Thread: Spanner sizes

If all else fails get yourself a set of Metrinch spanners.

I've got Metric, AF and Whitworth spanner sets so I don't use the Metrich ones often but their ability to fit just about any weird head size including the all to common rounded variant has saved my bottom more than enough times to justify their place in the shed.

Another fail safe in the arsenal are the Vice-Grip lock wrenches, (these things: http://www.irwin.com/tools/locking-t...cking-wrenches ) I though they were a bit of a gimmick until I got a set for Christmas a few years back and again while not used often they can get into places where the good old stillsons can't.
Cheers,
Greg.

Originally Posted by .RC.

Just buy a set of shifters.... If you round any heads off with them, buy a set of stillsons...

your rough...lol...but I do get your point

Hi,
Obviously no sparkies have posted, no mention of BA (British Association) spanners. They go from 0 to 10, 0 being the largest and 10 the smallest. 0 is the same size as 6mm. Most sets only go down to 6 as after that the get too small.
My nineteen sixty something Fowlers thread size book lists 39 thread standard tables. Someone is sure to have added some in the last half century.
Just some more food for confusion.
Regards

If I replace bolts (or nuts) on a Japanese vehicle and they are not the JIS ones then I replace all on that part. Quite often come across the odd 13mm amongst the 12mm which, as you say is very annoying.

Originally Posted by .RC.

That is just the difference between JIS and DIN and ISO.. You buy a japanese devise and it had bolts with 12mm heads, you buy some spares in AU and they will have 13mm heads... And metric was supposed to be standardised.. There is nothing more annoying, repairing something, you are in some god forsaken position to get a last bolt out, every bolt you pulled out had a 12mm head.. You are feeling around with the socket wondering why it is not going on... Yes someone replaced it with a 13mm headed bolt...

Hi Dale
If you are serious about your work get sets of Metric, A/F and Whitworth spanners (particulaly if you are working on older equipment). Metrinch stuff is too loose on some sizes and makes it too easy to round off the heads,especially if they are tight.
Ring spanners or sockets are much better than open enders.
If you are using them to make a living then get good quality tools and you will have them for life.
A good way of checking the manufacturers confidence of his tools is to check the maximum size of their 1/4 sq drive sockets. Most go to 10 or 11mm. The good ones go to 14mm.

Roger

No reason not to have good sets of Whitworth and BS spanners if you are still working on old Aus or British stuff. Most of the old tradesmen who used this are passing on and crates of it are appearing at garage sales, auctions and swap meets. I now have a great collection of ringspanners, open enders and sockets to suit most of the vintage stuff I restore. As an aside, a lot of the cheap hex and cuphead bolts from China sold in the hardware chains are still whitworth sizes, and it's nice to use a tool that fits, and not a shifter that keeps on shifting!
Combustor.

Originally Posted by DSEL74

Still trying to organise the shed and started trying to find a home for all my spanners. I noticed some and plain imperial, others whitworth, After, and a few Whit+AF.
A 1/4 whit is about a 1/2AF.

The ones you buy now are just plain imperial are they the same as AF, just unmarked?

What would it be working on to require the whitworth spanners.


On another point but related. Is a 1/4 whitworth tap, approximately a 1/2" tap? I only knew they had a different thread. WHIT. UNF, etc.

Hi Dale,
needless to say at work I only need a set of Whitworth spanners as all I work on was built before the war (Crimean that is ).
When I first started the trade I got a set of BS (British Standard whitworth) spanners as they indicated the shank size of the bolt, ie a 3/8" BS spanner would fit a 3/8" BS bolt and nut.
As Pippin says with regards to BSPP (British Standard Pipe Parallel or 'T' taper), a 1/4" tap is about 1/2" in diameter.
At home I have AF and metric plus my BS spanners, seems to cover all.
A small tip is to look out for 6 point sockets.

Phil

What did I learn from this thread……..there is always so many guys on this forum willing to come up with an excuse for you to get more tools and they even make it sound legit!

I have a set of Metric and AF in common sizes, the whit I'll have to look at more closely now.


The spanners that fit my Myford lathee whit by the way.

Originally Posted by rogerbaker

Metrinch stuff is too loose on some sizes and makes it too easy to round off the heads,especially if they are tight.

I've had a set of Metrinch spanners for well over a decade and have never rounded off a bolt. They are my first choice when I reach for a spanner.

I'm really annoyed that in the last few weeks I seem to have misplaced my 1/2" metrinch spanner ... can't for the life of me recall what I used it for. Will have to find a replacement I think.

One thing I have noticed Dale is that if you have any two of the standard sets, you almost always have a spanner that is close enough to fit a fastener that is part of the other series. In other words if you have metric and AF spanners, you will usually have something to fit a BSW fastener, or if you have BSW and AF, then you have most metric sizes covered, particularly if you have 6 point ring or combination spanners (or sockets) as you can have a looser fit without the spanner rounding the hex off and slipping as Phil has pointed out. No doubt there will be the exception, and you may need the odd spanner in that series. Or a shifter, set of stilsons, or hammer and cold chisel in ascending order of roughness. Actually when working on large earthmoving equipment, aluminium Rigid brand stilsons were routinely part of most fitters tool kits, but possibly not so often used by air mechanical engineers, although it is anyones guess what they are doing at Qantas at the moment

Originally Posted by DSEL74

an excuse for you to get more tools

This is heresy of the first order! You should never need an excuse to get more tools - it's the natural order of things..........

has anyone noticed that metric or AF spanners/sockets are not as good as fit on 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 bolts (non Hi Tensile stuff) one gets from the local hardware these days...

I say they are still WW as my WW spanners and sockets certainly do fit better ...and with out force!!

Originally Posted by Gavin Newman

This is heresy of the first order! You should never need an excuse to get more tools - it's the natural order of things..........

yes it is...i just go out and buy it








then hide it...lol

While we are talking about WW spanners, and, just slightly off topic, I have always wondered about the coating used on my dad's WW spanners, bought probably about 1950 or so.

P1150677lo.jpg

The photo shows the colour fairly well; it is a dull grey.
For the photo, I haven't cleaned them, other than a wipe with metho.

The spanners really don't rust, and geez, they are very durable.

So please, just what is this Sidchrome coating?

mike