Titanium modular combo wrench set, input please

[iandh]

I've always wanted to be able to carry a full long and short combo wrench set in my portable kit, but it's just too damn heavy once added to all of my other tools.

I've been thinking about how to fix that, and I think I have a pretty good idea. I'm not sure if I'm the first, probably not, but that isn't really too important to me.

I made up a concept drawing, the pin/hole mechanism IS NOT the final mechanism, it's just to show where the two pieces meet.

These would be made from lasercut 1/8" titanium plate. The wrench heads would attach to the handle to make full length combo wrenches, and if detached, would function as short combos. There would be some sort of sturdy quick-release, I'm not quite sure on the design yet which is why I just drew the pins and holes mentioned above.

In storage, a 12pc metric set and 12piece SAE set could stack on, and be attached on each end of the handle, and would take up a space of only 1"x2"x8", and would weigh a tiny fraction of what a full long and short SAE and Metric combo sets would.

Another cool thing is that you can mount two difference sizes/standards on each handle, and you could even buy extra handles. For instance, 9/16" open on one end and 10mm closed on the other.

This entire set, which replaces four wrench sets, would fit in the space of 3-4 normal length combo wrenches.

Now, OBVIOUSLY these aren't as rugged as your good old snap-on combo. These aren't meant for that... they are meant for mobile maintenance where weight is an issue, such as a toolbag or toolbelt.


I could also do a steel/aluminum combo, which would be a bit heavier but much cheaper. I think the full titanium version would be about $250-300, and the steel/al version would be about $150.





I'm doing this for my own personal kit, but I want to see what you guys think.

 

[sk farmer]

so.........do you work for titan?

 

[iandh]

so.........do you work for titan?

???

That's just my working nickname for the set... I do that so when I send concept drawings to lasercutters and such they know which part I'm talking about. Also, they like to keep the filenames at eight characters, so for instance if I had 28 components, it would be TITAN001.dxf through TITAN028.dxf

I run a manufacturing business.... for instance a product I make is called the Stealth Res 225, and the working name is SRES225

edit: I never, ever make any drawings without descriptions and dates, even if I'm just showing it on a web forum. In manufacturing, it's a recipie for disaster.

 

[ultimakf7]

You would have to work out the design of the pins and the method that they would be installed. They would have to be engineered to withstand the shear during use. I'm not sure how easy it is to weld to titanium, but it seems that it is a very tricky material to machine.

On the other hand, that would make for a very slim profile wrench.

 

[ultimakf7]

If all else fails, you could probably use bolts/nuts for fastening the wrench to the handle, but it would to a degree defeat being able to quickly change your wrench.

 

[Teken]

The best idea would be a sleeve style where the wrench simply inserts into the rectangular cut out, and is held in place with a ball bearing. To release, just press on the ball bearing snap to release the wrench.

This would address the torque / shearing . . .

 

[ultimakf7]

I think I may be hard manufacturing the sleeve itself, if it's made out of titanium plate. That would work if it was forged or cast steel.

Also, that would require splitting the open and box ends into two separate pieces.

 

[iandh]

I think I may be hard manufacturing the sleeve itself, if it's made out of titanium plate. That would work if it was forged or cast steel.

Also, that would require splitting the open and box ends into two separate pieces.

Yeah, my initial design was single ended with little stubs, but then all of a sudden you have twice as many little wrench pieces floating around.

I really like this design because when not attached to the handle, the ends turn into normal short combos...

 

[speed bump]

problems I see
1.) Ti isn't as hard as drop forged steel.
2.) 1/8" wrenches aren't going to cut it on much over about 1/2"
3.) In all the mobile maintenance type applications I have ever been in I would of rather carried my standard length combos and a crescent wrench over something like this. Its just to many pieces to get lost and seems to easy to break.

 

[iandh]

I'm not saying your points are incorrect, but they don't really apply to me.

problems I see
1.) Ti isn't as hard as drop forged steel.
2.) 1/8" wrenches aren't going to cut it on much over about 1/2"

I'm not worried about the hardness, I've used thin profile stamped titanium wrenches for over a decade in the magnetics department at my old work, and not a single problem. Ti isn't as hard as drop forged steel, but its weight to hardness ratio is massively better, which is what I'm worried about.

You have to understand, I'm not working on cars or construction equipment, where you have rusted, overtightened, damaged, stuck, stripped, or other hard to remove fasteners. The repair work I do is in a clean-room environment, semiconductor, aerospace, and optical coating facilities.

3.) In all the mobile maintenance type applications I have ever been in I would of rather carried my standard length combos and a crescent wrench over something like this. Its just to many pieces to get lost and seems to easy to break.

In the equipment I work on, I use short combo wrenches more often than I use long. They are vitally important, and a crescent would definitely not replace them. I walk on foot around large facilities, and weight is of the utmost importance. A single 10pc combo set weighs 3lbs (I just weighed one today). That means carrying long combos in addition to the short combos would add 6lbs to my kit weight, vs. my design which only adds a few ounces.

Plus I carry Knipex plier-wrenches, so I have no need for a crescent wrench. The plier wrenches are great for general use, but there are a lot of really tight spots in the equipment I service, that can only be reached by a combo wrench.


I have bad shoulders, and my tool bags are not to exceed 25lbs by doctor's order. I have two bags that I carry, my power tool bag, which weighs 25lbs on the dot, and my hand tool bag, which weighs 23lbs. Adding four complete combo sets would easily bring my hand tool kit past 30lbs, which is more than I am comfortable carrying without significant pain.

 

[ultimakf7]

How much would a set of Ti combination wrenches weigh?... Instead of the handle/stub combinations... just wrenches made to the length you need.

 

[iandh]

How much would a set of Ti combination wrenches weigh?... Instead of the handle/stub combinations... just wrenches made to the length you need.

Titanium weighs about half as much as steel. It's yield strength is similar, but it has less stiffness. In general, titanium is the same exact strength as mild steel. It is not as strong as forged or hardened steel.

Two long and two short combo sets in forged steel would weigh 3+3+1.5+1.5lbs, so would be 9lbs addl. in my kit, which is almost half of my kit's current weight, totally unacceptable.

Titanium would only be 4.5lbs, but cost somewhere around $1000 for all four sets. edit: Actually, never mind... last time I priced them out was years ago. Let's try $2000-3000 for all four sets.

My modular set would be somewhere around 1.5-2lbs, but only cost $300, and take up less space.

 

[rsanter]

how about using crowsfoot wrenches and 2 lenths of breaker bars?

bob