Woodpecker clamping squares

[Wilson joinery]

Anyone bought a cheaper alternative to these that they’d recommend? I’ve got no doubt the woodpecker ones will be superb but at £85 a pair (without the clamps by the looks of it) I can’t justify spending that kind of money.

Cheers
Pete

 

[Jacob]

Anyone bought a cheaper alternative to these that they’d recommend? I’ve got no doubt the woodpecker ones will be superb but at £85 a pair (without the clamps by the looks of it) I can’t justify spending that kind of money.

Cheers
Pete

Cheaper alternative is to do it without clamping squares, or if you really need them make your own.
Just because gadgets are on the market doesn't mean you need them, or even if they are any use at all.
A collection of small G clamps could come in handy though.

 

[Lorenzl]

I have brought a couple of sets from Aliexpress that work well. I ended up buying two different versions; one had slightly longer screws. The first set was about £25 and the second £35.
They have them on Banggood as well and Banggood includes VAT in the displayed price.

They also sell plastic versions a bit cheaper and different lengths.

 

[scholar]

Anyone bought a cheaper alternative to these that they’d recommend? I’ve got no doubt the woodpecker ones will be superb but at £85 a pair (without the clamps by the looks of it) I can’t justify spending that kind of money.

Cheers
Pete

I bought a set of Rockler Clamp-it squares that do the same job (these were about £35 for 4 in 2016, but seem to be about £15 each now).

They are pretty robust plastic which may or may not be better (lighter) to use than the aluminium Woodpecker ones. I bought them when making a bunch of kitchen cabinets and found them useful - I have used them a handful of times since.

I don’t think they are perfect - the moulding is not as true as you would get from machined aluminium and I could probably fettle them a bit - but they were ok for the job. (I was going to make my own plywood clamping squares, which I would make in a range of sizes, but haven’t got round to that yet.

[I have a lot of squares, but don’t trust any of them, except my Moore & Wright heavy and hardened 14” square, but is that really square? ]

Cheers

Second image is from my order confirmation.

 

[Peter Sefton]

@Wilson joinery the Woodpeckers are in a different class but do indeed come at a price, we also have our own brand AUKTools which are accurate and made from solid CNC milled aluminium.

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/auktools-precision-clamping-squares/
The clamps have sold out and more should be with us in a couple of months.

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/auktools-adjustable-fence-clamp-pair/
Cheers

Peter

 

[Lorenzl]

I forgot to say I keep meaning to by some of the extra clamps so I can put 4 on each square but they are quite expensive on their own.

 

[Jacob]

Could ask yourself how you can do these little jobs without expensive clamp-on gadgets, just like millions of other woodworkers?

 

[Doug71]

You wont get any cheaper than this.

 

[Lorenzl]

Could ask yourself how you can do these little jobs without expensive clamp-on gadgets, just like millions of other woodworkers?

Because I am not good enough to make them.

You might also ask why people need Festo tools rather than Draper as they both do the same job.

 

[Kicked Back]

Surely if whatever joint being used is cut square then when the gap is properly closed (clamps) it's going to be square. If it's not square and you nudge it into square (or use one of these clamping squares) then the gap is going to open up...

 

[MikeK]

Anyone bought a cheaper alternative to these that they’d recommend? I’ve got no doubt the woodpecker ones will be superb but at £85 a pair (without the clamps by the looks of it) I can’t justify spending that kind of money.

Cheers
Pete

Have a look at the Banggood version in this Hooked on Wood video. I have the Woodpeckers clamps, but if I had seen the Banggod first, I would have bought them instead.

 

[Chris Hawkins]

Anyone bought a cheaper alternative to these that they’d recommend? I’ve got no doubt the woodpecker ones will be superb but at £85 a pair (without the clamps by the looks of it) I can’t justify spending that kind of money.

Cheers
Pete

Hi Pete,

Yes, I've bought several over the years - originally some ABS ones from somewhere, but these flex a little. I then got some Alu ones from Rutlands - most of which were out of square and returned. More recently I got a couple of sets (different sizes) of the Banggood ones with the clamps and they are just perfect. I also use my own shop made squares with the Bangggod clamps. Woodpecker confuses me sometimes - no doubt their stuff is top notch (I have a few items), but the prices are sometimes beyond expensive and border on bizarre. I think these clamping squares are one such example. As an aside, I also have the Banngood Parallel Guide System (also featured in Hooked On Wood xrefer Mike's Post) it is very similar (very) to the Woodpecker system but is something like 20% of the cost.

Regards

Chris

 

[JimJay]

I have a bunch of these from Banggood - they're very good.

Have a look at the Banggood version in this Hooked on Wood video. I have the Woodpeckers clamps, but if I had seen the Banggod first, I would have bought them instead.

 

[TRITON]

Make your own.
For example a piece of ply wood has 4 corners. Those corners are 100% accurate(I believe)
So cutting the corners off, say 200x200 and glue then together to make 2 of these angle clamps.

 

[scholar]

Could ask yourself how you can do these little jobs without expensive clamp-on gadgets, just like millions of other woodworkers?

It’s a fair question - but sometimes you have to just get on rather than making another jig thing (I probably spend too much of my time making things to make things).

Having said that, I think I could make a set of clamping squares pretty easily - what I had in mind was something like these two:

http://www.greensawdiy.com/corner-clamp-jig.html
Or

But then again, there must be a demand out there, because having googled for the above, there is a plethora of clamping square offerings available.

In practical terms, for many applications, I think the above two designs have an advantage with the lips on each edge as you really need at least three hands to properly position the Woodpecker/Rockler etc etc type.

None of them of themselves guarantee accuracy - they may be square, but the assembly needs to be square at the right point (therefore they work best if you have some locating aid to the joint (biscuit, domino (better), or t&g).

So yes @Jacob, they are a product of woodworkers’ perpetual search for the panacea to all accuracy challenges.

Cheers

 

[Herr Nilsson]

+ 1 for Banggood corner clamps. * * * * * (5 stars).

Found these extremely useful when helping a mate build a king-size bed recently. Indispensable if dry-fitting on your own.

Checked for "true" with my Incra Guaranteed Square: Spot on!

Also, for info, the OP quotes the price of just the right-angle brackets (6-3/4"/171mm). Woodpeckers charge another £37.50 (pair equivalent) for the threaded angle-bracket thingys.

Banggood are currently selling a pair of the 160mm version (with brackets) for less than the price of the Woodpecker angle brackets (£33.20 + free shipping). Notwithstanding the lengthy delivery times, the sporadic up and down discount pricing, and acceptance that returning an item (under some sort of equivalent 30 day return policy) is cost prohibitive, due to the cost of shipping anything to China; but if you are on a budget, it's worth taking a punt IMO, especially with the Veiko, Hongdui, DrillPro brands.

**

Incidentally, I have purchased A LOT of woodworking accessories from BG (damn that Dennis from HookedOnWood!), half of which is a copy of either Woodpeckers, Bessey, Incra or Festool. Resultantly, I am extremely happy with 24 out 25 of my purchases, but they have been carefully selected.

Admittedly, the thought of buying Chinese mass-produced items does not exactly fill me with joy, but at least buying through a YouTubers affiliate link is one way of supporting the people who have taken a lot of time to present the content that many of us find so invaluable.