Long Reach Clamp - 3-16 Bar

thingiverse

I needed a clamp to reach deep inside my RC aircraft frame, and this worked out perfectly. It's based on a 3/16 square brass tube (K & S #8153) and a 6-32 threaded rod, both of which come in 12-inch lengths. I cut them in half to make a pair of 6-inch clamps, with a max jaw opening of about 4 inches. You can make them any length up to 12 inches, giving you a max jaw opening of 10 inches. To assemble this clamp, start by putting a nut on the threaded rod about 1 3/4 inches from the end. Then, slide the handle onto the rod up against the nut, leaving about 1/4 inch of threaded rod sticking out the back side of the handle. Put another nut on the protruding rod and pull the rod with the nut into the back of the handle, then tighten the first nut with a wrench or pliers. Next, slide the rod into the handle support piece and run a nut down the rod until it fits into the hex socket. Slide the handle support onto one end of the brass tube and lock in place with an M-2 nut and bolt. Be careful not to overtighten - just snug them up is fine. Now, slide the movable jaw onto the sq brass tube with the jaw facing away from the handle. There's a socket that the 6-32 rod fits into, so you can thread it just enough to hold the lock-nut and washer in place. See the picture for reference. Finally, slide the fixed jaw onto the sq brass tube and lock it in place with another M-2 nut and bolt. This design makes a useful clamp that's surprisingly strong. To expand on its utility, you could print various jaws to perform many different functions - think wider jaws, taller jaws, curved jaws, serrated jaws, and so on. I printed mine in PLA with 50% fill, but you can experiment with different materials and settings to see what works best for you. You'll need the following parts to make this clamp: * A 3/16 square brass tube (K & S #8153) - available from Amazon or your local Ace Hardware * A 6-32 threaded rod - available from Amazon or your local Ace Hardware * Three 6-32 hex nuts * A 6-32 lock nut and washer that fits over the threaded rod * Two sets of M-2 x 8mm cap head screws with nuts All of these parts should be readily available at your local hardware store or online. Happy building!