Clamping Woes....

[Sachakins]

Clamp advice please.
I clamp up blanks regularly for bowl wood turning. So mostly not much over the 18" width, and would say average is about 14" square, to get a 12-13" diam bowl and smaller.
I am sick to the back teeth with the various steel f clamps, quick clamps, Aldi and lidl ones, (great for about 6-8 glue ups, then the go down hill fast) that I have gotten over a couple years.

The glue ups are not square or flat or both anymore, even after milling the bits myself. Nothing's changed in that, other than the f clamps tend to skew now (worn?), Quick clamps can't get needed pressure, or they slip and cock over.

So it's time to ditch the trash and get something else.

After searching I think I have settled on getting Just 8 of these boys.

Any comments, reviews or general good bad indifferent views or other recommendations.

At £136 for the 8 is about my maximum budget really.

https://www.axminstertools.com/axminster-trade-clamps-parallel-jaw-clamp-ax945386

 

[TRITON]

Sorry, but are these flat boards you are clamping together ?
Maybe something like a Plano system. Sits on the wall so takes up no room.
https://www.axminstertools.com/plano-professional-glue-press-clamp-package-deal-ax820229

 

[TheTiddles]

Buy decent clamps, there isn’t really an alternative and they will last decades, by the time you’ve worked out the cost per day they aren’t expensive, but that only
applies if you have the money to spend in the first place

 

[Jacob]

Axminster do sash cramps only slightly more pricy.
A pair of long ones would hold 3 of your blanks at once, with one more on top to keep them straight.
If they are anything like Record they last forever and are quite powerful.

 

[Adam W.]

Ratchet straps.

They're good for my circular work.

 

[Sachakins]

Ratchet straps.

They're good for my circular work.

View attachment 111642

For segmented blanks I do use strap clamps and ratchet clamps, it's more the square blanks that I struggle with.

 

[Sachakins]

Sorry, but are these flat boards you are clamping together ?
Maybe something like a Plano system. Sits on the wall so takes up no room.
https://www.axminstertools.com/plano-professional-glue-press-clamp-package-deal-ax820229

Not really flat boards, but up to 4-5" thick, think more like 4 to 5 10 to 14" long, glued up with contrasting timbers.

Here's an early couple of attempts

 

[Adam W.]

I'd just go on ebay and pick up 4 Record heavy duty T bar sash cramps secondhand, they're bullet proof.

 

[CaptainBudget]

Axminster do sash cramps only slightly more pricy.

I've got 6 of the ~800mm long Axminster sash clamps on a rack, bought them years ago and nothing bad to say about them at all. Only once have they let me down (by being too short for the job...)

You could do your blanks using these, 2-3 on top and 2-3 on the bottom. Plus you can do other stuff with them. I would seriously consider these over the ones in your original post.

Axminster Trade Clamps Sash Clamp

 

[Keith Cocker]

I use the Axminster Paralle Clamps and they are excellent. Good quality and versatile. They do a "heavy duty" version as well but I've never needed that level of strength.

 

[NickM]

I've got some of those Axminster ones and they're fine. I've also got some Rutlands ones and they're a bit more heavy duty.

 

[Sachakins]

Just a thought, looking closer at their pictures, they almost look like normal F clamps, but with oversize plastic heads on to turn them into parallel clamps.
Does anyone know if they are similar to this description, or are they metal/cast iron covers


Looked at some of the sash clamps as suggested, but I'd struggle for space to use them. Even though I've just extend my shed from 16' to 23', it's still only 7.5' wide, and the extension is also doored off internally, as it's really my wood store and for my dust collectors. So even though it sounds big, I really only have a 4' bench top to work on, that's why I was looking towards the Axi parallel clamps.

Thanks for all your inputs so far.