# My $50 No Welding Bow Press (it's different really!)



## b0w_bender

I know I know "not one more bow press", I'm sure you'll want to puke if you have to look at one more press. Well I haven't seen one like this before so if this is a duplicate then sorry 

After looking at the pipe clamp bow press I thought I would take it a step further. I went out and Bought one of these trailer Jacks.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3500-lb-capacity-drop-leg-trailer-jack-3961.html

I then stated the modifications, I used a hack saw to cut a 7/8" slot in the Jack base. The impressions in the base were nearly perfect for the shame of the fingers.

I then bolted on a stationary set of aluminum\oak fingers near the crank end.

Tada! a bow press ready for production. Cost about $39.00 for the jack add shipping and bolts and you are right around $50.00. One of the benefits of this is that it cranks down to about 20" so it's easy to take with you to the hunt camp. 
Enjoy


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## d3coy_duck

Pretty good idea there man!


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## jim p

I like it. Anytime there is no welding it is a good day. How far will it extend?


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## sb220

Pretty cool man. I may have to make one of those. Is it wobbly at all at the extension needed to fit the bow inside?


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## b0w_bender

46" is the max it will open. I suppose for the longest bows that may be a tad short but the bow that is on it is a Martin ShadowCat which has a 41" ATA 
For the ShadowCat it works perfect. You could also re-design the way you mount the fingers to move them further out towards the crank.

This is the picture showing it in it's shortest state of 26"


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## b0w_bender

sb220 said:


> Pretty cool man. I may have to make one of those. Is it wobbly at all at the extension needed to fit the bow inside?


Yes you may want to shim the extensions out a bit because it does wobble a bit. That was my plan anyway.


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## jim p

I also like the way you have it mounted. It might be a little difficult to get to some of the cables and string on the end where the wood is used but if you are working on a single cam bow just put the wheel at the wood end and you would be home free. I am going to have to think about how to thin down that wood end piece. If you had some 6x6x1/4" angle, would there be enough room to bolt it to the top side of the jack. If not maybe a small plate could be bolted to the top of the jack and then you could cut fingers out of the angle and bolt them to the plate.

I am going to have to check my pipe clamp press and see how far it has to open to take my bows apart. If 46" will take my bows apart I may have to get this and make another press.

This jack press might also be converted to a shooting machine or a draw board fairly easily. I know it does not have the total stroke needed but you could always just pull the bow back a few inches and hook it onto a release or a hook of some type. I really haven't thought this through so the crank handle might get in the way unless you put your attachments on the side away from the handle.


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## b0w_bender

Honestly if I wasn't so cheap I would buy some steel to make real fingers with. I have worked with the string and cables on the wood finger cam end. It is a bit tight but I was still able to remove and return them to the cam. Of course that was for the ShadowCat it may be different for other cams.

I suppose you could make it into a draw board too, I hadn't made the leap yet. There is about an inch between the crank an the frame so you could make it work or you could put the draw board on the opposite side from the crank. 

I was using a pipe clamp press before I bought this. I think you could make it work with a hand crank on both ends. They have some design changes on that thread. But after reviewing them and thinking about the cost for the second clamp the modifications necessary and the long pipe fitting into my rig well I figured I would try something else.

Thanks for the additional Ideas.


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

TTT this is worth a 2nd look.


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## kc hay seed

sent you a pm on the wobble,hope it helps


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## b0w_bender

For the Wobble I actually used some really thin steel sheet that I carpet taped to the sides of the inserts. That took most of the wobble out.


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## bowhntng4evr

Nice press. That looks easy enough for the average guy to make.


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## tjsjr

Cool idea. What's keeping the bow from falling over?


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## b0w_bender

Well there is the pressure on the limbs and there is a small Shelf on the fingers. It's really rather stable as is. You do want to be holding the bow when you loosen it though.


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## tjsjr

Anybody care geuss if this would work on Xforce style limbs?


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## b0w_bender

When I spoke with the PSE rep in Vegas last year he said limb damage caused by un-approved presses was the single larges cause of damage to their bows. The beyond parallel design of their limbs does make pressing a bit tricky. here is the list of approved presses Google the ones they approved and make your own value judgment.


http://www.pse-archery.com/prodsupport_bowpressinfo.php

They all have force angle adjustments. You would likely need to do some significant modifications to the fingers in order to get the proper force direction and limb support. Perhaps a call to PSE to understand what they are looking for in an approved devise is in order.


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## b0w_bender

*Introducing the MACH II*

Thanks to the suggestions of Jim p I made some new fingers out of some scrap 1/2" aluminum bar (Ha they were actually parts of an old bow sight once upon a time) I then bolted those onto an angle bracket. Of course sticking to the no weld theme!

This little modification gave me about 3 more inches of length and increased the travel by about an inch. so it now shortens down to 24.5"

You may also notice that I spared no expense on the wooden base  Those sheet rock screws and scrap plywood are expensive!!!


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## geoffrey

You should cut the foot off the jack and mount another set of your "new" fingers. I think that would make it easier to work on that end. Nice looking press for $50 bucks.


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## jim p

You know that you are going to shoot your eye out with that thing.  

I don't know what those black things are that are screwed to the angle. If it is wood just make sure that it does not snap. If you run across a piece of 6"x6"x1/4" steel angle use it to replace the aluminum and you should be bomb proof.

I really like your press and I also like the way that you are using things that you already have to get it set up and working like you want.


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## jim p

I went back and read a little closer and the black piece are 1/2 aluminum bar so you should be good to go as you are. Thanks for sharing your design.


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## hunt123

Do you suppose it could be turned upside down and hold a bow OK that way? Like most of the store bought linear presses.

As a side note: just curious about building a press for a Shadowcat. Martin bows don't need presses.


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## b0w_bender

hunt123 said:


> Do you suppose it could be turned upside down and hold a bow OK that way? Like most of the store bought linear presses.
> 
> As a side note: just curious about building a press for a Shadowcat. Martin bows don't need presses.


Hi Hunt123 thanks for the input. 
I suppose if you hung it from the ceiling it would function just fine with the bow hanging below it. Honestly though the bow hanging paradigm has led us to think the bow hanging down is a better way. I just finished putting together a bow from scratch and it was perfectly fine sitting on the press as apposed to dangling. Now there may be some advantages to the bow hanging as apposed to sitting but I would have to say they are slight.

To answer your second question. Yes it's true you can do everything on a Martin without a press but most things are just way easier with a press. Things like adding or subtracting a twist in a string to get the perfect peep rotation or changing out a cable or any one of a dozen other tasks are just plain easier with a press.



geoffrey said:


> You should cut the foot off the jack and mount another set of your "new" fingers. I think that would make it easier to work on that end. Nice looking press for $50 bucks.


geoffrey thanks for your input too. 
You suggested I cut off the foot and add fingers instead. Agreed it would look nicer and it may be minimally easier to work on the limbs but so far I haven't found it to be a problem. So although I like things that look neat and clean I'm also lazy so I'll probably leave it the way it is. 

