# source for clamps



## Charlie68 (Dec 30, 2019)

The more wood working I do, the more I find that one of the biggest investments entails clamps. A friend warned me “Charlie, you can never have enough clamps.” He was right.

I need parallel clamps but they are really attacking my hobby budget. 

Anyone have suggestions for the cheapest seller or best place for good deals on clamps? $50-$100 is per clamp is really painful.


Thanks


Charlie


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Charlie, would pipe clamps do...? They come in 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. Heavier than the Bessey's or Irwin's but will do the job.

Example 3/4"... https://www.rockler.com/sure-foot-plus-3-4-pipe-clamp


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Surf yard sales, craigs list, facebook marketplace and so on. keep an eye on sales pricing. sometimes auction can have them too.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

No problem. Wooden cam clamps. I made up a batch quite awhile back, out of plwood, from about 6" to 48", figure the cost was around $.25 each Plans all over the net, but think they all call for some form of metal, nails, shaft, etc. Mine were 100% plywood, with wood glue. Work great, luthiers use them a lot I changed what I worked on, and recycled all of them - planer sleds, etc.

Free plans all over the web.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> Charlie, would pipe clamps do...? They come in 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. Heavier than the Bessey's or Irwin's but will do the job.
> 
> Example 3/4"... https://www.rockler.com/sure-foot-plus-3-4-pipe-clamp


2nd the motion...


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

I like the aluminum bar clamps from HF, they work well for panel glue ups, etc.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Many of us are all over the board on clamps. Last count, I have somewhere north of 150. In that much too small collection are a whole bunch of Harbor Freight F clamps, a LOT of pipe clamps (Pony and others), a few Besseys, some HF aluminum clamps, a few antique bar clamps and so on. The Besseys in my collection are relatively new. Like most, I got by with pipe clamps and HF bar clamps.

Using pipes with threads on both ends, you can add couplers and extend three or four foot pipes to clamp the world.

Too, you can even make your own clamps. Here is a write up I did on one type I came up with for use on my bandsaw, drill press and so on:

https://www.instructables.com/id/SMALL-PARTS-HOLDING-CLAMP/


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Just out of curiosity, why do you feel you need parallel clamps? I have 4 Besseys I got from Lee Valley when they had a sale on them years ago, 2 50"s and 2 30"s and I rarely use them and don't particularly like them. I find you often need 3 hands to operate them, one to hold the clamp in place on your work, one to hold the mechanism under the jaw until there is sufficient pressure on it to hold it in place, and one hand to tighten the clamp. Unfortunately I only have 2 hands. So I tend to prefer using regular F clamps, pipe clamps, and lately I've been collecting the aluminum beam clamps when they are on sale. I only use the aluminum ones in long lengths, 48" and up, because at those lengths the other types get very heavy. If I need more pressure I add some of the other types after I've secured my work with the aluminum ones. By that time I have both hands free to man handle the heavy ones.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Nickp said:


> Charlie, would pipe clamps do...? They come in 1/2" and 3/4" pipe. Heavier than the Bessey's or Irwin's but will do the job.
> 
> Example 3/4"... https://www.rockler.com/sure-foot-plus-3-4-pipe-clamp


And if shipping adds too much your local home store (Home Depot/Lowe's) will generally have them in stock (card holders get 5% off while military 10%) and I know Lowe's will cut and thread the pipe to custom lengths. Buy the 8' pipe cheaper then the pre-cut/threaded and get multiple smaller lengths for less. Hope that makes sense.

That and look for specials and buy when the price is good. Seems Bora has 4-50" for $119 at Woodpecker +shipping which adds up and Lowe's has them in house on sale. That's when I usually add to the clamp rack below........need more yet and the pipe clamps are in an overhead rack.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

kp91 said:


> I like the aluminum bar clamps from HF, they work well for panel glue ups, etc.


Got a bunch of all kinds from HF. Had one squeeze clamp break in 10+ years. Would have cost more in gas to get a replacement than buy a new one when I'm in town which is 30 miles away.


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

And yes Harbor Freight clamps are suitable for the most part but you also need to pay attention to the clamping pressure ratings or you'll find some just won't clamp as tight as you need. On the HF aluminum clamps you really need to add some wood to reinforce them before they work well. Not a big deal and very doable.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sreilly said:


> On the HF aluminum clamps you really need to add some wood to reinforce them before they work well.
> Not a big deal and very doable.


why buy something that needs work/rework/modifications to get it preform and add costs...
would you buy a brand new truck and then have it towed to a repair shop and pay to have made operational???
I think not...


