On 1/20/2018 11:32 AM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 1/20/18 11:15 AM, Leon wrote:
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.Â* I could get frosted if I paid $20+ ea for them.
But they are around a quarter of that.Â*Â* 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.Â* 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.Â* 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".Â* They didn't bend.Â* The damned
thins broke, with just moderate pressure.Â* My Irwin Quick Clamps will
do 10x the clamping force.Â* ...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.Â* 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.Â* Not even plywood has
straight edges these days.Â* Not unusual for a board to be straight
this morning and bowed a bit this afternoon, depending on the humidity.


Or they bow after planing.Â* You can't keep going back to the jointer or
table saw to correct every little warp. Sometimes, you wouldn't have any
board left.

In any case, or in the case of perfectly straight and flat boards for a

panel glue-up, what good is a clamp like this....
http://mikedrums.com/HF_Bar_Clamp.JPG

Hopefully you were not checking that clamp with a Harbor Freight square.
;~)