Hopefully someone with a real metal shop will take this Idea and run with it. Then we'll see some super slick units. So when you get yours done post the pictures!


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## kjwhfsd

b0w_bender said:


> Thanks to the suggestions of Jim p I made some new fingers out of some scrap 1/2" aluminum bar (Ha they were actually parts of an old bow sight once upon a time) I then bolted those onto an angle bracket. Of course sticking to the no weld theme!
> 
> This little modification gave me about 3 more inches of length and increased the travel by about an inch. so it now shortens down to 24.5"
> 
> You may also notice that I spared no expense on the wooden base  Those sheet rock screws and scrap plywood are expensive!!!


Your 1/2" is reallly 5/16" notch is weakest part. you are getting close to yield especially with repeated use. Give me the dimentions I'll make you some out of steel. Then you will be good to go.


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## b0w_bender

Hey nice to hear from ya thanks Kjwhfsd
Are you still shooting at CRB?

I got your PM I'll pull something together. 
I actually want to create a design that is adjustable so it fits a broader spectrum of bows. I'll need to ponder on that a while. 
:high5::high5::high5:


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## hunt123

b0w_bender said:


> To answer your second question. Yes it's true you can do everything on a Martin without a press but most things are just way easier with a press. Things like adding or subtracting a twist in a string to get the perfect peep rotation or changing out a cable or any one of a dozen other tasks are just plain easier with a press.


I've wondered about that as i've been working on mine. Mine gets mounted using a bolt in my stabilizer hole before I start backing down the limbs, so it's upright, stable and real easy to work on. But at 62#, it takes me 3 + 3 + 2 cranks on each limb bolt to get everything loose. A press would eliminate that part. 

One big advantage of the "bolt in the stabilizer hole" method is that there's nothing any where near your cams making it VERY easy to add twists, change strings, take the idler or cam off, etc. The other end of the bolt either goes in a vise or I've rigged up a brace to hold it if I want to work on my bow on a table. The bow rotates around giving you access to any angle.

Having to back down the limb bolts is a disadvantage though if you need to make a tweak, then test, then make another tweak, etc. Your press would be great for those occasions.


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## Kstigall

b0w_bender said:


> Thanks to the suggestions of Jim p I made some new fingers out of some scrap 1/2" aluminum bar (Ha they were actually parts of an old bow sight once upon a time) I then bolted those onto an angle bracket. Of course sticking to the no weld theme!
> 
> This little modification gave me about 3 more inches of length and increased the travel by about an inch. so it now shortens down to 24.5"
> 
> You may also notice that I spared no expense on the wooden base  Those sheet rock screws and scrap plywood are expensive!!!


:wink: You just made the press I've been putting off build for a year! I guess I'll work on getting the finger off to the side and adjustable fingers like on the factory press.


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## b0w_bender

OK this is what I was thinking for real adjustable fingers I have the side plates drop below the jack with two holes to attach the "stand of your choice". I think this will work.

Comments?


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

I think that your finger design looks workable. Do you have room to get the cross bolts in that hold the side plates in position? You could use roll pins for positive location on the side plates if need be. Question: I have looked at the jack that you bought from Harbor Freight and one that costs twice as much at the Farm Store. I think it is made by a company called Bulldog. Much heavier built but not sure about the clearance between the square tubes. This is in reference to your concern about looseness. If I can I will check it out. I think it is about $75.

Thx for the great idea. I have a homemade press but your idea is better


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## kjwhfsd

b0w_bender said:


> Hey nice to hear from ya thanks Kjwhfsd
> Are you still shooting at CRB?
> 
> I got your PM I'll pull something together.
> I actually want to create a design that is adjustable so it fits a broader spectrum of bows. I'll need to ponder on that a while.
> :high5::high5::high5:


Yes I'm still shooting at CRB. Just not on the Board anymore and wont be for a long while if ever again.


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## Tunaboy

*Press fingers*

Sorry I don't have any CAD type program to give you a drawing but I have been working on the finger problem as well. I have bought a 1/2" piece of keystock 12" long, about $5. I think that I can drill 3/32" cross holes in the locations where I need the stock bent and heat with a propane torch and bend the right profile for a finger. The cross holes should allow the bends to be repetable on sets of fingers for uniform profiles. The problem that I have is the hole that the finger pivots on. I am considering mounting a 1/4" steel plate to bridge the finger at an angle across the 90 degree part of the bend. I would mount it with 10-24 screws and use 1/8" roll pins to insure that this plate maintains location.

Sorry now sketch or pic. It would be much easier to understand the above text.:shade:


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## b0w_bender

Well one of the things I realizes about my finger design is that I have a draw stop on the ShadowCat that interferes with the wider fingers. So I need to use 1/4" stock to be able to slip between the stop and the limb. I'll have to rethink how to get around that, I'll probably just lim down the design. On the pipe-clamp press the guys are just using straight 1/4 steel with a piece of hose slipped over it. I may try that too.

Tunaboy


> Do you have room to get the cross bolts in that hold the side plates in position?


Yes basically the Jack has one long central worm screw down the middle so you have plenty of room top and bottom. There are some bits up near the crank but easily avoidable. However the through bolts would reduce the travel if they interfere with the telescoping piece so you want them as close to the top of the Jack as you can. this will minimize any travel loss. As far as your fingers go post them if/when you have some.


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## Tunaboy

*Fingers*

Your fingers are different enough that there would be no patten issues. If you get a bunch cut I am sure that you could make some cash and making a press like yours would be very do able. I have not been able to check out the heavier jack that the farm store sells yet but harbor freight wants $36 and the Farm wants $72


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

I did get a chance to look at the heavy duty trailer jack at the local "Farm Store". It is made by Bulldog. It is a BEAST. 8000 pound unit that is built the same as the Harbor Freight model. Every thing is much heavier and the legs that slide in and out are not as sloppy a fit as the HF unit. The upper (gray) section of the jack is 2.5" wide. The final section is 1 7/8" wide. I like it but the price is $72-$77. The HF unit is $36. Still working on fingers that the average guy with could make with a hack saw and drill press.


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## b0w_bender

*Simple Fingers*

I Like how you think "Tunaboy". 
I actually replaced the jack base with a piece of square tubing I had laying around. it fits much tighter. I also mounted the press to my bench and put some wood blocks on either side of it and now it is rock solid. very little wobble at all. I also added the draw board feature that "Jim P" suggested. I'll get a picture posted of it eventually perhaps this afternoon.

The simple fingers are also the path I was considering. the pictures of the red clamp are the fingers that "Race59" used originally on his pipe clamp press. I'm thinking those are super nice but could be modified to be adjustable on this press. the top picture\drawing is what I was thinking. A 2x4x1/4" steel L stock cut in 2" width. cut out the finger portion as shown. (With hack saw if necessary) For mounting either drill 4 holes or even better if you have a milling machine add slots for finger adjustment. Then you could mount them on the press front to back so the fingers come up side by side. Optionally you could bend the fingers slightly although I'm not convinced it is necessary. Lastly add the plastic protective coating and the hose and bingo you're in the front row.


