Sash clamps

[JFC]

A little while ago i bought a few boxes of the richmond alley sash clamps as i need quite a few at a time and they seemed cheap at £8.49 each per 900mm clamp . But having just had to glue up 12 mdf doors ive found ive broken most of them . Any tips on cheaps clamps that can take a fair bit of pressure (not extreme pressure) without snapping or slipping ?

 

[ProShop]

These any good ? there selling at around £20ish plus PP for a pair of 4ft's
They perform as good as the Record ones although not quite the build quality. But they cramp well and can take the pressure if needed

 

[Freetochat]

I know you may not want to spend the money, but Bessey are the best I've used and in the long term I think cost efficient.

 

[JFC]

Felderman i notice from your pic the pins are missing from the clamps did these fall out like the richmond ones i bought ?
Free to chat the bessey ones i have seen use a grab handle rather than a bar to tighten although ive not looked at their site .
If i was to go for quality id go for the record clamps or any other clamp thats £? but i feel i only need real clamps for major work and i have that covered .

 

[Waka]

JFC

I have a number of sash clamps from screwfix, not very expensive. I use these extensively for big clamping jobs and have never found a problem with the, I think Axminster do the same ones.

Freetochat is right about the bessey ones they are excellent, but I don't have any of the larger size.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gill]

I recently saw both the Bessey K and UK models. I've used the K models myself to my great satisfaction, being delighted with how they pull pieces into square. The UK models, although significantly cheaper, looked a lot flimsier and I didn't buy because I wasn't convinced they'd perform adequately.

Am I right to have reservations about the UK clamps?

Gill

 

[Freetochat]

JFC - it is horses for courses, and like you I bought some cheaper clamps only to have difficulty with them. As in all things I've learnt over the years that to buy down to a price has been false economy and I end up buying for a second time.

Gill - UK models? I have the K body and smaller uniklamps. Can you point me to the UK ones please?

 

[Gill]

Browsing the web, I can't find them. Yet I seem to recall that the Bessey stand at the Stoneleigh show had clamps that it described as UK clamps. Does anyone else who attended the show remember them?

Perhaps it was just an abbreviation of UniKlamp... they look similar, but I don't recall those at the show being described as having a spreading capability.

Gill

 

[ProShop]

Felderman i notice from your pic the pins are missing from the clamps did these fall out like the richmond ones i bought ?
.

No, the pins are on the other side of the photo, I've had no problems with these at all.

 

[Woodythepecker]

Gill i am sure the clamp you are talking about is the UniKlamp. I have some of these and IMHO they are far better then most other clamps of this type, and are certainly worth the money.
That said they are not as good as the K Body, but there again not many clamps are.

So if you do not want to pay K Body prices and are not going to use them for real heavy duty work then £1 for £1 the UniKlamp are well worth buying.

Regards

Woody

 

[Scrit]

Have you thought about using cramp heads? The advantages are cost and the ability to make the bar lengths to suit yourself (2 x 1in PAR pine does quite well at a pinch). Paramo are better tan Record/Marples if you can find them. Alternatively the Jorgensen/Pony style pipe cramps which use 1in diam. black plumbing pipe/electrical conduit, although you might need to buy a pipe cutter and a 3/4in BSP pipe die for these. Either way you get a lot more cramps for your money

 

[AndyBoyd]

Bessey are celebrating 25 years in the US this year and are selling via all their vendors cheap K Body Clamps

I just ordered 4 x 50" and 4 x 24" clamps and got the lot for 170 US$ (8 clamps)
The sale is so popular that many vendors have completely sold out. But they are committing to take orders at the same price and ship them next year.

An absolute bargain and I'm delighted with them.

I got mine from Lee Valley but Rockler, Highland Tools, Hartville tool etc are all doing it.

Of course all this is very strange I live 2 hours drive away from Germany, and I get them shipped from the US to me here in NL at <25% of the price I can get them for - and having said that I cannot find suppliers for the 50" versions anyway - never mind the 100" ones!

 

[Alf]

Hey up, Scrit. Long time, no hear.

Quite agree with the clamp heads, but thought maybe they were superficially too expensive an option. Too bad the Paramos have now taken on the attributes of hen's teeth; although I see there are some Faithful ones that have the same slot system to bed the heads down on the bar. I wonder if they're any good?

Cheers, Alf

 

[Scrit]

Alf

I've seen the Faithfull ones and I reckon that they must be old stock - I believe Faithfull were buying-in from Paramo before they went belly-up. The current brochure shows G-cramps from India(?)....

I've recently cobbled up some portable carcase press gizmos from MDF offcuts and Record cramp bars. Work pretty well for dowelled carcases - and a lot cheaper than Besseys as all they cost were 8 nuts and bolts each and some time. The rest I had in stock

Scrit

 

[PJ]

I have a set of 6' clamps like those in the picture, think the name was Hilka, about £20 for the pair and are rubbish. The T bar bends under slight force and the heads are not even near square to the bar.
I bought 5 sets of Record clamp heads From Axminster when they where on offer and a length of 2x1" steel box from a local metal supplier, and have now got a selection of sized bars. Never looked back! A bit heavy in the longer lengths but totaly straight, and they sit on the bench without any support. The Paramo heads are a better head for staying straight to the bar under pressure but I just use pieces of dowel rod halved to give a point contact on the clamp face.

Philip