On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 5:24:56 PM UTC-4, Leon wrote:
On 6/12/2016 2:53 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 1:45:19 PM UTC-4, Leon wrote:
On 6/12/2016 11:53 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I picked up a couple of 36" Back-To-Back clamps at a garage sale yesterday.
I used one as a basic saw guide and it worked great.

The seller is/was selling all of these:

Single sided includes 2 -- 24"; 1 -- 36" and 1 -- 50".
Double sided includes 2 -- 18"; 2 -- 36" (mine now) and 2 -- 50" clamps

http://i.imgur.com/vjK8vfH.jpg

Asking prices start at $30 for the 50" Back-To-Back down to $13 for the 24" single side. I know he will come down in price: He wanted $36 for the
pair I bought, I paid $30. Those are decent prices, right?

I understand the differences between the Back-To-Back vs. the single side,
but here is what I am curious about:

Are these clamps strictly for use as straight edges or can they be use for
glue ups, such as for panels or cabinet doors?

Is there anything else I should think about before dropping some more
money on the clamps?

Thanks!


I have the long and short versions of the brand on the left side of the
picture. I have not used them much lately but used the a heck of a lot
back in the early 90's when I remodeled our kitchen.

They were very useful for guiding my saws, aligning my plate joiner for
cutting biscuit slots, and minor clamping.

These clamps may or may not allow clamping at angles, Mine were not self
squaring or designed to clamp at much of an angle if using as a tool guide.

Also the clamping lever is pretty short and can be a bear to flip into
the closed position if cinched up too tightly.

If these are new his asking price is less than what I paid 25+ years
ago. IIRC the brand on the left, same as mine, have a life time warranty.

Having all this in mind, another popular brand seems to be more useful
as it offers attachments for cutting dado's with a router which seems
very well thought out. If I were to add to my collection it would be
the Bora brand.

The Bora has a longer clamping lever, can be lengthened with extensions,
and I think they have a router guide plate that lets you tweak dados to
fit stock exactly.

http://www.boratool.com/

http://www.affinitytool.com/bora-too...-all-projects/

https://www.youtube.com/user/BoraTool

Thanks for the response.

Any thoughts on my question about using them for glue ups or is that what
you meant by "minor clamping"? Say T&G joints on a simple Shaker style door?

Could clamps be used top and bottom to keep the door flat and apply enough
pressure for gluing?


I really would not use them to close glued up panels. Mine do not grab
the full width of a 3/4" piece of stock. since you cannot really apply
a lot of pressure they may not even squeeze hard enough to close a
slight gap.

IMHO these are best used as a guide more than anything else.

Thanks to all.

I'll stick with the pair of 36"ers and leave it at that.