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

I too was thinking about the pipe press fingers. Your first drawings of fingers would need to be cut with a plasma cutter. If you used a straight design you could pin a 1/2" or 3/8 square piece of key stock on a slight angle forward angle and put a step on the finger to act as a stop. Maybe not pretty but would work fine. I would cut the foot off the jack and put your side plate design finger assembly on both ends. I think that while not as cool as an EZ press it would do a good job and be affordable to most arrow flingers.


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## b0w_bender

Here we are mounted to the bench with bolted on fingers at both ends and an incorporated draw board.

for the draw board I do need to pull the string back to connect it to the bolt. but with even 6" of motion gives me plenty of stroke to ID how the Cams are tuned and ID where stuff needs to be tweaked.

I hope someone else builds one of these and posts it so we can see some other cool ideas!

:shade:


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

So BOW BENDER have you given up on your other finger design that allows the fingers to slide in and out for different bows? The angle plate with bolted on fingers does not look adjustable for width. With your slider design you could have different sized bolt on/pinned on fingers to fit most any bow. Do you find the angle plate design fits different bows?


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## b0w_bender

with the L stock fingers and the slotted holes it would be as adjustable on the width of the fingers and a heck of a lot easier to manufacture. They also would likely cost less. I prefer the fingers that slid on the rod because you have the added adjustability of the finger rotation but not sure I want to go through the effort and cost of getting them CAD cut. I found a local cutter but I didn't bother to get a price from them.


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## Tunaboy

*Press*

Hey Bowbender I bought the BEEFY 8000# trailer jack. I plan to work on the side plate finger design and piece together the fingers. Sounds strange but I think I can work out a design that most with a drill press could make. This trailer jack is so big I will be able to press the leaf spring off your pick up truck.

If this press works I will post

Thx Tunaboy


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## b0w_bender

Cool, post pictures when you have them! I'm working on steel fingers for mine. I don't think they'll be adjustable but I may get ambitious and do that, we'll see.


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## b0w_bender

Well here it is the finished Press, and just for clarification no welding was used in the making of this press. I used 1/4" x 3.5" L angle to make the final fingers and to be honest that cost me another $20. I foam taped on blocks of 3/8" plastic for the limb rests on the fingers. For those of you who think I'm a cob artist you're mostly right but once in a while I do put something together that looks somewhat professional. 
:icon_1_lol:

This unit adjusts down to press a mini genesis and expands to press at least a 46" ATA bow. The yellow bits on the press are for the draw board. If you scroll up you'll see a Rytera bow on the draw board part. 

I know most of the bow presses have the bow hanging down but for the life of me I can't figure out why we go to all that extra welding. I haven't yet found an advantage for it. In fact so far I found it easier to be able to set the cams or the strings on the press while you are working on them. Having the bow upright so far for me has been an advantage. 

Well I hope some other folks build presses Like this because I would love to see some pictures Enjoy!

http://www.onlinemetals.com was the source for the L iron. :thumbs_up


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## hutch04

Nice job. I like it. Hope I can build one pretty easy for my dr2. Thanks for the finished product. Planning on starting this weekend. Any tips I should now about pm me or email me at [email protected]. Thanks


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## b0w_bender

I had a question posed about the final finger design that I used so I thought I would post here sorry to dredge up the dead horse 
:deadhorse

In hind sight I wish I would have gone with 5/16 or even 5/8" steel because I ended up bolting on some additional thickness to the back of the finger. after I added the limb rests to the front of the fingers. I expect the picture explains it better than my description.


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## Tunaboy

Thanks for the pics BB. Like you said the pic. says it all


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## aread

With the final revisions, this is the best of the home made, portable in-line presses! 

Excellent job BB.

Thank you for posting and thank you for all the work you put into it.:thumbs_up

Allen


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## b0w_bender

Thanks for the kind words I appreciate that. Honestly I just leveraged the ideas of the great folks that came before me 

I had a PM that asked why I thought the 1/4" wasn't thick enough for the fingers. Well you can see in the final design that I bolted on the limb rests and that required a hole be drilled through the finger. This significantly reduces the volume of steel so it just looked a little too thin. If I were to do it again I would just prefer to have the piece of mind and use the 3/8" or bolt on more steel like I did.

I was also asked how I cut the slots and what the gap was. My gap is 7/8" because that fit my ShadowCat's limbs the best. I also think that would accommodate most bows on the market. I used a cutting wheel purchased at home depot for $5.00 and put it in my chop saw. It was surprisingly affective at cutting the material to length and for cutting out the slots. Lots of sparks though so clean up the sawdust around the chop saw before you start.

Thanks again have a great day everyone!


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## hunt123

b0w_bender said:


> Thanks for the kind words I appreciate that. Honestly I just leveraged the ideas of the great folks that came before me
> 
> I had a PM that asked why I thought the 1/4" wasn't thick enough for the fingers. Well you can see in the final design that I bolted on the limb rests and that required a hole be drilled through the finger. This significantly reduces the volume of steel so it just looked a little too thin. If I were to do it again I would just prefer to have the piece of mind and use the 3/8" or bolt on more steel like I did.
> 
> I was also asked how I cut the slots and what the gap was. My gap is 7/8" because that fit my ShadowCat's limbs the best. I also think that would accommodate most bows on the market. I used a cutting wheel purchased at home depot for $5.00 and put it in my chop saw. It was surprisingly affective at cutting the material to length and for cutting out the slots. Lots of sparks though so clean up the sawdust around the chop saw before you start.
> 
> Thanks again have a great day everyone!


Man, that is an awesome press...and no welding! That'll have to be my next project. I'm finishing up my Ryobi Shooter (from another thread) right now. Thanks for posting the bigger pics in the other thread. I guess I didn't read far enough in this one!


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## hunt123

b0w_bender said:


> Here we are mounted to the bench with bolted on fingers at both ends and an incorporated draw board.
> 
> for the draw board I do need to pull the string back to connect it to the bolt. but with even 6" of motion gives me plenty of stroke to ID how the Cams are tuned and ID where stuff needs to be tweaked.
> 
> I hope someone else builds one of these and posts it so we can see some other cool ideas!
> 
> :shade:


Here's another REALLY cool idea http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1377807. Can use the draw board while the bow is pressed. Read the posts to see why that's a good idea. There's got to be a way to modify your press so that can be done. Can't think of how right off though. Any ideas?


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## b0w_bender

OK I have succumbed to the peer pressure and put on a hand wheel. It works better since the hand wheel doesn't interfere with the stabilizer when using the press as the draw board. Oh and honestly it looks cool too!
:cocktail: happy holidays...
PS: Still no welding was done in the manufacture of this press


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## b0w_bender

OK stumbling around the internet I found the Hydra-press which is similar. This one would require some welding but you could hang your bow upside down which seems to be a big thing for a lot of folks.


