US3220241A

US3220241A - Compression type hand tool

Info

Publication number: US3220241A
Application number: US152559A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cardell E Miller
Original assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: 3M Co
Priority date: 1961-11-15
Filing date: 1961-11-15
Publication date: 1965-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 1982-11-30

Description

" Nov. 30, 1965 c, E. MILLER 3,220,241

COMPRESSION TYPE HAND TOOL Filed NOV. 15} 1961 IIIIA a INVEN TOR.

CARDELL E. MILLER ATTORN EYS United States Patent O 3,220,241 COMPRESSION TYPE HAND TOOL Cardeil E. Miller, Hudson, Wis., assignor to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 152,559 Claims. (Cl. 72-446) This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to crimping tools designed for use with electrical connectors requiring considerable pressure on opposite surfaces thereof to properly join a plurality of wires therein.

One connector of the aforementioned type comprises a base portion and .a telescoping cover portion movable toward each other. In order to insure a positive permanent connection between wires inserted into the base portion the cover portion must be forced into the base by the application of force in a manner to prevent tilting or cocking of the cover portion in the base. This is of particular importance when wires of different sizes are being connected.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved hand tool of the pliers type having working surfaces which are substantially parallel at all times, particularly in their most advanced position. The improved tool is thus particularly well adapted for use in crimping of connectors of the type referred to hereinbefore in which cocking is a problem. This feature of the improved tool has the further advantage that it permits application of a maximum force without danger of the work escaping from the working surfaces during application of pressure thereto.

The aforementioned object is accomplished broadly by the use in the improved tool of two substantially parallel elongated levers having jaw portions at one end and a pivotal connection at the other ends, there being means including a third lever and a toggle linkage connected to said levers intermediate their ends to provide an actuating means for forcibly advancing the jaws toward one another.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved hand tool in which are embodied the desirable features of high mechanical advantage, compactness and lightness of weight making said tool readily manipulatable and convenient to carry.

An additional object is to provide a crimping tool of the aforementioned character in which a plurality of adjustments can be made in the closed position of the working surfaces of the jaws, readily adapting its use with electrical connectors of various sizes.

The foregoing as well as other objects will become apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of the improved tool, partly in vertical section, showing the parts thereof in closed or crimped position, the alternative closed position of the idler lever and its jaw being shown in dot and dash lines;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the improved tool with the parts in open position, parts being broken away, the alternative open position of the idler lever and its jaw being shown in dot and dash lines;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front perspective view of the body member of the improved tool;

FIGURE 5 is a front perspective view of a facing member of the improved tool; and

FIGURE 6 is a rear perspective view of the facing member shown in FIGURE 5.

The form of the improved crimping tool selected for illustration in the drawing consists of an elongated frame or body member 10, 'an elongated idler lever member 11 and an elongated trigger or third lever member 12. The idler lever 11 is pivotally connected at its rear end, i.e., the right hand end as viewed in the drawing, to the rear end of the body member 10. The trigger 12, in turn, is pivotally connected to the body member 10 intermediate the ends of the latter and is pivotally connected to the idler lever 11 by a force transmitting toggle linkage which will be described in detail later.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, especially FIGURE 1, the body member 10 is channel shaped, providing a pair of spaced apart parallel plate portions or

side plates

13 and 14 and an interconnecting web 15. At the rear of the body member 10 alined dumbbell shaped

apertures

16, 16a are formed in the

side plates

13 and 14, respectively, said openings each comprising two identical circular openings joined by a connecting slot having a width less than the diameter of said circular openings. One of said openings is offset vertically, as viewed in the drawing, and longitudinally from the other, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, to afford alternate adjusted positions for a pivot pin 24 which will be described later.

The forward end of the body member 10 has a portion of the web '15 and of

plates

13 and 14 cut away to define a pair of laterally alined spaced

jaw members

17 and 18 shown most clearly in FIGURE 4. Intermediate the ends of the body member 10

upper edge portions

13a and 14a of the

side plates

13 and 14 respectively are oifset inwardly toward each other in spaced parallel relation. The

plate portions

13a and 14a are provided with

openings

19 and 19a for receiving a pivot pin or rivet 33. The outer surface 15a of the web 15 is rounded and otherwise contoured so that the rear end of the body member 10 forms a handle.

