Blind alignment and clamp up tool

A clamping tool for pulling together and clamping spaced apart workpieces with the workpieces having generally aligned openings and with a forward workpiece having a forward surface and a rearward workpiece having a rearward surface, said clamping tool comprising:

• an elongated shaft member having a leading end and a trailing end and having an axial shaft bore extending from said trailing end to said leading end,
• said leading end of said shaft member having an outer surface of a size to permit said leading end to be inserted through the aligned openings with a radial clearance,
• an actuating rod slidably supported in said shaft bore and being actuable from the trailing end of said shaft member,
• said shaft bore having a pair of diametrically opposed slots in radial communication with said shaft bore at the leading end of said shaft member,
• a toggle member slidably supported in said shaft bore at said slotted area and being pivotally supported for selective movement from a reclining position generally within the confines of said shaft member at said shaft bore and said slots for passage through the aligned workpiece openings from the forward surface and an upright position extending radially outwardly from said slots for engagement with the rearward surface of the rearward workpiece and with the leading end of said slots whereby the clamp load is reacted through said toggle member and against the leading end of said slots,
• a flexible cable having one end secured to said toggle member and an opposite end secured to said actuating rod whereby sliding reciprocating motion of said actuating rod will selectively pivot said toggle member between its reclining position and its upright position,
• said shaft member having a threaded actuating portion intermediate its leading and trailing ends,
• a nut member threadably mounted on said threaded portion and adapted to engage the forward surface of the forward workpiece and to be threaded on said threaded portion to clamp the workpieces together when said toggle member is in its upright position in engagement with the rearward surface of the rearward workpiece with said nut member in engagement with the forward surface of the forward workpiece,
• said toggle member being of an elongated structure having a preselected length and width and a pivot axis located between opposite ends of its length and width and with said toggle member having its length generally parallel with the axis of said shaft bore when placed in the reclining position and generally transverse to the axis of said shaft bore when placed in the upright position,
• said toggle member having a retaining bore at said pivot axis, a ball member located in said retaining bore and being of a diameter for location within and rolling engagement with said shaft bore, said ball member supporting said toggle member for translational and pivotal movement within said shaft bore.

A clamping tool for pulling together and clamping spaced apart workpieces with the workpieces having generally aligned openings and with a forward workpiece having a forward surface and a rearward workpiece having a rearward surface, said clamping tool comprising:

• an elongated shaft member having a leading end and a trailing end,
• said leading end of said shaft member having an outer surface of a size to permit said leading end to be inserted through the aligned openings with a radial clearance,
• a slotted area including an axially extending through slot at the leading end of said shaft member,
• a toggle member pivotally supported within said slot for selective movement from a reclining position generally within the confines of said shaft member at said slot for passage through the aligned workpiece openings from the forward surface of the forward workpiece and an upright position extending radially outwardly from said slot for engagement with the rearward surface of the rearward workpiece,
• a flexible cable having a leading end secured to said toggle member and an opposite trailing end operatively connected to said shaft member and actuable from the trailing end of said shaft member whereby reciprocating motion of said flexible cable will selectively pivot said toggle member between its reclining position and its upright position.