Corner 2 axis welding clamps

[MetalMonkey]

I fancy picking up a couple of these style of clamps, has anybody got any experience of them?

Seems there are dozens of copies of the bessey style unit the better made ones look to be the SIP or Kennedy versions but I’ve seen lots of cheaper ones such as these from aim tools, which look a bit rougher in the pictures.

https://www.aimtools.co.uk/products/402310-mitre-angle-welding-vice-230mm-9

https://www.aimtools.co.uk/products/402311


I suspect there are only a few variants rebadged or finished to different standards but everybody seems to quote different measurements as the size (jaw height, jaw width, opening width, overall length) so it makes comparing them a bit difficult.

What’s the best bang for buck?

I know a few people have the sip ones on here, what is the maximum jaw opening on them?

 

[Mikes]

The one in the photo is fine for equal thickness materials but not good for unequal. Better to have one with the clamping bar with radiused ends so accommodates unequal thicknesses easily. Difficult to explain but I've a home made one for small stuff that I will dig-out and photo. Mine also has a hexagon for tightening the screw and I usually use a spanner to tighten it so not sure you would get enough purchase on those little tommy bars.

 

[tom2207]

ive four of them and they are worth their weight in gold , very very fast for frames , gates doors and things like that
some times i take just two if im being lazy , but i have four supports the same height to make holding up the other end of things very handy .
wouldnt be without them , they do ok with odd thicknesses as the thread bar swivels and the head does too
if your not doing much a bit of plate and two angles welded on with a gap at the corner and a couple of g clamps will get you by cheaply , just take the time to get it accurate.

 

[Mikes]

As per my previous post, here is a photo of the clamp showing how the head accommodates the different thickness. You could even buy a clamp and just change the head if you wish. Also a photo of a Record corner clamp that I liberated from a skip but whilst too small for most welding work shows another solution to achieving different thickness clamping. One day I will get around to copying it at a larger scale.

 

[MetalMonkey]

@tom2207 - do you have the SIP ones? What size have you got?

@Mikes - That is a nice design, although I really wanted to pick something up now rather than make one - I think they do accommodate unequal thickness as there is a double pivot, not sure how well it works though.

Seems the same thing is available under Sealey SWV165 and SWV215, and Piher make something that looks suspiciously similar too.

 

[tom2207]

hi , mine are bessey but they are ages old , same as the ones in your pic though ,, they are on a job site at the moment , but kissing cousins , they were about 40 quid each when i bought them ,,, a long long time ago , the swivel head does allow for different thicknesses the very best . probably one factory knocking them all out in china , mine would be about six inches on each of the clamp faces .