Re: Kreg jig

The swivel pads look solid..so maybe no need to epoxy a bigger plate.

Re: Kreg jig

no need, works great as they are...

Re: Kreg jig

Are those clamps expensive?

Re: Kreg jig

les than K iirc...

Re: Kreg jig

What I have noticed with Lockjaw is that the thicker the material becomes the less clamping force it gives. Sometimes I have to still adjust to compensate.

Try to close the pliers without material and see how strong the force needed to lock the jaws. Now clamp it on a slightly thicker surface then again notice the force required to close the jaws. It's less so is the clamping pressure. Yes there is no need to adjust for different thickness but I think what the manufacturer did not state is that the clamping pressure is not totally consistent on all material thickness .

Aside from this the pliers are great. However if you require excessive clamping pressure like that needed in metal works then very few grip pliers can touch the US made Vise Grips.

Re: Kreg jig

Are those clamps expensive?

I think 870 for the big one and 570 for the small one.

Re: Kreg jig

What I have noticed with Lockjaw is that the thicker the material becomes the less clamping force it gives. Sometimes I have to still adjust to compensate.

Try to close the pliers without material and see how strong the force needed to lock the jaws. Now clamp it on a slightly thicker surface then again notice the force required to close the jaws. It's less so is the clamping pressure. I think what the manufacturer did not state is that the clamping pressure is not totally consistent on all material thickness.

Aside from this the pliers are great. However if you require excessive clamping pressure like that needed in metal works then very few grip pliers can touch the US made Vise Grips.

got the opposite result, mine clamps the same force on all thickness, what I notice is if you are moving while clamping or clamping soft materials, the initial lock will produce the final force. so if you lock it slightly tilted on one end, the final pressure will differ than clamping a smaller piece and have better control. I can actually clamp my hand(meat side near the thumb away from any bone) and have the clamp lock and remove my hand out of it.

Re: Kreg jig

Can you pls try clamping with no material and see if the closing grip force needed is the same as with a material.

I feel mine are harder to close w/o the material.

tks

Re: Kreg jig

taking picture, wait lang :p

Re: Kreg jig

Can you pls try clamping with no material and see if the closing grip force needed is the same as with a material.

I feel mine are harder to close w/o the material.

tks

your statement is correct depending on the material you are clamping. it seems harder bec you are technically clamping a solid piece (the pads in this case), now if you use thiis to clamp wood, it has movement to a certain point, thus giving you the impression of lighter clamping force. you can try clamping something solid like a steel bar, it should give the same result. we can not really be so accurate since we are not measuring the pressure exerted, but by feel, I would say the are pretty much the same pressure under all thickness.



of course since we can't accurately measure them, this becomes just an opinion... 😉

Re: Kreg jig

By the way my clamping pressures are adjusted to the max and used on steel plates only. I'll also try on wood and see the difference.

I came to notice this because of my need to close the pliers after use to hang in the hooks.

Re: Kreg jig

By the way my clamping pressures are adjusted to the max and used on steel plates only. I'll also try on wood and see the difference.

are you clamping two metal pieces during this use?

Re: Kreg jig

imo, if you are clamping two pieces or more and there is a prevalent gap between them, the clamp will engage it to lock even before the materials are held tight. try clamping two flat metal objects like coins maybe, they should give you the clamping force you are looking for since no gap separates the pieces...

Re: Kreg jig

are you clamping two metal pieces during this use?

Yes. I've used these only on metals so far.

Works great when I need to do quick tack welds. Vise grips are too cumbersome to use sometimes. Both pliers design have their own strength and weaknesses.

Re: Kreg jig

Sonny,

Some questions on Kreg screws.

1. If i will be mainly using 1/2 - 3/4 local plywood, do I still need the Kreg screws. or will the local hi-lo screws be ok?

I;m trying to lessen my inventory on screws, so I may just get some fine threads in case for hardwood. I'm still undecided on the leghths, maybe 1", 1.5".

2. Do I still need a right angle clamp, especially for bookshelves/cabinets build?.

1. like we discussed previously, you can use the local Hi-Lo screws, but we suggest you use the screws supplied by kreg first since it pulls the materials together and when the glue dries, you can replace them with the local screws.
2. 1 1/4" is the rec. length for 3/4 materials. you can move from there
3. the right angle clamp should make your work a little easier but it isn't nec.