MyDealsDirect Clamps

[Ken Higginbotham]

Does anybody have any of these:

Clamps (http://cgi.ebay.com/8-NEW-6-Inch-BAR-CLAMP-WOODWORKING-F-Metal-Gluing-tool_W0QQitemZ360127239393QQcmdZViewItemQQptZClamp s_Vises?hash=item360127239393&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)

Are they worth $20?

ken

[Prashun Patel]

Funny. I've ordered these in 12", 18" and 36".

They're great. Mine are a few years old and have paid for themselves many times over.

IMHO, I'd get 12" or larger; the 6" are just too small to be that useful. For smaller clamping ops, I prefer a mess of C clamps or spring clamps; they're more compact for stuff like jigs.

Also, contact the seller and see if you can order a few sets of different lengths and if they'll combine the shipping.

[Dave Sweeney]

These (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34387) are less money and work just fine. I have quite a few of these style clamps from HF up to their 18" length. I don't care for their longer ones as the bars tend to flex but the shorter ones, 18" and under, are great.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

These (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=34387) are less money and work just fine. I have quite a few of these style clamps from HF up to their 18" length. I don't care for their longer ones as the bars tend to flex but the shorter ones, 18" and under, are great.

Dave, I bought 6 of these and 2 of them are partially stripped after about a year of very light use (the thread is stripped). I also wonder if they apply significant lateral pressure when clamping. I have a much easier time when I use my pipe clamps or jet bar clamps (which are of course 2-3x more expensive).

They are indeed inexpensive but I find mine very frustrating.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

The six inch size are really too small for many projects. I am also leery of buying this type clamp without being able to check them to see they actually work. I have seen some inexpensive bar clamps that had the indents on the bar so shallow you could not apply any pressure without them slipping.

[Myk Rian]

I prefer the Jorgensen clamps at the HoPo. Less money and made in the USA.

[Ken Higginbotham]

Hum...

Ok. What about these:

Link (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94053)

?

[Prashun Patel]

For glueups those'll be fine, but don't forget to add in the price of threaded pipes.

I still think the 'cheapo' bar clamps are good to have around. You'll appreciate having a million clamps, and not every one of them has to be a rolls royce.

[Ken Higginbotham]

Yeah I kind of blew the budget with my new saw... Hard to spend $30+ a pop on a bunch of high end clamps :(

[Matt Day]

Anyone notice that the clamps in the OP's link cost $16.94 to ship?

[Tim Thomas]

Hum...

Ok. What about these:

Link (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94053)

?


I've got some of those, I think I have either 4 or 6 sets. They have worked fine for me. I used them when I glued up some panels out of pine and it came out well. The only knock I have on them is that getting them threaded onto the black iron pipe was very difficult because there was so much paint on the threads inside the clamp head. But you only have to do that part once, so I figure it was worth the money I saved...

[John Thompson]

Ken.. if you are mulling over which type and size clamps to purchase.. give me a call sometime and you can drop my shop some week-end. I will let you play with the Jorgy bar clamps like the type you originally posted..l bar clamps made from pipe up to 72".. Quik-Clamps and large pressure cabinet clamps.

That would give you a solid foundation to build on as if you get heavy into this you will need many types and sizes of clamps. I have probably between 60-80 clamps without counting and there have been times I have had over 40 in use at once on different phase of a project or projects.

How many clamps are enough?.... No matter how many you have you will "always" come up one short... Always....

Sarge..

[Ken Higginbotham]

Thanks John. I thought I'd get some of the low end clamps that would do the job for now. I may need to clamp up 3-4' stuff so I figured the pipe clamps would do for now.

BTW - I got power to the SC last night and made my first cut - Sweet! :):)

Thanks for the wiring advice.

[Prashun Patel]

http://www.ptreeusa.com/edirect_110708.htm

[Ken Higginbotham]

Thanks Shawn (and Tim).

Those p'tree clamps look good ;)

[Anthony Whitesell]

Does anybody have any of these:

Clamps (http://cgi.ebay.com/8-NEW-6-Inch-BAR-CLAMP-WOODWORKING-F-Metal-Gluing-tool_W0QQitemZ360127239393QQcmdZViewItemQQptZClamp s_Vises?hash=item360127239393&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)

Are they worth $20?

ken

These look like some that I bought at Big Lots, but mine were 24" long. I found that they had a lot of flex in the bar. Nice deep throat but too much flex and not enough clamping oomph.

I tend to use the Harbor Freight 1/2" pipe clamps. I must have about 10-12 of them by now. No complaints. You get a little more than what paid for. The faces aren't flat and the handles are a single peice that is pressed on and can fall off. But I got them for $2.49 each, now running $4. Wish the pipe was cheaper.

The Peachtree clamps look like a good deal. I believe this has been asked before...if you have them, how do they hold up and compare?

[Salem Ganzhorn]

For glueups those'll be fine, but don't forget to add in the price of threaded pipes.

I still think the 'cheapo' bar clamps are good to have around. You'll appreciate having a million clamps, and not every one of them has to be a rolls royce.

I think that is a good point. I actually probably use my cheap clamps the most...

But I would not buy the HB pipe clamps for 8-9$ a piece. Buy the Rockler ones instead. They are only ~10$ and are really quite nice.