'k body' style clamps

[sparky]

hello all

i have heard that the 'bessy k body' clamps are the top of the line when it comes to cabinet making (correct me if i am wrong) but the problem is they are not cheap :shock: so i was wondering if any of the imitators were any good, particularly the Jorgensen type.

any thoughts would be appreciated.

sparky

ps. are these types of clamps worth the cost or are the regular bar clamps (F body i think is what they are called) fine?

 

[JFC]

Im not a fan myself , i used mine this week to glue a small work top together . I had to use normal sash clamps to pull it up and then tighten the besseys . The next day i had to spend 20 mins getting the glue off them . To much messing about for me and over priced .

 

[Anonymous]

Sparky

I have some K bodies due to a mess p at Axminster where they sold them half price by accident.

I find them very good indeed and often use them (less often than my F camps, but more than my sash cramps).

However, they are no better at actually clamping than my Machinemart F type clamps which are my favourite (1/4 price of Bessey) and iron sash cramps (1/2 price of the Besseys)


http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/r...crew-workshop-clamps/path/clamps-cramps-vices

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/p...t-bar-sash-clamp-set/path/clamps-cramps-vices

Would I buy more Besseys? Only at half price or if I came into a lot of money - they are a little easier to use than 'normal' clamps, but the actual clamping is no better than those shown above and the long clamping face is sometimes actually a problem..

 

[RobertMP]

The thing I like about the 2 besseys that I have (also from the Axminster offer) is that they apply the pressure squarely. A lot of the cheaper sash clamps are not square at the ends and can tend to cause bow when pressure is applied. They are annoying the way the serrations to the bar pick up glue but I would buy more of them - at the right price.

 

[Keith Smith]

I've gone on to using Besseys almost exclusively, they are so quick.

Jason cover the bar with paste wax and the glue comes off easily.

Keith

 

[cambournepete]

I also like Besseys.
The newer ones can be used in expanding mode as well.
My 1.5m clamps were really useful recently for holding my kitchen wall cupboards off the floor while I screwed them onto the wall. I couldn't have done this on my own without them.

 

[paulm]

I find them great, quick, simple and easy to use as well as being very effective.

No fiddling around with positioning pins or having to use bits of scrap to protect the workpiece.

They are expensive, and you don't need them as there are other alternatives, but in my view there's nothing better and if you can cope with the price then you won't ever regret getting them.......

Cheers, Paul.

 

[jonny boy]

I have a lot of the Gross Stabil cast iron bodied that look like the bessey but in my opinion a much more robust and better clamp. Bessey are good clamps but somewhat overpriced for what is essentially mainly plastic.
cheers,
jon.

 

[Slim]

Bessey are good clamps but somewhat overpriced for what is essentially mainly plastic.

Mainly plastic? The only plastic parts are the covers for the clamping faces, and thats just to stop them marking the wood.

I agree they are are little on the dear side, but I love them. I will buy nothing else, unless something better comes along. They just make the chore of glue ups much easier and less stressful.

 

[woodbloke]

Interestingly, if you look at the sort of cramps appearing in professional makers shops (such as Robert Ingham) the K body series and their ilk have no look in.....I wonder why? I don't think I've ever yet seen them appearing in a glue up procedure in F&C, makes you think, don't it? - Rob

 

[engineer one]

i have a number of bessey and find them easier and more accurate for what i have done recently, mainly sheet work with dowelled joints where they easily pull the joint together. i can see that in certain circumstances they might need help. however i have found that putting two around a joint helps, since it allows one to be done up, then the other goes a little further and back to number 1 etc.

i think a lot depends on what you are used to. but for me the tightening action is the best. the bars are proper human size, and they stay square.

i think they are rather like sharpening. we all think different methods that we use are the best.

try a couple of short ones, and then compare.

paul :wink:

 

[sparky]

well when i saw them i was mainly thinking about gluing up panels because of the faces.

thanks for the advice but what say you about the imitations. i ask because i have a gift certificate to the local home store. and the only thing that they sell that i would be interested in is clamps but they only carry the jorgensen type. just curious if there is any real difference.

sparky

 

[Slim]

Not sure about Jorgensen clones, but this is what happened with Alan and his Axminster clones.