The idler lever 11 is channel shaped and is disposed between the

side plates

13 and 14, having

side walls

20 and 21 and an interconnecting web 22. At the rear end of the lever 11 alined openings 23 and 23a are provided in the side walls '20 and 21 to also receive the pivot pin 24 which pivotally connects the lever 11 to the body member 10. At the forward end of the lever 11 extensions are formed on each

side wall

20 and 21, ofi'set outwardly from the plane of said side walls providing laterally

alined jaw members

25 and 26 which are vertically alined with, i.e., are generally coplanar with, the

jaw members

17 and 18, respectively, of the body member 10. An opening 27 is located in the web 22 of the lever 11 to receive one end of a leaf spring 28, the other end of which rests against the web 15. The leaf spring is positioned between the web 22 and the web 15 to bias the lever 11 and its jaw members toward open position with respect to the jaw members of the body member 10. Other forms of biasing means may of course be used without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The trigger 12 is also channel shaped, being formed with side plates 31 ad 32, and is inverted with respect to the channels of the body member 10 and idler lever 11. The rear end of the trigger is contoured to define a handle or gripping portion 29, and the forward end of the trigger is disposed between the offset

side plate portions

13a and 14a of the body member 10. The side plate portions 31 and 32 of the trigger are formed with

alined openings

30 and 30a respectively to receive the pivot pin or rivet 33. The side plates 31 and 32 of the trigger have substantially greater depth adjacent the

openings

30 and 30a than they have adjacent the handle portion 29 and adjacent the

openings

30 and 30a, said side plates are formed with alined openings 50 and 50a respectively to receive a pivot pin 35. A link 34 has one end disposed between the plates 31 and 32 of the trigger and apertured, as at 51, to receive the pin 35. The openings 50 and 50a, being spaced from the

openings

30 and 30a form a bell-crank of the trigger 12.

The other end of the link 34 is apertured as at 53 to receive a pivot pin 36 whose ends are received in

alined openings

52 and 52a formed in the

side walls

20 and 21 of the idler lever 11. The end of the link 34 connected to the idler lever 11 is bifurcated from the aperture 53 to the adjacent end of said link. The extreme end portions of the bifurcations are reversely bent outwardly from the plane of the link providing abutments 37 and 38 which engage the

side walls

20 and 21 of the lever 11 and prevent sidewise displacement of the link.

The portion of the trigger 12 between the

pivot pins

33 and 35 forms one leg, and the link 34 forms another leg of force transmitting means in the form of a toggle linkage connecting the body member and idler lever 11. The several pivots are so located and the several levers so dimensioned and organized that swinging movement of the trigger 12 about the pivot pin 33 toward body member 10 similarly swings the knee of the toggle joint, i.e. pin 35, and, through link 34, forces the idler lever 11, toward the web of the body member 10 against the force of the spring 28.

The trigger is provided with a stop means in the form of a pin 39 extending through the side plates 31 and 32 and engageable with the

plate portions

13a and 14a of body member 10 to limit the pivotal movement of the trigger 12 toward the body member 10. At the forward end of the trigger 12 the side plate 32 is provided with a projecting portion 40 having a beveled shearing edge portion 42. A projection 41 is formed on the offset side wall portion 14a of the body member 10, said projection being formed with a beveled shearing edge portion 43 cooperable with the edge portion 42. It will be observed that the

projections

40 and 41 afford the tool means for cutting wire in desired lengths.

The

jaw members

17 and 18 of the body member 10 and the

jaw members

25 and 26 of the idler lever 11 are adapted to receive and support removable facing members or inserts generally designated 44 and 44b. The inserts are preferably exactly alike within the limits of manufacturing tolerances and therefore only the insert 44 will be described in detail, like parts of the insert 44b bearing the same reference characters with the subscript b. Insert 44, as shown clearly in FIGURES 5 and 6, is generally wedge shaped and formed of angularly related plate-

like members

54 and 55 presenting oppositely facing

work engaging surfaces

45 and 46 respectively, and separated by a wedge shaped portion 47 of lesser width substantially equal to the spacing between the

jaw members

17 and 18 and 25 and 26. The portion 47 is formed with a transverse opening 48 therethrough. The plate-

like members

54 and 55 are of different thicknesses and widths as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. The plates 54 are both thinner and wider than the plates 55. In operative position, the wedge shaped

portions

47 and 47b of the

inserts

44 and 44b are fitted between the

alined jaw members

17 and 18 of the

body member

10 and 25 and 26 of the idler lever 11. The jaw members are distensible to some degree and are formed with small rounded inwardly directed offsets, such as shown at 49 in FIGURES 2 and 4, which project into the

openings

48 and 48b when the inserts are in operative position. The resilience of the jaws holding the offsets 49 in the associated

openings

48 and 48b retains the inserts in operative position.

