Deep Throat Clamps

After searching online for some long reach clamps I decided to make some myself. Either they were  too expensive or I did not know the quality I was getting. 

Also making them myself let me make them the size I needed. It is so simple to screw in the pipes to the elbows.  There are many size threaded rod available so check with your hardware store.

How to Make

I went to Home Depot and bought some galvanized pipe and threaded rod.  2- 18", 1- 4 1/2", 2 elbows and 1 piece of 1/2" threaded rod. The cost was around $16.00. 

This clamp has a throat reach of 18" and a height of 4". Later I purchased a 12" pipe and now the height can reach 11".



                    

To start I drilled one of the ends of the pipe using a 1/2" drill bit. 

                          

                            

 With no force, glue or grinding I was lucky and the nut for the threaded rod  just so happened to fit perfectly inside the pipe. The nut does not have to be secured at all since the threaded rod will line it. 

 All the pieces are screwed together hand tight to see how everything fits. Just screw the pipes in the elbows.... so simple. 

Testing the strength

 At this time I thought I would do some tests for strength.

                       

I used some clamps and blocks of wood to set up the clamp. To test it I will sit on it. I weigh 200 lbs and I am sure it will hold up. 

                      

                                

The bars held up and there was some flex. I know it could have withstood more but for my uses it will be all I need.

The Handle

I found a piece of scrap hardwood and cut it to 7 inches I then drilled the center using a bit slightly smaller than a 1/2 inch. This will be for the threaded rod and will turn tight in the handle. A little bit of epoxy will also be applied making this a strong handle.

                                                          

The handle was shaped using a belt sander .

I drilled the handle right through for the end of the threaded rod.

                         

A slot was cut in one end of the threaded rod. This will be for a slotted screwdriver bit to turn the handle quickly.

                          


The threaded rod was put in the handle with the slotted side keeping flush on the end and epoxied together.

Making The Pad

A swivel pad is made using plywood. First was drilled then cut on the bandsaw.   See more details on the video.

A washer is placed in the cup, this will help for friction and also prevent wear on the wood.

The washer and cup are epoxied and clamped together.

Another wood pad is glued onto the wood block. This pad can be easily trimmed off and replaced with a new pad.

I purchased another pipe, this one was 12 inches. With so many different sizes available you can pick whichever size suits your needs. 

The long reach clamp works great on the table saw.

I changed the height of the clamp using the longer threaded rod and was now able to use it on my workbench.

Conclusion

This clamp was easy to make and very inexpensive. You can also change the length and width of the clamp buy buying different size pipes. The deep throat or long reach clamps come in handy in the shop and are ideal for hard to reach areas. 

Making the clamps is easy enough even if you all you have is a drill and some basic woodworking skills.

See also

          

Wooden Clamp                                        Large Clamp 

                                               

Tool wall french cleat plus

 Always trying to clean and organise my shop so I decided to build a larger tool wall. Having many tools and picking the ones I use most is always handy and keeping them at arm's reach. This is what I call a French Cleat Plus system, because you can make tool holders that slide or hang. I like to be able to move tools around so you can add take away or rearrange any time. 



                                            Check out the build video here

 To start the wall I used 1/2" baltic Birch. I cut it to 60"x40" to fit the space I had, which was between two tool cabinets. The black will be a good contrast with the light wood. 

I found the wall studs and screwed the board in with 9-2" screws.



I cut 12  boards L 28" x W 5", they were all cut all 45 degrees. To cut I kept the tablesaw fence the same and just kept flipping the boards



The layout for the boards took some time to get everything symmetrical but worth it.



I attached the boards with my nail gun using 2 inch brad nails. Each board was carefully installed using guides levels and measuring tape. This ensures a precision job.






Time to make the tool holders.





Two types are made, one that slides in the slots and will not fall out and the other can be easily put on and taken off.  






Here you can see the two types of holders. Making the holders and filling the tool wall takes time but is very pleasing.

 Conclusion

Depending on your needs  both holders will work fine, both have their pros and cons, make whatever works for you. I like them both.  Making the dowels any length and size is handy and convenient to fit specific tools.  



See also:

                             Small tool holder

Wooden Lock Build

After installing the wooden hinges for my cabinet I will now build a wooden lock. The lock is my version based on ancient Egyptian locks. 

I make a quick mock of my lock to see what would work. Plexiglass is very useful to see how everything is working out. Everything worked out so now I can carry on and build a nicer one from cherry. I may make a few modifications as I build it.

These are the parts, they will be the lock body and back plate. 

I used my table saw sled and cut slots for the pins. This can also be done with a router but whatever works for you.

Maple is used for the pins, they are left long and will be cut later to fit the key.

This piece is the latch bolt it is slightly thinner than the frame so it can slide easy. The top and bottom are ready for gluing the latch bolt will be left in while gluing to get a nice fit.

The pieces are glued together, the latch bolt was used a guide to make sure all the pieces were lined up.

 

Slots are cut in the bolt, they will match the slots on the main body. They are first drilled then cut on the bandsaw. A file was used to do some fine cutting to mate them perfectly.

 Pins can now be cut to the right length.

This is the latch bolt it is for the key.  I first dado cut part of the bolt then glued on a block. This way was easier than using a router or chiseling it out the section.

To make the key teeth were marked to match to the pin slots. The width and depth have to be exact to work properly. 

The last piece of the lock is this bracket for the latch. Two pieces of wood are dado cut to fit the the size of the latch,  then they are glued together. The pieces are glued together first then cut to the right size later.  

Plexiglass is used for now to show the lock. Later I can always add a wood plate.

See Also:

How to Make Wooden Hinges

I built a small cabinet with a door so I needed some hinges so I thought I would try make some wood hinges for the door. They will be made all of wood including the hinge pin.

They are very strong and work well. I will show you step by step how I built them.

In my wood pile I had some Brazilian cherry  stair treads. I like the look of cherry and since it is a hardwood I thought they would work well for the hinges. They will be cut to a width of 3.5".

I used my table saw sled to cut the blocks to the right dimensions for the 2  mounting parts of the hinge. 

I had to glue a couple of pieces together, this will give me  large blocks to work with. They will be cut and shaped later to make a nice looking hinge.

I clamped them and set them a side overnight. 

The pieces are marked and notched out carefully with the band saw. 

 

The pieces are tested for fit. They are not bad but I could have done better, although this does not matter when the hinge is complete.

 

The two pieces of the hinge are clamped together and holes are drilled  for the hinge pin. The hinge pin will be a 1/2 wooden  dowel. It is easier to drill them now and later round the ends of the blocks.

 

In order for the hinge to rotate the block ends have to be rounded. I did this first using the band saw then a  belt sander. To keep things as accurate as possible it is best to pencil mark the round end and clean up using a belt sander. 




To make the shape of the hinge it is first cut lengthwise and cleaned up with the belt sander. 

More shaping the hinge.

When all the pieces are sanded a half inch dowel is pounded into the hinge. It feels very tight at this point but will rotate easier in time. I also use a little bit of lubrication which helped a lot.

 

 Five holes are drilled in each hinge, this will be for carriage bolts.

 


                                          See video


I used spacers to center the door and then drilled and installed the carriage bolts. After the bolts were tightened I tested it out and it worked 
perfect.

See Also:                                                                                  

 

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