Bar Clamps & Ebay...

[Harold Burrell]

I am wondering...

I am looking for F-style bar clamps. I need as many as I can get. I am also..."finacially challenged".

"Poor", to be exact.

Anyway...I did a search on ebay for said clamps and came up with a bunch. However, most of them are "no name" brands.

So...my question...are all bar clamps basically the same? Is there that much difference in them? Or, is a bar clamp a bar clamp?\

Thanks!

[Mike Heidrick]

You by Bloomington, IL, by chance?

[Harold Burrell]

You by Bloomington, IL, by chance?

No. (Unless you consider north central PA as close. ;) )

[Mike Heidrick]

I have bessies, jorgys, and have some from harbor freight. They all clamp. Sometimes the harbor freight bars bow. I loosen them a bit when they do.

How cheap are the ones you are looking at? What sizes are you buying? What are you building is a better question.

[Harold Burrell]

I have bessies, jorgys, and have some from harbor freight. They all clamp. Sometimes the harbor freight bars bow. I loosen them a bit when they do.

How cheap are the ones you are looking at? What sizes are you buying? What are you building is a better question.

I am looking for a variety of sizes. I am building a large dresser right now. Then, a sound system console for church. Then, a large dining table...hutch...primitive benches...another dresser...whatever else my wife sees that she likes...

Here's an example of some clamps on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/8-New-24-Bar-Clamps-Woodworking-F-Wood-Tools-Lot-tools_W0QQitemZ360197819118QQcmdZViewItemQQptZClam ps_Vises?hash=item53dd768aee

[Steve Clardy]

I had several of those no-names.

I won't purchase any more of them. My clamping is pretty demanding sometimes.
Those things bent easily, the swivel pads fell off of the threaded shafts on some of them.

I pretty well stay with Jorgenson clamps.

Woodworkers Supply has some import F-style clamps that are real decent. I have a few of those. They are green and yellow colored.

[Randal Stevenson]

I am wondering...

I am looking for F-style bar clamps. I need as many as I can get. I am also..."finacially challenged".

"Poor", to be exact.

So...my question...are all bar clamps basically the same? Is there that much difference in them? Or, is a bar clamp a bar clamp?\

Thanks!

Kinda related to your second question. Why specifically, do you need F style clamps, rather then pipe clamps, etc?

[Ken Platt]

I have a variety of those "F" style clamps that I've gotten here and there. The one I have that is Bessey brand (I think it's their "Tradesman" line) has a bar that is quite a bit wider than the HF cheapos. It's pretty easy to bend the bar when tightening those. The Bessey, not so much. I also have some HF no-names that have nice rubber grips on the handle, which makes tightening a lot easier, even if you do not have any gripping difficulties.

So it does make a difference. The ones in the pic looked like the HF cheapo easy-bending ones without even the grippy handle. They're usable, but wouldn't want to have only those available to me. I think there are options that while somewhat more expensive will be much more useful. My first clamp purchases were Jorg aluminum bar clamps with the deep-reach heads. Reasonable if not cheap, and I still use them all the time. Just a thought.

Ken

[David DeCristoforo]

"...Those things bent easily, the swivel pads fell off of the threaded shafts on some of them...."

Also, the jaw castings are weak. I was given a dozen of those "cheapo" clamps by a friend a few months ago. They were almost new. Four of them have already cracked under "normal" use.

[george wilson]

I've had cheap clamps from Enco with the screw installed at an angle,making the clamps pretty much useless,like C clamps that have been sprung sideways by excessive tightening. I started the toolmaker's shop on a fairly small budget. Replaced them later.

I use Jorgensens at home. Early on at work,I bought a bunch of Hargreave bar clamps. There was nothing wrong with them,but they arrive covered with filthy black greasy crud that looks like it has graphite in it. A pain to clean off.

[Will Paul]

I've been thinking about picking up some of these eBay clamps as well but finally bit the bullet and bought some Jorgensens. No complaints so far.

Although sometimes these still cross my mind. It seems like it may be possible to find a diamond in the rough @ HF if you don't mind sorting through and testing what they have there before you buy em.

