Tools for Installing Alvin Key Clamps
One of the major advantages of Alvin Key Clamp products is how simple they are to install. The number of tools you need depends a lot on the type of system you need to install so we have broken this shopping list up into three sections. You may well already have most of these items however this can still form a useful checklist. Where items are available from our webshop a link is provided to the product pages:
Fixing sizes for our range of base plates and wall plates
| Baseplate/Wall Plate | Size Variant | Max anchor bolt size | Drill bit diameter* (NOT for Through-bolts) |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
5 | M10 | 12mm |
| 6 | M12 | 14mm | |
| 7 | M12 | 14mm | |
| 8 | M12 | 14mm | |
| 9 | M16 | 18mm | |
 |
7 | M16 | 18mm |
| 8 | M16 | 18mm | |
 |
5 | M8 | 10mm |
| 6 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 7 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 8 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 9 | M8 | 10mm | |
 |
6 | M12 | 14mm |
| 7 | M12 | 14mm | |
| 8 | M12 | 14mm | |
 |
6 | M16 | 18mm |
| 7 | M16 | 18mm | |
| 8 | M16 | 18mm | |
 |
6 | M10 | 12mm |
| 7 | M10 | 12mm | |
| 8 | M10 | 12mm | |
 |
6 | M12 | 14mm |
| 7 | M12 | 14mm | |
| 8 | M12 | 14mm | |
 |
5 | M6 | 8mm |
| 6 | M6 | 8mm | |
| 7 | M6 | 8mm | |
| 8 | M6 | 8mm | |
 |
6 | M4 | 6.5mm |
| 7 | M10 | 12mm | |
| 8 | M10 | 12mm | |
 |
5 | M8 | 10mm |
| 6 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 7 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 8 | M8 | 10mm | |
| 9 | M8 | 10mm | |
 |
7 | M12 | 14mm |
| 8 | M12 | 14mm | |
 |
7 | M12 | 14mm |
| 8 | M12 | 14mm | |
 |
7 | M4 (countersunk) | 6.5mm |
 |
7 | M4 (countersunk) | 6.5mm |
*This is the recommended drill bit to use, not the size of the fixing hole in the clamp itself. The fixing hole in the clamp will suit the maximum anchor size. For detail of the fixing hole size refer to the clamp details page on our web shop.
**Not to be used as a structural fixing for uprights.
***Not to be used alone as a structural fixing.
General for most key clamp installations
• Spirit levelⓘ
Ideally with magnetic base so it can attach to tubes.
• Torque wrench with a range that can measure 39Nmⓘ
Will usually be 1/2” square drive.
• Impact rated 1/4” Hex to 1/2” square drive adapterⓘ
Required if you are using an impact driver.
• Impact rated 1/2” square drive to 1/4” hex key attachmentⓘ
Hex size 1/4” for size 5, 6 and most size 7 fittings except the A17 (see below).
• Impact rated 1/2” square drive to 5/16”hex key attachmentⓘ
Hex size 5/16” for some size 7, and all size 8 and 9 fittings except the A17 (see below).
• Allen key to suit your selection of key clampsⓘ
For initial tightening of grub screws if you prefer not to use an impact driver. See our A76A for size 5,6 and 7 and our A76B for size 7,8 and 9. Final tightening should always be done with a torque wrench.
• Cut-off/chop saw with blades for ferrous metal.ⓘ
Failing that an angle grinder and cutting disk would do but it’s quite slow, noisy and doesn’t produce the neatest of cuts.
• Hacksawⓘ
If you have only one or two cuts then a is an option but it can be hard work.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to suit the task.ⓘ
Glasses, ear defenders, temporary fall prevention or fall arrest subject to site Risk Assessment process.
• Cold Galvanising spray to protect raw cut edges.ⓘ
Sometimes called Zinc paint, this is available from our webshop but is delivered separately to your clamps and tube due to courier restrictions.
• Also see fixings section below.
•Tape measure
• Our A17 ground sockets require a 7mm metric Allen key.
Freestand Counterbalance, Compact and Dome Guard
• In addition to the above, extension bar for your torque wrenchⓘ
This is usually 1/2” square drive. This is required for tightening the locking rings inside the weighted base. Needs to be at least 200mm for use with our Compact range.
Fixing to wood
We do not recommend attaching safety critical Key Clamp installations to wood. If this cannot be avoided, please seek the advice of a specialist wood fixings supplier. You can call or email us, and we can help with what load a fixing is likely to need to resist, you will need this information when speaking to a fixings specialist.
Fixing into hard material such as concrete
• SDS hammer (percussion) drillⓘ
SDS drills come in several forms, but mains powered is recommended if you have a lot of holes to drill. Please ensure you order the correct type of SDS bits to suit the drill you have.
• SDS pilot hole bitsⓘ
c6mm to 8mm diameter depending on availability, c150mm long.
• SDS drill bit (see size chart below)ⓘ
Length determined by required anchor bolt, in most cases the longest needed is 150mm however there are some circumstances where much longer anchors may be required, such as fixing through layers of brick, in which case you need to drill through at least 3 courses of brick. Please call or email us for guidance.
• Blow out hole cleaning pumpⓘ
Looks and works a bit like a balloon pump to remove debris from the hole.
• Thin hole cleaning brushⓘ
Sized to suit the fixing hole diameter you need.
• Spanner suitable for anchor bolt nut sizeⓘ
Alternatively, a suitable socket attachment for your torque wrench would also work, although for the A14 clamp you need an open face spanner to tighten the nut on the top fixing bolt.
Fixing to metal
• Suitable drill either battery or mains poweredⓘ
If you have a large number of holes to drill or you are drilling the larger holes required for the Box Bolts below, you might want to consider buying or hiring a “Mag-drill” (sometimes known by the brand name Rotabroach) which uses an electromagnet to clamp itself onto the fixing surface and significantly reduces the force the user needs to apply to drill the hole. These specialist drills also take larger drill bits required for most box bolts, see the table below.
• HSS drill bits for pilot holesⓘ
Diameter c6mm to 8mm (if not using a specialist mag-drill).
• HSS drill bits for desired final hole diameterⓘ
If you can access both sides of the fixing surface you can drill holes to suit the size of bolt you are using, from the table of concrete fixings above. For hole diameters greater than 14mm you may need to get a specialist drill and drill bits such as a Rotabroach mag-drill.
• Spanner for tightening fixing boltsⓘ
As above, a suitable socket attachment for your torque wrench would also work, although for the A14 clamp you need an open face spanner to tighten the nut on the top fixing bolt.
For blind fixing (where you cannot access the other side of the fixing surface such as in box section) you can use our Box Bolt range. Drill hole diameters are shown in the table below.
Need Help?
If you need any further guidance, or if you feel there is anything missing from this page, do please get in touch
Telephone
London: +44(0)20 8254 2626
Sheffield: +44(0)114 312 2250
WhatsApp Text/ Picture Message
Number: 020 8254 2626
Scan the QR Code to start a WhatsApp chat with us
