What Is A Square Jawed Ratcheting Hand Clamp?
The square jawed ratcheting hand clamp is a form of spring clamp in which the jaws make a square shape when they are closed. A simple model of the square jawed ratcheting hand clamp has two jaws, two handles, and a spring pivot that connects all the parts to the middle of the clamp.
This clamp is relatively small compared to its counterparts such as the G clamp or the F clamp, but what it lacks in clamping power, it makes up for in speed and ease of usage.
The square jawed ratcheting hand clamps are surprisingly much stronger than they look and they can generate a large amount of clamping force for holding the workpieces.
The square jawed ratcheting hand clamp is typically used in woodworking operations and carpentry because it is an ideal tool for clamping delicate and awkward objects that may cause problems for larger clamps. The square jawed ratcheting hand clamp is great for use around the home for domestic tasks, although it could be also used in the workshop, in conjunction with other clamps, for larger-scale operations.
It is commonly used for gluing, where the clamp holds the workpiece in place while the adhesive sets. The square jawed ratcheting hand clamp is also a great tool for painting tasks because it keeps the object secure and prevents any messy mistakes from occurring.
The jaws of this clamp typically have either soft plastic or rubber pads to protect the material that is clamped from being damaged, while a firm grip is maintained on the workpiece.
Square Jawed Ratcheting Hand Clamp
The squared jawed ratcheting clamp is special in that it can fit many different sizes and shapes of objects into its jaws because of the shape of the clamp.
The square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp has quite a simple design, with just a few parts needed to secure the workpieces.
The Jaws: The clamp has two jaws that are responsible for holding on to the workpiece securely while an operation is being carried out on it. The jaws are usually made from plastic so the workpieces are prevented from marring or any form of damage during the clamping process.
The jaws are squared shaped when closed together, and this creates a larger passage for bigger workpieces to be able to fit into. The jaws are quite powerful when close together and are relatively easy to operate.
The Handles: A square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp has two handles which extend on from the jaws and are shaped to adjust the jaws when they are moved. The handles of this clamp are cross-over, so the jaws are closed as a result of the handles being pressed together.
When the handles are opened up using the ratchet mechanism, the jaws are also opened and the workpiece can be released. With these cross-over handles, the user provides the clamping force by pushing these handles together until the clamp’s jaws are in the required position.
The clamp will have a special mechanism that will lock onto the latch to keep the jaws in place after they have been tightened around the workpiece, so after the work has been carried out on the piece, the ratchet is used again to release the workpiece quickly from the jaws. The spring is used also to help force the handles open once the ratchet has been used to release the clamp.
The Spring: The clamp also possesses a coil spring that is located at the point of the center pivot. On this clamp, a weaker spring than what is used in other spring clamps is used. This is used so the spring keeps the jaws pushed open when the handles have been opened as well, instead of the handles to be closed when the jaws are opened.
The Quick-Release Lever: The square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp is also equipped with a quick-release lever that is used to provide a more efficient and even faster way of clamping your workpiece. The lever simply locks onto a serrated latch when the handles are pushed together, and this causes the jaws to be pushed together and held in place. When the lever is pressed, the jaws are then swiftly released and so the workpiece could easily be removed from the jaws of the clamp.
The square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp can come in several different sizes so a variety of different sized and different shaped workpieces can be clamped in it. The sizes of these clamps are usually small when compared with the size of other clamps so it is not typically used for clamping heavy-duty or larger workpieces.
You must know what size of clamp you are using as well as what size is needed for your workpiece, to ensure your work is not damaged, as well as your clamp.
The following are features that determine the size of your clamp:
The Jaw Opening: The jaw opening can simply be defined as how far the jaws of your clamp can open. This is the distance between the two clamping faces of the jaws when the clamp has been opened completely and it determines whether large-sized pieces can fit into the clamp or not. The jaw opening of a square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp is sometimes referred to as the clamping capacity.
The Throat Depth: The throat depth of the clamp refers to the distance from the edge of the jaws to the pivot joint that is located at the center of the clamp, which is the point that the two jaws meet. The throat depth determines how wide an object could be held by the clamp as well as the kind of shape of workpiece that can be accommodated by the clamp. The throat depth is somewhat relative between different models and makes of the clamp and some clamps have long throats just to accommodate wider workpieces.
The square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp should be your go-to for quick and easy clamping of your light workpieces and you could also use more than one on your workpiece. Be sure to get yourself a square-jawed ratcheting hand clamp as they can be operated easily with just one hand, making your project even easier.
