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Australian company, Triton, have been responsible
for some excellent advances in tool and woodworking advances
over the years. They have amassed a good selection of unique
products for the woodworker, handyperson or DIY enthusiast. Some
of these products we have reviewed on this website, and all have
received quite a positive review.
The Triton Superjaws is not a new Triton product.
The SJA001 model has been around for several years, and I have
owned one for just as long. Recently, Triton updated the design
of their original Superjaws and released the SJA200 model based
on user feedback and further research and development.
The Triton SJA200 Superjaws
So what are Superjaws? Basically, think of them as a
heavy duty woodworking clamp or vise on steroids! Well, calling it a
woodworking device is not really fair. It can clamp and hold
onto many types of materials and objects, and is expandable with
add-on accessories to provide even more functionality. The tool
is a giant clamping jaw which offers a large clamping capacity
between 0 - 956mm (37.5 inches) and can apply up to 1000kg
(2,240lbs) of clamping force, which should be plenty to grip on
to just about anything very securely. I have not had a general
woodworking or workshop situation for the Superjaws yet where
the tool could not deliver the clamping force I needed for the
task.
So how do you apply this force? In answering this
question, we also reveal perhaps the best feature of this tool,
in our opinion at least, and that is the speed at which
something can be securely clamped. Unlike a normal workbench
screw-type vice which can require numerous rotations of the
handle to secure differing sized objects, to secure an object in
the Superjaws you simply slide the top moveable jaw up to the workpiece,
ensure the lock/release switch is in the lock position, then with your foot, push down on the foot pedal to
apply the clamping force required. That's it! The jaw slide is
much smoother with the new model, incorporating ball bearings,
whereas the older model used a type of tension flap mechanism
that was a little harder to slide. The older model
also required a locking plate to be pulled out to hold the clamp at
the desired clamping force, however, the new Superjaws features
a lock/release switch on the front side of the fixed jaw within
easy reach, which is much easier to use, and no more bruised
shins. The moveable jaw can also be advanced up to the workpiece
by pushing on the foot pedal repeatedly. Each push on the pedal
advances the jaw about 25mm.
Opening the jaws back up is as quick as clamping
them. Simply move the lock / release switch to the release
position, push down on the foot pedal and allow it to slowly
release upward removing the clamping force exerted by the
moveable jaw. The moveable jaw is reversible to provide that
maximum 37 odd inches of clamping capacity. Each side of the jaws
features a removable urethane clamping face. This is rigid enough to
provide excellent clamping force, but not so hard as to easily
damage or mar materials being clamped, however, due to the large
amount of clamping force Superjaws can apply, you do still need
to be careful when clamping softer materials. The urethane
facings also feature horizontal and vertical "V'' grooves which
are very useful for clamping metal square tube or square form
lumber on an angle for
cutting, among other things.
The design of the Superjaws' support legs has also
changed in this latest model. The previous model had
a "connecting" brace that joined the three legs
together, which, while providing good
stability, was not ideal in some situations, particularly if
the Superjaws were being used on an uneven surface. In the new
model, the legs are implemented independently of each other, but
still retain the three point tripod style support. Being
independent however, there is more tolerance for uneven ground,
allowing the user to use the Superjaws on even moderately uneven
surfaces.
The Superjaws is designed to be portable. In
fact, you can easily fold it up and store it in the trunk/boot
of a standard sized car quite easily to transport it around.
Each of the three legs can be folded down, as well as the foot
pedal, underneath the main body of the Superjaws for compact
storage or transportation. And weighing in at 16.5kg, the tool
is not excessively heavy to cart around for the heavy duty
clamping features it offers, and not to mention the all-metal
durable construction too. Legs lock into place using clamping
knobs to ensure they do not fold in during use and when in
transport mode they are secured equally as well so they don't
fly out and become a menace. On the bottom of
the front two legs are integrated foot plates. The user can place their
foot on either of these plates as necessary to provide even more
stabilizing force to the Superjaws while in use.
Applications
The SJA200 Superjaws can be used for a wide variety of
clamping tasks. I use mine regularly just to hold wood for hand
sawing, and it does a great job of this, allowing easy access to
the wood on both sides for the clamping jaws. When it comes time
for quick glue-ups of smaller pieces, the Superjaws provides a
strong hold on smaller items until the glue has had time to set.
