Talk:Adjustable spanner
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what are adjustable spanners used for ?
does anybody have a source for the term "AJ" when used in reference to an adjustable spanner? I imagine it comes from AdJustable, but one does wonder
Removed Cite Request from Moncky claim
I removed the "fact" tag/cite request from the opening, regarding the origin of the term "Monkey Wrench" as being derived from a patent by Charles Moncky. The wiki-linked article on Monkey Wrench in the same sentence contains a cite that should be sufficient.
- Note that that article now contains another citation which shows that the usage of the term predates the supposed Moncky patent, and suggests that the Moncky story is apocryphal.--Srleffler (talk) 18:30, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
Use of adjustable spanners
I think the spanner should be used with the fixed jaw leading. The force applied to each jaw is the same (equal and opposite forces). However if the fixed jaw leads, then the load on the movable jaw will then be at its' base, which would minimise the bending stress on it. John I
- The problem with doing that is the base of the adjustable jaw is the weakest part of the whole assembly, both through minimal material and the fact that it is in an intentionally loose gear arrangement. So lead with the fixed jaw. (69.153.201.14 06:16, 7 November 2007
(UTC))
- As an old machinist, I can say that an adjustable wrench, of any design, is only a make-shift to be used when an appropriate open-end, box, or socket wrench is not available. Of these three, the open-end wrench is the weakest, the box wrench the strongest. And, if a box or socket wrench is used on a hexagonal screw-head or nut, a six-face wrench is stronger than a twelve-face one. Stronger still is a square screw head or nut, combined with a box wrench with a square hole. Too Old (talk) 11:01, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
Who makes it?
This wrench, according to the article, is manufactured by both Cooper Hand Tools and the Crescent Tool Company. So which is it? ---Ransom (--71.4.51.150 23:34, 22 January 2007 (UTC))
Cooper Tools makes crescent wrenchs. They must have bought Crescent Tool, although I can't find any reference to this on the internet. Many other companies make adjustable wrenchs, and in the USA "crescent wrench" is now used to refer to any adjustable wrench. John D. 199.64.0.252 20:08, 21 March 2007 (UTC)
Who invented the adjustable spanner
For the person who advised it is not sure who invented the adjustable spanner - I can definitely help you with the answer. My Grandfather "Robert Percy Stewart" of Sydney Australia invented the adjustable head of the shifting spanner. He was a brilliant man however uneducated and in 1917 (under advise from a Patent Attorney in Sydney) he caught steerage class on a steamship from Sydney to San Francisco and met with a Layer there who advised him the spanner had very limited use however "being the really nice guy he was" he would take the Patent off his hands for 20 pounds. With no money and little legal knoweldge my grandfather sold the Patent for the spanner to this unscrupulous solicitor and returned steerage class to Australia with about 5 pounds left to his name. We have the original patent for the spanner with all details including specifications and drawings and the original patent number thereon. I wish I had one dolar from each of the spanners my grandfather invented - I would indeed be a wealthy woman. If you would like any further info on this pelase email me at [address removed]- I would be only to happy to relate further info regarding my grandfathers inventions including the 'pipe cutter' which afater patenting this item he gave the patent away to a 'friend'
Have fun and happy inventing!
Debra StewartCaptainclo 07:08, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
It was invented by a Swede in 1892 (the way it looks today) http://www.bahco.com/files/Leaflet%20Adjustable%20Wrenches_ijqrefqqkcekocbournjsajpr.pdf
Edwin Budding
re who invented the adjustable spanner....
On wikipedia's page for Edwin Budding- it states: "Edwin Beard Budding (1795–1846), an engineer from Stroud, England, was the English inventor of the lawnmower (1830) and adjustable spanner."
The Museum of The Adjustable Spanner website http://www.adjustable.archivist.info/shist.html states:
"Edwin Beard Budding (1795 - 1846) Invented the screw adjustable spanner. Before the Budding spanner, workmen laboured with the old versions, in which the spanner was adjusted and then wedged into place, creating problems when the wedge came loose. The same problem reportedly happened to Budding, and with screw to replace the wedge, the adjustable spanner in its modern version was born."
It may well be that all these claims to who invented the adjustable spanner are correct but with so many versions of a theme they may be referring to different versions of adjustable spanner. Adjustable spanners locked using wedges were it seems available before the screw adjustable spanner was invented, so perhaps the Budding reference should rightly be altered to suit? perhaps: "...the English inventor of the lawnmower (1830) and screw adjustable spanner."? Andywebby (talk) 20:46, 18 October 2009 (UTC)
Proper use.
I'm removing the contradictory uncited claims about proper use. They should be replaced only if they can be supported by a citation.--Srleffler (talk) 18:33, 25 February 2008 (UTC)
Material removed

This tool is often misused[citation needed], causing excess wear or distortion. When the type illustrated is used for heavy loads such as to break loose a nut or bolt, or for final tightening, the movable jaw should always lead the direction of rotation[citation needed]. Failure to do so will cause the movable jaw to become bent and/or loose. (In the illustration the wrench is set up to tighten a right hand thread, using a clockwise motion).
Another school of thought[citation needed] claims that the spanner should always be used with the fixed jaw leading the direction of rotation: This ensures that the force will always be applied to the moveable jaw at its base, minimising the bending stress on it.[citation needed]
crescent wrench
why do crescent wrenches marked with metric in the u.s. scott —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.2.23.191 (talk) 15:33, 12 July 2009 (UTC)
"english key"
According to the french wikipedia article, an "english key" is slightly different, whereas an adjustable spanner is called a "clé a mollette". Look at the photos to see the differences. Stevage 23:22, 26 July 2009 (UTC)