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## FL904_Bowhunter

I noticed some holes on the shaft of the jack, and was wonderin does this mean, that those are the only places the jack can be stopped? if that makes any sense.
Thanks


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## FL904_Bowhunter

Scratch My Last Post I Figured It Out thanks though


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## Connor

BTT 

This is a great press and informative thread! Deserves a bump!


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## grandpabear

Really good idea! I am really considering this one.


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## b0w_bender

Thanks and post a picture if you make one


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## FL904_Bowhunter

I will Definetly Be Makin Mine Soon!


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## b0w_bender

You'll want to look at this post too, I tied this press into my string making jig. I use it as a string tension system too.
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1374668

Post your pictures when you get done!


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## FL904_Bowhunter

I got my jack yesterday, now all i need is the angled steel and i'm gettin that today, and thanks for the link on the string makin jig i just have to figure out how to make a string making jig lol that my next project, and where did you find your chrome wheel you used in place of the handle? and how did you cut the base off of your jack? thanks


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## FL904_Bowhunter

What sized bolts/screws did you use to connect the fingers to the press and where did you put the screws so you wouldnt interfer with the internal thread? Thanks


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## b0w_bender

FL904_Bowhunter said:


> I got my jack yesterday, now all i need is the angled steel and i'm gettin that today, and thanks for the link on the string makin jig i just have to figure out how to make a string making jig lol that my next project, and where did you find your chrome wheel you used in place of the handle? and how did you cut the base off of your jack? thanks


I actually replaced the bottom with a new piece of stock (aluminum) I had it laying around.
hand wheel source = http://www.grizzly.com/outlet/Hand-Wheel-5-/H3472
I used 1/2" x 1/4" 20's I threaded the jack steel to bolt on the fingers.


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## FL904_Bowhunter

Thanks andwhat sized aluminum stock sorry for all the questions


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## b0w_bender

I think it was 1.75 square


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## FL904_Bowhunter

Awesome thanks at home depot now


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## hunt123

I was looking back through all the photos in this thread and the thought occured to me that there might be another way to do this with fingers, no welding and having the bow riser down instead of up. 

I don't have CAD software but here's what I came up with. Combines features from several presses, including this one. Similar to the EZ Press with fingers on the side.


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## b0w_bender

That might work but you would need to move this bracket in a bit on the other end to avoid interfering with the hand whee and then you would have an issue with through bolting since that would interfere with the internal mechanism. Not sure you would have to through bolt it though the surface bolts might work? If you bought the jack with the crank on the end that would help but you would then need to mount the press on the end of the bench. That would work. I put my bow in my bow vice to work on it aso I don't feel much of a need to have the bow dangle. I understand some folks use their press as a clamp to hold it while they work on it but frankly I've found that to be superfluous. I also like having the draw-board mechanism holding the bow vertical I'm not sure how that would fit with the fingers sticking out the side like that but after doing it I'm guessing you may be able to jigger a way.


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## hunt123

You've actually built one, I'm only thinking about it so you have more experience than I do! Just trying to see your opinion of these modifications:
1) The bracket holding the fingers would have to be a little longer to move the fingers further away from the square tube.
2) Replace the crank with a wheel like you did and rotate the square tube so the wheel was on top.
3) Replace one of the left side bolts with a "hook bolt" for the drawboard hook.
4) Did you surface mount or through bolt the front part of your drawboard attachment? I don't see how it could be through bolted with the threaded rod inside.
5) Did you have any trouble getting around the crank mechanism & rod for through bolting the right side fingers?


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## b0w_bender

hunt123 said:


> You've actually built one, I'm only thinking about it so you have more experience than I do! Just trying to see your opinion of these modifications:
> 1) The bracket holding the fingers would have to be a little longer to move the fingers further away from the square tube.


ya and it would need to be pretty beefy



hunt123 said:


> 2) Replace the crank with a wheel like you did and rotate the square tube so the wheel was on top.


Rotating it to the top should work, you could even lengthen the shaft to move it up so it didn't interfere with the fingers rather then moving the fingers out.



hunt123 said:


> 3) Replace one of the left side bolts with a "hook bolt" for the drawboard hook.


Yup I think that would work fine too. You could even put that on a separate insert piece.



hunt123 said:


> 4) Did you surface mount or through bolt the front part of your drawboard attachment? I don't see how it could be through bolted with the threaded rod inside.


the bolt on the far right side of the picture is mounted into some 5/16" x 3/4" bar stock. That bar stock has a through bolt in it and there is a surface bolt to keep it from rotating.



hunt123 said:


> 5) Did you have any trouble getting around the crank mechanism & rod for through bolting the right side fingers?


It's mostly open space in there. A gear and a couple of washers and the worm screw down the middle. Once you pop the end off and shine a light in there you can get a pretty good feel for what it looks like. Keeping the bolts along the outside edge will allow you to do a through bolt. However if you wander to far from the crank end you run into issues where the through bolt will hinder the travel distance of the Jack. The telescoping part goes in almost all the way to the retaining bar.


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## hunt123

Great! Thanks. I'm looking forward to starting on it sometime soon. On your answer to my point 2, would it be hard to remove the crank rod and replace it with a straight one? Or would the best thing be to heat the elbow with a torch and just straighten it out?


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## b0w_bender

it's easy you simply tap out a press fit key and it pops right out. no sweat. then you'll need to drill the hole in the new shaft to slide the pin back in.


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## hunt123

Perfect! Thanks.


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## kc hay seed

hey bow bender: a little off the topic but how are you coming on your serving tool? please post when you are finished with it,what i seen of it is really a good idea. thanks


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## Spyder06

great job thanks for the info!


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## b0w_bender

kc hay seed said:


> hey bow bender: a little off the topic but how are you coming on your serving tool? please post when you are finished with it,what i seen of it is really a good idea. thanks


check it out quick at
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1394578&p=1059768064&posted=1#post1059768064


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## Red Wing

PM sent.

Joe


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## kc hay seed

+2 on the pm


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## FL904_Bowhunter

How did you bolt your fingers on without interferring with the internals?? Thanks


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## b0w_bender

I kept the bolts out near the edge and threaded the holes in the Jack I then use very short bolts


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## FL904_Bowhunter

so you didnt slip a nut down in there, you just threaded it alrighty, thanks. im runnin into a problem with the depth of my fingers because my cam is so large haha. another day.


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## whitetail25

Could u use this style with the crank at the end so its out of the way.. Thanks
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Bulldog/BD190704.html


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## b0w_bender

whitetail25 said:


> Could u use this style with the crank at the end so its out of the way.. Thanks
> http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Jack/Bulldog/BD190704.html


I don't see Why not I wish I had gone with the end crank version to be honest. I'm sure you already thought about: it would need to be at the end of the bench or elevated in some way to make room for the crank\wheel. Perhaps I'll make another one and give this one to my archery club.


