Sash Clamps?

[thetyreman]

Hi I am wondering what sash clamps you would recommend?

I have seen these and don't trust the extremely heavily edited photoshopped photography, being a photographer, just wondering if they would be any good?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/361445650852? ... EBIDX%3AIT

looking for some solid reliable 1200mm clamps, would rather pay more if it will last longer to be honest, it's not even about money, I want clamps that will last me a lifetime,

cheers.

 

[adidat]

there utter dross! dont bother

i would recommend besseys k revo there quite pricey but just buy a pair as and when you need them. Im not sure they would last a life time as there partly made of plastic, but they do take a fair bit of abuse and excellent clamps lots of even pressure and as there is a large clamping surface they can be offset and used to pull things square etc.

lifetime clamps are going to be record sash clamps or t bar clamps also pricey but they are pretty tough, they can be a pain to use though!

adidat

 

[Inoffthered]

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

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... dk135pack6

 

[otter]

The Rutlands ones seem very cheap if they are decent quality (which is probably why they are out of stock).

I bought a couple of these not long ago just to see if the quality was comparable to more expensive Record ones and was really impressed. Some of Screwfix's own brand Forge Steel stuff is rubbish, but some of it isn't bad at all. These fall into the latter catagory. Not sure if they'll last a lifetime - depends what you do with them!

http://m.screwfix.com/p/forge-steel-sas ... tered=true

 

[galleywood]

Check out Paul Seller's website and search his blog for the simple modifications he makes to those types of clamps.
I modified some similar ones from Toolstation and they have performed well for my needs.

 

[AJB Temple]

I tried the cheap aluminium clamps. I think it depends how often and how hard you plan to use them. They are light, and the clamping pressure is somewhat limited. I kept mine as backup but I spent some weeks collecting eight genuine old Record T bar clamps in ones and twos off eBay and Gumtree. They are indestructible. But they are heavy. I last used them a couple of weeks ago for clamping up a heavy oak framed door that I had to glue up and the Record ones were better than the alloy ones for that. However, I recently repaired some high kitchen stools which had been delivered with defective M&T joints and the alloy ones were absolutely fine for that job.

Bessey are very good indeed and if you go down that route it is worth looking at having them shipped from Germany. I bought quite a few over there at significantly less than UK price (by which I mean half). However, I am frequently in Germany and speak German and use the in-laws shipping service....Bessey clones are also readily available in Germany and are OK.

 

[Logger]

I have some of the forge steel clamps from screwfix, they are pretty good, but don't have the clamping power of the record clamps at twice the price. I have both so use the record clamps for main clamps, but use the forge steel ones for extra clamping in between the record.

Then again, it depends what you are going to be using them for, the above scenario of using the 2 together is for doing things like clamping solid oak doors. The forge steel don't quite do it for me. At the weekend, i was making a bedhead in softwood, and the forge steel were fine.

Cheers

Nick

 

[Jacob]

Old Records best by far. Not cheap but last for life.

 

[Petey83]

i had some of these from Axminster last year http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-tr ... p-ax945578 when they were doing packs of 4 deals which they seem to have stopped. I got 54 inch ones which i wish i hadn't now as they are really to big most of what i do. Quality seems decent enough and any issues Axi are usually good at replacing - i got an entire new clamp just because one of the original 4 i was sent had its stop pin missing.

i have not used them much as they are probably a little to big for most of the stuff i have made to date and soon after getting them i got through a great offer on 4 bessy kbar claps (1200mm) with a couple smaller uni klamps chucked in.

 

[Doingupthehouse]

+1 for the Rutlands ones. I have 8 of them. Also got given a few original old Record ones - there's virtually no difference as far as I can see. The Rutlands parallel jaw clamps also work very well - not Bessey standard, but very serviceable.

Simon

 

[lurker]

Old Records best by far. Not cheap but last for life.

They are not too expensive if you fish six 6 footers out of a skip 8)

Sorry, but I still can't believe my luck :lol:

 

[thetyreman]

thanks for the helps guys, the bessey clamps look ideal, I'm going to get some of them.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I've just had an email from D&M Tools - they've an offer on Besseys. Might be worth a look.

 

[Petey83]

I've just had an email from D&M Tools - they've an offer on Besseys. Might be worth a look.

had the same email - price on that deal has gone up slightly since i took advantage still a decent deal and the Bessy K clamps are beyond comparison IMHO

 

[shed9]

ITS are also good for Bessey;

http://www.its.co.uk/pd/KR60-2K-PK4-Bes ... 02KPK4.htm

As is Bessey Tools;

http://www.besseytools.co.uk/?MUKREF=GS ... 0wodevIKvg

Bessey Tools only really make sense when you take advantage of buying lots.

I've bought Bessey from both in the last few months with no issues and decent prices.

 

[custard]

I used to look down on those light, aluminium sash cramps and assumed that Bessey Revo or Record Sash Cramps were the only things worth having.

However, I subsequently worked in a workshop that had a load of the cheap aluminium ones alongside Record and Bessey cramps. To my surprise I found they were pretty useful, many M&T joints don't need a huge amount of pressure, and the weight saving made them ideal for things like chairs, cabinet doors, or occasional tables. All areas where the weight of heavier cramps might actually distort the workpiece.

The phrase "you can never have enough cramps" is only half right, it should say "you can never have enough different types of cramps"!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If I've had a piece that for one reason or another was difficult to pull up, I've pulled it up with a Record then held it with a cheap "F" cramp and moved the Record on to somewhere else - it's usually easier to hold something in place than to get it there. I've only six or seven Records - I could do with a few more, but don't have the use for them to justify the expense.

 

[sunnybob]

Well over half a century ago (he's been dead 40 years), my dad (who was a time served cabinet maker) called these CRAMPS, rather then CLAMPS.

Was it him? or has time modified yet another english word?

 

[custard]

Well over half a century ago (he's been dead 40 years), my dad (who was a time served cabinet maker) called these CRAMPS, rather then CLAMPS.

Was it him? or has time modified yet another english word?

Most professional cabinet makers even today say "cramps" rather than "clamps". It's like funny handshakes, it's how cabinet makers recognise each other!

 

[sunnybob]

Hey, I'm a cabinet maker, I must be, i know the password!

my dad would spin in his grave (difficult cos he was cremated) to see the crap I make now.
But its the best I can do and keeps me out of the pub.