How to use - Trend straight edge clamp

[simocco]

Hi - i bought a trend straight edge clmap a while back - Dont use it very much - but when i do or try to - i cant seem to get it to work very well.

its the 'tail' slide bit - how am i supposed to use it! i can kinda make it move up and down etc but is there a process for what to do?

any help please?!! im so frustrated with it

thanks. incoherant babble over

 

[paulm]

Place the clamp on the workpiece with the clamping lever end against the edge of the workpiece.

Slide the tail against the other edge of the workpiece.

Press down the clamping lever to horizontal position, or past that for firmer clamping.

Cheers, Paul

 

[simocco]

cheers Paul,

i think the problem is that the tail piece of the clamp doesnt slide very easly, at times it seems like it wont slide at all, most of the time it will slide away from the lever end easly and not slide the other way, it as if its on back to front!! is there some locking mechanism on the tail slide?

 

[Paul Chapman]

i think the problem is that the tail piece of the clamp doesnt slide very easly, at times it seems like it wont slide at all, most of the time it will slide away from the lever end easly and not slide the other way, it as if its on back to front!! is there some locking mechanism on the tail slide?

Ensure that the clamping lever is pointing upwards and the tail piece will slide. When you push the clamping lever down (first or second position) it locks the tail piece.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[simocco]

Cheers Paul, i do hope that it's operator error that was the problem and not the clamp! ill give that a go!

 

[bobscarle]

I have got a similar one to that, don't think it's a Trend, but it'll be something like. The tail piece on mine doesn't like to slide easily either and needs a fair bit of coaxing to move. Frustratingly, sometimes it will move quite readilly away from the work piece but not towards it.

I do find that swearing at it helps as well.

Bob

 

[Eric The Viking]

Mine's an old one (Trend), and annoyingly, although it was expensive at the time, its profile doesn't match the current accessories. Anyway...

The sliding jaw is in two bits loosely coupled together. If you pull so that they separate a bit it moves easily. Push them together and they lock. So I pull it towards the work, from the jaws proper, then snug it up by pushing it. I sometimes have to take a couple of bites with the lever, too, to get it to catch.

I also find I get better results with hardwood blocks slightly larger than the plastic jaws. It's a bit of a fiddle, but once in the right place they do grip tighter.

I still use it from time to time, mainly for routing straight lines, as it's quick and convenient. Recently though I've been using the back of my Makita saw track - doesn't really need clamps at all a lot of the time.