The inserts 44 and 4412 are capable of being inverted to place either work engaging surface thereof in work engaging position. The different thickness of

plates

54 and 55 by simply inverting the

inserts

44 and 44b provides the improved tool With an adjustment of the spatial relationship between the oposed work engaging surfaces when the tool is in closed position.

Referirng now to FIGURES l-3 the pivot pin 24 is shown pivotally connecting the rear end of idler lever 11 to the adjacent end of the body member 10. As aforedescribed the

openings

16 and 16a of

side plates

13 and 14 of the body member 10 are each formed by a pair of circular openings joined by a connecting slot having a width less than the diameter of the openings. Movement of the pin from one end of the

openings

16 and 16a to the other causes a longitudinal and transverse movement of the adjacent end of the idler lever therewith. The pin 24 is cylindrical having a general diameter equal to the diameter of the circular bores forming the

openings

16 and 16a in the body member 10 and the openings 23 and 23a in the idler lever 11. The pin 24 has two

portions

56 and 57 of reduced diameter spaced apart a distance equal to the spacing between the

side plates

13 and 14 of member 10. The reduced

portions

56 and 57 have a diameter equal to or somewhat less than the width of the slotsbetween the circular openings making up the

aperatures

16 and 16a and have an axial length at least as great as the thickness of the

respective side plates

13 or 14 of the body member 10. The reduced

portions

56 and 57 allow movement of the pin 24 from one position to another in the

apertures

16 and 16a when the pin is positioned with the reduced

portions

56 and 57 in registry with the

side plates

13 and 14. As shown in FIGURE 3 a coil spring 58 surrounds the pin 24 and has one end abutting the inner side of plate 21. The other end of the spring 58 abuts a resilient snap ring 59 fitted into a cooperating groove in the pin 24 and biases said pin axially toward the position shown in FIGURE 3 wherein the

areas

56 and 57 are offset axially from the

side plates

13 and 14. Inward depression of the pin 24 against the bias of the spring 58 brings the reduced

diameter portions

56 and 57 thereof into registry with the side paltes 13 and 14 to permit movement of said pin laterally from one position to another within the

openings

16 and 16a.

In FIGURE 1 the jaw inserts or facing members 44 and 441) are in place on the

jaw members

17, 18 and 25, 26 such that the work engaging surfaces 45 and 45b are in parallel opposing relation, and the tool is in a first closed postion with the stop means 39 engaging the offset

side plates

13a and 14a, and the opposing work surfaces 45 and 45b spaced a distance A from each other. A spacing A corresponds to the thickness to which the one type of electrical connector must be crimped to render the same operative.

In order to increase the gap between the work engaging surfaces to that corresponding to the thickness to which a larger connector must be crimped to render the same operative, the pin 24 may be depressed axially and shifted laterally from rear to the forward end of the

openings

16 and 16a to thereby shift the idler lever 11 to its longitudinally adjusted position shown in broken lines. The work engaging surfaces of the jaws are then spaced a distance B in closed position and retain their parallel relation. Movement of the idler lever 11 repositions the pivot 36 to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 1 and thus changes the angular relationship of the toggle linkage. The spatial relationship of the work engaging surfaces in closed position may also be adjusted by inverting one or both of the

jaw facing members

44 and 44b to locate

surfaces

46 and 46b in opposing relation or one of the surfaces 45 or 4512 in opposing relation with one of the

surfaces

46 or 46b to attain still different spacings as suitable or desired.

It will be observed in FIGURE 2 that the spatial relationship of the work engaging surfaces in the open position of the tool is also varied by movement of the pin 24 from one end of the

openings

16 and 16a to the other. This adjustment is a concomitant of the aforenoted adjustment of said spatial relationship of said surfaces when the jaws are in closed position and the pin 24 is moved as described. Such adjustment when the jaws are open allows the acceptance between the

jaw members

44 and 44b of connectors of different uncrimped thicknesses.

