On 1/20/2018 8:58 AM, Dr. Deb wrote:


On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:46:35 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
They suck.

I look at HF bar clamps as exactly what they are, inexpensive clamping tools. I could get frosted if I paid $20+ ea for them. But they are around a quarter of that. If one breaks, I can still buy two more for the cost of a "Name" brand and be ahead.

Except that they break when you *need* them, not when they're hanging
on the wall looking pretty. If I can't trust a tool, I don't want it
around.

Then there is the fact I have a LOT of them and have had no problems. Could it be that those who are having the problems are simply over stressing what should be a light duty clamp?

Bar clamps shouldn't be "light duty". They didn't bend. The damned
thins broke, with just moderate pressure. My Irwin Quick Clamps will
do 10x the clamping force. ...and they aren't designed for such.

I hate to say this, but if your joints were made better, you would not need so much force. If you have to jam them together, something is wrong with the joint.

This is true but if you are gluing up a table top that is 5~8' long it
is difficult to get a perfectly straight edge. Not even plywood has
straight edges these days. Not unusual for a board to be straight this
morning and bowed a bit this afternoon, depending on the humidity.



I always heard the rule of thumb for a mortise and tenon was that they should fit so that you could knock them together with your hat.