Axminster Drill Clamp

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

Anyone have experience of using these:

**LINK**

[JimmieSParticipant @jimmies]

[peak4Participant @peak4]

One lived permanently on my bench drill, until I replaced it with a (very) second hand round magnetic chuck.

They work well.

Bill

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

I have a home-made one permanently on the drill table. Very useful and quick to use. Made mine from an old and battered 'Mole' wrench.

John

[Robert DoddsParticipant @robertdodds43397]

Very useful but do fit a heavy gauge flat washer next to the eye-nut under the table. Depending on the rib configuration on the underside of the table a hex nut may be more versatile than the eye-nut.

Bob D

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Yes, I have 2, made by Nielsen tools (less than half the price [£7.99 not that long ago] from a local tool shop than what Axminster are charging) and use them on my pillar drill(s ). The QDM 750 drill can bite like a terrier if you get it wrong (16mm drill through 8mm thick stainless plate! ).

As the thread is quite long and the eye nut fouled the underside of the table casting I made some natty washers which clear the eye nut, locate in the tee nut ways, and take less time to clamp the clamp to the table. I have one long arm and one short armed clamp – best £15.98 I've ever spent (well recently at least ).

EDIT: Forgot to mention they are also very handy for the 6x 4 1/2 hacksaw for holding 'difficult jobs'.

Martin

Edited By Oily Rag on 21/11/2021 21:17:29

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Yes.. I have one of those and would not be without it, in fact I am thinking of getting another.

As Robert says above, you need to make a nice thick washer so that the eye bolt does not slip into the web space and I defy anyone to fit that eye bolt one handed underneath the table without dropping it.

I made two thick washers which fit accross the web space, a top washer is needed for the same reason as the bottom one.. see below..

…Bob…

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

Bob

I have a length of string through my eye nut tied to the column fit just such a reason. One 20 minute searching session to retrieve it was enough for me

[egaParticipant @ega]

May I mention the use of a quick nut in place of the standard item? See my photos at:

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=159956

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Wonderful device and far better than risking my fingers drilling sheet material. I seriously overestimated the size of the drill table when I saw one of these in Axminster and had to take it back to exchange for the smaller size.

Brian G

[John BaronParticipant @johnbaron31275]

Hi Guys,

I used to use a length of all thread bar and clamp work or jigs to the drill table, much in the same way as clamping work down on the mill table. Nowadays I have an X-Y table on the press drill with "T" slots and use the same technique for clamping work down.

[File HandleParticipant @filehandle]

I bought mine from machine mart many years ago.

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Dead good! Had a couple for many years from a local hardware store, they are superb for holding larger, thinner stuff on a drill press that won't go in a vice and much, much safer than holding stuff with your fingers.

Highly recommended

Edited By Mike Hurley on 22/11/2021 09:21:53

[JourneymanParticipant @journeyman]

If you fancy making your own then I did a write-up *** HERE *** based on the article in MEW Issue 202, May 2013.

John

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Mixed results from mine. Really useful when it fits, otherwise unsuitable. The clamp is a bit too big for my small pillar drill's titchy platform, which is uneven underneath due to strengthening ribs. I think this type of clamp is better suited to bigger pillar drills.

The size and type of work I drill can mostly be held in a machine vice, but the vice is useless for holding sheet or long jobs, which I do occasionally. When the machine vice is unsuitable I reach for G-Clamps or the Axminster style clamp. The latter's quick release and reset is particularly good for drilling a sequence of holes along a thin strip.

I don't use mine as often as expected, but am glad to have one.

Dave

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

For drilling I mostly use the mill/drill these days, it avoids careful marking out. By adding a threaded spacer and T nut, this type of clamp can be fitted and secured in a T slot. I normally clamp the metal together with a piece of scrap MDF.

Edited By Macolm on 22/11/2021 11:09:44

[MacolmParticipant @macolm]

I should mention that the implementation shown suffers from the deficiency that there is a considerable bending moment at the junction of stud and clamp body. It was originally intended to buttress it here with a large diameter threaded sleeve, say M10 inside and about 20mm fine outside for the clamping wheel thread. This was not done because no suitable combination of tap/die/bolt was found. Despite this, it has so far been satisfactory.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

The classic [often red-handled] Toggle Clamps are a compact alternative, with a choice of ‘ends’

Available from many sources, but here’s one example : **LINK**

https://docs.rs-online.com/ae93/0900766b8136a3ba.pdf

MichaelG.

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

As chance would have it this morning I had to go for a Blood sample, near to the blood clinic is the tool shop I bought my drill press clamp from, so I called in to get some bottle brushes and a few other odds and bits. Whilst there I checked on the drill press clamps and it has now gone down in price to £6.99! So I grabbed another as I'm bound to lose one sooner or later and at £6.99 it looks like a bargain when compared to other retailers. Can't believe Axminster can charge nigh on £20 for them.

[Bob McParticipant @bobmc91481]

Oh that's it then, I'm definately going to get another one,

When clamping at the edge of the work is the only way of holding it there is a need to balance the clamping either side… I did make my own clamp originally .. pic below.. and is nowhere near as satisfactory as the proper job, however it was a quick fix to … tap a tap..!

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Another vote for the drill clamp. Bought two many years ago, and wouldn't be without them. I like the idea of incorporating a tee nut. Thanks for the suggestion Macolm.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

Posted by Oily Rag on 22/11/2021 13:56:45:

at £6.99 it looks like a bargain when compared to other retailers. Can't believe Axminster can charge nigh on £20 for them.

I wouldn't automatically assume that the quality of the Axminster ones and Neilsen ones is the same.

[Oily RagParticipant @oilyrag]

Not having seen the Axminster ones I can't comment – other than in the photographs they certainly look like siblings if not twins!

And at the end of the day it's just a bl**dy clamp, not a micrometer!

Martin

[DMRParticipant @dmr]

Beware, There are different sizes of these things. Check the width of the slot you intend it to fit before purchase. I got the big one first and it didn't fit the Startrite. Great toy though.

[VicParticipant @vic]

My only comment is that the treaded part is a bit short. The “nut” on mine was wonky as well but I trued it up a bit on the lathe.

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