No, not a Batman and Robin saying.
I have shown this on almost every site I have been on, and I think almost everyone has seen it, but for those very few who haven't, here is a simple item you can do in your shop and it certainly will make your life a lot easier for only a tiny outlay.
When I go to my local market, I keep an eye out for real cheap and nasties that are plenty good enough for turning into something else.
These are a pair of long nosed electricians ones, and if you want to make the thing I am going to show you, get the ones like this, beefy around the nose, the thin scrawny ones just won't hack it.
Find something to hold the jaws apart slightly, I used a 6mm washer.
Clamp them up tight in your drilling or milling vice, and get out your rough set of drills, metric or imperial, this can be made with either, in fact buy two pairs and make one set of each.
Running down the centre line of the jaws, I started off at the tip with a 2mm, then going up in 0.5mm sizes, I ended up at 6mm.
It doesn't need to be very accurate with the distance between each hole, as long as there is the shape of each hole afterwards.
I find that these cheap pliers drill like a little tough cast iron.
Drilled and deburred, but what the hell are they used for?
The next couple of pictures show it all.
For holding thin rods
To even thicker ones.
How many times have you tried to hold round bar for working on, say grinding the ends, or holding while tightening up a nut.
These cost me a pound from the market, and 15 minutes of my time. Where else would you get a very useful tool at those sorts of prices?
John
