@@timh6845 Blood loss, trauma, the premature on set of arthritis in the right hand, the damage to whatever you hit when you throw the tool across the workshop/paddock/carpark/yard. Then there's the psychological trauma that one suffers from as a result of the insecurity that comes with not having a better tool kit. On the upside, though, you do end up with a good selection of cobalt drill bits, easy outs and a decent torch.
@@timh6845 I'm not so sure about that, seems "bloodletting" was a common medical practice a couple centuries ago and I still practice it on a regular basis, makes me kind of a doctor in addition to a professional mechanic!
A bloke showed up to our little mine site with his mate holding a crescent with the jaws set to about 3/4” looking for a taper lock shaft. Using the setting as a calliper and travelling about 30 kms over a bush track.because they did not have any measuring tools!
I think the reputation of shifters took a beating with the introduction of cheap ones which have a lot of "slop" (tech term for play) in the movable jaw to rail and the worm screw to movable jaw. I was taught by my father to use open ended spanners only when a socket or ringy would not fit and a shifter only when you had to. This was in the 60s and they were HIS tools after all.
My boss, who was a union pipe fitter, explained this to me one day and I was amazed. He didn't have all of these details, but he told me, "You know a man is a professional by the way he uses a wrench. If you know, you know. Great video!
I used to be a fan of this tool...I have several sizes because early on in my journey as a tool enthusiast it gave me some universality-one tool for all sizes...until the Knipex Pliers-Wrench crossed my path. From then on, these Knipex pliers are the "king" of my workshop... and with these, it's clear which direction is correct.
My daily use wrench on the lathe is a 1938 12in. Crescent wrench. Got it from a retiring machinist back in the 80s. It is as good as it ever was. Like John says, you don't have to pull very hard to secure a 3/4-inch nut on a machine tool. Other than a real emergency, I would never use a Cresent wrench as a hammer for anything. The broached opening in the wrench head will be buggered up and the wrench won't fully open. If the sliding jaw's foot is protruding, you can easily break or jam the thumb screw.
There's a very fine book by the name of "The Left-handed Monkey Wrench" I read as a boy, and have enjoyed several times since, last time a few years ago as our "plandemic" began. If you aren't familiar with it, I suspect you'd really enjoy it.
As a 1st year aircraft maintenance engineer, i was corrected by my master, when i called it a shifter that it's name was an Engineers adjustable wrench.😊
A worker was performing maintenance on US nuclear Titan II missile in an underground silo when he realized he forgot the specialty socket he needed for a giant nut. Fetching the correct tool meant a 20 minute round trip, so he attempted to use a giant adjustable wrench on the nut. It slipped off and the nine pound wrench fell 70 feet and impacted the pressurized fuel tank for the missile. Long story short, the nuclear warhead did not detonate in the subsequent explosion which only killed one person.
I grew up in Queensland and always believed they were called shifting spanners or shifters for short. And I believed that wrenches was the American word for spanners. And a monkey wrenches was an American term for shifters. We must be living in the dark ages in Queensland.
Wrench is a perfectly good English word e.g. "That was a real wrench" (To be dragged out of complacency etc.), All my life (I'm 73 years old) have habitually called them wrenches but when I want to be posh, I call them adjustable spanners. "Shifter" is just too vague. I have never heard the term in Britain, it's a new one on me. Freight trains, lorrries and Vietcong pushing laden bicycles are or were shifters
Monkey wrench is a stilson, I grew up in South Australia and started my trade 40 years ago, always was and always will be Shifter. Even listed as shifting spanner or adjustable spanner in tool catalogues and invoices. Anyone who uses one on a car should have their thumbs zip tied together.
I’ve used shifting spanner countless times on various projects, never given a rats’ arse which way to position it onto the nut and never will even after watching this instruction. My Sidchrome shifting spanner purchased 50 years ago is still as good as the day I got it.
John, You will be pleased to know that this Englishman agrees with you, absolutely. Thank you also for expanding my vocabulary. You Australians are true wordsmths.
Hi John, thanks for your explanations. I always wondered how to use this wrench correctly. Loved the comment about painting the wrench and not pick it up with the mower
I used to use a shifter a lot many years ago. Then I bought a heap of tools, and my shifter use became particularly rare. I even have a preference for using six-point sockets to minimise the likelihood of wrecking the nut/bolt head. Shifters increase the likelihood of needing to use a drill, a cold chisel and a hammer to get the nut off, so I try to avoid them wherever possible. If that means I have half a dozen sockets and as many spanners on the go at one time, so be it.
I haven't seen them around much these days (except for the sets we own), but I'm ever so glad we bought my mate's flogging spanners when he wound up his business.
Thank you John, this was the MOST interesting information I have ever had on the good old "shifter". I learnt soo much, the angles of 15 degrees etc and why they are built into the shifter. When I did my apprenticeship back in the 70's we always carried one, but were encouraged by the Tradies to only use it when there was no spanner of that size available. Also when close to smoko or lunch and there was no time to drive back to the workshop to get a correct sized spanner. 🙂
My favorite use for this tool is straightening out bent steel rims. No context, a biggish (meter/yard) pry-bar is better than a 3 lb. (one and a third kilograms) sledge hammer for getting most stuck wheels loose.