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## sreilly (May 22, 2018)

Stick486 said:


> why buy something that needs work/rework/modifications to get it preform and add costs...
> would you buy a brand new truck and then have it towed to a repair shop and pay to have made operational???
> I think not...


Now that's a stretch Stick, like a mile long one too. I'm talking a piece of scrap and you're talking $$$$. Compare those HF to the brand name and see the difference $$. Now if that truck was a bargain and a few $$ would give me reliable transportation, heck yeah.....just saying.


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## Charlie68 (Dec 30, 2019)

I have F clamps but was trying doing some laminating of pieces. I needed to spread the pressure over a larger area to help hide the seams. If I use backer boards, the f clamps don't seem to have enough power


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

sreilly said:


> Now that's a stretch Stick, like a mile long one too. I'm talking a piece of scrap and you're talking $$$$. Compare those HF to the brand name and see the difference $$. Now if that truck was a bargain and a few $$ would give me reliable transportation, heck yeah.....just saying.


it was an analogy... that's all...
I'm talking time/energy/material and intangible cost added to a marginal product...
add them all up over and over again...
then take the sum off of the bottom line...

shop floor space is valuable...
here's my answer to floor space saving... 3 times over and w/ in close reach of the assembly table...
lots less material used up too...
material cost money... why use it if there's a plan ''B''???

.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

sreilly said:


> And yes Harbor Freight clamps are suitable for the most part but you also need to pay attention to the clamping pressure ratings or you'll find some just won't clamp as tight as you need. On the HF aluminum clamps you really need to add some wood to reinforce them before they work well. Not a big deal and very doable.


I read years ago that the number one cause of joint failure was over clamping. It said that adding extra pressure to make up for a bad fit is a recipe for failure. With that extra pressure you squeeze too much of the glue out. You can make allowances for that by gluing both sides of the joint and waiting until the glue is just starting to skin over. That gives it time to soak into the grain first. 

I find in most cases the aluminum beam clamps can apply just enough pressure but there issues with all of them, f clamps and pipe clamps as well, bending a bit with the strain so it's a good idea to put one clamp face up and the next one face down when gluing panels. Even when you are using cauls it's still a good idea.


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Several clamps, alternate above and below, modest pressure has worked for me so far. If your joints are true, you don't have to wrestle the boards together with a ton of clamping pressure.

Before I had an adequate number of clamps I definitely over clamped a few panels and made "banana" shape boards. Two of the shelves in my basement stereo cabinet still remind me of that today. It's a subtle curve, but I can see it...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"It's a subtle curve, but I can see it.."

Subtle curves that i can see are a good thing in some instances.


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## gmercer_48083 (Jul 18, 2012)

Parallel clamps do seem unreasonably high priced to me (being on a fixed income). Can cauls be used?


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Regardless of whether the parallel clamps put pressure on at a perfectly square angle or not cauls are still a good idea. Few boards are dead flat, even after being dressed so the cauls help line the edges up.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> I read years ago that the number one cause of joint failure was over clamping. It said that adding extra pressure to make up for a bad fit is a recipe for failure. With that extra pressure you squeeze too much of the glue out.


I just use a weight at times, no clamps involved. Sometimes just to hold the top piece from shifting. Other times, if both pieces fit together well, have been known to just put them together and set them aside so the won't get bumped. That works well also. With modern wood glue approaching 4,000 psi holding power it is possible to do this. But still clamp anyway.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Weights, rubber bands, surgical tubing, ratchet straps, clothes pins, and masking tape are all clamping methods that can work well in the right circumstances. Lee Valley even sells a masking tape just for this purpose.

One way to do what you're talking about Theo is to put a thin layer of glue on both sides of the joint and then wait for most of the water in the glue to dry up. Then when you stick them together they stick and don't tend to slide around as mush as whn the glue is fresh. It's almost like using contact cement.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Weights, rubber bands, surgical tubing, ratchet straps, clothes pins, and masking tape are all clamping methods that can work well in the right circumstances. Lee Valley even sells a masking tape just for this purpose.
> 
> One way to do what you're talking about Theo is to put a thin layer of glue on both sides of the joint and then wait for most of the water in the glue to dry up. Then when you stick them together they stick and don't tend to slide around as mush as whn the glue is fresh. It's almost like using contact cement.


Yeah, got a whole bunch of new clothespins a little back, they work fantastic on small jobs, much better, for me anyway, then small clamps, and loads less expensive. I don't do rubber bands, surgical tubing, ratchet straps, or tape. For what I do any of those would be just too much of a PITA for me. 

