Lonnie Bird School - Cool Miter Clamp

[David Keller NC]

Don't know how many here is on Lonnie Bird's mailing list, but an e-mail arrived inviting those on it to check out a photo essay on one of the classes (building a mirror frame).

What caught my eye and might interest fellow neanders is the shop-made miter/frame clamp in photo 5. Very clever - I build a lot of frames, and mostly use Bessy band clamps. They're nice clamps, but have the disadvantage of requiring a separate check for squareness - if carefully made, Lonnie's version looks like it would eliminate that requirement, and it looks more appropriate in a neander's shop than the high-tech plastic of the Bessey clamp. :D

http://www.lonniebird.com/LatestProject.htm

[Joe Chritz]

I have a few shop made clamps like that (although I use all thread and nuts to pull them together). They work ok but you still need to check square. If the cuts are right it should go together square with very little pressure needed.

They are pretty easy to make and I found some plans someplace on the web.

Joe

[Bob Noles]

Thanks for the tip on the link David. Lonnie is fast becomming one of my favorite woodworkers. There is something about the simplicity of his style that keeps pulling me in.

[Mike Henderson]

Here's (http://www.sawdustmaking.com/Picture%20Frame%20Clamp%20copy/picture_frame_clamp.htm) another shop made picture frame clamp.

Grizzly sells one (http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-G3047-Adjustable-Frame-Clamp/dp/B0000DD1GT), also.

Mike

[george wilson]

I've got the Grizzly looking one,but a good wooden one would be better.

[mike holden]

David,
I believe that clamp was in ShopNotes not too long ago, and was in WOOD magazine even longer back!
Mike

[Tom Sontag]

I have had great success gluing small boxes with these: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=31162&cat=1,43838

[David Keller NC]

Tried them. Hated them. Sold them. No doubt that they were easy to pull square, but they were really, really slow. A band clamp and (perhaps) the version that's on Lonnie's site are speedy. That doesn't matter if you're making one humidor, but it does if you're making 6 and want to keep all of them going at the same time.