Which parallel clamps

[Anthony Whitesell]

I have a bunch of panel glue ups in my future. I was thinking of getting some parallel clamps and giving them a try for gluing the panels. But which brand?

[Bob Genovesi]

I have a bunch of panel glue ups in my future. I was thinking of getting some parallel clamps and giving them a try for gluing the panels. But which brand?

Anthony,

I voted for Bessy because that's what I have and therefore use. If I'm not mistaken all the clamps you've listed are K-Body clones and I suspect that they all work pretty much the same.

The K-Body clamp from most of the manufactures appear to be identical but they've added subtle features line removable jaw pads, cushioned handles, feet, variations in bar design, reversible heads etc.

I bought some Bessy clones and did a pretty thorough review.

http://www.woodworkslive.com/index.php/topic,5612.0.html

[Dave Loebach]

I have both Besseys and Cabinet Master. I can clamp two pool table balls togeter only with the Besseys, indicating that the jaws on the cabinet master are not really parallel. The amount of error may or msy not make much difference for woodworking, but if you are ever clamping pool table balls together...... Also I find the cabinet master clamps to be too big.

[Andy McCormick]

I use Bessey's but the problem that I have from them are after about 2 years there is so much friction in the screw that when I turn the handle when I use them the whole clamp wants to rotate. I have tried to use every kind of lubricant there is but they still want to turn. I have even tried graphite. I called Bessey to see what they use when they are built and the customer support says they don't put anything on them when they are built.

[Bob Genovesi]

I use Bessey's but the problem that I have from them are after about 2 years there is so much friction in the screw that when I turn the handle when I use them the whole clamp wants to rotate. I have tried to use every kind of lubricant there is but they still want to turn. I have even tried graphite. I called Bessey to see what they use when they are built and the customer support says they don't put anything on them when they are built.

Andy,

Are they all like this or just one?

I've never had a problem with any of my Bessy K-Body's and have been using them for about 10 years.

[Mike Heidrick]

I have a ton of cabinet masters and I love them. Dave, send yours my way if you dump them! These are the only ones I have paid full price for.

I like the trigger of the Jet sometimes so I have a few of those too I bought from a buddy.

When the $20 Bessies hit or the mis-marked Bessie Revos at Farm and Fleet were around (I tried to tell them but they would not listen to me so I just said the heck with it and bought them, again, and again, and again) I bought some of those too.

The best advice I can give is not to limit yourself to one brand once you get above 8-12 parallels. They each have features that work really well for different clamp up situations (for example - sometimes you want Jet's trigger to hold the head stay in place - other times you want that Jorgy free floating head to slide right into place with one hand).

In the end they all work REALLY well.

[Casey Gooding]

I did vote, but honestly, I just buy whatever brand is cheapest at the time. I don't see a huge difference in them.

[John Coloccia]

I have the Jet clamps. I got a bunch of them free with some equipment I bought (ended up with 6 of them, I think). The release on them is garbage. You can futz around for days trying to figure out the exact position and angle you must hold everything in order to get it to move. I routinely smash my fingers putting these things away, struggling with the release mechanism.

Other than that, I like them just fine. I personally wouldn't buy them again, though.

[Art Mulder]

I voted other, because that is the only ones I have experience with.

1- I have a bunch of Gross Stabil -- good luck finding those now. Bessey bought the company and killed them. They have nice big non-marring faces, are strong and beefy, and work great. I can still get them here in Ontario, since the local tool store bought up a large part of the remaining inventory, and they still sell them at the local tool shows. The sales mgr there was a fan of them and thought they were actually superior to the Bessey's, and I think he had a point.

2- I also have some Irwin parallel clamps. These are heavy. Heavier than the Gross-Stabil, which were also a touch heavier than the basic Bessey. They have an even larger head, which can be a pro or con depending on your situation. The big difference in these is that they bar is not toothed, so it is easier to clean off any glue spills. These also work well.

[Don Bullock]

I didn't vote because I've only used the Jet. For someone like me who was away from woodworking for many years they are fantastic. Before I got them I'd only used 1970s vintage pipe clamps.