It will be observed that when the

surfaces

46 and 46b are in opposing relation the minimum gap in closed position can be achieved because of the greater thickness of the plates 55 and 5511 as compared with

plates

54 and 54b. The

plates

54 and 54b, being narrower than

plates

55 and 55b afford smaller work engaging surfaces which, together with the smaller gap, adapt the tool to use with small size connectors. The

plates

55 and 55b in addition to the larger gap, afford wider work engaging sur faces adapting the tool to use with larger size connectors.

It will be observed in FIGURES 5 and 6 that the facing member or insert 44 is formed at its forward end with a projecting portion 60 of reduced width. The portions 60 facilitate the crimping of small size connectors and permits insertion of the tool into confined areas and at the same time affords the operator a better view of the connector being crimped.

It is apparent from the above description that the improved tool is extremely versatile and affords a very high mechanical advantage in all positions of adjustment. A further advantage of the present invention is that the tool is so constructed that movement of the jaws from their open position to their closed position is such that the Work engaging surfaces remain susbtantially parallel in all positions, due to the distance between the pivot pin 24 and the work surfaces. The work receives virtually no lateral or angular stress tending to cause cocking of the telescoping connector parts or escape of the work from the working engaging surfaces when gripping force is applied to the tool.

The invention has been illustrated by reference to a specific embodiment, but there is no intent to limit the invention to the precise details so described except as required by the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

i 1. A compact unitary adjustable compression type crimping tool for use in manually forcing together into closed position the base and cover portions of any one of a plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors in making connection with wires of any of a variety of sizes acceptable by said one of said wire-connectors and while avoiding tilting of said cover in said base, said tool being readily adjustable by simple hand manipulation to any of a plurality of configurations corresponding to said plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors and in each of said configurations providing when in closed position a pair of essentially parallel opposing jaw surfaces separated a distance appropriate to a corresponding wire-connector when closed to form a Wire-connection; said tool being characterized as comprising: a channelshaped elongate body, a channel-shaped elongate lever, and a channel-shaped elongate trigger;

said body having spaced side plates each perforated at the rearward end with a dumbbell-shaped aperture aligned with the other and comprising two vertically and longitudinally offset circular openings joined by a connecting slot having a width less than the diameter of said circular openings, the forward ends of said side plates being extended to form a pair of aligned spaced resiliently distensible forwardly narrowing flat jaw members, each having an inwardly directed rounded offset aligned with the other, the side plates being of extended width just rearwardly of said jaw members and being oppositely perforated near the outer edge;

said lever having spaced side plates fitting between the side plates of said body, the side plates of said lever being oppositely perforated at the rearward end, extended at the forward end to form a pair of aligned spaced resiliently distensible forwardly narrowing flat jaw members each having an inwardly directed rounded offset aligned with the other, and being oppositely perforated at the forward end just rearwardly of said jaw members;

said trigger having spaced side plates and an interconnecting web contoured rearwardly to define a hand grip portion and at the forward end disposed between the side plates of said body, the side plates of said trigger being doubly oppositely perforated in outermost and innermost perforations near the forward end;

a pivot pin passing through the rearward perforations in the lever and one of the two opposed sets of rearward perforations in the body, and adjustable between said two sets, for adjustably pivotally connecting said body and lever;

a pivot pin passing through the perforations of the extended side walls of the body and the outermost perforations of the side plates of the trigger for pivotally connecting said body and trigger;

a first pin extending through the innermost perforations of the side plates of the trigger, a second pin extending through the perforations in the forward side walls of the lever, and a compression link interconnecting said first and second pins and completing a force-transmitting toggle linkage between said body and said lever;

a first facing member for the jaw members of said body, and a second facing member for the jaw members of said lever;

each said facing member including a wedge-shaped inner portion having parallel flat end surfaces recessed in alignment with the offsets of, and fitting and removably retained between, the corresponding jaw members, and each said facing member further having first and second angularly related flat platelike members supported on the angularly related surfaces of, and extending beyond, said wedge-shaped inner portion, said first and second plate-like members being of different thicknesses.

