Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.

Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.

I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and cheapest place to buy them new.

Thank you,
Tom

On 9/19/2014 11:25 AM, tomwalz wrote:
Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.

Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.

I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and cheapest place to buy them new.

Thank you,
Tom



I for many years have owned Jorgensen "Cabinet Master" K-style clamps,
Bessey Revo K-style clamps, and Jet K-style clamps.

They all have their good points and bad points.

Ultimately I prefer the Cabinet Master over either of the other two.

The Jets have cool features but cool does not always equate to useful.
The Jets have measured markings on the bar. I never ever have used that
feature. I can visually open the clamp to where it needs to be, I think
it would take more time to use the measured bar. The Jets almost
without fail mar the wood, I suppose they use a harder plastic. The
Jets do have adjustable feet for supporting the clamp so that the
movable end of the clamp dies not drag on the work surface when
adjusting. Jet has a lock release lever, they would not need one if
they worked as smoothly as the Cabinet Masters.

The Besseys don't like glue. Bessey takes great precautions with adding
glue resistant spacers to place on the bars and on the clamping
surfaces. Seems odd that they would not use a material that would be
resistant to glue. The Bessey foot is either on the end of bar or off
of the bar. It cannot be adjusted for a shorter work surface. IMHO
they may as well have not included the foot. It would have been sooooo
easy to make the foot 100% more user friendly. The Bessey rubber handle
is a bit small and IMHO slipperier when wet with sweat. The Besseys are
a little bit crotchety when you want to move the sliding end along the
bar. This is mostly because of the protective cover mentioned above to
thwart the glue.

The Cabinet Masters are not pretty but seem to work very well year after
year. They don't mind glue drips and they have an adjustable foot. The
handles are heavily varnished wood and are a bit larger in diameter than
the Besseys. The handles simply feel better IMHO. They are the
smoothest adjustable clamps of the three mentioned.

One last thing, the more you use the clamps the more likely you will
drop one a time or two or three or four. I drop mine more often that I
like to admit. The Besseys most often have a piece break and go flying.
The Cabinet Masters only have dents and bruises. ;!) The Jets have
not been dropped yet as I use them as a last resort and their time has
not yet come to be dropped.

Hope this helps.

tomwalz wrote in
:

Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.

Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to
be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.

I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and
cheapest place to buy them new.

Curious how you're breaking clamps...I can't say I've ever
broken a clamp (other than to loose the foot on a C-clamp),
so knowing what you're doing might help in suggesting what's
"good and sturdy".

FWIW, 99% of my clamping is with either regular Jorgensen
bar clamps, or Pony pipe clamps. Both are pretty much
indestructable. I have a few of the Bessey K-body clamps,
but rarely use them unless I'm trying to clamp something
with an odd shape that a regular bar clamp can't handle.
I don't care for K-body style clamps because I like to
pre-set the clamp to the width needed, so clamping is just
putting it on and turning a couple of twists - the head of
the K-body clamp slides until it's under tension, so it
moves when picking up the clamp, often as not sliding all
the way to the end of the bar. When you're glueing up a
large case and trying to get 16 clamps set and the whole
thing square before the glue sets up, having the clamps
pre-set helps :-)

The "Pittsburgh" brand of bar clamps (Harbor Freight's
house brand) are almost as good as Jorgensen, and are
often on sale for a pittance.

John

On 9/19/2014 5:19 PM, John McCoy wrote:


Curious how you're breaking clamps...I can't say I've ever
broken a clamp (other than to loose the foot on a C-clamp),
so knowing what you're doing might help in suggesting what's
"good and sturdy".

FWIW, 99% of my clamping is with either regular Jorgensen
bar clamps, or Pony pipe clamps. Both are pretty much
indestructable. I have a few of the Bessey K-body clamps,
but rarely use them unless I'm trying to clamp something
with an odd shape that a regular bar clamp can't handle.
I don't care for K-body style clamps because I like to
pre-set the clamp to the width needed, so clamping is just
putting it on and turning a couple of twists - the head of
the K-body clamp slides until it's under tension, so it
moves when picking up the clamp, often as not sliding all
the way to the end of the bar. When you're glueing up a
large case and trying to get 16 clamps set and the whole
thing square before the glue sets up, having the clamps
pre-set helps :-)

The "Pittsburgh" brand of bar clamps (Harbor Freight's
house brand) are almost as good as Jorgensen, and are
often on sale for a pittance.

