A crank press, wherein the power of an electric motor is transmitted to a crankshaft and a connecting rod connected thereto through a clutch to lower a slider and a brake coupled to the crankshaft slows down and stops the ascending slider at its top dead point at the end of each cycle, comprising (i) an oil-hydraulic pump/motor which engages the crankshaft through gears, (ii) an accumulator which is connected to the oil-hydraulic pump/motor by oil paths a, b and c, and (iii) first and second switching valves which switch the oil flow between an energy-absorbing mode to feed hydraulic oil to the accumulator through the oil-hydraulic pump/motor and an energy-releasing mode to feed hydraulic oil from the accumulator to the oil-hydraulic pump/motor.