have returned the arbor press for a replacement exchange before considering to file down parts to fix things better than new.
Kyle
Something too pricey to be in the running – but worth an honorable mention I think is the miniature arbor press made by panavise.
http://www.panavise.com/index.html?pageID=1&id1=9&id2=10&startat=1&–woSECTIONSdatarq=10&–SECTIONSword=ww
Only 1/4 ton and a pricey $175 but it is nice to know about it as a high quality option for perhaps people doing mostly smaller more precision work. Disclaimer: I’ve never used this one myself or seen it in person but it looks nicer than the roughly ground pile of cast pieces that constitute most of the small arbor presses out there.
Stuart
That’s one model I strongly considered, but 1/4-ton is a bit too light for some of my intended applications. I also looked at Janesville Tool & Manufacturing presses, but pricing was a bit high, similar to with Dake, for something I probably won’t use all the time.
PanaVise products are typically quite good, and I believe they’re all made in the USA as well, so I wouldn’t doubt the quality of their small press.
Kyle
I should have figured you would have already checked out all the good options!
I don’t know if you go beyond jotting down a few notes when you evaluate a product space before making a purchase – but if you ever make any type of comparison tables or spreadsheets I’m sure many of us readers would enjoy seeing them. Besides your thoroughness, its good to learn about the variety of tool sources you consider. I think it’s also very informative because it highlights the product strategies of the manufacturers (where there is one) and can help us consumers make informed decisions.
Stuart
I definitely over-think many or most of my tool purchases. That’s partly why I originally started ToolGuyd, because I wanted to help others shave time and effort off their own purchasing decisions. Not many people get it, but ToolGuyd is supposed to read as Tool Guide.
I thought today would be a good time to write about the arbor press, as the experience of unpacking it, cleaning it, finding the defect, and calling customer service for a quick resolution (aside for waiting for the shipment) was fresh in my mind. But rather than simply talk about that, I thought it might be good to show a rough outline of how I made the purchasing decision, similar to what I wrote up for the Taig mill.
My research process and purchase decisions aren’t exactly linear, so I never really made comparison tables, spreadsheets, or anything like that. Much of the time I narrow things down to just 2 or 3 options at a time, max.
Often I look into a product or tool type, do a little research in short spikes of interest, and then do a lot of final research once I’m ready to pull out my wallet. This could take 5 minutes, an hour, or it can span months if not years.
Right now I am working on getting some of my opinions and recommendations down on digital paper, which is why there hasn’t been as many tool reviews or previews lately. I have also been ordering a bunch of new tools and supplies, which of course means intense research and decisions.
I have quite a few favored tool sources, and foolishly tried to list some of them here before it got too out of hand for this already too-long comment.
Kyle
For the record, it was always obvious to me that you are the “Tool Guy” and that your website is a “Tool Guide” – I assume most people got that right away.
Thanks for the reply – we appreciate all the detailed info you give us now it’s very informative and interesting. Charts and spreadsheets not necessary.
Stuart
The most common spelling I’ve seen are ToolGuyD and ToolGuy’d. Surprisingly few people read it as Tool Guide, but that’s okay.
Stan
I own a Panavise model number 301 that I bought recently and I can attest this product and seemingly every Panavise product that deals with their vises are still American made.
As for their car items and electric items, chances are that isn’t the case, but I could be wrong.
Stuart
I *believe* they’re still made in the USA. I say *believe* because I’m not certain either, but do distinctly remember seeing USA on the label of PanaVise speaker mounts I bought a while back.
Allen
I’m reminded of when we got a new instructor in the metal shop. He put the Dake arbor press on the scrap pile, didn’t know what it was used for.
Thomas
Looks like a nice deal and I am in the market for one. Is the 20% off code still available? Thanks!
Stuart
The current deals are 20% off orders $199+ excluding machinery with code VIP20, or free ground shipping on $25+ orders with code VIPUPS. The offers are not stackable.
It’s actually rare for there to be a %-off plus free shipping promo.
mike
Looks nice for the price,a Dake is totally worth the money thou.
matt
really a must have tool congrats..