John


I'm far from the expert level many of you woodworkers but I also agree
with the HF clamps. I've been using many of them for many functions for
many years applying great pressure and thus far they are still
performing well. I too am also wondering what it is that the OP is doing
to break them.

On 9/19/2014 4:54 PM, Meanie wrote:
On 9/19/2014 5:19 PM, John McCoy wrote:


Curious how you're breaking clamps...I can't say I've ever
broken a clamp (other than to loose the foot on a C-clamp),
so knowing what you're doing might help in suggesting what's
"good and sturdy".

FWIW, 99% of my clamping is with either regular Jorgensen
bar clamps, or Pony pipe clamps. Both are pretty much
indestructable. I have a few of the Bessey K-body clamps,
but rarely use them unless I'm trying to clamp something
with an odd shape that a regular bar clamp can't handle.
I don't care for K-body style clamps because I like to
pre-set the clamp to the width needed, so clamping is just
putting it on and turning a couple of twists - the head of
the K-body clamp slides until it's under tension, so it
moves when picking up the clamp, often as not sliding all
the way to the end of the bar. When you're glueing up a
large case and trying to get 16 clamps set and the whole
thing square before the glue sets up, having the clamps
pre-set helps :-)

The "Pittsburgh" brand of bar clamps (Harbor Freight's
house brand) are almost as good as Jorgensen, and are
often on sale for a pittance.

John


I'm far from the expert level many of you woodworkers but I also agree
with the HF clamps. I've been using many of them for many functions for
many years applying great pressure and thus far they are still
performing well. I too am also wondering what it is that the OP is doing
to break them.

The cast iron will break if hits just wrongly.
Martin

I am using steel clumps while we construct our home and they still performing best and in good condition. Why not you contact with any trusted dealer in your area. Hope you get wide variety of clumps there.
What your stock broker doesn’t want you to see

Martin Eastburn wrote in news:lE5Tv.194512
:

The cast iron will break if hits just wrongly.

Ah. Can't say I've experienced that myself (and I've dropped
clamps off the bench, storage rack, etc, many times) but I
can see it happening, as cast iron is brittle.

John

On Fri, 19 Sep 2014 17:54:49 -0400, Meanie
wrote:

On 9/19/2014 5:19 PM, John McCoy wrote:


Curious how you're breaking clamps...I can't say I've ever
broken a clamp (other than to loose the foot on a C-clamp),
so knowing what you're doing might help in suggesting what's
"good and sturdy".

FWIW, 99% of my clamping is with either regular Jorgensen
bar clamps, or Pony pipe clamps. Both are pretty much
indestructable. I have a few of the Bessey K-body clamps,
but rarely use them unless I'm trying to clamp something
with an odd shape that a regular bar clamp can't handle.
I don't care for K-body style clamps because I like to
pre-set the clamp to the width needed, so clamping is just
putting it on and turning a couple of twists - the head of
the K-body clamp slides until it's under tension, so it
moves when picking up the clamp, often as not sliding all
the way to the end of the bar. When you're glueing up a
large case and trying to get 16 clamps set and the whole
thing square before the glue sets up, having the clamps
pre-set helps :-)

The "Pittsburgh" brand of bar clamps (Harbor Freight's
house brand) are almost as good as Jorgensen, and are
often on sale for a pittance.

John


I'm far from the expert level many of you woodworkers but I also agree
with the HF clamps. I've been using many of them for many functions for
many years applying great pressure and thus far they are still
performing well. I too am also wondering what it is that the OP is doing
to break them.

I've broken a number of HF bar clamps. Enough that I can't trust them
anymore, so I replaced them all. The HF clamps haven't been used in
years. Their "quick clamps" (Irwin style) really suck - useless.

wrote in message


I've broken a number of HF bar clamps. Enough that I can't trust them
anymore, so I replaced them all. The HF clamps haven't been used in
years. Their "quick clamps" (Irwin style) really suck - useless.

