Workpieces often require a workholding solution to prevent them from moving or shifting. If a workpiece moves while being worked on, it may sustain damage. Fortunately, there workholding solutions available, one of which is toe clamps. You can use toe clamps to secure a workpiece in place. When placed on the side, toe clamps will prevent workpieces from moving or shifting.
Overview of Toe Clamps
Toe clamps are clamping devices that are designed to press against the side of a workpiece. They typically feature a rectangular shape with a toed edge on one end. To use a toe clamp, you’ll need to press the toed edge against the side of the workpiece. The toed edge will wrap around the side of the workpiece so that it doesn’t move or shift.
Benefits of Using Toe Clamps
While there are other workholding solutions, toe clamps offer several benefits. They allow you to access the top of the workpiece, for instance.
Toe clamps are designed to hold workpieces in place by pressing against the sides of them. As a result, they won’t cover the top of the workpiece. You’ll have complete access to the top of the workpiece when using toe clamps. You can see and work on the top workpiece if it’s secured with toe clamps.
Toe clamps have a low-profile design. They aren’t tall, nor are they wide. Rather, tow-clamps are small and feature a low-profile design. This means they won’t interfere with tools. You can still use tools on the workpiece when securing it with the toe clamps.
How to Choose Toe Clamps
When choosing toe clamps, look for teeth. The toed edge should feature teeth that can grip the workpiece with which it’s used. Without teeth, toe clamps may fail to secure the workpiece in place.
You should also check to see how the toe clamps are locked. Some of them require the use of a hex key. You can adjust and lock these toe clamps in place using a hex key. Other toe clamps require a different type of tool to lock. Regardless, make sure you know how to lock toe clamps before buying them.
Don’t forget to consider the grip height when choosing toe clamps. There are low-grip and high-grip toe clamps available. Low-grip toe clamps, of course, are designed to grip workpieces from the bottom of the side, whereas high-grip toe clamps are designed to grip workpieces from a higher portion of the side.