"Jesse R Strawbridge" wrote in message
I buy my bar clamps at Harbor Freight when they are on sale. (Can we
say cheapscape?) While they are not as nice as the ones I used in a
Woodcraft class (Bessler, I think), they work as well and I have had no
problems with them.

I've been using pipe clamps for a long time, until last year when I took
advantage of Bessey's clamp sale and bought a set from Lee Valley Tools.
What a spectacular difference! The only thing the Bessey's can't do compared
to the pipe clamps is apply sheer clamping force, but that little used
advantage is nothing compared to what the Bessey's can do.