Linesman's Pliers
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Lineman's pliers (US English), Kleins (genericized trademark, US usage), linesman pliers (Canadian English), side cutting linesman pliers and combination pliers (UK / US English) are a type of
pliers Pliers are a hand tool used to hold objects firmly, possibly developed from tongs used to handle hot metal in Bronze Age Europe. They are also useful for bending and physically compressing a wide range of materials. Generally, pliers consi ...
used by lineworkers,
electricians An electrician is a tradesperson specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, transmission lines, stationary machines, and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance ...
, and other
tradesmen A tradesperson or tradesman/tradeswoman is a skilled worker that specialises in a particular trade. Tradespeople (tradesmen/women) usually gain their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program or formal educat ...
primarily for gripping, twisting, bending and cutting
wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
,
cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
, and small metalwork components. They owe their effectiveness to their plier design, which multiplies force through leverage. Lineman's pliers are distinguished by a flat gripping surface at their snub nose. Combination pliers have a shorter flat surface plus a concave / curved gripping surface which is useful in light engineering to work with metal bar, etc. Both usually have a bevelled cutting edge similar to that on
diagonal pliers Diagonal pliers (also known as wire cutters or diagonal cutting pliers, or under many regional names) are pliers intended for the cutting of wire or small stock, rather than grabbing or turning. The plane defined by the cutting edges of the ja ...
in their craw, and each may include an additional gripping, crimping, or wire shearing (for a flat ended cut) device at the crux of the handle side of the pliers' joint. Designed for potentially heavy manual operation, these pliers typically are
machined Machining is a manufacturing process where a desired shape or part is created using the controlled removal of material, most often metal, from a larger piece of raw material by cutting. Machining is a form of subtractive manufacturing, which util ...
from
forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compression (physics), compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die (manufacturing), die. Forging is often classif ...
steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...
and the two handles precisely joined with a heavy-duty
rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...
that maintains the pliers' accuracy even after repeated use under extreme force on heavy-gauge wire. They usually have grips for better handling than bare metal handles; the grips may also provide
insulation Insulation may refer to: Thermal * Thermal insulation, use of materials to reduce rates of heat transfer ** List of insulation materials ** Building insulation, thermal insulation added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency *** Insulated ...
for protection against
electric shock An electrical injury (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current. The injury depends on the Current density, density of the current, tissu ...
when working with live circuits, although most models are marked as not listed for such use. Some pliers are certified to withstand a specified
voltage Voltage, also known as (electrical) potential difference, electric pressure, or electric tension, is the difference in electric potential between two points. In a Electrostatics, static electric field, it corresponds to the Work (electrical), ...
, e.g. 1000 V. Some glass shops use a variation of these pliers as well.


Durability

Like most hand tools the durability and useful working life of pliers vary greatly according to load, the frequency of use, the specific design, and quality of the tool. They may be forged out of alloyed or unalloyed tool steel. For basic quality pliers unalloyed tool steel with a relatively low carbon content of 0.45% may be used. Top-quality pliers are typically made from higher carbon tool steel and alloyed with elements such as chromium, vanadium and molybdenum. In addition to being suitable for cutting soft copper and aluminum, pliers may be specifically designed for cutting hardened wire, such as piano wire or nails, by
induction hardening Induction hardening is a type of surface hardening in which a metal part is induction-heated and then quenched. The quenched metal undergoes a martensitic transformation, increasing the hardness and brittleness of the part. Induction hardening ...
of the cutting edges.


Typical uses

Lineman's pliers are used in the electrical trade to cut, straighten, and bend wire, and also to twist wires together when making splices. Lineman's can be used to strip wire and some types of cable, although
wire strippers A wire stripper is a small, hand-held device used to strip the electrical insulation from electric wires. Types Manual A simple manual crimping/wire stripper tool is a pair of opposing blades much like scissors or wire cutters. The additi ...
are more commonly used for this purpose as they can strip wire more quickly without damaging the conductors themselves. They can also be used to pull
fish tape A fish tape (also called a draw wire, draw tape, or an electricians snake) is a tool used by electricians to route new wiring through walls and electrical conduit. Made of a narrow band of spring steel, by careful manipulation, the tape can be ...
through long runs of conduit where the high friction makes it difficult to pull it by hand. Some pliers are equipped with a crimping tool for the purpose of compressing crimp connections. Lineman's pliers can be used to bend or straighten sheet metal components, especially in cases where smaller pliers don't offer enough
mechanical advantage Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool, mechanical device or machine system. The device trades off input forces against movement to obtain a desired amplification in the output force. The model for ...
. The square nose and flat side of Lineman pliers is particularly useful for creating accurate
right angle In geometry and trigonometry, a right angle is an angle of exactly 90 Degree (angle), degrees or radians corresponding to a quarter turn (geometry), turn. If a Line (mathematics)#Ray, ray is placed so that its endpoint is on a line and the ad ...
bends. The durability of these pliers allows them to be used for tasks like removing nails and other types of fasteners. Lineman's pliers are similar to
needle-nose pliers Needle-nose pliers, also known as long-nose pliers and snipe-nose pliers, are both cutting and holding pliers used by artisans, jewellery designers, electricians, network engineers and other tradesmen to bend, re-position and snip wire. Their nam ...
: both tools share a typically solid, machined forged steel construction, durable pivot, gripping nose and cutting craw. The main differences are that the slender nose of the needle-nose pliers enable it to form small diameter bends, and position or support items in awkward places. Needle-nose pliers typically have a lower handle/nose length ratio, reducing the force that can be exerted at the tip. Also, needle-nose pliers tend to be available in smaller sizes (for
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
applications, they may be found as small as 1/10 scale of the full-size version). Lineman's pliers may be used to cut steel screws up to #10, and virtually any dry-wall screw, although the thread form will be distorted. Lineman's pliers sometimes include an integrated crimping device in the craw of the handle side of the pliers' joint. Lineman's pliers have a tapered nose suitable for
reaming A reamer is a type of rotary cutting tool used in metalworking. Precision reamers are designed to enlarge the size of a previously formed hole by a small amount but with a high degree of accuracy to leave smooth sides. There are also non-precisio ...
the rough edge of a or larger
conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit cur ...
, or cleaning sharp metal from the inside of a standard metal
knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...
in an
electrical enclosure An electrical enclosure is a cabinet for electrical or electronic equipment to mount switches, knobs and displays and to prevent electrical shock to equipment users and protect the contents from the environment. The enclosure is the only ...
such as a
junction box An electrical junction box (also known as a "jbox") is an enclosure housing electrical connections. Junction boxes protect the electrical connections from the weather, as well as protecting people from accidental electric shocks. Functions of ...
or
breaker panel Breaker may refer to: Objects * A breaking wave on water, or a "breaker", a shallow over which waves break * Circuit breaker, an electrical overload switch * Breaker (hydraulic), a percussion hammer attached to an excavator People * Breaker Mo ...
. Some brands manufacture pliers (i.e. Ideal) with a narrower jaw, suitable for reaming out smaller conduit.


References

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