# Toe jack project



## John Conroy (Mar 28, 2020)

My recent move of my lathe made me realize I need a better way to raise it high enough to get skates under it.  Have a small hydraulic jack that is part of the Porta power kit I got a PA so the rest will just be metal from the scrap bin. I got most of the pieces cut and ready to weld yesterday


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## Bofobo (Mar 28, 2020)

Just watched Alec Steele use these and hadn’t seen them prior. Crazy the tools one could just not know about


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## Janger (Mar 28, 2020)

@kevin.decelles made some too - let's see Kevin. And somebody else...can't recall who...

And John C please keep posting those pictures! Just upload them high res too - the site will adjust. Then people can zoom in to see the details. Thanks!


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## John Conroy (Mar 28, 2020)

I finished the welding and now the paint is drying. I gave it a test on the headstock end of the lathe and it worked great


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## YYCHM (Apr 1, 2020)

John,

What does this toe jack look like in it's final configuration?

Craig


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## John Conroy (Apr 1, 2020)

I took a bunch of pics but since I painted it black they didn't have enough light. I'll get some good pics tomorrow.


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## Janger (Apr 1, 2020)

If you're taking pictures with a phone the HDR button works much better with metal.


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## John Conroy (Apr 1, 2020)

I didnt know that, I'll give it a try.


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## David_R8 (Apr 1, 2020)

Digital cameras focus by using edge contrast, if there’s little contrast it’s very difficult for the camera to focus. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## John Conroy (Apr 2, 2020)

Here are a couple that are no too bad. The little jack is captured on the front and sides by the angle and flat plate and by a small bolt in clamp on the back. The Z shaped toe bar has a cylindrical piece on the top that fits into a socket on top of the jack so it is very secure. The jack can be turned 90 degrees to get the best angle for the hose so it can be used very close to a wall. Again, I will get some better pics tomorrow.


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## Janger (Apr 3, 2020)

Which PA kit is this John?


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## John Conroy (Apr 3, 2020)

This is the porta power kit. It was on sale for $129 a few weeks ago. 
https://www.princessauto.com/en/det...wer-autobody-and-frame-repair-kit/A-p8667834e

I added this little jack to the kit and its the one I use in the toe jack 

https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/10-ton-hydraulic-porta-power-ram/A-p8184335e


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## John Conroy (Apr 3, 2020)

Here are some better pictures.


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## YYCHM (Apr 3, 2020)

Thanks for posting the images.  This all makes sense to me now.  I'm sure that is handy alright.  Nice work BTB.


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## PeterT (Apr 3, 2020)

That looks like a really handy piece of moving gear equipment. The nice thing is you just need a tiny footprint of space adjacent to the machine base, good for crowded quarters.
Is the hydraulic hose permanently connected, or could you valve it off, hold the position & use the pump on another jack?


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## John Conroy (Apr 3, 2020)

The jack has a spring loaded valve in it and so does the hose so they can be seperated anytime with only a few drop of oil lost. I prefer to just use blocking and move the jack side to side, less mess and probably safer. The jack frame is designed so the hose fitting can face the rear or 90 degrees to one side so it can be used as close as 6 inches from a wall. The machine bottom only has to be 3/4" off the floor to get it under. Tom Lipton has a couple of video's on his channel about making one. The nice thing about a porta power is the jack gets pulled back as you release pressure at the pump so you don't have to fight to compress the jack. Plus with all the fittings and extensions it really is handy for alot of things.


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## RobinHood (Apr 4, 2020)

That is a very solid set-up. Much better than just a modified bottle jack I have seen (not that they don’t work - they do). Nicely done.


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## Hruul (Apr 24, 2020)

very nice John.


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