Two newbie question(c-clamp/dura board)

[David Song]

Hi,

Any thoughts to this c-clamp I linked? You can tighten with one hand?
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11573


Comparing two links below, I notice dura board(wall hook storage) has big price difference between the two store. Can someone tell me why Woodcraft charges twice the price for what seems to be the same thing to my eyes??? I know Woodcraft comes with 2 board but that's why I say twice the cost and not four.

http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11986

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=412028&FamilyID=63402

Thank you!

[Prashun Patel]

I too bought c clamps when I started out. They're fine - and still have a place. But in the cheap-gotta-have-bunch-on-hand category, I much prefer f clamps. IMHO, C-clamps are awkward, too shallow and apply too much pressure in a small area which always marks - unless you use backer boards - which is hard on a 6" clamp.

If you want to get a bunch of cheap clamps, check out ebay for f clamps. You can usually get 6 x 12" ones for about $30 delivered.

[glenn bradley]

I guess that would be a fine C-clamp if you use them much. I do have a half dozen or so in different sizes that I picked up early on. They get used very little. I also have a large collection of quality F-style clamps that could have just as well bee a bit cheaper in cost and quality for all that I use them. If I could have all the money back I spent on cheap clamps, the pain of eventually having to buy quality ones might be lessened ;-)

Woodcraft can be found to be more expensive on some items for no reason that concerns us. Same can be said of many retailers. You have noticed something that you should keep in the forefront of your mind whenever shopping:

- The brand name or merchant is not an assurance of the quality or value level for all products.
- Some things should be bought at Woodcraft, some at Lee Valley, some at Home Depot.
- Always apply LOML's purchasing logic; Is it on sale? Do I need it RIGHT NOW? If the answer to at least one of these questions isn't YES, walk away.

[Chris Padilla]

- The brand name or merchant is not an assurance of the quality or value level for all products.

Bessey is an exception that I've found for this case. :)

[David Song]

Hi,

So is the C-clamp waste of money? Because I have them on order but they won't ship out for a week due to my other item being back ordered. Perhaps I can just change it to more practical clamps.

[Chris Padilla]

I haven't found a ton of uses for my c-clamps in woodworking but that doesn't make them totally useless but they are by far the most rarely used clamp in my arsenal.

[Jason Beam]

Funny how many ways there are to skin a cat.

I have 20 or 30 c-clamps, mostly 3", and being able to use 'em one-handed would be nice, sometimes, but not that often. I use 'em for small clamping situations where a QuickGrip is too weak (more often than I thought). An example would be if I need to hold a straight edge across a wide panel to guide my router - the QGs are terrible for this application - they don't hold well enough (or I don't have a strong grip, i guess) and vibrate loose. My 3" c-clamps hold EVERY time with very little effort. I have double-stick taped some 1 1/2" squares to both faces of the jaws to distribute the load and not mar my surfaces.

I have never paid more than $2 or $3 for a c-clamp, and likely don't think I could be persuaded to spend more. They're simple devices for simple applications. I don't like the idea of complicating 'em with a thumb-knob, personally, but that's just me. :)

Another fantastic use that my C-clamps surprassed all others was when I was gluing up the top for my work bench. Lots of strips of maple going together. I used the c-clamps spaced every 6-12 inches OVER THE SEAM to help keep the alignment as close as possible. I used larger clamps to do the actual pressing together, the c-clamps were there to aid in alignment. It was simpler than any other method I'd seen - dowels, biscuits, splines, etc - no need, just hold them where i want them till the glue dried. My masonite clamp pads were covered with packing tape so the glue wouldn't stick. Worked swimmingly :)

[Stephen Edwards]

Your C-Clamps will come in handy and have their place, as others have noted. It's nice to have a few around but I wouldn't buy a lot of them. If you only ordered a few, I would not cancel the order.

As for the peg board: It certainly pays to shop around!

[Greg Hines, MD]

I think that every shop needs to have some C-clamps. Those appear to be decent clamps, and the thumb wheel looks handy to have. You will find that you are going to have numerous types of clamps eventually. For example, I do not have any parallel jaw clamps yet, but know that I will get some eventually. I would get them as you need them.

Doc