[glenn bradley]

I run the K-bodys. They are lighter in weight which makes it easier for me to maneuver them. When the Revo style came out I picked up a bunch more of the originals at clearance sales.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I voted other, because that is the only ones I have experience with.

I have a bunch of Gross Stabil.

Ditto "other" and Gross Stabil. Also have a few Bessey. They seem to me to be equavalent - I just had the GS first, and I am more used to their slide/engagement "ballet".

[Bill Huber]

I have Jet, Cabinet Master and K-Body.

I like and use the Cabinet Masters the most, they adjust easier and are heavier then the K-Body or the Jet. The slide easy when I want them to slide and slide easy when I want to adjust them.

The thing I don't like about the K-Body is when I want them to slide they won't and when I don't want them to slide they do.

The Jets are nice and I like the lever to release I also like the handle but they are not has strong as the Cabinet Master.

So I use the Cabinet Masters first, then the Jets and then the K-Body.

[Dave Lehnert]

I own a lot of the K-body clamps and they work well but have to say I prefer the Stanley brand clamps that I got from the Big Lots deal about a year ago.
I get flat glue-ups every time. I don't with the K-Body clamps. The Stanleys just have a better feel to them.

http://www.stanleytools.com/catalog_images/mid_res/83-041_mid_res.jpg

[Dave Lehnert]

The Jorgensen clamps, when they came out, had a problem with the heads cracking. Anyone know if this is still a problem.

[John Coloccia]

I have Jet, Cabinet Master and K-Body.

I like and use the Cabinet Masters the most, they adjust easier and are heavier then the K-Body or the Jet. The slide easy when I want them to slide and slide easy when I want to adjust them.

The thing I don't like about the K-Body is when I want them to slide they won't and when I don't want them to slide they do.

The Jets are nice and I like the lever to release I also like the handle but they are not has strong as the Cabinet Master.

So I use the Cabinet Masters first, then the Jets and then the K-Body.

How do you get your Jets to release? I have 6 of them, and every one of them is an absolute struggle to release. Is there a trick to it?

[Rick Fisher]

Funny, I picked up 2 more Besseys on the weekend at Lee Valley..

The new ones are awesome..

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/jokerbird_photo/P1140747.jpg

The black face guards are removable.. Apparently they have more power.. 1500lbs..

Made in Germany, always a plus..

[William Nimmo]

For panel glue ups, edge glueing, I prefer Jorgensen aluminum bar clamps. I have gross stabil, jet, bessey and jorgy cabinemaster clamps. I use them all for other applications, But for edge glueing I like these. They used to be a lot cheaper than parallel clamps, but they seem to be getting up there in price. The panel lays nice and flat.
129245

[Mike Heidrick]

The Jorgensen clamps, when they came out, had a problem with the heads cracking. Anyone know if this is still a problem.

Has not been a problem in a long time and if any of you have issues the Adjustable clamp co/Jorgy will still replace the heads for free. New heads are black vs the silver originals.

[Brad Westcott]

I voted Bessey since that is what I use most of the time for smaller work. For panel glue ups, the Jorgenson design is usually the tool of choice because of cost/performance ratio.

In the end, I will use every clamp in the house if that is all I have. It seems that I wind up buying another pair of clamps every time I am in the middle of another project!!!!!

That is another project on my list of things to do. Making a rack for my clamps and portable table top tools. Thanks for the reminder.:D

[Dave Lehnert]

Has not been a problem in a long time and if any of you have issues the Adjustable clamp co/Jorgy will still replace the heads for free. New heads are black vs the silver originals.

Thanks for the info.
I was not sure how to tell the old stock vs the new.

[Wayne Ashing]

I agree with Dave, Have multiple Bessy's K-body and woodcraft and HF clones. I usually reach for the Stanley/Bailey clamps first. Only complaint is they will leave a black spot if I forget to use wax paper on glue up, especially using oak!

[Jay Jeffery]

I'd really like some Jets with the release lever, so that's what I voted for, even though I don't have any. I dislike the way the K-body clamps bind when trying to move the head. The Stanley clamps do the same, although to a lesser extent.

However, I should have voted for the Woodcraft brand as they are on sale right now at prices I might actually be able to swing. Even on sale, the Jet clamps are outside of my available funds.