Sometimes, a job is heavy, messy, or unwieldy, and having an extra pair of hands to help out makes the job more than twice as easy. However, help isn’t always easy to find. Faced with this problem, [create] came up with an ingenious solution to help move long and heavy objects without outside assistance.
The build starts with a regular F-clamp – a familiar tool to the home woodworker. The clamp is old and worn, making it the perfect candidate for some experimentation. First off, the handle is given a good sanding to avoid the likelihood of painful splinters. Then, the top bar is drilled and tapped, and some threaded rod fitted to act as an axle. A polyurethane wheel from a children’s scooter is then fitted, and held in place with a dome nut.
The final product is a wheel that can be clamped to just about anything, making it easier to move. [create] demonstrates using the wheelclamp to move a long piece of lumber, but we fully expect to see these on the shelf of Home Depot in 12 months for moving furniture around the house. With a few modifications to avoid marring furniture, these clamps could be a removalist’s dream.
While you’re busy hacking your tools, check out these useful bar clamps, too. Video after the break.
Well that is a smart idea!
”
(ditto!)
Thanks Mom!
Nice, proper, useful hack, accessible to most people as opposed to the more common “this is useless but look at me and all my expensive gear” type of stuff we see a lot. I’ll forward that to the old man to put on his to-do list.
More like this please! Thanks!
agree
Agree. “K.I.S.S.”
Old and worn? Looks like new and fresh from China. We have some in our shop that have patent dates of ’03 on them, 1903 that is. They aren’t worn either, good steel.
Super great hack for sure. Pairs of them on furniture moves or even 4 all the way around. If caster wheels type all way motion is easy
Looks like a Wetzler to me, we’ve got a bunch of them in our shop. Good clamps, but several decades of production work does take a toll. Some of ours are so worn that the screws slip right through their holes.
that is a “why did’nt I think of that” hack…
I think a spring clamp with two wheels would be a better design for manufacture but, hey, this is a great idea.
Two wheels would be more stable. I was thinking handscrew clamps.
I dunno, for the piece of wood shown, it would be easier for me to just pick up and carry, and for heavier stuff, I would want multiple wheels under it so I would not have to waste energy keeping it from tipping over.
Agreed. Still a neat idea though.
Great hack. now all you need is to straighten that board.
For me that board looks “straight” (in one plane) but came from a bent tree, so it’s edges are not straight.
And the woodworker may be going for the “natural edge” look.
\o/ Yayyyyy… \o/
;-)
the best designs are the ones you sit there and go ‘why didn’t I think of that?”. this right here is one of them.
I expect to see them for sale at Home Depot or Harbor Freight within a couple months lol