[TheForge] OT - hand jig

[Bruce Freeman]

Harbor Freight has an interesting little tool, I picked up a couple
months ago, called a "universal work holder" (item 65007
http://www.harborfreight.com/universal-work-holder-65007.html , $13
on-line, but I think it was on sale when I bought it).   This thing is
a little hand-vise, the jaws of which have a flat upper surface full
of peg holes.  Steel pegs are included, making the thing a
wire-bending jig atop a hand vise in the middle.  I read the
instructions ("Wear moon suit and bulletproof vest when using..."  OK,
I'm joking), and put the pegs in a little plastic zip-lock bag so I
wouln't lose them, but didn't have a project for it at the time.

Well, yesterday, while hanging drapes using those two-prong drapery hooks
(http://i00.i.aliimg.com/photo/v1/217981054/Slip_on_drapery_hooks.jpg ),
I discovered that I had two different kinds of hooks,  and not enough
of the kind I needed.  (I could have gone out and bought more, but
this was 10 PM or so, so that would have delayed the project and had
me scrambling around looking for the things.  Besides, I had no other
use for the too-long hooks.)  Basically, I needed to "lower" the hook
on some of these.  These things are made of wire about 16-ga or so.
So I took one hook as a model, clamped it in the vise, and set up the
pins.  The pin arrangement wasn't perfect, but it was close enough for
starters.  Then, by straightening the hook end, clamping the thing in
the vise, and rebending the hook, I was 80% there.  I only needed to
tweak the hook and cut of the excess and I had fully functional
drapery hooks in jig time (if you'll pardon the pun).

I mention it because it hangs inconspicuously on a peg in an aisle in
the HF store, and I'd walked by it a few times without realizing its
potential.  The wire I was bending was quite soft, but the tool is
sturdy and could be used for bending spring wire.  In my opinion, this
tool paid for itself in the one use.

-- 
Bruce
NJ