What I love about some of these tool expos (along with the information) is that you get to deduct the cost (from your taxable income) of a tool you wouldn't ordinarily spend THAT MUCH money on, as a business expense. Buy it...make a video about it....admire it...use it once in a blue moon. Deduct it. Bob's your uncle. Clearly those weren't cheap wrenches.👍
John, after a career as 40 year mechanical fitter, you are correct there is and I know the correct way to use a shifter. Another name is KS knuckle skinner 😂 always go for a correctly fitted wring spanner first. The adjustable or shifter spanner is a good option for hold boltvheads.
I have a Crescent brand nut-fucker which has an arrow stamped on it to show the correct direction to push. They agree with you. I've known this for years, but I never knew why, so thank you.
John the way we were taught in 1986 motor mechanics at school…… was the fixed jaw takes the load and if it’s not taking the load flip round the other way so that it does……… having said that I’ve replaced all my adjustable spanners with Knipex pliers wrenches Far far far superior……. Now there is an idea for the channel. Do a deal with Knipex sell those wrenches that are all top notch with a discount code and you get commission. How’s that? Lots of DIYers would benefit
Been usin' 'shifters' for decades when needed - however mine's been made close to redundant by the Knipex Pliers-Wrench. Regardless, I concur about the correct way to employ a wrench / shifter
= pliers- "spanner" from the Chermans at Ka-nipex- grabs tighter and rounds a whole lot less than ye-olde, just don't buy an inferior knock-off, sloppy A-Flipping-heck...
The Shifter is the most versatile tool ever invented and is a mechanics favorite tool followed closely by the trusty hammer. When I did my apprenticeship as a forklift/earthmoving equipment mechanic and then field service tech in that field Ii always had5 shifters of various sizes from 4 inch to 36 inch to do most jobs. you are absolutely correct about how to use a shifter. Work well as a hammer.
There are Two very important point to be aware of when using those as a hammer! Always have the jaw open enough the rod of the adjustable jaw isn't sticking out. Hitting with that cab damage the worm gear or worse mushroom it out forcing you to file it down before you can open the jaw again. On the flip side also don't hit with the empty hole, or you can pinch the hole closed. Meaning grinding the hole open to close the wrench smaller. Try to only hit with the top of the crown or neck of the wrench. Make sure the person asking to borrow your wrench knows this first or don't be surprised to get back a tool that is now a better hammer then wrench.
Didnt realise there was a correct or incorrect. It actually feels correct ergonomically to use it the way you've demonstrated, so that's just the way i use it. And i agree the impulsive force is better than the continuous slow force. You could also apply this principle to the use of this tool. Cheers
Point 1. That hole in the hammer side makes them bad for nails. Point 2. A 3 foot pipe (cheat bar) is the bees knees, esp when your mate gives the head a nice sharp jar with a hammer. If that doesn't work, get a 6 foot pipe or employ a gas axe for additional loosening. Point 3. Yeah the direction you say is best, but don't stress, the auto store has a shelf full em just across the road if the 6 foot pipe caused something to fail. > Ashamed of using an adjustable wrench? F no, that's me best mate :) > P.S. If you are going to use a hammer on a spanner please pad your hand or inner fingers with something, even a rag folded up. Bruised tendons hurt for ages. I prefer a bit of load with the cheat bar and a nice sharp crack up close to the work to set the bolt/nut free. > Have a good one.
I wrench the wrong way because I think the fixed jaw gets the nut facet pounding on the tip of the jaw, and the moving jaw gets the nut facet pounding the root where it has less bending force on the weaker moving jaw simply because the moving jaw is a 1/3 tenon and the fixed jaw a 2/3 mortise. By your explanation it seems the screw is the weakest link and the bending force at the tip of the moving jaw is beneficial in locking it onto the lands and thereby saving the screw threads. This is nuts...my world is shaken.
I agree with your reasoning. My father was a mechanic in the 60's and he taught me that a Shifter is a tool of last resort. When you need to exert maximum force when only a shifter fits, use the shifter in the opposite way shown by John because there is less flex at the root of the movable jaw than at the tip, so that you in effect F-Up less nuts. Consideration of potential destruction of the shifter never entered the lesson, even with the obligatory water pipe extension. Damage to the nuts was something to be avoided at all costs.
If they didn't work there wouldn't be the so called "Engineers adjustable spanner". And they would of been phased out of production by now. Really dig these kind of deep dive into what should be common sense videos!
The only thing most people would use a shifter of that size for is to undo the nut on the tow ball of there car. The biggest problem with using a shifter as a hammer it burs the hole where the rack comes nothing more frustrating than picking up a shifter to use and it can't be adjusted
As a Boy I got my first Plastic took kit and it had a plastic Wrench. I didn't use it correctly 😂🤣. Love the variety on your channel John, another nice one.
