|
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
They suck.
|
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
DerbyDad03 wrote in news:b2dac27e-90f0-418e-81a3-
: They suck. Can you be a little more specific? |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:46:29 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote: They suck. Those look like the ones I've had the head castings break. Yep, they suck eggs. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/17/18 8:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
They suck. Pretty much covers it. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 9:55:52 PM UTC-5, Doug Miller wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote in news:b2dac27e-90f0-418e-81a3- : They suck. Can you be a little more specific? They really suck. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/17/2018 9:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
They suck. I have about 6 that are somewhere around 20 years old. They have been very good. Understand that they are light duty clamps, they are not made to torque down to the max... if you did, you really don't understand them. They are for things that can't handle heavy clamps. Mine have been fine. -- Jeff |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/18/2018 12:48 AM, woodchucker wrote:
On 1/17/2018 9:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. I have about 6 that are somewhere around 20 years old. They have been very good. Understand that they are light duty clamps, they are not made to torque down to the max... if you did, you really don't understand them. They are for things that can't handle heavy clamps. Mine have been fine. One more thing, my HF clamps are better than the Jets. The jet has a very thin wall and really bow very quickly. The HF are more stout. -- Jeff |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:46:35 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote:
They suck. Yep. Toss my hat in with yours. They worked OK for a short while, but after that they found different ways to fail. The only thing worse they sell in that line at HF? Those fricking squeeze clamps. I purchased carefully in the store, and within one job, all six clamps I bought wouldn't compress //at all//. Robert |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message ... They suck. Perhaps you would do better with the steel quick release clamps. I Have 50 or so in varying sizes accumulated over 20+ years and none have ever failed, all work fine. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/17/2018 8:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
They suck. Did you try impaling it with a stick? ;~) |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
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. 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? |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Wed, 17 Jan 2018 23:23:52 -0800 (PST), "
wrote: On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:46:35 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. Yep. Toss my hat in with yours. They worked OK for a short while, but after that they found different ways to fail. The only thing worse they sell in that line at HF? Those fricking squeeze clamps. I purchased carefully in the store, and within one job, all six clamps I bought wouldn't compress //at all//. +1 I wouldn't even buy a 'C' clamp at HF, anymore. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 08:13:26 -0800 (PST), "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. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 00:48:11 -0500
woodchucker wrote: very good. Understand that they are light duty clamps, they are not made to torque down to the max... if you did, you really don't understand them. They are for things that can't handle heavy clamps. yeah most reviewers may not be using them correctly and who has not tried to clamp the mistakes out of something once or twice |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. Even if you're only edge banding plywood shelves, if the jaw faces don't stay straight, they will try to pull the banding off the edge of the plywood or at least put uneven pressure (more pressure on the bottom). They just aren't worth the money to me anymore. Not with the hassles that come with using them. About all I can use them for is supplementary clamping after real parallel clamps are in place. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 08:13:26 -0800 (PST)
"Dr. Deb" wrote: problems. Could it be that those who are having the problems are simply over stressing what should be a light duty clamp? very possible unreasonable expectations are common with consumers on a similar note amazon is weeding out some of these consumers that send too many things back not sure if hf will do that too but they might because that can dig into the bottom line in a big way |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 09:39:27 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote: On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 08:13:26 -0800 (PST) "Dr. Deb" wrote: problems. Could it be that those who are having the problems are simply over stressing what should be a light duty clamp? very possible unreasonable expectations are common with consumers It's not unreasonable to expect a clamp to stay in one piece. I've never broken a clamp, other than these HFs. They're poorly designed and poorly executed. on a similar note amazon is weeding out some of these consumers that send too many things back Nothing new. Brick and mortar stores have been doing this for decades. not sure if hf will do that too but they might because that can dig into the bottom line in a big way I don't bring things back to HF. I just don't shop there much because of all the crap they sell. That hits their bottom line too. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/18/2018 12:48 AM, woodchucker wrote:
On 1/17/2018 9:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. I have about 6 that are somewhere around 20 years old. They have been very good. Understand that they are light duty clamps, they are not made to torque down to the max... if you did, you really don't understand them. They are for things that can't handle heavy clamps. Mine have been fine. Agreed. Ive had mine for many years and theyve been great. i broke one because i torqued it down too much. Were not supposed to squeeze all the glue out anyway. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. Even if you're only edge banding plywood shelves, if the jaw faces don't stay straight, they will try to pull the banding off the edge of the plywood or at least put uneven pressure (more pressure on the bottom). See above. They just aren't worth the money to me anymore. Not with the hassles that come with using them. About all I can use them for is supplementary clamping after real parallel clamps are in place. Your money, of course, but at 1/3 the cost or less of others, I'll stick with HF. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/18/18 1:53 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. I'm not sure what you're talking about. The above doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Just so it's clear what I'm talking about, here's a picture of the issue. http://mikedrums.com/HF_Bar_Clamp.JPG The end jaw doesn't even *start out* at 90degrees to the bar with no pressure at all. With pressure applied, it gets worse. This is completely unacceptable and in my mind renders the product defective as to its sole purpose. Even if you're only edge banding plywood shelves, if the jaw faces don't stay straight, they will try to pull the banding off the edge of the plywood or at least put uneven pressure (more pressure on the bottom). See above. They just aren't worth the money to me anymore. Not with the hassles that come with using them. About all I can use them for is supplementary clamping after real parallel clamps are in place. Your money, of course, but at 1/3 the cost or less of others, I'll stick with HF. Been down that road and haven't looked back. Have fun. I'd rather spend my time making stuff than having to modify tools or techniques involved in using them just to get them to do their most basic intended functions. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 11:01:47 AM UTC-5, -MIKE- wrote:
On 1/18/18 1:23 AM, wrote: On Wednesday, January 17, 2018 at 8:46:35 PM UTC-6, DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. Yep. Toss my hat in with yours. They worked OK for a short while, but after that they found different ways to fail. The only thing worse they sell in that line at HF? Those fricking squeeze clamps. I purchased carefully in the store, and within one job, all six clamps I bought wouldn't compress //at all//. Robert Oo, oo! You're talking about these, right? https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/clamps/6-inch-ratchet-bar-clamp-spreader-46806.html I think at the time they may have been orange. I bought 2 and took them back after the handles broke before they'd actually hold what they were clamped to. :-) Ah yes, that satisfying *snap* as the internal mechanism lets go and the handle loses all tension. BTDT |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 11:13:31 AM UTC-5, 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 you are getting the clamps whose model number is in my subject line for $5, then you have better HF coupons than the rest of us. Please send me a couple of those coups. If one breaks, I can still buy two more for the cost of a "Name" brand and be ahead. 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? |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 12:15:16 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 00:48:11 -0500 woodchucker wrote: very good. Understand that they are light duty clamps, they are not made to torque down to the max... if you did, you really don't understand them. They are for things that can't handle heavy clamps. yeah most reviewers may not be using them correctly And those that comment on the reviewers may never have used them. and who has not tried to clamp the mistakes out of something once or twice |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 1:53 PM, dadiOH wrote: "-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. I'm not sure what you're talking about. The above doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Just so it's clear what I'm talking about, here's a picture of the issue. http://mikedrums.com/HF_Bar_Clamp.JPG It might make more sense if you were talking about quick release clamps like this... https://shop.harborfreight.com/media...37_zzz_500.jpg The end jaw doesn't even *start out* at 90degrees to the bar with no pressure at all. With pressure applied, it gets worse. This is completely unacceptable and in my mind renders the product defective as to its sole purpose. It really doesn't matter if the jaw is at 90 degrees or not as long as you can set the clamp so that the area applying the pressure is where you want it. No special technique or tool modification needed. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thursday, January 18, 2018 at 10:01:47 AM UTC-6, -MIKE- wrote:
Oo, oo! You're talking about these, right? https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/clamps/6-inch-ratchet-bar-clamp-spreader-46806.html I think at the time they may have been orange. I bought 2 and took them back after the handles broke before they'd actually hold what they were clamped to. :-) Yessireee... that is the very POS I was talking about. I use a lot of squeeze clamps as I work by myself a lot. I thought I was being smart as they had them for $2.99 or something like that so I bought about 5. Having broken a squeeze clamp, I was able to look into the mechanism of those things. I don't know how they screwed those us so completely, but they sure did. They weren't worth the time it took to throw them away - ALL of them failed in a week or so. Robert |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/18/18 4:02 PM, dadiOH wrote:
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 1:53 PM, dadiOH wrote: "-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. I'm not sure what you're talking about. The above doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Just so it's clear what I'm talking about, here's a picture of the issue. http://mikedrums.com/HF_Bar_Clamp.JPG It might make more sense if you were talking about quick release clamps like this... https://shop.harborfreight.com/media...37_zzz_500.jpg It might make more sense if you read the subject line and look at that clamp. The end jaw doesn't even *start out* at 90degrees to the bar with no pressure at all. With pressure applied, it gets worse. This is completely unacceptable and in my mind renders the product defective as to its sole purpose. It really doesn't matter if the jaw is at 90 degrees or not as long as you can set the clamp so that the area applying the pressure is where you want it. No special technique or tool modification needed. Wow. I don't even know how to reply to that with anything other than laughter. Just never mind. You go ahead and use them and enjoy. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:53:14 -0500, "dadiOH" wrote:
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. Not sure what a "quick release" clamp is (that's what the HF bar clamps do when the casting breaks ;-) but the HF clamps like the Irwin Quick Clamps aren't worth spit, either. It's not that they're light duty. They wouldn't work as paper clips. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. Bessey K-Body clamps are pretty good. Even my Irwin Heaavy Duty Quick Clamps are a *lot* better. In fact the Irwins are the go-to setup clamps. Even if you're only edge banding plywood shelves, if the jaw faces don't stay straight, they will try to pull the banding off the edge of the plywood or at least put uneven pressure (more pressure on the bottom). See above. They just aren't worth the money to me anymore. Not with the hassles that come with using them. About all I can use them for is supplementary clamping after real parallel clamps are in place. Your money, of course, but at 1/3 the cost or less of others, I'll stick with HF. I once thought so. If they were worth the shipping, I'd send the lot to you. I'l never use them again. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 17:02:45 -0500, "dadiOH" wrote:
"-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 1:53 PM, dadiOH wrote: "-MIKE-" wrote in message ... On 1/18/18 10:13 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. 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? What's alight duty clamp, though. Beats me, I see little to no difference between the HF quick release clamps and equivalent ones from Jorgenson et al. If anything, I'd say the the hf ones - those sold now - are heftier. I use them to clamp all manner of things. And shouldn't the jaws of even a light duty clamp stay at 90 degrees to the bar. IME, no clamps like this do that because the bar flexes as pressure is applied. That's no problem as long as the clamp is properly positioned on the work piece; i.e., if you don't try to make the clamp head perpendicular to the work. I'm not sure what you're talking about. The above doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Just so it's clear what I'm talking about, here's a picture of the issue. http://mikedrums.com/HF_Bar_Clamp.JPG It might make more sense if you were talking about quick release clamps like this... https://shop.harborfreight.com/media...37_zzz_500.jpg We, it always helps if everyone in a conversation is talking about the same thing. I have a bunch of the above, too. They're OK for really small stuff. Keeping the jaws parallel isn't a big deal with this sort of clamp. The jaw is so small, it doesn't matter much. I thought you were talking about Mike's bar clamp, as well. Or perhaps these: https://www.harborfreight.com/18-in-ratcheting-bar-clampspreader-62125.html Both suck eggs. The end jaw doesn't even *start out* at 90degrees to the bar with no pressure at all. With pressure applied, it gets worse. This is completely unacceptable and in my mind renders the product defective as to its sole purpose. It really doesn't matter if the jaw is at 90 degrees or not as long as you can set the clamp so that the area applying the pressure is where you want it. No special technique or tool modification needed. Right. Different clamps. Different issues. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/17/2018 7:46 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. I have had plastic quick clamps fail to do what I would like from most Mfgs. HF #46806 type. I just do not buy them anymore. I've got one old Irwin that has not totally failed yet, but it does have a lower clamping force than I would like. Various others in various sizes have all slowly gone into the round file over the years. #60539 is an aluminum "close?" bar clamp with similar grip range to the old pipe mounted clamps we use to buy. I would shy away from it because its aluminum and from Harbor Freight. Aluminum can be quite strong. Some alloys (7075 for example) can be stronger than some steels. The problem is its probably not 7075. Now the little old style bar clamps like the #62239 seem to be ok. They are a pretty light bar, but they are no worse than any other clamp with such a light duty steel bar. I've never actually had one of them slip, although the lock on similar Irwin clamps has slipped on me. I threw three of them away all at once one day. I have about 20 of those little #62239 clamps and I use them with far more clamping force than they are design for to hold injection molds closed when I am injecting. I have a few Jorgensen clamps, and a bunch of bar clamps from various MFGs. I have several bar clamps from harbor freight with the heavier steel bar as well. (I don't see those on the website. Maybe they don't sell them anymore.) They work fine. I've learned if I take my time and lay out my work on a nice clear bench or table it doesn't take long at all to get everything clamped up. Often it takes half a day to clear a bench and only half an hour to finish a glue up. LOL. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:46:29 -0800 (PST)
DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. not one of the better reviews not in the pros versus cons sense but just creativity there are some very funny reviews on hf my all time favorite was a reviewer lamenting they asked rhetorically why they continued to buy tool shaped objects from hf |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Fri, 19 Jan 2018 09:34:31 -0800, Electric Comet
wrote: On Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:46:29 -0800 (PST) DerbyDad03 wrote: They suck. not one of the better reviews but the most accurate i've read in a long time and not one word i disagree with |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
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. 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. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On Sat, 20 Jan 2018 06:58:31 -0800 (PST), "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. 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. In a perfect world, maybe you can find perfect wood along side perfect people. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
|
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
|
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
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. |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
On 1/20/18 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. 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. I subscribe to that philosophy as well. Doesn't mean those HF aluminum bar clamps aren't $h!tty. :-) -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
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. 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 Even if you're only clamping two boards to make a panel, this thing will act to push the board up. I've done plenty of 2 and 3 board glue-ups with parallel clamps where I didn't need to hold the middle of the boards down so they didn't pop up. Once I get past 3 it's usually necessary with any clamp, no matter the quality. But a clamp with a jaw that skewed is scrap metal, IMO. -- -MIKE- "Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life" --Elvin Jones (1927-2004) -- www.mikedrums.com |
Harbor Freight Bar Clamp #60539 Review
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. ;~) |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:40 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter