How to Make a Heavy Duty Self-Clamping Wrench from Scrap Metal

If a larger wrench is needed to perform complex dismantling, it can be literally made “on the knee” from scrap metal. To do this you will need a basic set of tools and electric welding.

Materials:

• gears – 2 pcs.;
  
• round timber corresponding to the inner diameter of the gears;
  
• thick strip 6-10 mm;
  
• sheet steel 3-4 mm.

Manufacturing process of a self-clamping pipe wrench

2 disks with a slightly smaller diameter than the gears put together are cut out of sheet steel. They need to be folded together and temporarily secured by welding. The gears are fitted onto the circles, and markings are made for drilling holes to install the rotation axes.


The discs are drilled together, then separated and ground. Between them you need to install gears on 2 axles, cut from the round timber.


2 key jaws are cut from a thick steel strip. One of them will be motionless, it needs to be made longer. The inside of the jaws is notched for better grip.



One of the gears is trimmed and a short jaw is welded to it.The long one needs to be welded into one of the disks, so that when assembled it is level with the short claw. Weld a piece of round timber to the second gear; it will serve as the handle of the key. Then the seams are sanded.





The gears are installed between the disks on the axle. It is necessary to check their location so that the tool can move the jaws apart when the handle is deflected. Then you need to weld the shafts along the outside of the discs and sand the seams.


The resulting tool will allow you to unscrew almost anything, as it has a large grip and a long lever.

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