# Homemade Tools > Basic Homemade Tools and Tips >  Better Grip On Clamp

## Paul Alciatore

I love using my Grizzly track saw but it has one or two kinks that needed improvement. One kink was the clamps that were provided to hold the track in place on the wood being cut. Since these clamps attach to Tee Slots on the bottom of the track, the clamps are below the work and usually below one of my folding work tables, holding the work and track in place on it. So, tightening and loosening them is somewhat awkward. And the handles on the clamps are just round wood with a glossy paint that does not provide much grip. 

Space under the top of the folding work tables is cramped with the mechanism for operating the vise like top so I did not want to increase the diameter of the clamp handles by much. I guess that is why they made them so small in the first place. But I wanted a better grip. 

After looking around the shop, I found some scrap electrical wire, about 14 or 18 gauge that had a somewhat rubbery insulation on it. It would definitely provide a better grip than the glossy, painted surface. I drilled a couple of holes in the wood handles and cut two pieces of the wire to be wound between them. 



You can see the original clamp on the left. On the right is a second one with the wire grip installed. In the center is the coil of wire that I used. 

I drilled the two holes a bit larger than the outer diameter of the wire for an easy fit. Some super glue in the hole secured the end of the wire and after wrapping the first turn I added more super glue all around the junction of wire and handle. I continued wrapping and adding some super glue every five turns until I got to the second hole. After each five turns were wrapped but before the super glue was added I made sure that those turns were tightly packed against each other. At the end with the second hole I pre-shaped the end of the wire to fit into the hole and then unwrapped one and a quarter turns and added super glue around the wire-handle junction and a drop in the hole. Then that last turn was completed and the end inserted into the hole. Some scotch tape held everything in place until the super glue dried. 

Now they are a lot easier to install and remove.


*Check out my plans ..............................*


*Quick Change Tool Post For Lathe*
Very repeatable tool position; Change tools with a single hand and no wrench.
No quick change tool holder is faster.


*Magnetic Soft Vise Jaws*
Quickly install the perfect jaws for the task at hand.


*Measuring Tape Dispenser*
 Handsome appearance. Dispenses accurate lengths of tape.


*Illuminated Dropped Parts Finder*
Unique use of light allows small parts to be easily found on dirty floors.


*Adjustable 3D Printer Reel Stand*
Inexpensive, easy to make, adaptable for any reel size.


*Universal IR Remote Receiver*
 Provides control of your devices with any IR remote (TV/DVD/BluRay/etc.)


*Using Angle Gauges for Any Angle*
How to set up any fractional angle using inexpensive angle blocks

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Jon (Jul 30, 2018),

rlm98253 (Jul 30, 2018),

Seedtick (Jul 30, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jul 30, 2018)

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## MountainMan

I have simply wrapped handles in electrical tape just to help grip it better. This looks to work even better  :Beer:

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## Paul Alciatore

That would work and I did think of it. But electrical tape stretches when you apply it and it always starts to peel off a handle that it is applied to after some time. I wanted something that I could anchor better and the combination of the holes and super glue seemed a good way to do that. Time will tell.  :Martini: 






> I have simply wrapped handles in electrical tape just to help grip it better. This looks to work even better

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## rlm98253

I wrap all of my wood tool handles in 2” self-adhering medical wrap tape available at drugstores and veterinarian supply stores. Great grip with slight cushioning

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philipUsesWood&Brass (Jul 31, 2018),

PJs (Aug 1, 2018),

thevillageinn (Aug 2, 2018)

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## Drew1966

I find that silicone SOS tape wrapped around handles works really well. Also, an old friend of mine uses rubber paint tool dip to increase his grip.

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## Toolmaker51

Wire wrapped grip is lightyears beyond electrical tape; plus it won't degrade into a sticky mess!