John's adjustable wrenches are high quality, and would rightfully have cost a high price. Sadly, most DIY people, particularly in the UK, will only have cheap ones, with lots of slop in the jaw and worm, leading to loose fitment onto nuts, and a tendency to slacken in use. This is what probably brings the rule to only use one way, as slippage, and injury, are less likely. I have a couple of small ones, which are used only very occasionally, always with disappointment. My need to turn large nuts is very rare, so I cannot justify the purchase of one of those fine tools featured here. I now find myself wanting one though.
love-it, hate-it kind of relationship. I prefer using the appropriate size socket or wrench wherever possible... but two of everything when needing to hold a nut while driving a same-size bolt head is indeed not very practical. They are also nice to have as a backup when you make guesses at what size wrenches will be needed for a job you don't want to bring your whole toolbox to... or need the one odd size you don't have.
It’s been a long time since I was an apprentice, but I still feel like I’m going to get a clip under the ear for not only just using a Crescent wrench the right way, but having one in the toolbox in the first place.
The point you made while using the NF the 'correct' way that many miss and I think is of importance is that your promoting the wrench to stay on the fastener. While using it the 'incorrect' way the geometry changes and coming off the nut is more of a possibility. Good video, I like that Force NF, underated brand IME.
I use a cheater bar with mine which is just a 3ft length of pipe. I often worry if the wrench will break with that much torque, lucky so far. I use the cheater bar in shallow spaces like under my truck where i cant get enough pull power laying down to break the nut loose, so i use the cheater and stand on it.
Years back I had two blokes working for me fixing and maintaining fixed installation diesel fire pumps. Somewhere along the line I had come into possession of a 300mm Russian shifter, a well made tool but the thumb screw which moved the lower jaw [the "shifting" part] was a left hand thread, everybody, self included, hated the bloody thing.
But I bet that they have often "moved by themselves" a bench or two but no further... ( they get picked up by someone walking by, they fiddle with it, realise it goes the "wrong way" and drop it again... ) I have a good shifter like that, it doesn't walk far.
@@TAVOAu I inherited my Dad's Bahco carry around tool sets. The shifters give me the shits every time I use them, so much so they're only used as hammers now 😁
The greatest slipping wrench ever made. I grab my spnners or sockets before I get my shifter. As a Boilermaker, it is mostly used to change my gas bottles.
Don’t know if you watch Project Farm on YT (great channel) but he does some excellent experiments to see which crescent wrench is the best, from fairly cheap ones to very expensive, and stresses them to their failure point. Pretty interesting stuff.
I always called it "crescent wrench" because of the cheap import versions were infinitely poorer quality. I got a four inch crescent for Christmas about six years old and have carried one of that size in my pocket for the last sixty years, you never know when it will come in handy. The best ones will span a 9/16ths nut and the rest will span a 1/2 inch nut. I had an old rusty "erector set" about the time I got my first one, and it was far better than the stamped sheet metal "wrench" that was supplied with the least "erector set", and I shortly inherited a far more extensive set as my cousins outgrew their penchant for mechanics. I've long known "the wrong way" is best when breaking loose a tight nut but of course, using it in either state once the maximum torque has been used initially. I just did an oil change yesterday on my relatively new Jeep and deliberately used a socket to "break loose the pan plug" and realized the shop that did my last oil change used an "ugga dugga" wrench to tighten it. Probably not going to ever pay them to change my oil again!
Mr Pete222 tested shifters to desctruction with using a standard engineers extension, a scaffold bar iirc. He discovered it makes no difference which way round you use an adjustable wrench. The only correct way is the one that gets the job done.
OMG I have been using it backwards! I thought you adjusted that end to get a better grip, and put the nut through the hole. Been looking everywhere for different sizes, and metric.
Great as a hammer. Pretty good as a tool, when used safely. I've always found that they are absolutely brilliant for throwing, generally speaking they have a more accurate flight path than any other spanner or wrench. 🤣👍
My very first job in industry (at 15yo, working in the school hols) was for a toolmaker. He was a Jedi who took no shit. I learned so much from him, doing the legwork, drilling and tapping holes; cleaning up castings...
@@AutoExpertJC I was taught how to use a hacksaw and files, for two whole weeks till I was good at it. Forging, turning, milling, welding, house wiring. Reading in Imperial and metric and imperial decimal, CnC lathes and mills. I did metallurgy and casting design, quadratic math and material stressing , was in one of the first computer science classes at College, but I had been coding since 15 already and so when I typed the A4 sheet of BBC Basic in and corrected all the mistakes as I went, - the teacher made me teach that class for the rest of the year. Did a private coding job at the local supermarket setting up bar code readers and re order system on 286 PC's with 20mb hard drives. Bought my first Motorcycle cash with the finish bonus. My Dad couldn't beleive it, it was all alien to him.
I'm in the Shifter camp. Also, I have a long Snap-on screwdriver that has engraved on the shaft "Not to be used as a chisel" Like that's never happened.
. . . . and, as far as stripping nuts is concerned (a common criticism), the only thing I'd add is that a properly adjusted shifter is actually a zero-tolerance open-ender.
