Tool tech. Patch panel clamps.

So tech week ends today. What time?
Doesn't matter anyway. It's not like this is worthy of winnin or anything.
Anyhow here's my contribution.

Here's a sample of some patch panel clamps I made at home usin stuff I had around the garage.

What I used. A section of 1 1/2" X 1" tubing, a piece of sheet metal with a couple of 1/4" holes about 3/8" apart center to center, a 1/4" eyebolt, a wingnut, and a piece of all thread about 3/4" long.

What to do. Drill a 1/4" hole in the top of the tubing, cut a slit in the bottom and assemble as shown. The all thread works well to grip the sheet metal.
When you have your patch panel tacked together loosen the wingnut, take the all thread out, pull the clamp out, and finish welding.

 

This is going to come in handy. I thought about buying some from Eastwood but now I can make my own for pennies. Could probably make a shitload for $10 now that I know how they're made. Good post.

 

Yeah I was gonna buy some too, but I was in need of some one weekend when I was workin on my truck, and I had some time to kill.

 

Nice!
I was going to buy some too....i'll make the damn thing's instead..

Thanks for the tech, it WILL come in handy.

 

if any HAMBers got some spare time on their hands and wants to make a few $'s, they should make a whole shitload of these and offer them in the classifieds. I bet if you could keep them cheap, you could sell as many as you could make.

 

I thought of doing just that. I even thought about listin a set on the dreaded E-bay. Man I've got about a hundred feet of the tubin. I guess that would keep me busy for a while. Hahaha.

 

Nice !!! I need to make these for my anglia firewall !!! Thanks .

 

sweet!

only other home made panel clamps i ever seen were made with 3/8" drill rod and a notch ground in one end to hold the flat clamp piece... i was just about to make a set for myself when i found the Harbor freight jobs, they do an OK jod, but time will tell if they are gonna hold up or not

BITCHIN tech man, way easier to make em with eye bolts!

 

H.Freight has them for 5.00 a bag.

 

thems the ones

 

I have homemade ones and HF ones and I like my homemade ones way better the part that goes through the metal on the HF ones is too thick.

I also drilled the holes for the underneath the metal rod smaller and use filler rod.

 

Yeah but H. Freight wasn't in my back yard when I needed some.
There's a Northern Tool in Knoxville, but that's an hour away. I figured by the time I drove up there and back I could make a dozen of these.
How many is in a bag anyway?

 

SWEET!

Thanks!

 

Thats way cool man.

I would have to say this is an exellent contrabution to tech week.

 

Cool tech another one to copy. There is some previous tech somewhere on how to make these as well. Anybody have that stashed somewhere?

 

how kool is that seeing those on here. I know the guy that invinted those and sold them to eastwood. he lives right here in ark city

 

I know what I will be doin tonight.....thanks for the info.

EVIL

 

I did the same thing, a little different approach but basically the same... took me and my pop 45 minutes to make 4... then he laughed at me when we got to harbor freight and they were like $3 for 10. Needless to say, I bought a bag of them!

 

...why can't i find them on the HF site? anyone have a part number? i don't have a HF in town and don't even know if there is one in Wa. but it'd be so much easier to order online if you know what i'm talking about

-marty

 

My dad's been making these for his own use, but instead of using sheet metal for the "tongue" part, he uses the metal banding strap like they use on freight pallets. It's pretty tough, but thinner than most sheet metal, so you end up with a tighter gap. (Real nice if you're TIGing your panels.)

I like the eyebolt concept, but I've seen others tack-weld the tongue into the slot of a slotted-head 1/4" machine screw.

Also, instead of the threaded rod being used on the "blind" side, you can use 1/8" welding rod in tight curves, etc.

 

What the fuck.
I posted this on another thread just a couple of days ago.
They are HF in-store item #44751
about $5 for 8

 

...i read that post as well. tried the item number 44751. and it's saying is not available online or it is discontinued

-marty

 

I was told they're no longer available, too.

 

look in the tech archives for my post on how to make your own. Mine leave a .032 gap instead of HFs .050 gap

 

holy sh*t i just saw some of those today in a cataloge at work for $23 EACH!!!! down here in nz, screw that man i"ll make some, cheers for that mate.

 

Look here for free quick and easy clamps.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11673

I use banding straps that are free and thin. I just got some the other day at the lumber yard

 

perfect! we got heaps of metal straps at work and the price is right. cheers fa that,

 

Or for less than $8, you can buy a set of 8 or them at HF.

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-butt-welding-clamps-44751.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/8-piece-butt-welding-clamps-60545.html

 

yeah i still have trust issues with buying over the internet, but yeah thats real cheap.

 

2nd or 3rd using banding for the strap, a lot thinner than the factory one, for a tighter gap.

Checked out the ones Eastwood sells, Identical to the HF ones except for color.

Canuck