Noticed a big difference in my sheet metal work after switching to a cleco setup

For years I just used vice grips on ductwork, but about 6 months ago a foreman on a job in Portland showed me how much faster clecos are for aligning seams. Has anyone else seen a major jump in productivity from a simple tool swap like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivias8819d ago

I have to respectfully disagree with you there. I've been doing sheet metal work for over 25 years and I still prefer a good set of locking C-clamps over clecos for most jobs. The thing is, clecos are great for temporary alignment, but they don't give you the same clamping force to really pull warped edges together. I've seen guys get so caught up in the speed of putting clecos in that they end up with wavy seams that need a lot of extra work to straighten out. For me, the old vice grips with the flat jaws work better because I can really crank them down and get a tight fit before I set any fasteners. Maybe if you're doing really thin gauge stuff it makes more sense, but for heavier ductwork I just don't see the same gain.

noah_palmer4219d ago

Ever tried clecos with a wedge tool though? Way faster.