----------



## drmajor

I like the idea of end crank except for cost. The e-trailer Bulldog Trailer Jack one is $94 vs $35 for the Harbor Freight one you used.

Also, looking at some end cranks- most don't have the span of the HF one. many don't open up enough. Your HF one opens to 48". The mentioned e-trailer does go to 51", but most are at 33". My Bowtech Guardian's A/Axle is 34". Am I correct that the jack needs to open wider than the axles?

What is the thickness of the fingers you cut?
Did you use a band saw to cut them?, or is there a source for them?


----------



## b0w_bender

If you are enterprising enough you could make the HF an end crank. You would need to lengthen the shaft and probably put a different cap on the end but it certainly could be done. 

Yes it will need to expand to slightly beyond the A2A. Honestly if you use your own insert you can make it expand even more than 48" It's just a matter of how much extra material you stick in the end.

I used 1/4" L angle for the fingers but I would suggest 5/16 or 3/8" I used a metal cutting grinder disk that fits in a chop saw. You can get them at home Depot for about 4 bucks. There is no legitimate source for them since the company owning the patent shuts down any non-licensed manufacturers and no there are no licensed builders. bottom line you need to build them your self.


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## URBINA

simple and it works great job !


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## kcadstudent

I ve been following a lot of these DYI presses trying to find one that I liked. I say this one yesterday and needless to say I when to HF and bought a jack today. Awesome idea.


----------



## kcadstudent

@ Bow Bender

how did you attach the hand wheel on your press? was it as easy and cutting the handle off at the bend and slipping on the hand wheel or did you do something different?


----------



## kcadstudent

Here is my contribution to this project. as I was out getting my jack to make my press today I saw this and had to get it for my press. 

http://www.harborfreight.com/foldable-adjustable-sawhorse-96506.html

I m going to bolt this to the bottom of the jack so that my press has legs. whats cool about it is that the legs fold up into the yellow part of the stand and it has a handle for carrying. the legs are adjustable too. I dont have a lot of spare bench space so having my press on a stand will be nice plus the legs will fold up and I can put it in the truck or easily move it around to were I need it.


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## kcadstudent

ttt


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## b0w_bender

kcadstudent said:


> @ Bow Bender
> 
> how did you attach the hand wheel on your press? was it as easy and cutting the handle off at the bend and slipping on the hand wheel or did you do something different?


Hi Kcadstudent
Well I did not use the shaft from the crank just in case I might want to use the crank again. That was silly once I had the hand wheel on there I don't think I'll ever take it off. But I still have the crank just in case I change my mind. I'm not sure the crank sticks out enough to just be able to cut it off. However there is plenty of material in the crank you could make a new shaft. Inside the jack is a single gear that is held in place by a press fit pin. You just need to drill a hole in the shaft in the same general location as on the original. Slide in the new shaft and replace the pin. whole process should take you less than an hour. Then you'll have a shaft that sticks out far enough to attache the hand wheel. I like the fold up feet idea should make it a handy travel unit.


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## b0w_bender

Oh and if you build one post some pictures :set1_pot:


----------



## kcadstudent

I will defiantly post pictures when I get it done. ordered the hand wheel last night. already cut the end off the jack and got it sitting on the stand. I saw on some of the other press threads that some people have used the same jack up welded shims on the tubs, have you seen any problems with tolerances on the square tubing? Did you make that pin in your pics or did you buy that? (the pin that holds the small tub for adjusting).


----------



## b0w_bender

Not sure what you mean on the small pin but if you see it in the photos I either found it in the mountain of crap I have laying around or I made it. 
Yes the HF jack is a little sloppy. I used carpet tape and stuck a thin sheet of steel on one side to make it tight. Honestly all you're doing is squeezing the bow limbs it doesn't need to be rock solid you may also notice I have mine setup so it slides in between 2 pieces of wood that also hold it steady.


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## kcadstudent

The black round handled pin on the top of the tubing. Where the hitch pin was. Thats the pin I was referring too. I was just asking because I noticed that when I placed the jack on my stand that the pin that can with it keeps the jack from sitting flat on the stand if you want it to go all the way thru. I m thinking I m just going to cut the one down that came with it, with my chop saw.


----------



## CandianQuest

Admittedly I will be cheating because I have access to a nice buzz box on my dads farm, but I will be making one as well... I went to a place in that is exclusively Canadian called Princess Auto, they started as an army surplus store (in fact we have a welder my grandfather made from a WWII generator and DC welder he bought there the same day its sorta neat), but they have great prices on a lot of things and great warranties, anyways I was hoping they might have a 500-1000# jack with square pipe, and all they had was a 5000# for $64, not bad so I grabbed it, with one more hole I will be able to service bows up to 48" ata comfortably lol, anyways the finish of this project won't be for a few weeks as school and work won't allow me time to run to padre's, when I am done i will put up a post with full pictures. Thanks for the idea Bowbender, you are definitely saving me alot of money with this idea.


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## surmn8er

TTT so I can find it easier


----------



## EPLC

hunt123 said:


> Do you suppose it could be turned upside down and hold a bow OK that way? Like most of the store bought linear presses.
> 
> As a side note: just curious about building a press for a Shadowcat. Martin bows don't need presses.


How about just making the fingers 15" more or less and mount the bow this way? BTW, this is a great idea, I may have to take a trip to Harbor Frieght later today...


----------



## b0w_bender

EPLC said:


> How about just making the fingers 15" more or less and mount the bow this way? BTW, this is a great idea, I may have to take a trip to Harbor Frieght later today...


You can do lots of things with a welder but the point here is to have an inexpensive full featured press that literally anyone with a chop saw and an hand drill could make. I personally like the compact design I cam up with takes up almost no room in the back of the car so I can take it hunting with me.


I like your idea too though, I think it was on the 2nd or 3rd page I posted a picture of a press exactly as you describe.


----------



## kcadstudent

Bow Bender

How did you attach the Hand Wheel to the Axle? I see how the axle attaches to the press but I ve been thinking of a few ways to go about attaching the hand wheel and wanted to see how you went about doing it. I should have pictures up soon of mine!


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## b0w_bender

Oh, I think I had to drill and tap the hand wheel for a set screw. From there I just took the Dremel tool and put a small slot perpendicular to the shaft this functions as a flat spot in the shaft so the hand wheel cant spin and since the set screw is now in the slot it keeps the wheel on the shaft too.


----------



## IanH

Hi, all -- If I build a press like this using the bulldog 5000 pound jack (like this but beefier), do you think I can press a Bowtech Invasion with it's slightly beyond parallel limbs and the axles mounted on top of the limbs right by the end? -- IanH.


----------



## b0w_bender

I would call Bow-tech and get their take on Finger style presses. It looks to me like it should work but to avoid any potential damage caused by any press I would get it straight from the horses mouth. I don't see how this press would be any different then any other finger style press.


----------



## BHewes

This is an awsome idea. I just did a walk through at Lowes tonight pricing materials for a press and string jig and found that they don't have the jack with the square tubing so I am going to log onto Harbor Freight to get the right one. Thanks for all the great info b0w bender.


