Materials:
- clamping pliers with lock;
- steel strip 30x3 mm.
Converting pliers into a clamp
Using a grinder, you need to cut off the upper jaw of the pliers along with the part of the handle in which it is attached. Next you need to release the sponge from the sawed off lever. To do this, you need to grind off the rivet holding them together. After dismantling the jaw, the remaining rivets should be knocked out or ground off.
Then you need to extend the sawed-off clamp lever with a piece of steel strip.In the example, a 20 cm trim is used, but it is quite possible to use a longer one to achieve a wider grip of the finished clamp. A piece of strip will be welded to the cut arm at a right angle.
Before increasing the grip of the clamp, you need to modify the dismantled jaw. In its rear part it is necessary to make shallow cuts that will prevent sliding along the strip.
Then you need to weld a U-shaped frame from the strip and weld a sponge into it. The internal parameters of the frame are made such that it can be put on and slide freely along the strip extending the lever.
Next, a piece of strip is welded to the pliers and a frame with a sponge is put on it. The resulting clamp allows you to quickly adjust the grip width by moving the sliding jaw. When compressed, it warps on the guide strip, so it cannot move away. In this case, you can use the standard clamp adjustment screw to change the clamping force of the clamp. Thanks to the clamp, the tool locks when compressed and reliably holds the drawn workpieces.
This homemade clamp can be used to secure parts during grinding, planing, welding, sawing or gluing. It turns out to be a really convenient tool for a wide range of jobs. Ideally, you should have several of these clamps so that you can secure the ends of long workpieces with them.
