Silverline 900mm F-clamps £8.80 at Birco

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Oh dear, I shall have to let you know how they are when they arrive.

I've bought silverline in the past with low expectations, knowing it is a budget brand...

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I actually have some of their similar clamps, although mine have a black and red colour scheme. They are deep but not that long, maybe 300mm long and 100mm deep.

Really good clamps for what I need. I have put plenty of pressure on and never had an issue. I can't comment on whether the longer ones are as good but I can't fault mine regardless of cost.
 
I have a bucket of Silverlines cheaper ones bought last year.
These ones have a seemingly stouter bar but still have a simple wooden handle,
where as the cheaper ones I bought have a rather nice all steel handle that will pivot.
Its nice to have both styles, although I stagger these with real heavy duty Powerfix ones from Lidl
they are shorter though, built like a brick shedhouse, and cost 9 euros each.
Guess I can't call you lot posh for avoiding that brand name since I have so many of these now :)

Doesn't matter the brand, these ones with all have the same Achilles heel in design,
if the thread is the same, as the pad comes off them.
Yes the heads come off aswell, no bother for anyone with'ammer, the ends of the bars are easy peened or tacked.

Not sure if its a good idea but since these won't last long anyways, without doing something....
I went through all these wee f-clamps and peined the end of the threads quite a bit more
eliminating the ability of the pad to rotate.
On some of the clamps damage had already occurred, which makes the job of peining more difficult
and not as good of a job.
Not used regularly since, so too early to say if it is at least a half decent bodge.

If you can find them them anymore, Aldi sold a twin pack which was the best value
which had the much heavier thread , and larger throat like Lidl ones.
You have to buy a long and a short though if you need the same capacity

Curious if other folks tried the same?
Tom
 
I think that 900mm is too long for an F clamp. They're great in shorter lengths, but there is just too much flex over that distance, and I'd be using a bar clamp instead.
 
MikeG.":2h35sgp1 said:
Ttrees":2h35sgp1 said:
........Curious if other folks tried the same?
Tom

What? Applied a solution to a non-existent problem? No, I've not.

What makes it non existent Mike?
Do make do with a block when the pad falls off the end of the thread and becomes too damaged
to reattach without grinding, that is if you can find the pad which also gets damaged...
Do you weld a new top onto them?
Or do you have a source for the ends that is as cheap as these clamps are?
They do sell these for larger threads, mainly for G clamps, It dosen't seem like they would be a good fit on the threads for these.
Have you tried doing so?

Tom
 
MikeG.":1vtmtnce said:
I think that 900mm is too long for an F clamp. They're great in shorter lengths, but there is just too much flex over that distance, and I'd be using a bar clamp instead.

Long f clamps are handy for lifting the timber off of the ground for warmth, and for more extreme conditions flipped over to make a tent for holding the heat in from an oil radiator.

Tom
 
Ttrees":3204f7l9 said:
......What makes it non existent Mike?
Do make do with a block when the pad falls off the end of the thread and becomes too damaged
to reattach without grinding, that is if you can find the pad which also gets damaged...
Do you weld a new top onto them?
Or do you have a source for the ends that is as cheap as these clamps are?
They do sell these for larger threads, mainly for G clamps, It dosen't seem like they would be a good fit on the threads for these.
Have you tried doing so?

Like I said, non-existent problem. I've been using F clamps for 40 years and have never had an end come off.
 
buy lots and toss them when they break (it's 'when' not 'if') - still, you can go through a lot of these for the cost of one Bessey - horses for courses and all that :D

That said, I do have a load of silverline sash clamps - all of which have stood the test of time - Paul Sellers has a good video about how to make them work better, and with the internal reinforcement (aka a chunk of wood inside the alu bar) and reasonable expectations they seem to last pretty well.
 
Perhaps sunnybob and woodbloke rob could tell us the Silverline tools they purchased that have made them think that anything with the Silverline name on it must be avoided at all costs.
I have 12 T section heavy duty Silverline sash clamps and although it is possible to pick fault with them if you compare them to the best on the market they are very good.
 
I will say that this topic does bring out the humour in you all :)

I'll let you know what they are like when I get them. I'll be using them to clamp up cabinet carcasses, door frames and face frames - nothing too heavy duty...

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Hi Sammy, I've just ordered four. Thanks for the 'heads up'. I'm sure they'll be fine for me, at least for a while. As something of a newbie to woodworking I've been buying very basic stuff and then upgrading to better stuff as and when it becomes necessary or possible. Cheers, Seb
 
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