2. A compact unitary adjustable compression type crimping tool for use in manually forcing together into closed position the base and cover portions of any one of a plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors in making connection with wires of any of a variety of sizes acceptable of said one of said wire-connectors and while avoiding tilting of said cover in said base, said tool being readily adjustable by simple hand manipulation to any of a plurality of configurations corresponding to said plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors and in each of said configurations providing when in closed position a pair of essentially parallel opposing jaw surfaces separated a distance appropriate to a corresponding wire-connector when closed to form a wireconnection; said tool being characterized as comprising: an elongate body and an elongate lever pivotally connected at one end of each of them by means permitting adjustment of the point of connection between a plu 1 body, said trigger being pivotable from a first position to a second position whereby the toggle linkage is moved toward alignment and the jaw portions moved to a closed position, the fiat opposed surface of at least one of said jaw portions being an outer surface of a generally wedge shaped facing member removably frictionally retained on one of said body and lever, said facing member comprising two angularly related plate-like segments of different thickness connected at their near ends, the segments having flat outer surfaces and having inner surfaces defining a recess by means of which the facing member is removably frictionally retained on said one of said body and lever in either of two positions, each position presenting a different one of the flat outer surfaces of the segments as the fiat surface of the jaw portion in opposed substantially parallel spaced relation to the flat surface of the other jaw portion, and different combinations of a position of the facing member with a position of the point of connection affording different predetermined substantially parallel spatial relationships between the opposed flat surfaces of said jaw portions when in the closed position.

3. A compact unitary adjustable compression type crimping tool for use in manually forcing together into closed position the base and cover portions of any one of a plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors in making connection with wires of any of a variety of sizes acceptable by said one of said wire-connectors and while avoiding tilting of said cover in said base, said tool being readily adjustable by simple hand manipulation to any of a plurality of configurations corresponding to said plurailty of differently dimensioned wire-connectors and in each of said configurations providing when in closed position a pair of essentially parallel opposing jaw surfaces separated a distance appropriate to a corresponding wire-connector when closed to form a wire-connection said tool being characterized as comprising: an

elongate body and an elongate lever pivotally connected at one end of each of them by means permitting adjustment of the point of connection between a plurality of positions, said body and lever each having a jaw portion at their other end, said jaw portions each presenting a flat surface opposed to the fiat surface of the other jaw portion, an elongate trigger pivotally connected at one of its ends to said body intermediate the ends of the latter, and having a force transmitting connection to the lever adjacent the jaw portion thereof, said trigger being pivotable from a first position to a second position whereby the jaw portions are moved to a closed position, the fiat opposed surface of at least one of said jaw portions being an outer surface of a generally wedge shaped facing member removably frictionally retained on one of said body and lever, said facing member comprising two angularly related plate-like segments of different thickness connected at their near ends, the segments having flat outer surfaces and having inner surfaces defining a recess by means of which the facing member is removably frictionally retained on said one of said body and lever in either of two positions, each position presenting a different one of the fiat outer surfaces of the segments as the fiat surface of the jaw portion in opposed substantially parallel spaced relation to the flat surface of the other jaw portion, and different combinations of a position of the facing member with a position of the point of connection affording different predetermined substantially parallel spatial relationships between the opposed fiat surfaces of said jaw portions when in the closed position.

4. A compact unitary adjustable compression type crimping tool for use in manually forcing together into closed position the base and cover portions of any one of a plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors in making connection with wires of any of a variety of sizes acceptable by said one of said wire-connectors and while avoiding tilting of said cover in said base, said tool being readily adjustable by simple hand manipulation to any of a plurality of configurations corresponding to said plurality of difierently dimensioned wire-connectors and in each of saidconfigurations providing when in closed position a pair of essentially parallel opposing jaw surfaces separated a distance appropriate to a corresponding wireconnector when closed to form a wire-connection; said tool being characterized as comprising: an elongate body and an elongate lever pivotally connected at one end of each of them by means permitting adjustment of the point of connection between a plurality of positions said body and lever each having a jaw portion at their other end, said jaw portions each presenting a fiat surface opposed to the fiat surface of the other jaw portion, an elongate trigger pivotally connected at one of its ends to said body intermediate the ends of the latter, and having a force transmitting connection to the lever adjacent the jaw portion thereof, said trigger being pivotable from a firstrposition to a second position whereby the jaw portions are moved to a closed position, at least one of said jaw portions being an outer surface of an adjustable facing member removably frictionally retainedon one of said body and lever, said facing member having a plurality of flat outer surfaces and having inner surfaces defining a recess by means of which the facing member is removably frictionally. retained on said one of said body and lever in a plurality of positions, each position presentinga differ cut one of the fiat outer surfaces of the facing member as the fiat surface of the jaw portionin opposed substantially parallel spaced relation to the fiat surface of the other jaw portion, and different combinations of a position of the facing member with a positionof the point of connection affording different predetermined substantially parallel spatial relationships between the opposed flat surfaces of said jaw portions when in the closed position.

