Re: what did you do in your garage today?
I started to modify my Chinese arbor press to let me use a 3/4" ratchet handle (also Chinese) to operate it.
Removed the shaft:
Here is the shaft next to the ratchet I will use:
I started to cut it off in the lathe, but realized I do not have a parting tool that will go that deep:
So, I went to the band saw instead:
Then back to the lathe to face it off and center drill:
Ok, instead of a week off, I had time today to do more work on this project.
I finished boring a center hole and then a larger stepped bore for the modified extension to fit into, then cut off and turned the outside of the extension shaft and drive end to true them up to center and size them to have a .002" interference fit on both bores in the arbor shaft:
Then I used the 20-ton hydraulic press to force the turned-down extension square drive into the hole. At one point it bound up and I was afraid it might not go in all the way, and then . . . BANG!. . . it popped and I was able to press it the rest of the way to the bottom of the bores:
I re-assembled the arbor press:
Popped in the ratchet:
And hung on it with all my weight:
It doesn't budge, but I may run a bead of weld around the perimeter of the pressed-in drive just for additional insurance, because I know some day I'll have a cheater pipe on that ratchet.
Anyone have any ideas what to use this for ??:
Update 11/1/2013:
Ok, so I couldn't leave it alone. I welded a bead around the inserted piece: