DIY hydraulic cylinder from a jack

When using powered tools and equipment, the operation of which requires the use of working fluid under high pressure, one cannot do without such a technical device as a hydraulic oil station. There are various types of hydraulic oil stations, some of which, if you have the appropriate knowledge and certain skills, can be made with your own hands.

Portable oil station with electric drive for repair work

DIY rolling jack

Required tools:

Grinder (angle grinder) with cutting disc for metal
Drill with metal drills
Welding machine
Wrench

Materials for assembly:

Channel 10P – 800 mm (at stop)
Channel 10P – 700 mm (on base)
Channel 12P – 330 mm (on edge)
Channel 12P – 150 mm (“swing” for jack)
Metal rod from 12 mm Ø – 900 mm (for stiffness angle)
Bolts and nuts M16 – 3 pcs.

Types of homemade press designs

First of all, it is necessary to consider possible options for making homemade equipment. An important component is the mechanism for creating increased pressure. You should also pay attention to the shape of the frame and the configuration of the support table.

To make a manual or mechanical hydraulic press with your own hands, first select a power unit. Often a jack is used for this. Its maximum load capacity will determine the degree of pressure on the workpiece. The value of this parameter depends on the type of work performed. For use at home, you can choose a jack model with a lifting capacity of 7 to 20 tons.

Operating principle of a hydraulic oil station

A hydraulic oil station is also called a hydraulic drive, hydraulic unit or hydraulic pump station. It appears as a system that converts energy through the control of hydraulic fluid.

The type of converted energy directly depends on the design features of the primary engine, which is the main element of the oil station.

The operating principle of a hydraulic oil station is to transmit torque from the primary source of mechanical energy (electric motor or internal combustion engine) to the hydraulic pump shaft. Using a suction filter, the working fluid, in this case oil, is sucked in using a hydraulic pump. The fluid is then transferred through a pipeline system to hydraulic equipment, which distributes it and determines its pressure on the way to the hydraulic cylinder or hydraulic motor that does the work.

The spent working fluid travels through a pipe system, passing through drain filters, and returns to the hydraulic tank.

Culinary uses of a jack press

At the first stage, an accurate drawing is made, which should include all design elements. Their operational and technical characteristics are taken into account - overall dimensions, steel thickness, load capacity.

Before this, you need to choose the optimal set of tools and consumables. To process and weld metal structures, you will need a welding machine, a powerful drill, and a set of bolts and nuts. Blanks for a manual hydraulic press can be formed using a self-generator or an angle grinder. In order to secure the unit, holes will need to be made in its base.

Recommendations for assembling the machine:

Frame. The frame consists of 6 channels. The connection is made in two ways: welding and mechanically using screws;

auxiliary table. The optimal design is to install two channels with a gap between them;

How oil stations work

The design of the oil station, as well as the principle of its operation, is extremely simple. The main points of energy conversion can be briefly described in several stages:

From the prime mover, the rotating moment from the shaft passes to the hydraulic pump shaft;
Once activated, the pump begins to suck in emulsion or oil from the tank through the filter;
The liquid passes through the pipeline system and is supplied to the appropriate points of the apparatus. They distribute the liquid, maintain the required pressure and supply it to the hydraulic motor or hydraulic cylinder, on which the main work depends;
The liquid that has passed through all areas of the equipment passes through the drain filter and again enters the hydraulic tank.

Oil stations are used in conjunction with hydraulic tools, pumps and presses. They are necessary for the operation of devices that move heavy or bulky loads.

Manufacturing process

When the drawing of your future hydraulic press is ready, and all the necessary materials, tools, equipment and components are available, we proceed directly to manufacturing. The first thing to do is to cut all the metal, guided by the dimensions indicated in the drawing.

One of the drawing options for making a press

Now you need to make the base of the press, for which prepared square pipes are welded together, and a steel plate is welded onto the rectangle formed from them. Then the side and top parts of the frame are welded together, carefully ensuring that the resulting U-shaped structure is smooth and has strictly right angles in the joints. Now the resulting structure should be welded to the base and we can assume that the frame for your hydraulic press is ready.

The next element that you will need to make for the press is a movable platform. To make it, you can use a channel, square or rectangular pipe. A piece of pipe is welded in the central part of the platform, which will serve as a socket for the head of the jack rod. To make guides for the working platform, you will need two steel strips, the length of which must correspond to the width of the press frame along its outer contour.

A variant of the press design with a movable lower platform, which is fixed with bolts

The strips are attached to the sides of the mobile platform using bolted connections, having previously brought it inside the frame. A removable stop is made using the same scheme, but holes are drilled in its guide strips opposite the frame posts to fix it at the desired height. The process of making a hydraulic press with your own hands is completed by installing tension springs and the jack itself. Such a hydraulic press is also convenient because you can always remove the jack from it (for example, if you need to use it to repair a car).

Appearance of a finished homemade press

One of the fairly economical variations of a hydraulic press, made with your own hands in your garage using simple devices, welding, a jack and channels.

My homemade mini oil station.

My homemade mini oil station.

I wonder who made a mini-oil station for themselves? What kind of engine, what connections, oil tank volume, regulators, valves, high pressure hoses, pump, hydraulic motor, hydraulic cylinders were used? Where was it used?

10 (or more) years ago Posts: 186