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them but I have
maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for years, never a
problem. I would buy more.

Actually, I HAVE had a problem...get any yellow glue on them (acidic) and
they rust but that is true of any steel clamp and a bit of steel wool or
sandpaper fixes it.

I also have a dozen or so 12" German bar clamps, hate them...they aren't
steel so don't rust but there is no clutch and if the fine grooves get a
smidge of glue in them they are hard to slide. Digging out the glue fixes
it, still prefer the HF ones.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

[...snip...]

The "Pittsburgh" brand of bar clamps (Harbor Freight's
house brand) are almost as good as Jorgensen, and are
often on sale for a pittance.

John


I'm far from the expert level many of you woodworkers but I also agree
with the HF clamps. I've been using many of them for many functions for
many years applying great pressure and thus far they are still
performing well. I too am also wondering what it is that the OP is doing
to break them.

I like Bessy F style clamps for general purpose clamping. For larger
reach Shop Fox has a pretty good F clamp for much less than the
equivalent Bessey. The plastic pads aren't in the same class, get
knocked off easily, but they are OK. If you use cauls you can get rid
of the pads.

http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Fox-D2918.../dp/B005W0UKY4

If you make a set of gently curved convex cauls in various lengths you
can get good clamping results with two clamps.

I note that in a recent Fine Woodworking article that Michael Fortune
was doing some bent lamination (which needs a lot of clamps) and he
was using a bunch of what looks to be the old style (wood handle) HF
Pittsburg F clamps. I have a bunch of those and the new rubber grip
ones and find them to be quite useful. The little rubber pads on them
are not so useful. They are frequently on sale for 50% off an already
low price. If they are good enough for Michael Fortune...

I have a few HP Pittburge clamps that are 24" and longer and regret
getting those. They flex too much to provide the clamping pressure I'd
like to get.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:43 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them but I
have maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for years, never
a problem. I would buy more.


Same here. I stocked up when they were regularly on sale for half
price. That's been quite a few years ago.


I also have a dozen or so 12" German bar clamps, hate them...they aren't
steel so don't rust but there is no clutch and if the fine grooves get a
smidge of glue in them they are hard to slide. Digging out the glue
fixes it, still prefer the HF ones.

You too? I've been putting mine out at garage sales but have only
managed to get rid of a few :-).

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 16:36:00 +0000 (UTC), Larry Blanchard
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:43 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them but I
have maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for years, never
a problem. I would buy more.


Same here. I stocked up when they were regularly on sale for half
price. That's been quite a few years ago.

I bought the bunch about seven years ago. Every time I used them, one
broke. They always break when the glue is wet and finding another
isn't fun. I've never had a problem with Bessie Ks or the F-clamps I
got from Peachtree (about the same price as the HFs, on sale).

I also have a dozen or so 12" German bar clamps, hate them...they aren't
steel so don't rust but there is no clutch and if the fine grooves get a
smidge of glue in them they are hard to slide. Digging out the glue
fixes it, still prefer the HF ones.

You too? I've been putting mine out at garage sales but have only
managed to get rid of a few :-).

On 9/20/14, 11:36 AM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:43 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them
but I have maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for
years, never a problem. I would buy more.


Same here. I stocked up when they were regularly on sale for half
price. That's been quite a few years ago.


I think they are hit or miss depending on the manufacturing lot.
I have a pile of them on which the bars are all bent up because they
couldn't handle moderate pressure.

I also have a pile of those aluminum sliding bar clamps from HF and a
pile of broken clamp-bracket castings from them.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 12:26:55 -0500, -MIKE-
wrote:

On 9/20/14, 11:36 AM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:43 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them
but I have maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for
years, never a problem. I would buy more.


Same here. I stocked up when they were regularly on sale for half
price. That's been quite a few years ago.


I think they are hit or miss depending on the manufacturing lot.
I have a pile of them on which the bars are all bent up because they
couldn't handle moderate pressure.

I also have a pile of those aluminum sliding bar clamps from HF and a
pile of broken clamp-bracket castings from them.

Those are the ones I was talking about. The cast "heads" snap without
much provocation.

wrote:

OP is doing to break them.

