2013 Summer Project #3-Transfer point pliers

Here is one of my favorite tools that used to come in very handy at work. We always called them "transfer point pliers" unofficially at work, but they might have an actual name that I'm not aware of. When laying out sheet metal, I sometimes found that scribing or center punching the workpiece wasn't possible (or wasn't desired as it would alter the finished project by leaving dents or scratches). You simply take a pair of Linesman pliers, weld some rod to the jaws that is drilled and tapped for a machine screw, then add a pair of machine screws (one on the top jaw, one on the bottom jaw) that have been sharpened to a point on the end. This pair uses 1/2" diameter rod and 1/4"x20 (TPI) stainless screws. If you're laying out a complex pattern on sheet material, you don't have to keep flipping the workpiece over to make sure there are marks on the other side, and you don't have to worry about leaving permanent marks on the side that will be seen. The capacity of the pliers I made is between a 6" and 7" throat.

Sorry I forgot to take a few pics before it was welded. I was concerned more with shooting the video, which is listed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHUI1pola9A

It's strange homemade tools like this that get copied and the next thing you know they are made in china and sold at your local hardware..very neat idea,,,keep up the good work...it's thing like this that improve our lives..

I'm just trying to carry on the tradition here! It's funny that nobody really uses these anymore (out of style perhaps?). As I understand it, this was a fairly common tool in many sheet metal workers toolboxes, and then it faded away slowly over 50 or 60 years (until one of my instructors pulled his version out from the bottom of his toolbox and showed them to me). I modified his design a little, but I've seen 2 or 3 other designs that retired sheet metal workers made. Some of those were really done nicely (You'd would have thought that they were machinists by trade!).

With the advent of CAD and CNC, a lot of manual layout tools are now gathering dust. Glad to see some kept alive here and there. I can't say I've ever seen those before, but I was never in the professional sheet metal trade.

You're absolutely right. I can't even count the number of times I have found old shop tools for layout that were homemade. Every one of those tools was well thought out, well made, and obviously outlasted it's purpose. The only reason most of those types of guys didn't become millionaires from their inventions is because they didn't have a problem sharing their ideas to coworkers and friends (who would copy the idea themselves and make their own version of the tool during their free time). How times have changed...