Destaco toggle clamps?

[alex71]

I have what seems like every kind of clamp known to man... I have my preferences, but I have used them all for welding projects. Except these things. I have a bin full of these, all different sizes, some with one movable jaw, some two. The one time I tried to use them it was a pain in the ***, so I switched to kant-twist and did my work.

Does anyone actually use these? What is their application?

This is what I'm asking about: https://www.google.com/search?q=des...ndroid-google&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8


Thanks guys.

 

[LXCam]

I use the fixed base style for all the production builds. Once the jig is done and everything is adjusted, it’s go time. But for one off basic stuff, way to much of a PITA

 

[dnschmidt]

Their primary use is for jigging. I'm a notorious lover of jigs so I've used a lot of them. Why build one when you can build twenty?

 

[alex71]

It sounds like you guys are talking about the stationary clamps that get bolted to a table. I get that...

What about the toggle pliers like in the link in the OP?

 

[cvairwerks]

We used thousands of the 424’s and 462’s on the F-16 production line. The area I started in, probably had between 2 and 3 thousand of various sizes within a 30’ radius. Our main production area was about 300’ wide and just over a mile long...

 

[F-22]

These are quite common in factory production for SMED applications. Instead of screwing stuff down, you just clamp it...

 

[dr_clyde]

I think part of the appeal of those is you can put custom pads on the screws to grip weird shapes. I also think they're not nearly as common as a typical clamp.

I've mostly seen those in instances where you would either weld the screw to something and manually squeeze the clamp over and over or you need the ability to add a semi-fixed manual squeeze toggle handle to a mold or something.

Not something you'd use in general purpose clamping.

 

[imagineer]

Yup, use them all the time...even for one off projects.

 

[WWheeler]

Have a couple like that on my taper jig for putting a quick joint edge with the table saw.

 

[rlitman]

...What about the toggle pliers like in the link in the OP?

I have a pair of the smaller size in my bathroom. We have a TP holder that's cut from flat stock, and the roll wants to escape the lip on the end, so I clamped one of those on the bar for better roll retention. It's nice, because I can perfectly adjust it once to quickly clamp with the exact tension I want from then on.

 

[alex71]

OK, that's an unexpected use case for sure. Guess I'll stare at them for a few more years, maybe the killer app will present itself.

 

[rlitman]

I use them in places where a small C-clamp (or F-clamp) would also usually work, but the pliers orientation is faster to grip and release (particularly when you're repeatedly clamping things of the same thickness), and they also can reach into places where turning a C-clamp handle would be difficult.

To be fair, I only something like 6 pairs of them, and a similar number of Kant-twist clamps that get used much more often.

 

[RTM]

I have one, grabbed at an estate sale tried it once on two pieces of sheet metal, and never found a real use for it. But I'm not giving up on it yet.

 

[tarbellb]

Jigs, production work, factory line, made for repeatability and minor adjustmentsetc...

And De Staco IS the real deal in this game