DiY at Aldi

[F]

DIY Specialbuys in store 7th February.

[David Lang]

Cheers. I've been looking for a small clamp on vice for the van.

[T i m]

If that's anything like the one I've used (and it looks the same or very similar), it doesn't seem to not swivel on the ball if you put any side load on the jaws (like when junior hack sawing though a 6mm bolt), no matter how tight you lock it.

I may just have been that particular one of course.

Similar with the suction base vices. Great if on a really smooth surface but still not against too much side load.

I think it's like the bigger bench vices that can swivel, or pillar drill tables that you can change the angle on ... they look like they should be a good idea but can often move or flex and so make things more difficult.

I have one of the 5" swiveling bench vices and whilst it's ok if you just want to hold something to file or de-rust but no good it you need to shape something with a hammer or undo a very tight (larger) nut. I think I made an 'H' shaped place to stop mine moving too far or just use the big q/r Record.

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Correction, looking at it again I now remember the ball joint was ok but it would swivel about on the bench clamp, no matter how hard you tightened it. I think the plastic protector on the base was too 'slippery' (an oily plastic rather than a more grippy rubber) and we even trued gluing the protector on to stop the foot moving within it. Then it just moved on the bench instead.

I think we ended up with someone holding the vice and the other one sawing but lighter and more 'up and down' than we normally would.

We then bought a small bench vice and just clamped it to the bench with two 'G' clamps when required. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[David Lang]

Better than a pair of mole grips though?

>

[0345.86.86.888]

Digital callipers look good. Wouldn't have to put specs on to read it like I do with a micrometer. Might get a couple of sets.

:)

[charles]

I have a bench clamp designed to hold a mole wrench!

[alan_m]

When I purchased mole grips many years ago they came holder which could be clamped to a bench and where one leg of the grips slotted into the holder to give bench vice like facility.

[T i m]

Possibly not. ;-)

Ok, if you just want something held whilst you do something to it that doesn't involve too much force (especially in the wrong directions) it will be fine, especially because you can move the head about on the ball.

However, try to use it like a bench vice ... hacksawing through some

15mm copper pipe or a 6mm ss bolt and you might go back to the Molegrips.

Whereas a rigid mounted vice would only give a bit (depending on how good it was and how well it was fixed down etc), these suction / handwheel clamp type vices initially give just a little bit more causing the job to move (twist) under say your hacksaw blade, causing it to jamb.

It wouldn't be quite the same issue holding something you were drilling as the chances are it wouldn't be that thick, allowing the drill to change angle in the job without seizing.

So, depending on what you are hoping to do, In many cases (and IMHO of course) they are actually not 'better than nothing' (or Molegrips). ;-)

Personally I might buy a small std vice, bolt it to a block of wood (a bit of kitchen worktop) and find some way of holding it down in the van.

Cheers, T i m

[News]

In message , T i m writes

I have an ordinary engineer's vice permanently bolted to a lump of 4 x

2, and use the Workmate to hold the 4 x 2. Useful as I can take it almost anywhere.

[dennis]

Did some 8mm ones last week, dead easy with lidl vice.

You need to put a pair of nuts with a spring washer between them tightened so the end nut is at the length required. Then you just hacksaw against the nut and give it a quick file and undo the nuts.

[T i m]

Like I said, they may have improved the design or you could have a finer pitch saw etc etc.

Yup, I often use the 'thread the nut on before cutting' trick to ensure you can straighten any damage to the threads out easily. Generally I don't need to though as I'm pretty careful with both the cutting and dressing of the end of the bolt.

I *hate* to see surplus bolt sticking through any fastener (unless there is need for it, like a sprung loaded exhaust joint etc). I think that comes from working with my Dad, an ex merchant seaman as you would never want any sharp objects sticking out on a boat to catch sheets or flesh.

Cheers, T i m

[damduck-egg]

I appreciate not everbody has a towbar but when I had one I idly wondered one day while using it as an anvil if a Vice could be fixed to it, did a www search and came across this idea.

A quick search of images on google using the term "Towball mounted vice " shows a few similar ideas often using winch mounting plates.

G.Harman

[newshound]

A mate of mine has a "clamp" vice which I think came from Aldi and which looks very similar to that one. I found it worked fine when trimming 6 mm stainless screws using a junior hacksaw on his boat a couple of weeks ago, no problem with wobble or swivelling.

I have a suction vice similar to the one in the ad, but not from Aldi/Lidl. The problem with that is that there is a bit of "play" between the vice and the base, also the rubber jaw protectors are not as effective as "proper" ones on a bench vice, but it is still useful for lightweight trimming jobs away from a proper one.

[dennis]

You do realise that harry will be getting a towbar mounted generator to fit to his electric car now you have mentioned it.

[dennis]

24 TPI sandflex blade, I have some 32 TPI sandflex blades that I should have used but I forgot where they are in the shed.

These were to fit the mounting points on a TV so they couldn't stick out.

[T i m]

AS I mentioned, it could be a slightly different design where the rubber cover on the base could grip better (or the surface you were clamping it to was more grippy) and it *could* be fine. Just from personal experience from those sorts of things over many years. I just don't like them (for any even slightly 'heavy' work).

Yeah, sure, there can be situation and rolls where these sort of things are fine, but for anything even slightly 'hard' I'd always look for a proper vice.

It's like I picked up a B&D workmate clone off Freecycle and it stays out in the garden to be used and abused. It's *nothing* like my genuine B&D Workmate (that stays in the dry ) in any of it's functions.

So, if I just needed to hold something off the floor while I did some non-heavy work on it I'd use the clone. For anything else, where I wanted to actually clamp something and not risk it jumping out or not wobble about whilst drilling an accurate hole or sawing an accurate like, I'd get the genuine thing. Not to say other Workmate clones aren't good, just as I'm sure there are bad and even worse clamp on / swivel vices. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

(Not that it's the point but) I'm pretty sure his electric car would require a type approved towbar and they probably don't make one for it (as the don't for the Ford Ka etc) because it's not type approved to tow.

Cheers, T i m

[T i m]

Isn't that often the case. ;-(

I bet there are plenty of people who would have though, to varying degrees? Many_a_time I've taken on someone else's vehicle, mounting or machine and found overlong bolts not fastened down properly because they have hit something else before doing so. Or things resting on the end of an overlong bolt or screw just waiting to break or damage something else because of it. ;-(

If I'm stocking up on bolts I'll often buy some more of the overlong sizes because I know the chances are I'll be cutting them down in any case. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I have a Draper one which was similar. Quick examination showed the clamp was bottoming out. Bit of filing sorted it.

But it's obviously not going to be as rigid as a fixed type.