Arbor Presses and Turret/Eyelet Staking Kits

[bob p]

I'm at the point where I don't like to use my drill press for staking eyelets and turrets. I'm convinced that this is bad for my drill press and I'm much rather use a dedicated arbor press for the job. I need your help in sourcing a suitable arbor press.

All of the arbor presses I've seen have flat heads. I'm wondering if there's a suitable press out there that has a fitting that would work well with the turret/eyelet staking kits from Keystone.

If anyone has developed a good solution to this problem, I'd love to hear from you.

[loudthud]

Harbor Freight Tools shows a 1/2 ton unit online for about $50 USD. I went to a store nearby and it was $32. It looks like you are on your own when trying to adapt one of these for a specific job. You would probably have to take it to a machine shop, have them bore a hole in the end for the staking tool and another threaded hole for a set screw to hold it in place.

Most Steel Guitar players I know are machinists. Maybe you could work a trade

[bob p]

thanks for responding!

yeah, that's what i was thinking. no good off the shelf solutions, and i'd need to find a machinist to adapt an arbor press to the job.

most steel players are machinists? i never would have guessed. too bad i don't know any pedal steel players here in chicagoland.

[MattT]

I don't use turrets so I've never staked them. But for eyelets, I tried using arbor/drill presses and the contraption you get in that cheap Mouser kit...what a waste of time. Now I just use the staking tool (the one from the Mouser kit), a hammer, and a hard surface...and I can fill up a new board in just a few minutes. All the eyelets are tight, no loose eyelets or rattles and it's so quick. Anyway...food for thought.

[tonezoneonline]

I can't access my server now to upload a pic but email me and I'll send a pic of a fixture I made for my press.I'm sure not a machinist but it involved some brazing.
Mike

[bob p]

Yes, eyelets seem to be simple enough that a staking tool, a hammer, and an anvil are all that you really need. But for the turrets I think I need something better.

@tonezoneonline, I tried to send you an email but it looks like you have emails turned off in your user preferences. I've sent you a PM.

Thanks guys.