----------



## Z-Rider

Picked up the HF jack today and will mill out the fingers at work Sunday night. I am going to cheat a bit and weld everything up including a set of fingers on each end as well as a set of legs so I can mount it on my Apple press stand. Great idea and cheap to. Also working on a pipe clamp press for use up at the cabin.


----------



## grizzlyplumber

Great idea. Getting my name in here to find it later, gonna make one of these.


----------



## FL904_Bowhunter

Here's my NO weldin press i made followin the instruction/layout from Mr. Bow Bender here. It's awesome i love it, I finished it in January and just now got around to postin pictures, let me know what yall think, any advice is always welcome, i plan on breakin out the ol welder and makin me a press that more closely resembles the EZ Press.


----------



## dpetsel

Sorry I'm a new guy.....
Hope this is not in the wrong post.

I made this linear a couple of days ago. Put new limbs on my Elite Pure this am. Worked great. $20 worth of steel and 4 feet of 7/16 allthread and misc small hardware.
10 lbs and can go with me to the range for others to use.


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## b0w_bender

Hey ya that would work!


----------



## redbone311

Mark


----------



## gcampbell

Very nice!!!


----------



## willholl79

Tagged, so I can find it later.


----------



## b0w_bender

Well since this thread got bumped back up I'll add the latest change.
OK I lamented and remade the fingers with 3/8" steel and sharpened the top a bit to help fit it between the limb and the draw stop on the cam.
The shelf is a piece of aluminum angle that is bolted in place. I used the same Lows/Home depot cut-off grinding wheel to cut the slot and the length. 3/8" angle was purchased from onlinemetals.com


----------



## 70oldsracer

Two things have been bothering me about my Trailer jack press. The first one is the fact that I haven't painted it yet, not such a big deal. The second problem is when I turn my cranking wheel clockwise it would extends the press and obviously when I turn it counter clockwise it compresses the press. I would prefer it to work the opposite way. So I took it apart again and realized if I put the gear on the cranking shaft on the bottom instead of the top, it works the way I like. I wish I realized this before I made the first shaft for the wheel, but I made a new shaft and had to put a brace on the piece the the cranking rod goes through, to stop it from wanting to go up all the time since the gear wasn't there anymore. Hard to explain, here are pics to hopefully make things a little clearer.


----------



## b0w_bender

70oldsracer said:


> Two things have been bothering me about my Trailer jack press. The first one is the fact that I haven't painted it yet, not such a big deal. The second problem is when I turn my cranking wheel clockwise it would extends the press and obviously when I turn it counter clockwise it compresses the press. I would prefer it to work the opposite way. So I took it apart again and realized if I put the gear on the cranking shaft on the bottom instead of the top, it works the way I like. I wish I realized this before I made the first shaft for the wheel, but I made a new shaft and had to put a brace on the piece the the cranking rod goes through, to stop it from wanting to go up all the time since the gear wasn't there anymore. Hard to explain, here are pics to hopefully make things a little clearer.
> ]


Great minds think alike I did the same thing when I put my wheel on I switched the gear to the opposite side. My brace is on the other side I drilled a hole in the bar stock and bolted on a washer or U channel to keep it from popping through.


----------



## 70oldsracer

b0w_bender said:


> Great minds think alike I did the same thing when I put my wheel on I switched the gear to the opposite side. My brace is on the other side I drilled a hole in the bar stock and bolted on a washer or U channel to keep it from popping through.


I see, instead of pushing it down like I did, you're basically pulling it down. It would of looked cleaner and neater your way, because it would of been on the bottom where it wouldn't of been seen. Oh well, we live and learn. Thank you for this thread and your continued ideas. Here is what mine looks like now, as I said before, it still needs paint.


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## 70oldsracer

Oaky, it's finally finished. My next project is a removable stand for the press.


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## willholl79

Here is my version. Cost me $30. The jack was on sale a Harbour Freight and I had the rest laying around.


----------



## vector16

******** are so clever. How can I make my bumper jack into a bow press? There ya go, the next new big thing. IO love it.


----------



## ruttnwapati

70oldsracer said:


> Oaky, it's finally finished. My next project is a removable stand for the press.


70oldsracer......Very nice. Looks first class!:tongue:


----------



## aread

b0w_bender said:


> Well since this thread got bumped back up I'll add the latest change.
> OK I lamented and remade the fingers with 3/8" steel and sharpened the top a bit to help fit it between the limb and the draw stop on the cam.
> The shelf is a piece of aluminum angle that is bolted in place. I used the same Lows/Home depot cut-off grinding wheel to cut the slot and the length. 3/8" angle was purchased from onlinemetals.com


BB, 

Looks good!!

What are the other dimensions on those? It looks like about 4" x 4" x 2" ?

Did you round off the back of the vertical finger to give better access to the cams?

I just picked up the trailer jack from HF. Looks like I'll need to place an order with onlinemetals too. 

Thanks,
Allen


----------



## KY_BeardsNBucks

how come no one has done this with the jack on its side and perendiculas extensions for the fingers to be on like a reg press


----------



## KY_BeardsNBucks

perpendicular


----------



## itsashooter

Tft


----------



## aread

KY_BeardsNBucks said:


> how come no one has done this with the jack on its side and perendiculas extensions for the fingers to be on like a reg press


Here is one that's also a "no weld"

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1703659


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## waylonb19

subscribed...might have to build me one this summer.


----------



## willholl79

willholl79 said:


> Here is my version. Cost me $30. The jack was on sale a Harbour Freight and I had the rest laying around.



I did weld the finger supports on this one(3x3 L) because I have a wire fed welder in my shop and it was quicker, but it could be done just as easily drilling and bolting the L to the jack.


----------



## alchemist

70oldsracer said:


> Two things have been bothering me about my Trailer jack press. The first one is the fact that I haven't painted it yet, not such a big deal. The second problem is when I turn my cranking wheel clockwise it would extends the press and obviously when I turn it counter clockwise it compresses the press. I would prefer it to work the opposite way. So I took it apart again and realized if I put the gear on the cranking shaft on the bottom instead of the top, it works the way I like. I wish I realized this before I made the first shaft for the wheel, but I made a new shaft and had to put a brace on the piece the the cranking rod goes through, to stop it from wanting to go up all the time since the gear wasn't there anymore. Hard to explain, here are pics to hopefully make things a little clearer.


There's an easier way to fix this, as long as you do it before starting any other work to mount the fingers. Just remove the crank handle, drill a new hole for the pin, and insert the crank from the opposite side, leaving the gears in their original positions. This way the internals stay in their original configuration and the cross plate still pushes up against it's stop and stays in place.


----------



## dw'struth

alchemist said:


> There's an easier way to fix this, as long as you do it before starting any other work to mount the fingers. Just remove the crank handle, drill a new hole for the pin, and insert the crank from the opposite side, leaving the gears in their original positions. This way the internals stay in their original configuration and the cross plate still pushes up against it's stop and stays in place.