I've broken a number of HF bar clamps. Enough that I can't trust them
anymore, so I replaced them all. The HF clamps haven't been used in
years. Their "quick clamps" (Irwin style) really suck - useless.

I agree on the quick clamps, but I've wondered if the Irwins were all that
much better - never used one. As for the pony style and the bar clamps,
I've never broken one yet and I've used mine for all of the ungoldly things
they were never intended to be used for.

--

-Mike-

"Mike Marlow" wrote in
:


I agree on the quick clamps, but I've wondered if the Irwins were all
that much better - never used one. As for the pony style and the bar
clamps, I've never broken one yet and I've used mine for all of the
ungoldly things they were never intended to be used for.


The Irwins vary in quality. The ones I got almost a decade ago work
nicely, but the newer ones just don't work as nice. Releasing sometimes
requires pushing really hard on the release lever. Generally, the smaller
the clamp is the worse it works.

If you can get a good deal on them, though, it's worth picking a couple
more.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 14:22:39 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

wrote:

OP is doing to break them.

I've broken a number of HF bar clamps. Enough that I can't trust them
anymore, so I replaced them all. The HF clamps haven't been used in
years. Their "quick clamps" (Irwin style) really suck - useless.

I agree on the quick clamps, but I've wondered if the Irwins were all that
much better - never used one. As for the pony style and the bar clamps,
I've never broken one yet and I've used mine for all of the ungoldly things
they were never intended to be used for.

Irwins are very good, though I mostly use them for quick setup,
replaced within a few minutes by K-style clamps until the glue dries.
Not sure what you mean by "pony style", though.

Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

The Irwin style "Quick" clamps are junk, as well. They don't break.
There is no way to get enough pressure with them to snap a toothpick.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-ra...der-69045.html

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

wrote:


Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

I don't have any of those.


The Irwin style "Quick" clamps are junk, as well. They don't break.
There is no way to get enough pressure with them to snap a toothpick.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-ra...der-69045.html

These are the ones I was refering to as Irwin style. I find them only
useful for very light pressure requirements.



I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

I have several of these and these are the ones I've used in unnatural ways
with no problems.

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:06:06 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

wrote:


Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

I don't have any of those.

Don't. ;-)

The Irwin style "Quick" clamps are junk, as well. They don't break.
There is no way to get enough pressure with them to snap a toothpick.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-ra...der-69045.html

These are the ones I was refering to as Irwin style. I find them only
useful for very light pressure requirements.

The ones I have slip with less pressure than would cause only moderate
pain on a finger. The release levers on many jam, too.

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

I have several of these and these are the ones I've used in unnatural ways
with no problems.

I find they twist with only moderate pressure. They're OK for really
light duty, though.

wrote in :

Irwins are very good, though I mostly use them for quick setup,
replaced within a few minutes by K-style clamps until the glue dries.

I'm with you on the quick clamps - useful for a third hand when
getting everything situated, but not capable of actually clamping.
FWIW, I like the Jorgensen "EZ HOLD" in that style, but I don't
think they've made them in 20 years.

Not sure what you mean by "pony style", though.

He means the pipe clamps that use black iron pipe. Pony is
the common brand.

Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

I have no use for the aluminum bar clamps. Too weak. Plus,
as dadi said, the head doesn't engage the bar well (I have
some Record clamps which are steel, with the same problem. In
general you want to check the bar on a bar clamp for well cut
grooves for the ratchet to engage - I think that's the biggest
difference between good bar clamps and bad ones).

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

My rule of thumb is if the bar is bending significantly (a
little bend is OK) it's time to get out the pipe clamps or
the K-bodies. Or figure out what's gone wrong that I'm needing
so much clamp pressure :-)

John

On 09/20/2014 2:24 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:06:06 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
....

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

I have several of these and these are the ones I've used in unnatural ways
with no problems.

I find they twist with only moderate pressure. They're OK for really
light duty, though.

I've walked thru HF on occasion and agree w/ the other respondent that
they're dependent on manufacturing batch -- some you could bend the bar
just with moderate hand pressure, others have been adequately strong for
reasonable glue jobs. But, none of them are up to a really heavy
torque'ing on them, from the jenuine Jorgenson down.