5. A compact unitary adjustable compression type crimping tool for use inmanually forcing together into closed position the base andcover portions of any one of a plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors in making connection with Wires of any of a variety of sizes acceptable by said one of said wire-connectors and while avoiding tilting of said cover in said base, said tool being readily adjustable by simple hand manipulation to any of a plurality of configurations corresponding to said plurality of differently dimensioned wire-connectors and in each of said configurations providing when in closed position a pair of essentially parallel opposing jaw surfaces separated a distance appropriate to a corresponding wire-connector when closed to form a wire-connection; said tool being characterized as comprising: an elongate body and an elongate lever pivotally connected at one end of each of them by means permittingadjustment of the point of connection between a plurality of positions, said body and lever each having a jaw portion at their other end, said jaw portions each presenting a fiat surface opposed to the flat surface, of the other jaw portion, an elongate trigger pivotally connected at one of its ends to said body intermediate the ends of the latter, and having a force transmitting connection to the lever adjacent the jaw portion thereof, said trigger being pivotable from a, first position to a second position whereby the jaw portions are moved to a closed position, the opposed flat surface of at least one of said jaw portions being an outer surface of an adjustable facing member removably frictionally mounted on one of said body and lever, said facing member having a plurality of flat outer surfaces, and being adjustably mounted to permit alternatively presenting any selected one of said facing member surfaces as the flat surface of the jaw portion in substantially parallel and opposing relation to the flat surface of the other jaw portion, and different combinations of a position of a facing member with a position of the point of connection affording different predetermined substantially parallel spatial relationships between the opposed flat surfaces of said jaw portions when in the closed position.

(References on following page) 9 10 References Cited by the Examiner 2,716,364 8/1955 Cook et a1. 81372 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,822,715 2/1953 Raimondi 81383.5 X 542 035 7/1895 Wiuever 2,941,431 6/1960 Christensen et a1. $9 252 3333 s g 2 5 FOREIGN PATENTS too re 663,581 12/1900 Rice s1 423 3/1950 Canada 691,079 1/1902 Schofield. L112 1912 Bumm- 1,263,412 4/1918 Haynes 81-421 X 64,861 2/1913 Swltzerland- 25 2:: 10 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

2,696,747 12/ 1954 Bergan. WALTER A. SCHEEL, Examiner.