Is there anyway, within reason of course, to convert it so that the handle comes out of the top? Anyone? thanks


----------



## redyak3

marked


----------



## retrieverfishin

subbed....


----------



## b0w_bender

dw'struth said:


> Is there anyway, within reason of course, to convert it so that the handle comes out of the top? Anyone? thanks


If the crank is on the top it interferes with the bow. Of course if you look higher up on the thread you can see one that uses a wheel but it has pieces welded on to move the bow out away from the jack.


----------



## jrye1

Quick question, where did you source the hand wheel? I have looked a few places and keep coming up empty. Thank you for all the information, I should have one built within the week.


----------



## b0w_bender

it's been a while but I believe I got the hand wheel from Grizzly Industrial.
http://www.grizzly.com/search/search.aspx?q=hand wheel
I would go with the 7" or larger.


----------



## 70oldsracer

b0w_bender said:


> it's been a while but I believe I got the hand wheel from Grizzly Industrial.
> http://www.grizzly.com/search/search.aspx?q=hand wheel
> I would go with the 7" or larger.


X2 on this. I used an 8" wheel from grizzly http://www.grizzly.com/products/Cast-Iron-Handwheel-8-/H3190. The handle that comes with the trailer jack is 7" from the center out. In order to maintain the same type of leverage with a wheel, it would have to be 14". That said, the 8" wheel works just fine. Here are a few pics of how I changed mine from having the 5" wheel on top, to an 8" wheel on the side.


----------



## jrye1

Used a 6" wheel , and a mig welder, couldn't help it. I found and ordered the wheel before seeing your reply, and in hindsight would have gotten a larger diameter wheel. This works just fine though. I have a total of 70 bucks in the press with the extra steel for the legs and the wheel. Thanks for posting this thread!! I'll be adding the draw board feature at some point...


----------



## b0w_bender

Both of those are super nice they don't exactly adhere to the no weld spirit but I like them none the less. just a refresher for those newer to the thread here is how my original fingers were were connected to the Jack.


----------



## bowabuk

Nice job !!!


----------



## kc hay seed

hey 70 oldsracer; do you have any pictures on how you changed your wheel to the end of the jack? also can you show what it looks like on the inside after the change? thanks


----------



## MrChuckNorris

I'm debating on whether or not to build a press like this or just get a Nite Hawk press. Its for my PSE Madness which is obviously a past parallel limb design. The Nite Hawk works great and they have videos online of it being used for my style bow. The question I guess I have is what type of finger design would I need for a past parallel press? Obviously they need to be more angled but the trick is to keep the bow from being pushed up/down (depending on configuration of press) as it's pressed.


----------



## b0w_bender

Well if you take a look at the press compatibility chart for the PSE bows you'll see the EZ press is approved and they both push straight in against the limb tips. I would think you'll want to adjust the angle of the fingers and perhaps a retainer rope or cable around the handle to ensure it doesn't pop out of the fingers but it certainly should be able to do it just like the EZ press.
http://pse-archery.com/content/XTechBowpressInfo/445.5.1.1?dev_mode=1

So then it likely boils down to do you want a press that you can quickly and easily pop the bow in and out of or do you want the ultra portability of the Night Hawk. My thoughts are, if you want to mess with your peep setup that can take several attempts to get it in the right spot. Putting the night hawk on and off looks like a bit of a hassle but to be fair I've never used one I just watched the Youtube video. As you start to do your own work the easier it is to press the bow the more likely you are to fix it. If it's a hassle you'll probably just put up with it.


----------



## MrChuckNorris

b0w_bender said:


> Well if you take a look at the press compatibility chart for the PSE bows you'll see the EZ press is approved and they both push straight in against the limb tips. I would think you'll want to adjust the angle of the fingers and perhaps a retainer rope or cable around the handle to ensure it doesn't pop out of the fingers but it certainly should be able to do it just like the EZ press.
> http://pse-archery.com/content/XTechBowpressInfo/445.5.1.1?dev_mode=1
> 
> So then it likely boils down to do you want a press that you can quickly and easily pop the bow in and out of or do you want the ultra portability of the Night Hawk. My thoughts are, if you want to mess with your peep setup that can take several attempts to get it in the right spot. Putting the night hawk on and off looks like a bit of a hassle but to be fair I've never used one I just watched the Youtube video. As you start to do your own work the easier it is to press the bow the more likely you are to fix it. If it's a hassle you'll probably just put up with it.


I just got back from the place that put my string on and you are right about the EZ Press being approved as Its what they have and I've seen it press my bow where others failed/caused the bow to start slipping. The V style press they had at Gander Mountain kept pushing my bow downward so the guy just stopped and said he couldn't press it. If I am to make on with a trailer jack and adjustable EZ press style is the finger design I will have to replicate. If this is the way I go I may see if a guy at work can mill me out something off the clock for some extra cash. Or I guess finally have him show me the ins/outs of the machine. 

Your advice on ease of use might apply to most people however I am not most people. I am an engineer who does a ton of tinkering/hands on work and I am never afraid to spend a little time on something most others find "inconvenient". If I were going to be doing a ton of work all the time I woudl no doubt go with a EZ Press style however taking a 5-10 minutes to set up a press while I listen to radio is stuff I like to do to keep me busy anyways. For the amount I am going to be working on it and not only portability, but the lack of space it will take up in my garage (which unfortunately I am short on) I am more and more leaning towards just forking over the money for the Nite Hawk. I can always sell it if I find it unsuitable for my needs but right now I only have one bow which I'd like to be able to change strings/cables/tune etc once in a while.


----------



## Speed2Max

Marked also


----------



## kdog23

Marked for build!


----------



## southokiesling

my next project i have excess to all the parts i work at a trailer plant and can get any kind of jack i need for free.


----------



## b0w_bender

So far I've mad 2 more and donated them. One to a club I used to belong too and still visit on a semi regular basis. They are in my home town I some times go back their to visit and hunt and It'd nice to know the tools will be there. The second I gave to the current club I belong to near where I live.

At about $60.00 a piece I can afford to do that much.


----------



## Scojen

For those thinking about this the jacks are on sale at horrible freight for 32.99 this week. Looking forward to building this out will post pictures when done.


----------



## straddleridge

Great thread bowbender. I have pressed my bow hundreds of times using a bowmaster portable press. Your thread caused me to try building the trailer jack press. 

Since it is a mature thread a lot of modifications have been tested. My press is not completely finished but is done enough so that I can press my bow. See picture below.









I made my own fingers with 1/4" X 1" aluminum bar stock, unistrut parts and various bolts. They are adjustable - at least for separation - will make them completely adjustable shortly. They appear to be strong enough.

Ordered a 5" hand wheel that is not yet installed.

Used a 5/8" inch bolt instead of the pin as suggested by another poster and the bottom square tube has absolutely no wobble.

