Homemade C-Clamp

Homemade C-Clamp Chad Travis Drasco Ark : I used scrap metal to make a safety cap for the oxygen cylinder I use with my acetylene welding torch Safety caps are used when storing or transporting the cylinder Commercial stem caps sell for about $50 but my only cost was time The top ring is made from a length of 1/2-in dia rod rolled into a circle and the base plate from 10-ga metal The ring and base plate are connected by a pair of welded-on metal plates The cap s threaded collar which screws onto the oxygen cylinder is off a commercial storage cap - I simply cut the bottom off The safety cap is designed so I still have full access to the cylinder s shutoff valve at the center top and to a pair of gauges on one side I made a C-clamp so I could replace a U-joint on the driveshaft on my 1995 Chevy 2500 pickup The driveshaft and yoke on older pickups like mine are made from aluminum so I didn t want to risk beating on it with a hammer Commercial clamps sell for $130 but I used scrap metal for mine To make the clamp I first measured then made a pattern traced it and cut it out of 1-in thick plate steel I welded one nut on top of the clamp and another nut at the bottom that serves as a spacer To press the yoke out I place it inside the clamp and then use a socket wrench to turn a threaded bolt that goes through the top nut

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