Rick's Cabinet Shop wrote:
This is probably a really dumb question, so go easy on me.. I've been
earning a living from cabinet making for 4 years now and I've looked at
Bessey clamps a million times in the store. I pass on them every once I
look at the price tag. Right now I use 3/4" pipe clamps and Bessy "f" body
clamps. I know when I glue up door panels I have to make sure the pressure
is right in the center of the screw and I alternate clamps on the top /
bottom of glue up to keep pressure even. My question is, are these things
really worth the money, and will they make my life easier?

--

I think they are well worth it. When you catch a sale, you can get them
around $20-25 easy.
Once they were as low as $15 with double coupon stacking. That's not
much more than pipe clamps. The pipe clamp fixture is between $5-12
(depending on whether you get Pony or Harbor Frieght), and then you
have to buy the pipe, which is about $5-10+, depending on the length.

The advantages:
1. Easier and faster to line up.
2. No worry about the pipe staining the wood.
3. The K-body blocks are a nice accessory for holding the clamps on the
bench while you glue up a panel (search for Bessey K-body door kit)
4. Glue doesn't stick to them
5. And my favorite: When you are gluing up a panel (like for a door),
you can use the squared end of the K-body as a "foot" so the glueup
stands vertical. With pipe clamps, you need to lean it against a wall.

I have about 60-65 Besseys and about 40 pipe clamps. I only reach for
the pipe clamps when I am out of Besseys or there's something too long
for Besseys.. My longest Bessey is only 50", so occasionally I need to
go to a pipe clamp.

The disadvantages:
1. The round handle is harder to put heavy pressure on the clamp. A
pipe clamp has a handle that really lets you crank it down hard. Even
though in theory, you should never need that much pressure for a glue
up, occasionally you have to "persuade" a piece of wood. Pipe clamps
excell at putting higher pressure, because the handle is easier to
crank down.
2. Pipe clamps are more flexible for long things, because you can join
multiple pieces together.
3. Besseys can't be used as a "spreader", although I hardly ever need
to do that.