To minimize wobble on the middle tube I am going to try about a 4" strip of JB Weld. I have used it in the past and it has worked well.

Last comment is wow does this thing press my bow easier than the bowmaster. In defense of the bowmaster the strings and cables are easier to work on than the trailer jack press. The trailer jack press is a lot easier and faster to use and is probably also safer.


----------



## MICCOX

ttt


----------



## teedoff

For later


----------



## b0w_bender

straddleridge said:


> Great thread bowbender. I have pressed my bow hundreds of times using a bowmaster portable press. Your thread caused me to try building the trailer jack press.
> 
> Since it is a mature thread a lot of modifications have been tested. My press is not completely finished but is done enough so that I can press my bow. See picture below.
> 
> I made my own fingers with 1/4" X 1" aluminum bar stock, unistrut parts and various bolts. They are adjustable - at least for separation - will make them completely adjustable shortly. They appear to be strong enough.
> 
> Ordered a 5" hand wheel that is not yet installed.
> 
> Used a 5/8" inch bolt instead of the pin as suggested by another poster and the bottom square tube has absolutely no wobble.


I really like your modifications very nice, cool adjustable fingers and they continue to conform to the no-weld spirit. Using the unistrut hardware is a nice touch. The bolt sideways through the extension that compresses the center tube holding it firmly is brilliant, well done.


----------



## straddleridge

thanks b0w bender

Press is finished now. Went to an 8" handwheel. Too hard for me to turn with 5". 

Also I would like to explain my fingers a little more. Although I used 1//4 X 1" aluminum I threaded and bolted 2 pieces together for each of the 4 fingers so the aluminum is really 1/2" X 1". Also the aluminum is supported by a 1//2" steel bracket. I rebent the steel brackets so the fingers are now almost vertical.

I have broken my bow completely down with the bowmaster which is a real pain. With this trailer jack press it is a snap.


----------



## b0w_bender

straddleridge said:


> thanks b0w bender
> 
> Press is finished now. Went to an 8" handwheel. Too hard for me to turn with 5".


Ha, I went through he same learning lesson! 8" is much better. 
If you have a chance post some pictures of the fingers I think others would benefit from your experience.


----------



## jeff25

Tagged


----------



## idahobow84

Saved for later. Thanks guys!


----------



## Pittstate23

Good looking press


----------



## b0w_bender

Thanks, I'm in the process of once again updating my fingers with a fully adjustable set that is relatively easy to build and still no welding. I think I'm going to start another thread which shows all the updates and how to build it from scratch. With these fingers you turn the pivot bolt and it opens and closes the gap between fingers and the bolts on the back of the fingers changes the angle of the fingers. The whole finger assembly bolts on to the jack. Also the fingers will fold down for travel. Stay tuned more to come.


----------



## redbone311

mark


----------



## b0w_bender

here is a side view of the new finger Idea I'm working on.


----------



## Mike W.

I started building mine this weekend. I'm not sure if I got a crappy jack or if they're all the same but on mine, the three parts didn't fit together very well and had a lot of play. So, I broke out the welder and replaced the inner piece with 2" tubing. It's now similar to the slimline-inline, except for the slim part.

Anyway, someone was asking how to fit the handle to the front and it's actually pretty easy with no welding required. Pull the gear off of the handle by driving out the pin. The second gear is held on by an identical pin. It's a bit difficult to get out, as there's only one access hole but it will come out. I made a sleeve from a small diameter pipe. I drilled a hole in it to match the hole in the shaft, bolted it on, inserted the handle and drilled another hole and bolted it together.


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## lsmerrill

tagged


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## MADZUKI

This is great DIY project, thanx bow bender and everyone that contributed to the design. Think I'll have to try my hand at thus one.:thumbs_up


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## b0w_bender

Anyone looking to do this press take a look at my latest iteration of this press.
I redesigned the fingers out of aluminum making them easier for the average guy to cut out and they are adjustable. full construction details can be found here:
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2167188


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## helim83

b0w_bender said:


> OK stumbling around the internet I found the Hydra-press which is similar. This one would require some welding but you could hang your bow upside down which seems to be a big thing for a lot of folks.[/QUOTE
> 
> This press is killer! I shoot a Helim. I haven't seen anything yet in this thread on whether or not the "bad ***** trailer press" , as I call it. will work on my past parallel limbs. Any thoughts?


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## b0w_bender

The concern is that the past parallel limbs will jump out the top and I would have that same concern. I was thinking you could strap it in to keep that from happening but I don't own a past parallel limb bow in order to be able to test it.

this was discussed a fair bit in the new no weld press thread found here
http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2167188


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## helim83

b0w_bender said:


> The concern is that the past parallel limbs will jump out the top and I I would have that same concern. I was thinking you couldyour ownap it in to keep that from happening but I don't own a past parallel limb bow in order to be able to test it.
> 
> this was discussed a fair bit in the new no weld press thread found here
> http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2167188



Much appreciated info. I didn't see this thread. I love DIY, im too tight to justify an off the shelf press, and building your own makes it, well........yours. Gonna start mine this weekend. If so ill snap pics of the steps. Once again bender appreciate your hard work and patience!


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## phantom1

Very cool bowpress thread!


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## BW321

Nice !!!


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## skmartin

Thanks for sharing your ingenuity!


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## skmartin

I snagged a cable on a nail when practicing in the barn, so I was looking for ideas for a press so I can change my first set of cables. Came across this thread and got the jack on sale at harbor freight. stopped by the steel shop and got to talking with the owner, and he like the idea so much he cut the fingers out of a scrap piece of 3/8" 6x6 L for free! I put it all together tonight and it works awesome! I'm going to make another one for my dad for Christmas. Thanks again for sharing!


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## stick

Nice work


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## b0w_bender

skmartin said:


> I snagged a cable on a nail when practicing in the barn, so I was looking for ideas for a press so I can change my first set of cables. Came across this thread and got the jack on sale at harbor freight. stopped by the steel shop and got to talking with the owner, and he like the idea so much he cut the fingers out of a scrap piece of 3/8" 6x6 L for free! I put it all together tonight and it works awesome! I'm going to make another one for my dad for Christmas. Thanks again for sharing!


Super glad it worked out for ya, I use mine all the time and with the latest iteration of the fingers shown above I'm glad to say I haven't found anything else I would like to improve on it. Seems to work perfectly.

Oh wait I forgot I did add this catch all bin so when I was working with inserting peep sights and nocking points they wouldn't end up on the ground...


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## Diegov93

Good idea!


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## greybushactual

All great ideas!


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## b0w_bender

once again this is a better more polished thread of the same thing.
https://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=2167188


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## ddt99

Tagged


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## dtrale

Great idea


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## swfinney

Nice idea, might extend the clamp arms up so the bow can sit string up. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Huntin GI

Anyone had any problems using home press?


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## Turnpike

Great idea!


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## gamesticker

Tag


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## Dutchmaster

Clever


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## Gbalcom

Nice!


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