# A pair of Machinists's Clamps and a dose of humility.



## David Kirtley (Jan 12, 2014)

Well I finally finished the clamps I have been working on.  I started out with 1/2 in square and 1/2 in round 12L14.  I cut the angles on the jaws at 10 degrees. I started at 20 degrees but it looked too steep at this size.




Then I started working on the screws.  These are 1/4-20 with a bit of knurling on the top for grip.  I got them roughed out first to get them all the same size while I had all the measurements fresh in my mind.




Last night I finished up the screws and tonight I started working on the jaws. Of course when I drilled the jaws, I knew to be careful and make sure to get the correct sides tapped and the other side drilled for clearance. What did I do?  Of course I drilled a clearance hole on the side that was supposed to be tapped. While I had all the stops set up on the vise, I grabbed another piece of 1/2 in square to make a new jaw. This time I got it right.  Then I swapped out the drill chuck for an end mill to create a pocket for the retainer E-clip on both jaws. As I put things together, I realized I had put the pocket on both jaws of one clamp instead of one for each. Oh well. I just have a bit more clearance on that clamp.  Once I had them together, I marked the retained screw to turn a notch in the screws for the E-clip. Then with the one screw holding the halves together, I trimmed the jaws front and back to make them flush. A little light file work to deburr but I left them fairly plain. These will be used and I will have to file them every once in a while as the 12L14 will dent a bit as it is soft. This was by design. I don't want them scratching up stuff that is clamped together. 

The finished clamps:




A close up of the retainer clip:




I was really glad I picked up one of the 300 piece assortments of E-clips up at Harbor Freight. It was too good of a bargain at $3.00 to pass up.

I thought about cross drilling the knobs for a crossbar but I decided that if I needed to clamp something that tight, I would be better off using a different kind of clamp.


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## ScottieB (Jan 12, 2014)

Nice job! I like the detail on the knurled knobs.


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## chuckorlando (Jan 12, 2014)

Nice work.


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## Walt (Jan 12, 2014)

Good job!

I have one old machinist clamp. It gets used a lot. Good choice of project.

Walt


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## Terrywerm (Jan 12, 2014)

Nice project! I've had a couple of those on my to do list for a while now, along with a dozen or so other things. One of these days I'll get some of these made too.


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## Cactus Farmer (Jan 12, 2014)

Great work.
For all the disappointments in Harbor Freight(we call it the Chinese Tool Store down here) they have many redeeming qualities,like the kits with E-clips,o rings,hair clips set screws and such. You will loose the small parts or need one for a new project and spend large quantities of time going to a hardware store or have the cheap HF kit on hand and just go get what you need. 

Isn't 12L14 fun material? I try to keep 5/16 to 3/4" round on hand at all times. BTW, it will harden quite well with Casenit/Cherry Red. They wear quite well when hardened. I keep 1144 (Stressproof) on hand too. 90% of my repair parts are made from these materials. I have accesslocaly to almost any other material as needed. This part of Texas is oilfield related and we have machine shops and supplys galore.
I am blessed.


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