Fixing a Harbor Freight style Arbour Press.

[Frank S]

I've gone to shops and noticed the top of the ram on their arbor press mushroomed like an abused cold chisel or the handle bent into an L. It made me wonder what level of supervision if any those shops had over their employees

[Toolmaker51]

I've gone to shops and noticed the top of the ram on their arbor press mushroomed like an abused cold chisel or the handle bent into an L. It made me wonder what level of supervision if any those shops had over their employees

We see things like that all the time. Ultimately, supervision is the issue. Not only lack of how/ who it gets that way (ie mushroomed or bent), but failure to have adequate equipment in place; I regard that even worse.
But damage also traces to workers who didn't PAY for the instrument. Very typical wherever bulk of are crib issued tools, not personal.

[wizard69]

I've gone to shops and noticed the top of the ram on their arbor press mushroomed like an abused cold chisel or the handle bent into an L. It made me wonder what level of supervision if any those shops had over their employees

Sadly it is often the "supervision" that does such damage. On the other hand sometimes the job only has one way to get done as no one is willing to buy the right tools.

I have a little half ton press in my cellar waiting on a rebuild, thought I had scored when I got it, but soon found out the unit was damaged. Come to find out that teeth on both the ram and pinion where damaged and that with zero evidence of abuse on the handle or RAM. Some of these imported tools seem to be made out of wax owing to the way they fail with out any abuse at all. I can easily imagine that horror freight tool failing with out any abuse at all, the stuff is that bad.