My Sherline mill has inch sized fittings, but a couple of metric wrenches from the junk box reduced the workbench clutter …
Double open 10 + 11 mm:
- 10 mm = 10-32 nuts for step clamps (really 3/8 inch)
- 11 mm = small drawbar bolt (really 7/16 inch)
Combination 13 mm:
- 13 mm = large drawbar bolt (really 1/2 inch)
Now, I know full well that applying metric wrenches to inch fittings is a terrible idea, but y’know what? At the torque levels appropriate to Sherline fittings, they work just fine.
One of these days, I’ll be at a garage sale offering some double wrenches in the correct inch sizes …
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
Comments
3 responses to “Useful, Albeit Incorrect, Sherline Wrench Sizes”
I used a similar trick when adjusting the valves on my old VW. This was supposed to be done every 3000 miles. I bought a Ford distributor wrench, which is a 1/2″ box wrench with an L bend in the handle. I’d first use it to pop off the valve cover bails, then I’d use it to loosen/tighten the 13mm lock nuts on the adjusting screws. Its shape made it an easy fit and it nicely stayed out of the way of the feeler gauge and screwdriver. As in your case, the torque levels involved were low, so I got away with it, even though it’s “wrong”.
It’s folks like you what cause unrest!
We’re all just misfits…