My Drop Line Tool

[Dennis H.]

I went out to Harbor Freight this morning and picked up a few locking pliers and regular pliers and fab'ed up at set of Drop line making tool.

It took all of 1/2 hour. It is very simple and rough but it works really good so far.
It cost a total of about $8. $3 each for the locking pliers and the regular pliers and about $1.50 for the threaded rod coupler that I cut in half and drilled out the part where the fitting barbs will be.

[Clan Delaney]

I'm imagining how that works, but I'd love to see some pics. Have you put it to the test yet?

[caseyssugarshack93]

Thats a pretty slick set up, should work good, by the lookds of it might have to make me one,

Good Job




Nate Casey

[TapME]

now just a little red paint so you don't loose them. Nice work. let us know how they work.

[Dennis H.]

I have tried it already and it works good, Now I never tried a "real" one but it seems it will work for me.

The only thing I found that I have to be careful about is that when I am pushing in the fitting that I don't go too fast or I will bend the fitting.
It seems that the fitting stays put in the flat steel pusher plate and since the two side travel in an arc if I don't stop and let the fitting relax back to straight I would just bend it right over.

Yeah I will have to paint it red, I have to make it look the real deal!!

The next tool on my list to make is the one for holding the lateral line while you cut it and insert a drop line. I have 2 more locking plies already waiting.

[maplehound]

Dennis,
cut a grove in that flat plate the width of a piece of branch line but keep it narrow enough to still grab the sides of a "T" and you will have the same thing as a one handed tool.
Looks great though and I bet it was well worth the savings.
Ron

[marc]

I agree with maplehound on cutting the grove. You're tool is simple, practical and cheap to make. Three things I like. Good job.

[Dennis H.]

Thanks for the tip Maplehound. I will have to do that.

[Buckeye mapler]

Dennis H.,
post pics after the groove as been cut so I have something to go on!!

[Dennis H.]

Here are 2 pics close up, I had a few more of it without the tubing but for some reason the camera wouldn't dwonload them to the computer, I will try later for you.

[Buckeye mapler]

nice! i like seeing things that i can make myself and save money. of course seeing pics of something someone else has made makes it even nicer!!!!:D

[DanE.]

Dennis, Is that a 3/8'' rod coupler or a little larger? Nice job by the way. Thanks dane.

[Farmboy]

If I start tubing this spring or next I will have to make one. That's cool the pictures make it even better sometimes it is hard to explain how you make thing like those.

[maplesyrupstove]

I made up a couple of drops, they work great. Sure is better then using hot water and my hands. Thank You HOTDOG they are great.They are lighter to used without the visegrips on them,I would think. Darrell

[smitty76]

They look goog. think maybe i will make a set this weekend.

[Dennis H.]

Sorry Dan for not getting with you till today it's awful busy right now.

I used 1/2" threaded couplings. Once the coupling is split it ives it just the right amount of bite on the tubing without crushing it.
I 1st drilled out 1/2 of the trhreading with a 1/2 drill bit before I cut the coupling in half. I then went back once the two havles were welded to the vise grips I ran the 1/2 drill bit thru it just to make the opening where the barbed end goes round again.

[Dennis H.]

Darrel that is a nice way of making a tubing tool. Never thought of doing it that way.
It would fit in your pocket better.

[220 maple]

Don't paint them Red.
I attended a tubing seminar in October, Brad from leader suggested repainting all tubing tools blue, the red ones are hard to see in the leaves, yesterday I nearly left my brand new two handed tubing tool in the woods. Blue shines in the leaves compared to Red.

Mark 220 Maple

[maplesyrupstove]

Using my tubing tool to make up drops,every now and then it kinks the tubing.So I drill a 1/2 inch hole like Dennis did to see if that helps.Seem to work better with the fitting in the hole so it can't kink. Darrell

[DanE.]

Thanks Dennis and MapleSyrupStove. I made these right before Christmas and just last night I made a bunch of drops. what a difference from doing it by hand. Dane.

1197

[Dennis H.]

Nice Job Dan.
Don't forget to paint it!! I picked red but others perfer blue, you pick.

[morningstarfarm]

NICE...just what I needed....one more thing on the list.. thanks

[sweetwoodmaple]

Hey Guys...sorry to revive this old thread, but almost time to head in the woods and I'm trying to work out making a fitting tool. I'm almost set up to do the 8" plier type like posted earlier in this thread, but I noticed there are tools now with parallel jaw action.

Question...has anyone tried the Robo-Grip style pliers with this? Not sure they would generate enough clamping force in the adjustment mode, but might be worth a try.

[PARKER MAPLE]

I made one of these last season with the 8in plier. worked good, this year i found a set of 20in pliers at a tag sall for 2$ and welded them up. more leverage and let me tell you they work awesome hardly any effort to squeeze the line over the fitting.

[DanE.]

The only problem I found with mine was; after a ~500 uses the hinge got sloppy and the line would slip. Dane

[elliskev2]

Does anyone have photos of the tubing tools? I plan on welding up some pliers too.