I agree that when turning the nut as when installing/removing it, it makes no difference which way you use it but it’s my understanding that the “right way” when tightening/breaking loose lessens the propensity for rounding off the nut (as these wrenches’ notorious reputation for doing so, hence the moniker “nut fucker”) due to the same reasons you cite for the failure mode of the wrench
Always known as a crescent spanner in my youth in WA. Have both a sloppy and tight worm variants in my tool box as both work better in different applications.
I rarely use them in my shed, I have spanners for that. I use one every day at work though, so much so that it lives in my pocket. What you call the wrong way, I'd call that the right way. When you turn the shifter there's a significant force trying to open the jaws up, if it's oriented per your right way, that force is applied at the end of the dynamic jaw. Orient it your wrong way, the same force is applied at the bottom of the dynamic jaw.. That force is going to be pushing the jaw open, where it's at the top its going have a longer lever to act on, so therefore be worse. When it comes to actually using it, I just stick it on and turn it with no consideration at all for wrong or right.
In my opinion using a shifter is common sense, not complex and quite often with a pipe for extra leverage & use absolute common sense, ensure it is snug every time it is refitted...& quality shifters matter! At Qantas, almost every engineer had an 18" or 24" shifter for engine changes (hydraulic lines) and very large Snap on/Bluepoint multi grips for fuel lines. My 18" Bahco, most guys like myself, also ground the last tooth off for extra that little bit of width...still going strong & zero problems after 45 years. Access was a bit of a premium.
My dad swore by the shifter. Quite literally, every time he used one, he swore.
The worst thing of using shifters is the blood loss.
@@timh6845 Blood loss, trauma, the premature on set of arthritis in the right hand, the damage to whatever you hit when you throw the tool across the workshop/paddock/carpark/yard.
Then there's the psychological trauma that one suffers from as a result of the insecurity that comes with not having a better tool kit.
On the upside, though, you do end up with a good selection of cobalt drill bits, easy outs
and a decent torch.
@@timh6845 I'm not so sure about that, seems "bloodletting" was a common medical practice a couple centuries ago and I still practice it on a regular basis, makes me kind of a doctor in addition to a professional mechanic!
A bloke showed up to our little mine site with his mate holding a crescent with the jaws set to about 3/4” looking for a taper lock shaft. Using the setting as a calliper and travelling about 30 kms over a bush track.because they did not have any measuring tools!
I have known them as a adjustable corner remover
I think the reputation of shifters took a beating with the introduction of cheap ones which have a lot of "slop" (tech term for play) in the movable jaw to rail and the worm screw to movable jaw. I was taught by my father to use open ended spanners only when a socket or ringy would not fit and a shifter only when you had to. This was in the 60s and they were HIS tools after all.
It's called a shifter in Australia
He IS an Australian , and he is using the Industry " nickname " , not your uninformed rhetorical term . We Good ?
And in South Africa.
shifter, or "shifting spanner" of course - wrenches are for monkeys...
Pronounced 'sheeefda'.
@johncunningham4820 lol what rubbish you speak. Always been called a shifter
I always start out with the best intentions but 3 seconds into the job everything is a hammer.
When you've got a nail. everything is a hammer
As Eric O says; "every tool has a hammer side. except screwdrivers, they are prybars."
Also make handy chisels.
I used pliers and a bit of bog roll holder to hammer a bush in an oil pump the other night. Quicker than buying a brass hammer.
Screwdrivers are also chisels.
@@maxbrooks1191and pegs for concreting... their use is limited only by your imagination.
@@maxbrooks1191 Not my mother of peal handled snap on screwdrivers. Just saying.
My boss, who was a union pipe fitter, explained this to me one day and I was amazed. He didn't have all of these details, but he told me, "You know a man is a professional by the way he uses a wrench. If you know, you know. Great video!
Being a bit short sighted I thought your tag line was adjustable “wenches”, was settling in for an enjoyable video, & now I find out it’s about tools!
The tools are the ones watching the wenches...;-)
@@alanhilder1883 Nothing wrong in watching wenches😊
I used to be a fan of this tool...I have several sizes because early on in my journey as a tool enthusiast it gave me some universality-one tool for all sizes...until the Knipex Pliers-Wrench crossed my path. From then on, these Knipex pliers are the "king" of my workshop... and with these, it's clear which direction is correct.
Same here
My daily use wrench on the lathe is a 1938 12in. Crescent wrench. Got it from a retiring machinist back in the 80s. It is as good as it ever was. Like John says, you don't have to pull very hard to secure a 3/4-inch nut on a machine tool.
Other than a real emergency, I would never use a Cresent wrench as a hammer for anything. The broached opening in the wrench head will be buggered up and the wrench won't fully open. If the sliding jaw's foot is protruding, you can easily break or jam the thumb screw.
There's a very fine book by the name of "The Left-handed Monkey Wrench" I read as a boy, and have enjoyed several times since, last time a few years ago as our "plandemic" began. If you aren't familiar with it, I suspect you'd really enjoy it.