--

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 20:07:06 +0000 (UTC), John McCoy
wrote:

wrote in :

Irwins are very good, though I mostly use them for quick setup,
replaced within a few minutes by K-style clamps until the glue dries.

I'm with you on the quick clamps - useful for a third hand when
getting everything situated, but not capable of actually clamping.
FWIW, I like the Jorgensen "EZ HOLD" in that style, but I don't
think they've made them in 20 years.

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"

Not sure what you mean by "pony style", though.

He means the pipe clamps that use black iron pipe. Pony is
the common brand.

Ah, yes. I got rid of my pipe clamps years ago. Too heavy and the
jaws weren't big enough. Black pipe used to be cheap but not so much
any more.

Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

I have no use for the aluminum bar clamps. Too weak. Plus,
as dadi said, the head doesn't engage the bar well (I have
some Record clamps which are steel, with the same problem. In
general you want to check the bar on a bar clamp for well cut
grooves for the ratchet to engage - I think that's the biggest
difference between good bar clamps and bad ones).

I never had problems with the head engaging, rather the head snapped.
....a lot of 'em.

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

My rule of thumb is if the bar is bending significantly (a
little bend is OK) it's time to get out the pipe clamps or
the K-bodies. Or figure out what's gone wrong that I'm needing
so much clamp pressure :-)

The point is that the pressure needed to start the bar twisting is
pretty small. The bar is too thin, so tends to twist.

wrote in message


I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

Yeah, those are what I have, some 12", some 24". I use them for pretty
much anything they will fit, have found them plenty strong enough. For
bigger stuff, I use 1/2" ot 3/4" pipe clamps...I can and have hooked them
together to clamp 10' stuff. Or bigger, if need be.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

wrote in message


I have several of these and these are the ones I've used in unnatural
ways with no problems.

I find they twist with only moderate pressure. They're OK for really
light duty, though.

Twist or bend? Yes, they do bend. So?

--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are AWESOME!


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are
AWESOME!

You got a video to prove it?...

--

-Mike-

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:51:48 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are
AWESOME!

You got a video to prove it?...

Ouch!

On 9/20/14, 5:51 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are
AWESOME!

You got a video to prove it?...


NICE!


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 5:51 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders


"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are
AWESOME!

You got a video to prove it?...


NICE!



I compared 2 similar looking clamps. One's with plastic parts in the
guts, and one with metal parts there. And just as I expected, the one
that had metal one. I made a mental note at the point to remember to
always look for the metal.

Bill wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 5:51 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
-MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 4:30 PM, wrote:

Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a
bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style
clamps. I really like the Besseys.

http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders


"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force"


I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are
AWESOME!

You got a video to prove it?...


NICE!



I compared 2 similar looking clamps. One's with plastic parts in the
guts, and one with metal parts there. And just as I expected, the one
that had metal one.
OOPs, that should be, "the one that had metal WON".

I made a mental note at the point to remember to always look for the
metal.

On 9/19/2014 11:25 AM, tomwalz wrote:
Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.

Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.

I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and cheapest place to buy them new.

Thank you,
Tom



and if you need wooden hand screw clamps, heare is a good deal on Bessey.

http://www.woodpeck.com/bessey10whc.html

wrote in :

On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 20:07:06 +0000 (UTC), John McCoy
wrote:

My rule of thumb is if the bar is bending significantly (a
little bend is OK) it's time to get out the pipe clamps or
the K-bodies. Or figure out what's gone wrong that I'm needing
so much clamp pressure :-)

The point is that the pressure needed to start the bar twisting is
pretty small. The bar is too thin, so tends to twist.

To be clear, I was thinking of the steel bar Jorgensen clamps,
which are exerting a fair bit of force by the time they're
bending.

Generally in cabinetry, if you need a lot of clamp force then
something isn't right. Maybe if you're doing bent laminations,
or building a boat or something like that; but most things we
do should go together with only moderate pressure. Even for
edge-gluing panels, 5 small clamps works better than 3 big
ones widely spaced.

John

On Saturday, September 20, 2014 5:44:52 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite a bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K' style clamps. I really like the Besseys. http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders "Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force" I just bought some of those on sale and let me tell you, they are AWESOME!