Claims

1. A COMPACT UNITARY ADJUSTABLE COMPRESSION TYPE CRIMPING TOOL FOR THE USE IN MANUALLY FORCING TOGETHER INTO CLOSED POSITION THE BASE AND COVER PORTIONS OF ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENTLY DIMENSIONED WIRE-CONNECTORS IN MAKING CONNECTION WITH WIRES OF ANY OF A VARIETY OF SIZES ACCEPTABLE BY SAID ONE OF SAID WIRE-CONNECTORS AND WHILE AVOIDING TILTING OF SAID COVER IN SAID BASE, SAID TOOL BEING READILY ADJUSTABLE BY SIMPLE HAND MANIPULATION TO ANY OF A PLURALITY OF CONFIGURATIONS CORRESPONDING TO SAID PLURALITY OF DIFFERENTLY DIMENSIONED WIRE-CONNECTORS AND IN EACH OF SAID CONFIGURATIONS PROVIDING WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION A PAIR OF ESSENTIALLY PARALLEL OPPOSING JAW SURFACES SEPARATED A DISTANCE APPROPRIATE TO A CORRESPONDING WIRE-CONNECTOR WHEN CLOSED TO FORM A WIRE-CONNECTION; SAID TOOL BEING CHARACTERIZED AS COMPRISING: A CHANNELSHAPED ELONGATE BODY, A CHANNEL-SHAPED ELONGATE LEVER, SAID A CHANNEL-SHAPED ELONGATE TRIGGER; SAID BODY HAVING SPACED SIDE PLATES EACH PERFORATED AT ALLIGNED WITH THE OTHER AND COMPRISING TWO VERTICALLY ALIGNED WITH THE OTHER AND COMPRISING TWO VERTICALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY OFFSET CIRCULAR OPENINGS JOINED BY A CONNECTING SLOT HAVING A WIDTH LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID CIRCULAR OPENINGS, THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID SIDE PLATES BEING EXTENDED TO FORM A PAIR OF ALIGNED SPACED RESILIENTLY DISTENSIBLE FORWARDLY NARROWING FLAT JAW MEMBERS, EACH HAVING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED ROUNDED OFFSET ALIGNED WITH THE OTHER, THE SIDE PLATES BEING OF EXTENDED WIDTH JUST REARWARDLY OF SAID JAW MEMBERS AND BEING OPPOSITELY PERFORATED NEAR THE OUTER EDGE; SAID LEVER HAVING SPACED SIDE PLATES FITTING BETWEEN THE SIDE PLATES OF SAID BODY, THE SIDE PLATES OF SAID LEVER BEING OPPOSITELY PERFORATED AT THE REARWARD END, EXTENDED AT THE FORWARD END TO FORM A PAIR OF ALIGNED SPACED RESILIENTLY DISTENSIBLE FORWARDLY NARROWING FLAT JAW MEMBERS EACH HAVING AN INWARDLY DIRECTED ROUNDED OFFSET ALIGNED WITH THE OTHER, AND BEING OPPOSITELY PERFORATED AT THE FORWARD END JUST REARWARDLY OF SAID JAW MEMBERS; SAID TRIGGER HAVING SPACED SIDE PLATES AND AN INTERCONNECTING WEB CONTOURED REARWARDLY TO DEFINE A HAND GRIP PORTION AND AT THE FORWARD END DISPOSED BETWEEN THE SIDE PLATES OF SAID BODY, THE SIDE PLATES OF SAID TRIGGER BEING DOUBLY OPPOSITELY PERFORATED IN OUTERMOST AND INNERMOST PERFORATION NEAR THE FORWARD END; A PIVOT PIN PASSING THROUGH THE REARWARD PERFORATIONS IN THE LEVER AND ONE OF THE TWO OPPOSED SETS OF REARWRD PERFORATION IN THE BODY, AND ADJUSTABLE BETWEEN SAID TWO SETS, FOR ADJUSTABLY PRIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID BODY AND LEVER; A PIVOT PIN PASSING THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS OF THE EXTENDED SIDE WALL OF THE BODY AND THE OUTERMOST PERFORATIONS OF SIDE PLATES OF THE TRIGGER FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID BODY AND TRIGGER; A FIRST PIN EXTENDING THROUGH THE INNERMOST PERFORATIONS OF THE SIDE PLATES OF THE TRIGGER, A SECOND PIN EXTENDING THROUGH THE PERFORATIONS IN THE FORWARD SIDE WALLS OF THE LEVER, AND A COMPRESSION LINK INTERCONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND PINS AND COMPLETING A FORCE-TRANSMITTING TOGGLE LINKAGE BETWEEN SAID BODY AND SAID LEVER; A FIRST FACING MEMBER FOR THE JAW MEMBERS OF SAID BODY, AND A SECONF FACING MEMBER FOR THE JAW MEMBERS OF SAID LEVER; EACH SAID FACING MEMBER INCLUDING A WEDGE-SHAPED INNER PORTION HAVING PARALLEL FLAT END SURFACES RECESSED IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE OFFSETS OF, SAID FITTING AND REMOVABLY RETAINED BETWEEN, THE CORRESPONDING JAW MEMBERS, AND EACH SAID FACING MEMBER FURTHER HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ANGULARLY RELATED FLAT PLATELIKE MEMBER SUPPORTED ON THE ANGULARLY RELATED SURFACES OF, AND EXTENDING BEYOND, SAID WEDGE-SHAPED INNER PORTION, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLATE-LIKE MEMBERS BEING OF DIFFERENT THICKNESS.