As a 1st year aircraft maintenance engineer, i was corrected by my master, when i called it a shifter that it's name was an Engineers adjustable wrench.😊
This nut is beautifully in focus!
Yes he is.
A worker was performing maintenance on US nuclear Titan II missile in an underground silo when he realized he forgot the specialty socket he needed for a giant nut. Fetching the correct tool meant a 20 minute round trip, so he attempted to use a giant adjustable wrench on the nut. It slipped off and the nine pound wrench fell 70 feet and impacted the pressurized fuel tank for the missile. Long story short, the nuclear warhead did not detonate in the subsequent explosion which only killed one person.
Yes, the History Guy Channel did a bit on that accident, interesting
Ouch.
He didn't forget the socket; he forgot the torque wrench. It wasn't an adjustable wrench that fell. The socket fell off the (incorrect) socket wrench.
I grew up in Queensland and always believed they were called shifting spanners or shifters for short. And I believed that wrenches was the American word for spanners. And a monkey wrenches was an American term for shifters. We must be living in the dark ages in Queensland.
Nah mate, a monkey wrench is what ya do when yer sitting in the bog with a stack Playboy mags...
It's called a, nut fucker, or a portable lathe.
No you are right that's what we call them.
Wrench is a perfectly good English word e.g. "That was a real wrench" (To be dragged out of complacency etc.), All my life (I'm 73 years old) have habitually called them wrenches but when I want to be posh, I call them adjustable spanners. "Shifter" is just too vague. I have never heard the term in Britain, it's a new one on me. Freight trains, lorrries and Vietcong pushing laden bicycles are or were shifters
Monkey wrench is a stilson,
I grew up in South Australia and started my trade 40 years ago, always was and always will be Shifter. Even listed as shifting spanner or adjustable spanner in tool catalogues and invoices.
Anyone who uses one on a car should have their thumbs zip tied together.
I’ve used shifting spanner countless times on various projects, never given a rats’ arse which way to position it onto the nut and never will even after watching this instruction. My Sidchrome shifting spanner purchased 50 years ago is still as good as the day I got it.
Is "good" the right word? haha
@@robames1293 Perhaps it is somewhat 'mellowed' now.
Shifter in Australia 👍👍👍
John, You will be pleased to know that this Englishman agrees with you, absolutely. Thank you also for expanding my vocabulary. You Australians are true wordsmths.
Hi John, thanks for your explanations. I always wondered how to use this wrench correctly. Loved the comment about painting the wrench and not pick it up with the mower
We call it a shifter, John. Also the 3’ of pipe is a mandatory addition when the going gets tough
A shifting spanner or shifter. Wouldn't leave home without one.
Good to see a real engineer.
I used to use a shifter a lot many years ago. Then I bought a heap of tools, and my shifter use became particularly rare. I even have a preference for using six-point sockets to minimise the likelihood of wrecking the nut/bolt head. Shifters increase the likelihood of needing to use a drill, a cold chisel and a hammer to get the nut off, so I try to avoid them wherever possible. If that means I have half a dozen sockets and as many spanners on the go at one time, so be it.
I haven't seen them around much these days (except for the sets we own), but I'm ever so glad we bought my mate's flogging spanners when he wound up his business.
The good ol' Kentucky socket set
That's an actual hammer.
Also an Oklahoma model out there
1000% spot on.
TTC verified these findings in a video titled "Are you turning wrenches the wrong way".
Thank you John, this was the MOST interesting information I have ever had on the good old "shifter". I learnt soo much, the angles of 15 degrees etc and why they are built into the shifter. When I did my apprenticeship back in the 70's we always carried one, but were encouraged by the Tradies to only use it when there was no spanner of that size available. Also when close to smoko or lunch and there was no time to drive back to the workshop to get a correct sized spanner. 🙂
Theyr perfect for throwing in a fit of rage after you strip the head of a bolt with it
I had never considered loads within the wrench itself. Thanks John, very interesting.
My favorite use for this tool is straightening out bent steel rims.
No context, a biggish (meter/yard) pry-bar is better than a 3 lb. (one and a third kilograms) sledge hammer for getting most stuck wheels loose.
intro is so relatable, guess I gotta watch the vid now
What I love about some of these tool expos (along with the information) is that you get to deduct the cost (from your taxable income) of a tool you wouldn't ordinarily spend THAT MUCH money on, as a business expense. Buy it...make a video about it....admire it...use it once in a blue moon. Deduct it. Bob's your uncle. Clearly those weren't cheap wrenches.👍
When laying under the car and something needs a tappy tap tap, any tool can be a hammer.
Every tool has at least 5 uses. Every tool is hammer if it needs to be especially if the boss supplies them.
John, after a career as 40 year mechanical fitter, you are correct there is and I know the correct way to use a shifter. Another name is KS knuckle skinner 😂 always go for a correctly fitted wring spanner first. The adjustable or shifter spanner is a good option for hold boltvheads.
I have a Crescent brand nut-fucker which has an arrow stamped on it to show the correct direction to push. They agree with you. I've known this for years, but I never knew why, so thank you.
