How to make a Turret Lug tool

[EL34]

I made my own Turret lug tool many years ago
It has made 100's of boards
Maybe thousands of boards?

I used a steel 5/16-18 threaded rod many years ago to make my tools

I think 1/4-20 threaded rod is better because it is thinner
Or maybe a 1/4-20 bolt and then saw off the bolt head

You can look at the images below for reference

Cut two pieces of rod, maybe about 2 inches long each

Grind the ends flat on one of the rods

Drill a 1/8th inch hole in one end at least .25 inches deep in one of the rods
.3 inches deep or more would be better

This is the tool that the lug slides up into
The tip of the tool rest on the shoulder of the lug

The other tool is just an angled tip
This is the tool that swaged over the bottom of the lug

I mounted my lug tools in a garage sale cheapo drill press and removed the motor
That was some time back in the 90's and it is still doing a great job

Drill presses work great because they have spring action that returns them to zero
It does not take much pressure to swage a lug
They are made of soft brass and then plated so that solder sticks to them easily

I have seen people say they have used a regular press
Those devices are able to press bearings and other things and use great force
That's way more force than what you need for a lug press
But if that's all you have then go with that

The tool with the hole goes up top in the drill chuck
Add a couple 1/4-20 jam nuts to the tool so it does not try and slide up into the chuck when pressing

The tool with the angled face goes on the bottom
Use some sort of thick plate to mount the bottom tool
The board material I sell will work

Bolt that plate to the drill press work area
Leave about a .6 inch gap between the two tools

If your press work area flexes downward, you can add a support under it to keep it rigid

Line the two tools up so that the bottom pointy tool is in the exact center of the upper tool with the hole

Load all the lugs into a board and then slide the lugs up into the top tool
Pull the drill press handle and the bottom tool will flare out the bottom of the lug

I'll add more to this post when I think of it

[EL34]

Tool images


Video of my lug press in action

[PRR]

> garage sale cheapo drill press....work great because they have spring action that returns them to zero
> I have seen people say they have used a regular press ...able to press bearings ....That's way more force than what you need for a lug press

I think what you want is an "eyelet press" or the heavier version used to rivet radio parts.


But we don't make shoes or radios in America anymore. We do make custom curtains, but that does not need a deep throat.

History of small presses
The classic small rivet press
another classic
at Amazon

a variety of small presses
"Spike And Stud" has wild fetish hardware and tools
Note pneumatic, hydraulic, and kick-action for sweatshops.

Yes, a cheap pre-used drillpress is almost certainly what you want, unless you stumble on a fine eyelet press.

[sluckey]

I use a small table top Delta drill press. Works fine. Just don't turn the motor on when pressing turrets. 

[EL34]

I use a small table top Delta drill press. Works fine. Just don't turn the motor on when pressing turrets. 

I removed the motor from mine many years ago
It stays set up as a press 24/7, so there is no need to tear it down


I have two other drill presses

I added a wood handle and then a soft foam bike grip
Under the work table, there is a piece of wood that keeps it from flexing down
It's a crude setup but works great

[Latole]

Many years ago, I made one turret lug tool like EL34 show.

I use my press drill.

[EL34]

I sell a new tool for lugs and eyelets

Assembly info is here on the forum
https://el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=27095.0


They are listed on this page in the store
https://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/Tools.htm

[Amperror]

The press shown in the pic by PRR

I got one of those a harbor freight years ago. I wasn't expensive. Maybe they still have them. And the staking bits can be bought at Antique Radio and Electronics.

[acheld]

Two things:

You do NOT need a big heavy press for turret swaging.   Those things do have their place pressing bearings, fretwire, and the like, but would be inappropriate for turrets, which are surprisingly delicate.

Second, Doug Hoffman sells these tools cheaper and you get faster turnaround than AES.   Doug is the Dude who pays the server bills for this forum.   

[EL34]

The press shown in the pic by PRR

I got one of those a harbor freight years ago. I wasn't expensive. Maybe they still have them. And the staking bits can be bought at Antique Radio and Electronics.

That is an arbor press and not as good to use as a drill press


Also, I mentioned I have the tools here
https://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/Tools.htm