Glue Up/Bar Clamp recommendations?

[YorkshireMartin]

I've been looking at the Irwin Quick Grip range but they are expensive for the size I need. I'll shortly be attempting my first ever glue up on a table which is 1.6m long. So I need something pretty big I think?

I think I read somewhere that people generally make their own from a clamp unit and length of steel pipe, but I haven't seen any clamps in the DIY sheds or online yet.

Whats the best way to go about a large glue up such as this? If it's bar clamps, can anyone recommend a supplier of suitable parts.

Thank you.

 

[marcros]

the steel pipe clamps are referred to as pipe clamps. They are in all of the DIY places in the USA (and are cheap) and none of them over here! Axminster do sell them. The advantage they have is that if you want short clamps, you just buy some short pipe and use the heads. The disadvantage is that you need the pipe threading.

I bought a few heads when in the USA, I am yet to get the pipe to use them.

 

[Inoffthered]

I bought some of these from Rutlands and have been very pleased with them.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... ta+m_dk136

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... ta+m_dkwk1


If you want pipe clamps, Axminster sell them

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Cheers guys. The US gets alot of funky stuff that we don't it seems.

No option to thread a pipe so I'll have to look at other solutions. The rutlands clamps aren't quite long enough.

Am I looking at the wrong thing perhaps? How do you glue up an m&t leg/apron joint on long tables? Surely not everyone has 2m long pipe clamps lying around etc.

 

[Dusty]

The usual trick when glueing up larger items than the clamps is to use for example ..

if trying to glue up 2 metres , use two 1.2 metre sash clamps , the flat bar ones , not T-bar . And using a couple 5 or 6mm bolts , bolt them end to end or as close as your desired length . You effectively end up with two heads / winding ends but it has saved me splashing out on 2m plus clamps . you can pick up "trade" sash clamps pritty cheap if you look around , just stay away from the alu bodied ones , they are rubbish and you can never get good tension on bigger stuff ie if you are claming several 2" thick boards . I have a couple and they are allocated for smaller work .

cheers

 

[Zeddedhed]

You can do this without clamps by turning the leg and rail assembly upside down and putting it on FLAT floor that you can fix into. Fix some battens down about 20mm away from the ends and then use folding wedges (lots of them)
It's a bit crude but I've managed it successfully when I've needed to clamp something uber long in an emergency.

Or buy some of these and make your own long clamps.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... k6705pack4

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Cheers fellas. I'm learning so much.

 

[marcros]

the other way of gluing up a table top is to use pinch dogs.

http://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/pin ... nts-clamp/

 

[Beau]

Never tried the pipe clamps but the sash cramp heads are great. Paramo and Record used to be the ones to get

 

[Bm101]

http://theapprenticeandthejourneyman.co ... el-clamps/
I can't remember if I saw the link to this on here or stumbled over it in my search for cheap clamping alternatives so apologies if someone on here posted this in another clamping thread. Might this work on a bigger scale for your table?
Without sabotaging the thread, I was wondering about using a combination of 3 trestles (thanks Aldi), then weighting some timber down over the top of a bench top i need to glue to keep them flat as possible then using these 'poorboy clamps' and some ratchet clamps (Aldi again lol) to keep the width bound up tight for the final glue up. Might make use of Marcros's idea too. 10 for £15 at Rutlands http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... akota+dkpd
Don't want to veer off the table subject but similar projects to an extent maybe they could work for both?
Cheers
Chris

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Record sash cramps are good, though not cheap. It's worth buying four of a size; you can do a lot with just a couple of sizes, fortunately. A set of 3 foots and a set of extension bars would be a versatile set-up, and should be a lifetime investment.

Another 'lash-up' that might be worth a try is to obtain two pieces of PAR of about 3" x 1" and a about a foot longer than the job. Put them together face to face, and drill two largish (say 1") holes about 3" from each end. Place one each side of the job, and slip a short length of 1" dowel through the holes. Put a packing piece between dowel and job at one end to spread the load, and a pair of folding wedges beween dowel and job at the other. Tighten up by whacking the fat end of both wedges at the same time. A few panel pins or screws can help to keep long bars and dowels in place before the pressure is applied, or you may find you need about four hands to keep everything in place!

 

[Bod]

You can do this without clamps by turning the leg and rail assembly upside down and putting it on FLAT floor that you can fix into. Fix some battens down about 20mm away from the ends and then use folding wedges (lots of them)
It's a bit crude but I've managed it successfully when I've needed to clamp something uber long in an emergency.

Or buy some of these and make your own long clamps.

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... k6705pack4

+1 With long timber, you have long clamps, with short timber you have short clamps.
I have several sets, wouldn't be without.

Bod

 

[mseries]

I think, if I understand your predicament correctly, I would use a windlass, perform a Google images search for windlass clamping and you see what I mean. NB my wife calls this my Indian Rope Trick


30092012 by MSeries, on Flickr

 

[James-1986]

Yes rope works well, you can apply loads of pressure with rope, aluminium section works well to protect the wood and rope from damage.

What about some record cramp heads? Just make the bars from wood.

 

[rafezetter]

I was thinking a ratchet clamp as well - I'm sure I've read that it works just as well as the windlass suggestion, and the flat strapping has much less chance of digging in, the clamping pressure only needs to be enough to get a little glue squeeze out anyway.

 

[YorkshireMartin]

Rachet strap would be an interesting experiment. I'll have to have a look at windlasses too.

 

[marcros]

where in yorkshire are you, and when do you need the clamps?

I have some sash clamps that you can borrow if you dont want to buy, but i am away from saturday for most of a week. I am in Leeds.

 

[AndyT]

One more thought - you don't say how many boards there will be in your table top. There is no necessity to do them all at the same time, and it may be less stressful to just do two, then add a third after the glue has set, then a fourth, etc until finished. Choose a glue with a reasonable open time, not something designed to be instant.