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philipUsesWood&Brass (Jul 31, 2018)

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## Frank S

550-cord /para cord III makes a great handle wrap plus if you ever find yourself in need of some cordage you can unwrap it to have yards of line. Take the time to unravel it and have a mile of line

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PJs (Aug 1, 2018)

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## Paul Alciatore

I have a roll in the bathroom. Perhaps I should buy one for the shop. But don't they use body heat to cure? Do you use a heat gun or just use it carefully until your hand heat does the trick? 






> I wrap all of my wood tool handles in 2” self-adhering medical wrap tape available at drugstores and veterinarian supply stores. Great grip with slight cushioning

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## rlm98253

I've never had to use a heat gun, PAE. Normal use seems to set the tape pretty well.

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PJs (Aug 1, 2018)

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## Paul Alciatore

That looks like it would make a great grip, but it would also add a significant amount to the diameter. I am happy with the smaller wire as it added less than 1/8" to that diameter. 






> 550-cord /para cord III makes a great handle wrap plus if you ever find yourself in need of some cordage you can unwrap it to have yards of line. Take the time to unravel it and have a mile of line

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## Frank S

For me hammer diameter is a big issue. I particularly like the larger diameter handles.
When I replace hammer handles I always buy a handle for the larger hammers then sand them down to fit the eye of the hammer head.I buy screwdrivers and similar handled tools with the most aggressive feeling handles.
When it comes to wrenches the only reason I will buy Snap-on combination wrenches at a pawn shop or similar place is because I can heat them and bend them into special tools I prefer the rough unfinished look feel and size of tools like Craftsmen.
the 550 cord is only 4 mm in diameter which adds 8mm to the diameter or about 5/16"
I can see though where using a 14,16, 18 ga or even as small as 20 ga insulated electrical wire in some instances would have advantages over the 550. 
Cordage is horrible around oils, grease and solvents as it readily absorbs all of these into the fibers making the handles impossible to clean. Also it is equally bad around swarf. The few handles I have had that I put cordage on in the past made better swarf magnets than any rare earth ever invented

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## Frank S

Back when I used to do a lot of fishing I wrapped all of my poles with 60lb test braided fishing line

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## Paul Alciatore

I can see your point about cordage and grease and oils. I don't think that would be good for a metal working tool. But in my case, the clamps were for wood work so cordage would be OK. 

Electric wire comes with a variety of insulation materials which have different mechanical and chemical properties. I haven't completely thought it out, but I think the wire wrap would be OK in a metal working environment. I do both wood and metal in my shop, but I doubt that these clamps will ever be out of their storage box while I do metal work. 

O-rings are commonly used for making nice grips. I have seen grips on photographic equipment made with them and I have used them in a number of places. In this case I was inspired by O-rings, but I did not have enough of them in the proper size(s) for these two clamp handles. When I saw my bin of electrical wire I saw them as O-ring substitutes. 

I have used them several times by now and I am completely satisfied with them. They have made the use of the clamps a lot easier. 






> For me hammer diameter is a big issue. I particularly like the larger diameter handles.
> When I replace hammer handles I always buy a handle for the larger hammers then sand them down to fit the eye of the hammer head.I buy screwdrivers and similar handled tools with the most aggressive feeling handles.
> When it comes to wrenches the only reason I will buy Snap-on combination wrenches at a pawn shop or similar place is because I can heat them and bend them into special tools I prefer the rough unfinished look feel and size of tools like Craftsmen.
> the 550 cord is only 4 mm in diameter which adds 8mm to the diameter or about 5/16"
> I can see though where using a 14,16, 18 ga or even as small as 20 ga insulated electrical wire in some instances would have advantages over the 550. 
> Cordage is horrible around oils, grease and solvents as it readily absorbs all of these into the fibers making the handles impossible to clean. Also it is equally bad around swarf. The few handles I have had that I put cordage on in the past made better swarf magnets than any rare earth ever invented

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Frank S (Jul 31, 2018),

PJs (Aug 1, 2018),

Toolmaker51 (Jul 31, 2018)

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