For planing full size doors or fitting door locks, the Superjaws
provides a positive grip on a door in almost any clamping
configuration. There is enough capacity to clamp the standard
size door
horizontally across its width too, allowing the planer
obstruction-free access to the top or bottom of the door. I use
the Superjaws regularly for drilling pen blanks, for holding
boards for dowel drilling, and even for hand planing, sanding or
surface work of wooden pieces prior to assembly. The Superjaws
also work great for holding smaller finished projects like small
book stands, children's furniture etc for spray finishing (just
be sure to cover the Superjaws themselves to avoid contamination
from overspray).
For metalworking, I have used the Superjaws to
hold metal components for welding, hold one piece mower blades
for sharpening with the angle grinder, or just to bend small
pieces of bent sheet steel back to flat. It is a handy shop
press. The front (immovable) jaw's top surface is also sturdy
enough to act as a light metal shop anvil for bending thinner
pieces of steel or aluminum etc. An accessory set of cast
Engineer's jaws can be purchased and added to the Superjaws for
heavier metalworking or metal clamping tasks.
You can also use the Superjaws to make a moveable
accessory table. Just take some rigid sheet material, glue or
temporarily nail on a piece of wood underneath which the jaws
can clamp onto, and you have a handy extra work surface to use
for whatever task or project requires it.
Accessories
A range of accessories are available (at additional cost) to
further enhance the Superjaws' usefulness. I mentioned the
Engineer's jaws above, but you can also purchase Log Gripping
Jaws. This jaw set has teeth-like protrusions which positively
grip onto logs of many sizes, allowing you to easily and safely
cut logs to length with a chainsaw, or to work directly on the
log (for bush-style furniture) at a much more ergonomic, and
back-saving, height off the ground. These jaws can also be used
to clamp poles or rounded objects much more securely than the
standard flat urethane jaws. The third optional accessory is an
extension tray. This tray attaches to either side of the body of
the Superjaws and provides a place to put your hand tools,
safety gear, fasteners, or lighter power tools in easy reach of the user.
The tray also incorporates an extension wing that sits at the
same height as the bed of the jaws so extra lateral support can
be given to the clamped object if needed.
Conclusion
Having owned the older model (SJA001) Superjaws, and having
no problems with it so far (although other users of the old
model did occasionally have issues with the sliding jaw, and
bruised shins!) I was interested to see how the Superjaws could
be made better. Well, I will say that this new model does seem
to be an improvement to the old model, both in design,
ease-of-use, and by directly addressing and fixing some of the
more common issues experienced with the older model. I cannot
speak highly enough of the usefulness of the Superjaws. The only
negative I can see, and it is really a necessary evil, is the
large footprint of the tool. However, any device being able to
exert 1 ton or more of clamping pressure is going to be fairly
large, and the ability to easily fold the tool up and move it
out of the way pretty much addresses that issue anyway.
Regardless, this tool has to be one of my
favorites in the workshop. It is so darn useful I now have two,
which also now gives me some of the most versatile "saw horses"
money can buy! Kudos to Triton again for delivering another fine woodwor... err general shop clamping device. You would be hard
pressed finding a Superjaws owner who is not happy with their
purchase. Most I come across rave about it, anyway.
Retailing at around AUD$199 in Australia and
around USD$160 in the USA, the Superjaws is comparable in price
to a semi-decent woodworking vice, but it offers some much more
versatility. It is definitely good value for money.
For more information, or to find dealers
worldwide of Triton products, visit
www.triton.com.au |
Triton SJA200 Photos
All photos copyright onlinetoolreviews.com. Use without prior
written permission prohibited
The Superjaws in the folded storage/transport position.
Unfolded and ready to go!
The new lock/release switch
The foot pedal for applying
clamping force
The jaws in normal mode with urethane clamp heads
Note the removable jaw has been reversed so the maximum
956mm capacity can be obtained
The locking clamps ont he front legs prevent those legs
from folding inward.
A 4 x 4 post clamped in the Superjaws for easy sawing.
When clamping something at the edge of the clamp as
shown, a similar sized filler piece should be used on the other end to
prevent the jaw warping, however, here I am showing the ease that the
Superjaws holds this length of RHS steel on end.
A pen blank sitting in the V-grooves of the urethane
facings.
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