I'm not crazy about any of this style of clamp, though, at times, I use them for a third hand, when prepping for further clamping.


I most often use pony clamps and bar clamps (like these heavy duty bar clamps - https://www.flickr.com/photos/438361...n/photostream)..

Some time ago, a retired woodworker sold his inventory and I bought 73 of his American made pony clamps (pipe included) for $3 each. He had at least 150 remaining to be sold. Wish I had bought more, but at the time, I didn't have any more cash in my pocket.

Tom,

Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.
Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to
be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.
I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and
cheapest place to buy them new.

I started out with 3/4" Pony bar clamps with 48" black pipe. They were
fairly inexpensive and have a lot of clamping force. But, they tend to
tip over when trying to glue up panels, and the black pipe leaves black
stains at the glue joints (not usually a problem since I plane the panels
down after glueup).

Based on Mark's review on the Wood Whisperer, I invested in a set of Jet
24" parallel bar clamps.

http://tinyurl.com/ke6aotj

I've really liked the Jet bar clamps. The 24" length is perfect for most
projects I work on. They stand up nicely during glueups, and the trigger
latch makes it easy to adjust the moveable head.

My wife bought me a Bessey brand parallel clamp many years ago and I
could never get the head to work right. I don't know if it's me or
something wrong with the clamp, but I never liked it. The trigger on the
Jet clamp is much easier to work with.

I also have a small collection of 12" Irwin bar clamps:

http://tinyurl.com/k36teg2

I bought four to start with, then bought another four a year or two
later. Unfortunately, the newer clamps have smaller clamping heads than
the old clamps, but they still work nice.

The Irwin clamps work great for gluing up laminations or other small
projects. I actually use them a lot for clamping things to my saw horses
when working on projects.

I don't use the pipe clamps much anymore, but they're still handy when I
need the longer 48" length. They're also easier to gang up for really
long lengths as I can rotate the heads on the pipes to engage another
clamp. I also used the pipe clamps when building out house to help pull
things into alignment. The high clamping pressure helped in those
situations.

I don't have any of the one handed clamps at the moment, but there are
times those would really come in handy.

Hope this helps,

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com

On 9/21/14, 8:28 AM, Leon wrote:
On 9/19/2014 11:25 AM, tomwalz wrote:
Tired of breaking cheap, big box clamps.

Looking for good clamps, both Bessey and Kreg types. Doesn't have to
be those. Just have a guy who wants to sell me those.

I would appreciate recommendations on good, sturdy clamps and
cheapest place to buy them new.

Thank you,
Tom



and if you need wooden hand screw clamps, heare is a good deal on Bessey.

http://www.woodpeck.com/bessey10whc.html


WoW, that is a great deal! Wish I was in the market right now.


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 9/21/14, 9:52 AM, Sonny wrote:
On Saturday, September 20, 2014 5:44:52 PM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
Irwin makes some "heavy duty" Quick Clamps that can provide quite
a bit of force but the jaws don't remain parallel as well as 'K'
style clamps. I really like the Besseys.
http://www.irwin.com/tools/clamps/xp...amps-spreaders

"Provides 600 lbs of one-handed force" I just bought some of
those on sale and let me tell you, they are AWESOME!

I'm not crazy about any of this style of clamp, though, at times, I
use them for a third hand, when prepping for further clamping.


That's *exactly" what I use them for, mostly, as a third hand.

I building a Sharn* in own new back yard, by myself, and those new
Irwins came in real handy when lifting 16' treated 2x10s into place onto
the posts to make the laminated beam for the trusses.

(*too big for a shed, too small for a barn)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

On 9/20/2014 1:26 PM, -MIKE- wrote:
On 9/20/14, 11:36 AM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:43 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

I've never had any quick clamps from anyone and don't want them
but I have maybe three dozen HF "F" bar clamps, have had them for
years, never a problem. I would buy more.


Same here. I stocked up when they were regularly on sale for half
price. That's been quite a few years ago.


I think they are hit or miss depending on the manufacturing lot.
I have a pile of them on which the bars are all bent up because they
couldn't handle moderate pressure.