❤ congratulations... regards from Athens Greece..😊
John
the way we were taught in 1986 motor mechanics at school…… was the fixed jaw takes the load and if it’s not taking the load flip round the other way so that it does………
having said that I’ve replaced all my adjustable spanners with Knipex pliers wrenches
Far far far superior…….
Now there is an idea for the channel. Do a deal with Knipex
sell those wrenches that are all top notch with a discount code and you get commission. How’s that?
Lots of DIYers would benefit
Yeah - I have a set of Pliers Wrenches - they're awesome, and I prefer them for most jobs.
Warren & Brown also make a ratcheting shifter.
@@AutoExpertJC you've got 408,000 subscribers - if 1% spent 100 bucks with Knipex on a JC promotion - that's $408,000 in sales
FANTASTIC video - thanks John
Been usin' 'shifters' for decades when needed - however mine's been made close to redundant by the Knipex Pliers-Wrench. Regardless, I concur about the correct way to employ a wrench / shifter
I love mine too, the only downside is you need 2 hands to move it to a new location after a turn and I am holding the bolt with the other hand...
= pliers- "spanner" from the Chermans at Ka-nipex- grabs tighter and rounds a whole lot less than ye-olde, just don't buy an inferior knock-off, sloppy A-Flipping-heck...
Knipex King cobra 250mm. A wonder tool carry a set every day in underground coal mine
I'm the same now. My medium/large shifters have been in the drawer since I got the Pliers Wrench.
@@ttkddry Mine fits in a palm grip well enough that it's one handed operation apart from changing the pivot position.
The Shifter is the most versatile tool ever invented and is a mechanics favorite tool followed closely by the trusty hammer. When I did my apprenticeship as a forklift/earthmoving equipment mechanic and then field service tech in that field Ii always had5 shifters of various sizes from 4 inch to 36 inch to do most jobs. you are absolutely correct about how to use a shifter. Work well as a hammer.
Even at Uni / TAFE the teacher never spent that long explaining the correct use of. (Very long John). But I loved it!
JC, showing us his massive tool. Hard as a coffin nail too.
Thanks! I learned something today.
There are Two very important point to be aware of when using those as a hammer! Always have the jaw open enough the rod of the adjustable jaw isn't sticking out. Hitting with that cab damage the worm gear or worse mushroom it out forcing you to file it down before you can open the jaw again. On the flip side also don't hit with the empty hole, or you can pinch the hole closed. Meaning grinding the hole open to close the wrench smaller. Try to only hit with the top of the crown or neck of the wrench. Make sure the person asking to borrow your wrench knows this first or don't be surprised to get back a tool that is now a better hammer then wrench.
Didnt realise there was a correct or incorrect. It actually feels correct ergonomically to use it the way you've demonstrated, so that's just the way i use it. And i agree the impulsive force is better than the continuous slow force. You could also apply this principle to the use of this tool. Cheers
So what I got from this episode, was 'if in doubt, go BIG!' I'm glad I've been doing it right all these years! lol.
Great vid mate, Cheers from this Aussie in China, oh Osaka for now, involved in construction. Happy days mate!
The shifting hammer in the tractor toolbox.
Love it. We now have a new sysem for torque measurement. How many strippers of torque? 100% this is gonna be an accepted standard.
Point 1. That hole in the hammer side makes them bad for nails.
Point 2. A 3 foot pipe (cheat bar) is the bees knees, esp when your mate gives the head a nice sharp jar with a hammer. If that doesn't work, get a 6 foot pipe or employ a gas axe for additional loosening.
Point 3. Yeah the direction you say is best, but don't stress, the auto store has a shelf full em just across the road if the 6 foot pipe caused something to fail.
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Ashamed of using an adjustable wrench? F no, that's me best mate :)
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P.S. If you are going to use a hammer on a spanner please pad your hand or inner fingers with something, even a rag folded up. Bruised tendons hurt for ages.
I prefer a bit of load with the cheat bar and a nice sharp crack up close to the work to set the bolt/nut free.
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Have a good one.
I wrench the wrong way because I think the fixed jaw gets the nut facet pounding on the tip of the jaw, and the moving jaw gets the nut facet pounding the root where it has less bending force on the weaker moving jaw simply because the moving jaw is a 1/3 tenon and the fixed jaw a 2/3 mortise. By your explanation it seems the screw is the weakest link and the bending force at the tip of the moving jaw is beneficial in locking it onto the lands and thereby saving the screw threads. This is nuts...my world is shaken.
I agree with your reasoning. My father was a mechanic in the 60's and he taught me that a Shifter is a tool of last resort. When you need to exert maximum force when only a shifter fits, use the shifter in the opposite way shown by John because there is less flex at the root of the movable jaw than at the tip, so that you in effect F-Up less nuts. Consideration of potential destruction of the shifter never entered the lesson, even with the obligatory water pipe extension. Damage to the nuts was something to be avoided at all costs.
I would totally agree with your initial premise based on force times distance, something about trig perhaps!
I thought the same where strength was concerned, moving jaw shorter distances to pressure point, still enjoyed the video
Nice tool John!
