A portable swaging tool for affixing, onto the end of an electrical cable, a terminal of the type that fits on the terminal post of an electrical storage battery such as may be used to drive the starting motor of an internal combustion engine. A handle carrying one of a pair of cooperating jaws has pivoted to it a clamping member carrying the other cooperating jaw so as to be juxtaposed to the first jaw when the free end of the clamping member is swung to and against the handle. The handle also carries clamping screw means for forcing the clamping member against the handle to clamp a terminal pre-inserted between the jaws and to swage the terminal tightly onto the end of a battery cable pre-inserted into a bore in the terminal.