I also have a pile of those aluminum sliding bar clamps from HF and a
pile of broken clamp-bracket castings from them.



I have a set of those aluminum bar clamps, about 1999 vintage, they are
great.

The HF F clamps have been great too, I have only had 1 bad one. The
early ones were better. Some of the castings of the new one are too
loose and not square when pressure is put on, but for the price they are
good enough.

My vote is great deal for the price. I have bought far worse for big
$$$$, even name brand.

--
Jeff

On 9/20/2014 3:24 PM, wrote:
On Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:06:06 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

wrote:


Just so I'm being clear, these are the bar clamps that I'm talking
about:

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-in-a...amp-60539.html

I don't have any of those.

Don't. ;-)
Again my early ones are great. Thick wall, much thicker than the Jet's.
The castings are good.


The Irwin style "Quick" clamps are junk, as well. They don't break.
There is no way to get enough pressure with them to snap a toothpick.

The HF quick have been very disappointing.


http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-ra...der-69045.html

These are the ones I was refering to as Irwin style. I find them only
useful for very light pressure requirements.

The ones I have slip with less pressure than would cause only moderate
pain on a finger. The release levers on many jam, too.

I also have a bunch of these but haven't found them to be too useful
(very light duty).

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-inch...amp-96214.html

I have several of these and these are the ones I've used in unnatural ways
with no problems.

I find they twist with only moderate pressure. They're OK for really
light duty, though.

The older ones, do not twist, the newer ones do, but again, for the 2.99
for 6" I can't find fault. For 12 and 24, I only use them
occaisionally, then I take out my Cabinet Masters or Bessey's. BTW stay
away from the Woodcraft Bessey look alike.. pure junk that twists on
tightening, and that was not a cheap mistake.



--
Jeff

"HerHusband" wrote in message


I started out with 3/4" Pony bar clamps with 48" black pipe. They were
fairly inexpensive and have a lot of clamping force. But, they tend to
tip over when trying to glue up panels, and the black pipe leaves black
stains at the glue joints (not usually a problem since I plane the
panels
down after glueup).

Most of mine have galvanized rather than black pipe but would leave stain
too if I'm using yellow glue (because of the acid in the glue) if they
were touching the glue line. Which they aren't.

When I first put a pipe clamp on, I assure that the clamp pressure points
are centered on the board edges as much as possible and rotate the clamp
so the pipe is touching the board which lets me see if the boards are
buckling. Once all is well, I rotate the clamp so the pipe is no longer
touching the wood. No stains.

I don't use the pipe clamps much anymore, but they're still handy when I
need the longer 48" length. They're also easier to gang up for really
long lengths as I can rotate the heads on the pipes to engage another
clamp.

Or - if both ends of the pipe are threaded - just join one or more lengths
of pipe with pipe couplings.


--

dadiOH
____________________________

Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out... http://www.floridaloghouse.net

On Sun, 21 Sep 2014 14:06:55 -0400, "dadiOH"
wrote:

"HerHusband" wrote in message


I started out with 3/4" Pony bar clamps with 48" black pipe. They were
fairly inexpensive and have a lot of clamping force. But, they tend to
tip over when trying to glue up panels, and the black pipe leaves black
stains at the glue joints (not usually a problem since I plane the
panels
down after glueup).

Most of mine have galvanized rather than black pipe but would leave stain
too if I'm using yellow glue (because of the acid in the glue) if they
were touching the glue line. Which they aren't.

The pipe clamps I had wouldn't work with galvanized pipe. The jaws
wouldn't bite through the surface, so couldn't be tightened. I was
also warned that if they did, the galvanization would flake off making
a mess.

When I first put a pipe clamp on, I assure that the clamp pressure points
are centered on the board edges as much as possible and rotate the clamp
so the pipe is touching the board which lets me see if the boards are
buckling. Once all is well, I rotate the clamp so the pipe is no longer
touching the wood. No stains.

I don't use the pipe clamps much anymore, but they're still handy when I
need the longer 48" length. They're also easier to gang up for really
long lengths as I can rotate the heads on the pipes to engage another
clamp.

Or - if both ends of the pipe are threaded - just join one or more lengths
of pipe with pipe couplings.