If they didn't work there wouldn't be the so called "Engineers adjustable spanner".
And they would of been phased out of production by now.
Really dig these kind of deep dive into what should be common sense videos!
The only thing most people would use a shifter of that size for is to undo the nut on the tow ball of there car. The biggest problem with using a shifter as a hammer it burs the hole where the rack comes nothing more frustrating than picking up a shifter to use and it can't be adjusted
As a Boy I got my first Plastic took kit and it had a plastic Wrench. I didn't use it correctly 😂🤣. Love the variety on your channel John, another nice one.
Thanks for another informative video, John.
All shifters can be “fixed” to undo bigger nuts. Just grind a bit off the lead of worm or cut a new slot on sliding jaw
Correct, but given larger fasteners require higher torque loads do you really wanna be using an undersized NF maxed out in adjustment 🤔🐿️
John's adjustable wrenches are high quality, and would rightfully have cost a high price. Sadly, most DIY people, particularly in the UK, will only have cheap ones, with lots of slop in the jaw and worm, leading to loose fitment onto nuts, and a tendency to slacken in use. This is what probably brings the rule to only use one way, as slippage, and injury, are less likely. I have a couple of small ones, which are used only very occasionally, always with disappointment. My need to turn large nuts is very rare, so I cannot justify the purchase of one of those fine tools featured here. I now find myself wanting one though.
Always carried a few shifters in the tractor toolbox, whitworth imperial or metric fits them all. Also saved carrying a hammer
I use a shammer. It's literally a hammer and shifter in one, with a 1/2 inch socket ratchet at the end of the handle. Best tool I ever brought.
love-it, hate-it kind of relationship. I prefer using the appropriate size socket or wrench wherever possible... but two of everything when needing to hold a nut while driving a same-size bolt head is indeed not very practical. They are also nice to have as a backup when you make guesses at what size wrenches will be needed for a job you don't want to bring your whole toolbox to... or need the one odd size you don't have.
In Blighty, a wrench is a sudden or violent twist or pull.
That is definitely a spanner. More precisely, a metric adjustable spanner.
It’s been a long time since I was an apprentice, but I still feel like I’m going to get a clip under the ear for not only just using a Crescent wrench the right way, but having one in the toolbox in the first place.
The point you made while using the NF the 'correct' way that many miss and I think is of importance is that your promoting the wrench to stay on the fastener. While using it the 'incorrect' way the geometry changes and coming off the nut is more of a possibility. Good video, I like that Force NF, underated brand IME.
I use a cheater bar with mine which is just a 3ft length of pipe. I often worry if the wrench will break with that much torque, lucky so far. I use the cheater bar in shallow spaces like under my truck where i cant get enough pull power laying down to break the nut loose, so i use the cheater and stand on it.
Years back I had two blokes working for me fixing and maintaining fixed installation diesel fire pumps. Somewhere along the line I had come into possession of a 300mm Russian shifter, a well made tool but the thumb screw which moved the lower jaw [the "shifting" part] was a left hand thread, everybody, self included, hated the bloody thing.
I have a couple of shifters that have LH threads. As you say they are a pain. I think mine are Chinese.
But I bet that they have often "moved by themselves" a bench or two but no further... ( they get picked up by someone walking by, they fiddle with it, realise it goes the "wrong way" and drop it again... ) I have a good shifter like that, it doesn't walk far.
Bahco used the left hand thread. Used to drive me nuts (no pun intended) borrowing Dad's Bahco.
@@TAVOAu I inherited my Dad's Bahco carry around tool sets. The shifters give me the shits every time I use them, so much so they're only used as hammers now 😁
You can get these wrenches in metric and imperial sizes too.
Do the imperial ones do Metric too? I didn't have to buy another one?? Lol
The greatest slipping wrench ever made. I grab my spnners or sockets before I get my shifter. As a Boilermaker, it is mostly used to change my gas bottles.
I agree with you. I'd always use a fixed wrench if the right one was handy.
When I did my apprenticeship in the RAAF, we were warned to never use a shifter. It was beaten into our heads to always use the right tool.
Im on the west coast, we refer it as a AFS
Nice tool JC ❤
Don’t know if you watch Project Farm on YT (great channel) but he does some excellent experiments to see which crescent wrench is the best, from fairly cheap ones to very expensive, and stresses them to their failure point. Pretty interesting stuff.
I always called it "crescent wrench" because of the cheap import versions were infinitely poorer quality. I got a four inch crescent for Christmas about six years old and have carried one of that size in my pocket for the last sixty years, you never know when it will come in handy. The best ones will span a 9/16ths nut and the rest will span a 1/2 inch nut. I had an old rusty "erector set" about the time I got my first one, and it was far better than the stamped sheet metal "wrench" that was supplied with the least "erector set", and I shortly inherited a far more extensive set as my cousins outgrew their penchant for mechanics. I've long known "the wrong way" is best when breaking loose a tight nut but of course, using it in either state once the maximum torque has been used initially. I just did an oil change yesterday on my relatively new Jeep and deliberately used a socket to "break loose the pan plug" and realized the shop that did my last oil change used an "ugga dugga" wrench to tighten it. Probably not going to ever pay them to change my oil again!