[darkmachine]

Here is a set that I welded up, it's my first go, but they seem to work alright. I'm looking forward to using them this season.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs023.snc6/165335_1795700902271_1532171584_31869898_5814377_n .jpg

[Jeff E]

Simple add on I suggest to all tool users:
tie a colorful string to the tool. When they fall out of the tool belt into 24" of snow, that string is worth a lot in locating the tool.

Not that I would ever drop a tool,.... in the woods..... in the snow....about dark.....not notice till the next day. Nope not me...

[darkmachine]

strings a good idea, can't see the orange when it's at the bottom of a hole after it fell out of your pocket/bag etc., not light enough to just sit on top of the snow.

[farmall h]

OK Darkmachine who welded that for you? The zinc coating give a little splatter did it? Dennis I have a strap on my two handed tool that hangs around my neck all the time I'm using it. When I do a repair on a lateral I clamp the tool to the tubing ..cut...both hands are free...install drop or union and ...done. Just don't forget to clamp one side before you cut the tubing otherwise your neck just about gets ripped off!:lol:

[Dennis H.]

Nice looking tubing tool.

Not sure if you will run into the same problem as me but I found that the slip feature of the pliers were a pain so I took them apart and welded the one side of the slot closed and ran a drill bit thru the other side for the pivot bolt and put the 2 sides back together.

[darkmachine]

The welding wasn't too bad, I ground down the surface(After it fell apart the fist time, lol), but i did get a little bit of a mess, I am decent with a wire welder, but not so tidy with a stick welder. I think I will try filling that hole in, thanks for the tip!!!

[Dennis H.]

It's not a real big problem if the hole isn't filled it just was a pain it seemed like ever time I went to use the tool it was in the wrong location and I had to wast the time to put it back into the other position.

Don't worry about the weld, I was never good at stick welding either. Well yeah I was I could make a rod "stick" real good! I made some really nice GLOW rods in my time, that is why I use a mig welder. I also came from the school of thinking that "bigger the blob, better the job"

[whalems]

made a 2-handed tool today. Seems to work pretty well on the "test runs".

[whalems]

going to make the one handed tool tomorrow. Of coarse I will be steeling all of your ideas!!:lol: Will post pics when finished.

[farmall h]

Anybody of thought about starting out with a bolt cutter and removing the knives then weld the visegrips on the handles? Just a thought.;)

[whalems]

Here's my drop line tool.:)

[sweetwoodmaple]

Yes, mine spattered up with that zinc plating too. The welds were weak and the locking pliers flew off the first time I tried clamping a fitting.

Got tired of fighting the stick welder, so I used TIG (with high Amps and sharp electrode) and Stainless filler wire - worked like a charm.

[DanE.]

Well, I modified my tool from using the hinge and bar to hold the tubing in place to a pair of vise grips.

6133

I think they well work better. I was having problems with the hinge bending and then not holding the tubing the previous way.

Dane.

[unc23win]

Dane,

Thats pretty cool. Do they move parallel? I have been thinking of trying to make some of my own.

[5Acres]

Whalems,

How did you cut the nut so nice? Did you have to tack a weld on it to hold it?

[lakeview maple]

I used a set of Pump Pliars it seemed to help me get a better angle .I saw someone else had built them and gave it a try ,alot cheaper than paying a couple of hundred bucks.

[whalems]

Whalems,

How did you cut the nut so nice? Did you have to tack a weld on it to hold it?
I put it in a vise and used a hack saw

[DanE.]

Tell you the truth I can't remember how I cut the nut. I have a feeling I used my horizontal band saw and made a gig to hold it. but then again I may have put it in the vise and cut it with a hacksaw also.

The arms are not parallel movement, but it does not seem to matter.

The other day i added a cutter to it. Where the 2 arms come together I sharpened one of them on the grinder.

Dane

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[WoodButcher]

just sharing my experience since i just started incorporating tubing into my operation this year......

didnt want to spend $145 for a parallel action1 handed tool and $315 for a 2 handed tool. . . just like everyone else. so i followed this thread and another one showing the bar clamp tool being built.

i borrowed a buddy's leader single handed (non parallel action) tool and my channel lock one i welded up works even better. the movement is more parallel when pushing in T fittings and health spiles with on stroke. with my buddy's tool i needed to press it in a little bit, adjust, and then press it all the way .


as for the bar clamp tool .... i first made one with a small blue and yellow irwin tool and found there to be too much flex in the 'tabs' that the vice grips tie into, so i used my large cheap 36" bar clamp i had laying around since it seemed much more stout.i cut the bar down to a feasible size and shimmed the upper bolt holes on both vice grips with a few 1/4" washers to align them parallel to the bar and each other....

all is well, no flex in the tool at all and i could use it one handed if need be. very happy overall and has worked wonders for my small gig.
however, i could see this bar clamp tool's tolerances loosening after a 1000 T fittings or so. then i will just make one with an all metal frame.

well, just posting to give somebody some ideas . . . its fun and cheap.

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