I know about thin layers of glue on each, have used it in the past, but overall, for me it is just another pain. All good advice for newcomers tho. But I've been doing it my way for so long I don't really want to change.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm with the HF group. A year ago I need more long clamps for a one time job. I had a few pipe clamps that I used but they are so heavy that they were the last ones I reached for. I went out and bought a bunch of 4 and 5 foot HF clamps, They worked perfectly and I caught them when they were on sale. The 20% off coupon made them even cheaper. Since I'm always buying and selling I was able to sell 20 of them for almost what I paid for them. In the end, I lost about $15 dollars which I considered rent. I could have kept them and would have had they been a brand name. Some of the clamps that HF sell are real junk, The aluminum bar clamps are good enough to get the job done.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Just the other day, I was clamping something and the standard F clamps tended to push things out of alignment. A couple parallel clamps did the trick.

Woodpecker's is having what looks like it might be a good sale on parallel clamps.

https://cdn.woodpeck.com/bora-paral...13186843&_bta_c=g4iryp2p3o84k3tdpzvr5fkhncme9


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## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

sreilly said:


> Now that's a stretch Stick, like a mile long one too. I'm talking a piece of scrap and you're talking $$$$. Compare those HF to the brand name and see the difference $$. Now if that truck was a bargain and a few $$ would give me reliable transportation, heck yeah.....just saying.


What he said - I've got two HF beam style sizes and they have been great, even without the wood inserts which makes a ton of sense. Still, worth what you pay for them compared to the $$$$$ version. I'm easy on tools and can make the lighter grade do the job...


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## Charlie68 (Dec 30, 2019)

Thank you all for the ideas, especially the examples of homemade clamps. The F clamps I have do the job until I need to laminate multiple layers of wood together. To be honest I think I am doing a good job on cutting the wood but…... how even I am spreading the glue is another matter.

I have thought about using a couple of pieces of Unistrut bar and a jack to make a hydraulic press. That would mash out any excess glue at least on straight pieces. Yes I know that might be a bit of over kill. 

Anyway thanks to everyone again


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## dman2 (Sep 4, 2019)

This is completely off-topic, but I don't know where to ask, being a somewhat newbie: 
I see that Charlie68 has 'Registered User" with two stars next to your name. What does that signify? If I was on Amazon, I might think no one likes you.... I suspect that is erroneous here!


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## boogalee (Nov 24, 2010)

Star count


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Charlie68 said:


> Thank you all for the ideas, especially the examples of homemade clamps. The F clamps I have do the job until I need to laminate multiple layers of wood together. To be honest I think I am doing a good job on cutting the wood but…... how even I am spreading the glue is another matter.
> 
> I have thought about using a couple of pieces of Unistrut bar and a jack to make a hydraulic press. That would mash out any excess glue at least on straight pieces. Yes I know that might be a bit of over kill.
> 
> Anyway thanks to everyone again


There's no kill like overkill!

Actually, a press is the traditional way of doing that, not overkill at all. You might want to look up vacuum press for veneering. While more expensive, vacuum presses are a lot more flexible - can do non-flat shapes.


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## archie2401 (Nov 30, 2014)

I bought the hf aluminum bar clamps for $10 to $14 bucks a piece and then took strips of poplar the internal size and dadoed a 1/8” grove in the bottom center lengthwise. Then drove into each clamp Leaving enough room for the end cap which I cva glued in. Then cut leather caps and with spray adhesive attached to the clamp pads. They turned out to be very strong and reliable clamps very impressively priced.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I have 4 sets of Jet parallel clamps. 24 inches up to 60 inches. Bought them back in my had money days. I like them for cabinets in particular. But I also have the aluminum bar clamps from HF that I like using and use more often. I have replaced most of my small HF F clamps with Bessys I found on sale around the holidays, on sale in 4 packs. I like the heavier bars they have than the HF models. I have hardware for the pipe clamps, but just don't like hauling around all that weight so I usually default to the aluminum clamps. I've thought of putting a hardwood shaft inside them, but I finally learned not to overtighten, so I don't get a curve when I tighten them. My clamp rack is the pegboard wall behind my workbench, handy. I kept the HF small F clamps for those times when I just need a few more. I also use them to hold my BB ply face to face and nice and flat. I have a couple of C and scissor style clamps including some very long reach C clamps that I don't use often, but when nothing else will do the job.

One long wall in my 12x24 shop is covered with peg board wity a 6 foot section that has wire shelving. The edges of the bottom wire shelf have just the right opening size for my Bessy F clamps. Compact, holds a lot of longer clamps.

There are so many exotic clamps it's astonishing.


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