A shifting spanner is different to a shifty spanner. One is a tool to destroy hexagonal heads, one is the morally dubious idiot you work with.
If you want to see how it works, just put the tips of the jaws on the nut and apply a bit of pressure either way.
An adjustable spanner fits every nut, but it fits no nut properly.
Oh, and a hammer is a "Birmingham screwdriver".
Glasgow screwdriver according to dad
I have learned a new unit of measurement today 😅
The red headed step child of hand tools
Mr Pete222 tested shifters to desctruction with using a standard engineers extension, a scaffold bar iirc. He discovered it makes no difference which way round you use an adjustable wrench. The only correct way is the one that gets the job done.
Thanks John
OMG I have been using it backwards! I thought you adjusted that end to get a better grip, and put the nut through the hole. Been looking everywhere for different sizes, and metric.
A good shifter has a handle that tapers down not up from the jaws .
Thanks, enjoyed that.
Great as a hammer. Pretty good as a tool, when used safely. I've always found that they are absolutely brilliant for throwing, generally speaking they have a more accurate flight path than any other spanner or wrench. 🤣👍
Agree! My go to if a tomahawk isn't within reach😁
I had a metric one, Had to go out and get an imperial one so I had the set. :P (54 year old expat toolmaker here)
My very first job in industry (at 15yo, working in the school hols) was for a toolmaker. He was a Jedi who took no shit. I learned so much from him, doing the legwork, drilling and tapping holes; cleaning up castings...
@@AutoExpertJC I was taught how to use a hacksaw and files, for two whole weeks till I was good at it. Forging, turning, milling, welding, house wiring. Reading in Imperial and metric and imperial decimal, CnC lathes and mills. I did metallurgy and casting design, quadratic math and material stressing , was in one of the first computer science classes at College, but I had been coding since 15 already and so when I typed the A4 sheet of BBC Basic in and corrected all the mistakes as I went, - the teacher made me teach that class for the rest of the year. Did a private coding job at the local supermarket setting up bar code readers and re order system on 286 PC's with 20mb hard drives. Bought my first Motorcycle cash with the finish bonus. My Dad couldn't beleive it, it was all alien to him.
JC, I've been using it the wrong way and as a hammer for all my life (as far as I can recall, no one said to me how it was meant to be used).
LOL definitely the Nut Fooker also a great hammer for hard to get at narrow spaces
“He didn’t even know what the nut fucker was” quip.
Tears.
I need to go and buy a big one now
The right way is the way that gets the job done.
Mines got an overbite John!
Are Metric shifters different to Imperial shifters?
I had one that was called a "Metworth" when I was an apprentice it fitted both.
According to the Swedes and Wikipedia it was Johan Petter Johansson who invented the adjustable spanner.
Yes!
Surely in a loco toolkit at Chullora you would have come across the famous "Shammer"?
The shifter with a cast hammer on the head. God's tool.
I'm in the Shifter camp. Also, I have a long Snap-on screwdriver that has engraved on the shaft "Not to be used as a chisel" Like that's never happened.
It was also know as a 'Nutfukka' when I did my trade in N.Z. in the '80s.
. . . . and, as far as stripping nuts is concerned (a common criticism), the only thing I'd add is that a properly adjusted shifter is actually a zero-tolerance open-ender.
I agree that when turning the nut as when installing/removing it, it makes no difference which way you use it but it’s my understanding that the “right way” when tightening/breaking loose lessens the propensity for rounding off the nut (as these wrenches’ notorious reputation for doing so, hence the moniker “nut fucker”) due to the same reasons you cite for the failure mode of the wrench
Always known as a crescent spanner in my youth in WA. Have both a sloppy and tight worm variants in my tool box as both work better in different applications.
I rarely use them in my shed, I have spanners for that.
I use one every day at work though, so much so that it lives in my pocket.
What you call the wrong way, I'd call that the right way.
When you turn the shifter there's a significant force trying to open the jaws up, if it's oriented per your right way, that force is applied at the end of the dynamic jaw.
Orient it your wrong way, the same force is applied at the bottom of the dynamic jaw..
That force is going to be pushing the jaw open, where it's at the top its going have a longer lever to act on, so therefore be worse.
When it comes to actually using it, I just stick it on and turn it with no consideration at all for wrong or right.
My Dad, up here in Canada on the right side of the world, my Dad called them "knuckle scraper" or more appropriately "knuckle buster"
In my opinion using a shifter is common sense, not complex and quite often with a pipe for extra leverage & use absolute common sense, ensure it is snug every time it is refitted...& quality shifters matter!
At Qantas, almost every engineer had an 18" or 24" shifter for engine changes (hydraulic lines) and very large Snap on/Bluepoint multi grips for fuel lines. My 18" Bahco, most guys like myself, also ground the last tooth off for extra that little bit of width...still going strong & zero problems after 45 years. Access was a bit of a premium.