That's a very common thing to do. You might also consider milling off
(or grinding off) the very end tooth. That way, you can lift the ram
all the way up and then position the handle wherever you want and
then reengage it. It's a poor-man's ratcheting arbor press setup.

If you have welding skills you can also weld up fittings with square
sockets which fit over the end of the ram and clamp on -- that allows
you to avoid machining your ram itself.

Grant

Gene T wrote:
Hi all,
I purchased a small cheap arbor press to use around the house for odd jobs.
I would like to make different inserts that would attach to the end of the
ram. What would be the best way to do this. I thought of boring a hole in
the end to accept the shank of the insert and tapping a small hole on the
side to insert a thumb screw to hold the insert in. Does that sound like a
decent idea or is there a better way?