Clamps and where to start !
- Thread starter Jonathanfry
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woodhutt
Established Member
Just to confuse, I agree with everything that everyone has said 
although I do tend to favour the quick clamp and avoid screw type clamps as they have the annoying habit of moving the workpiece as you tighten them.
I also have one of these for the numerous multi-faceted pieces I tend to work with.
Pete
although I do tend to favour the quick clamp and avoid screw type clamps as they have the annoying habit of moving the workpiece as you tighten them.
I also have one of these for the numerous multi-faceted pieces I tend to work with.
Pete
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Cheshirechappie
Established Member
Find a copy of 'The Resourceful Woodworker' by Robert Wearing. In it, there are all sorts of home-brew dodges and lash-ups, and some quite posh shop-made devices, for cramping and many other aspects of woodwork.
For the pro, the old saying, "You can't have too many cramps" holds good, but for the amateur shop, too many cramps is just a storage problem - and a lot of sunk money. I think Nev's advice to obtain what you need when you need it is very sound indeed.
The cramps I've found most useful have been a set of four 6" F-cramps, followed by a set of four 12". A selection of small G-cramps (good quality ones, drop-forged) is most useful, but the larger ones (6" and above) being designed mainly for engineering work, are rather heavy for woodwork. That said, if someone offers you a boxful of good ones, don't turn them away!
For panel and carcase assembly, sash cramps or their modern equivalents are most useful - again, sets of four of a size if you can. I find the 36" size covers most eventualities, but maybe better to have a set of longer rather than a set of shorter, for obvious reasons!
The suggestion for ratchet straps (or it's older equivalent, the Spanish Windlass) is a good one. Very versatile, easy to store, and not terribly expensive.
Finally, get together a box of carefully selected offcuts to act as packing pieces to protect work from cramp heads. A few pieces of carpet offcut or similar to protect finished surfaces don't go amiss, either. It's better to have a boxful stored with the cramps rather than scrabble around trying to 'find' something. Also, do a dry run of any cramping set-up before applying glue, making sure that cramps are properly adjusted and packings are to hand, you know the cramping sequence, and so on - you'll only try an assembly job without doing this once!
For the pro, the old saying, "You can't have too many cramps" holds good, but for the amateur shop, too many cramps is just a storage problem - and a lot of sunk money. I think Nev's advice to obtain what you need when you need it is very sound indeed.
The cramps I've found most useful have been a set of four 6" F-cramps, followed by a set of four 12". A selection of small G-cramps (good quality ones, drop-forged) is most useful, but the larger ones (6" and above) being designed mainly for engineering work, are rather heavy for woodwork. That said, if someone offers you a boxful of good ones, don't turn them away!
For panel and carcase assembly, sash cramps or their modern equivalents are most useful - again, sets of four of a size if you can. I find the 36" size covers most eventualities, but maybe better to have a set of longer rather than a set of shorter, for obvious reasons!
The suggestion for ratchet straps (or it's older equivalent, the Spanish Windlass) is a good one. Very versatile, easy to store, and not terribly expensive.
Finally, get together a box of carefully selected offcuts to act as packing pieces to protect work from cramp heads. A few pieces of carpet offcut or similar to protect finished surfaces don't go amiss, either. It's better to have a boxful stored with the cramps rather than scrabble around trying to 'find' something. Also, do a dry run of any cramping set-up before applying glue, making sure that cramps are properly adjusted and packings are to hand, you know the cramping sequence, and so on - you'll only try an assembly job without doing this once!
thetyreman
Established Member
I like heavy duty sash cramps, they're pretty bomb proof, rutlands did make some good ones but haven't tried their latest ones, get those or vintage record and they'll last forever.
Distinterior
Established Member
Distinterior
Established Member
It does look a bit like a Clamp Rack!.....Its actually a set of Corian kitchen worktops i was making ....mid fabrication.
woodbloke66
Established Member
Agreed, but they're too damn heavy! It's worth having a few 'T' bars to put on the bench, but you can also get so much pressure behind them that the job will distort alarmingly...I've witnessed it happening!!thetyreman":2v333cob said:
I have a couple of single handed Ax cramps and the same in the Bessey variety, both of which are excellent, but these single handed things simply don't give enough pressure (as David Charlesworth demonstrated some years ago). I use the lighter duty, normal Record (or the Ax equivalent) steel sash cramps; to date I think I've got around twenty - Rob
Trainee neophyte
Established Member
The answer is "Yes!"
You need all of the clamps. Everything mentioned, and more besides. Not mentioned are little spring clamps like this:
which can be substituted by cutting short lengths of drainpipe:
And don't forget gravity - they even leave it on over the weekends (points if you know who's joke that is). Weights, bricks, tools, water (1litre =1kg), rocks etc. Anything heavy.
You need all of the clamps. Everything mentioned, and more besides. Not mentioned are little spring clamps like this:
And don't forget gravity - they even leave it on over the weekends (points if you know who's joke that is). Weights, bricks, tools, water (1litre =1kg), rocks etc. Anything heavy.
thetyreman
Established Member
woodbloke66":14vqhlsp said:
yes I agree that the cramps can be too heavy, but I got to a point where I'd had enough of the type sellers recommends, all the threads on mine were a loose sloppy fit and they all eventually failed, it made glue ups very frustrating and stressful, :lol: the bessey uniklamps are very good, much better quality I've found, still need to get some shorter steel sash cramps though.
Nigel Burden
Established Member
Trainee neophyte":3ldosqcy said:The answer is "Yes!"
You need all of the clamps. Everything mentioned, and more besides. Not mentioned are little spring clamps like this:which can be substituted by cutting short lengths of drainpipe:
And don't forget gravity - they even leave it on over the weekends (points if you know who's joke that is). Weights, bricks, tools, water (1litre =1kg), rocks etc. Anything heavy.
For gluing small thin pieces I use the clams from coat hangers, cost nothing, and exert sufficient pressure.
Nigel.
