Picket twister

[Puddles]

I’ve always wanted a picket twister, but just couldn’t justify the 150 to 400 $s when I don’t do very much ornamental iron work. I got this old Shop Smith for free. Dug through my scrap pile, made a few adapters, and spent about $5.54 for setscrews and jacking bolts. Should beat twisting pickets in the bench vice with a large wrench!

 

[Welderpaul]

Nice bit of kit. What size will it twist up to?
I really must get hold of one - twisted bar is a fortune

 

[dcocks]

Hi Paul
Bet you could soon make one of them
David

 

[Puddles]

Hi welderpaul!
You know I didn’t really want to invest too much time or money before seeing some results. So I just made the adapters to take 1/4-inch x 1-inch flatbar. As you can see in the one picture I used a 3/4-inch drive ratchet, it spun that flatbar as easy as can be. I think the weak link will be the allen setscrews holding the adapters to the shafts of the Shop Smith! Not that I’ve every done much ornamental iron work in the past, but I can’t ever see using much bigger pickets than this.
Here are some pictures of a gate I built years ago for my parents, my dad twisted these pickets with a vice and 15-inch crescent wrench.

 

[snowcat]

mmmm crescent wrench, not till I went a motor factors on your side of the pond that I worked out what that was.....

 

[Puddles]

mmmm crescent wrench, not till I went a motor factors on your side of the pond that I worked out what that was.....

Yeah I think I’ll have some trouble with you boy’s terminology as well

 

[Welderpaul]

When i have a spare half day i might make one!

 

[shenion]

Heh, I heard those Shopsmiths could do anything, just not real well You turned it into something that does one thing well.

I believe you guys call crescent wrenches spanners. Spanners here are for removing locking rings (ring has 2 notches, spanner has 2 matching pins.)

There are times I have had to refer to my American/English dictionary for translation.

 

[rusty69bus]

There are times I have had to refer to my American/English dictionary for translation.

like?

 

[shenion]

like?

Pikey, brill, pants (use as adjective)

I remember sitting in a pub in the UK discussing differences in terminology. I remember "******" was one.

 

[rusty69bus]

brill

great,

pants

oh heck/underwear,

Pikey

white trash,****** depends on how it's phrased.

 

[Puddles]

I believe you guys call crescent wrenches spanners. Spanners here are for removing locking rings (ring has 2 notches, spanner has 2 matching pins.)

There are times I have had to refer to my American/English dictionary for translation.

Crescent is just a very popular name brand here. We Americans are very lazy, we always seem to take short cuts, even when talking / typing!


http://autorepair.about.com/od/glossary/g/defcrescent.htm

 

[rusty69bus]

of course if you were sitting drinking in a pub, i guess after a few all became clear

 

[Wozzaaah]

Down here, pants means rubbish/not very good.
"I don't feel very ****** tonight, this beer's a right load of pants"

 

[snowcat]

Crescent is just a very popular name brand here. We Americans are very lazy, we always seem to take short cuts, even when talking / typing!


http://autorepair.about.com/od/glossary/g/defcrescent.htm

Thats the fella, I now have one pride of place in the tool box.....bought from a strange little shop in deepest Utah..

Fitall I call them, but im from essex so we have our own special little dilect here...

 

[Robotstar5]

Fitall I call them, but im from essex so we have our own special little dilect here...

Known as a "shifter" round here..

 

[FireStorm]

isn't it juse a adjustable spanner?

or adjustable wrench

 

[rusty69bus]

yep or a hammer

 

[lexi]

Original "shifter" was an F shape. When twisting the bar does it end up uniform?

Alex

 

[Hitch]

Heh, I heard those Shopsmiths could do anything, just not real well You turned it into something that does one thing well.

I believe you guys call crescent wrenches spanners. Spanners here are for removing locking rings (ring has 2 notches, spanner has 2 matching pins.)

There are times I have had to refer to my American/English dictionary for translation.

C-spanner call them
We call normal spanners spanners, while you call them
wrenches
Thats the one for doing normal hex nuts etc.
And adjustable spanner, or just adjustables....sometimes 'justy bubbles' or 'trusty justies'