[Tom Veatch]

...Anyway...I did a search on ebay for said clamps and came up with a bunch. However, most of them are "no name" brands.

So...my question...are all bar clamps basically the same? Is there that much difference in them? Or, is a bar clamp a bar clamp?...

I tried to save money by buying some eBay clamps awhile back. Amortizing the total I spent over the ones that were usable made those some of the most expensive clamps I've ever bought. I don't have the exact percentage at hand, but the vast majority of them are rusting away in the landfill. I have too much integrity to foist them off (even as giveaways) to anyone except maybe my brother in law, but that's another story.

The biggest, most consistent problem was the swivel pads which seemed fine until they got a little pressure on them. At that point mine would lock up tight and start walking as you increase clamping pressure. Don't know if the ones you're looking at have that problem or not, but I've never had that happen with my Jorgensens. The Jorgies may be a little more expensive per clamp, but buying 5 el-cheapo pos's to get one that's usable, closes the expense gap quite a lot!

No more will I waste a penny on the eBay "bargains". Call me a chauvinist pig if you want, but the only F-style bar clamps I'll even consider are the Jorgies. I don't even like the few Bessey's I have. Can't point a finger at just why I don't like them. Maybe it's just because they aren't Jorgies.

[Harlan Coverdale]

I had exactly the same experience as Tom above. I bought a similar ebay deal, I think it was 8 clamps for 10 bucks plus shipping. The bars flex, the clamping pads creep and don't swivel as they should, and the whole lot is nothing more than scrap metal to me now. I've started using small bits of the bars for other things around the shop when I need a short length of rectangular steel bar.

I have other name-brand f-clamps and they perform as they should. So no, not all bar clamps are equal.

And Randall had a good question. Have you considered pipe clamps? Excellent bang for the buck, and something you'll still use years from now when you have a rack full of other clamps.

[Michael Schwartz]

I have quite a few cheap F clamps and while it is obvious they are cheap they work just fine for allot of stuff when my nicer clamps are tied up. I bought a few boxed sets at a woodcraft store that had an assortment for 20 or 30$. They are obviously lower quality but you can never ever have enough clamps, and you don't always need a 50$ parallel jaw clamp. If you come across something like this and can get a clamp that will work fine for allot of stuff for under 5 bucks each how can you resist.

The rockler aluminum pipe clamps are affordable but not that great. I find they tend to like to slip allot before catching. If you need long clamps for a few projects you can make them work. Mine have been a love/hate kind of an affair, They are fine when they do there job, but getting them to do it can take a bit of finesse. If your going to use them often I would stay away. The 8 I purchased some time ago provided me the numbers to glue up my 4" thick 24" wide 8'long work bench top. For the price you can get quite a large collection.

Really all depends on how much work your doing. A really nice set of 4 or so parallel jaw clamps with some cheap pipe clamps and f clamps so you have some numbers might be all you need. If your building stuff for a living however only get the best you can afford.

[John McClanahan]

As a hobbiest, I have plenty of cheap clamps, along with some good ones. From what I've learned from buying cheap clamps, I would never buy them without being able to test them. Besides not being as strong, too often the clamping screw is threaded crooked. Even a heavy built clamp is no good with this problem (yep, I got one of those, too).

John

[george wilson]

P.S.,the Hargreave bar clamps also annoyingly slip sometimes several "clicks" before finally grabbing. That's without the black gunk on them,too. I think the Jorgensens are much better.

[John M Bailey]

I would recommend you try the shopfox f-clamps from Grizzly if you want a cheap clamp that works well. I have about 20 of the heavy duty clamps, from 18" to 30" purchased mostly during sales that get the price around $9-$10 for 30" models.
They are, I think, the only cheap clamps that are worth using. This is my opinion after trying several of the HF and other cheap no names such and GRIP and ITT. The screws are hardened acme thread and the swivels work well. The bars are heavy and do not bend like the others. The handles are wood and have a good shape that is easily gripped.

[Curt Harms]

questionable regardless of source. I have some Jorgenson & some Pittsburgh (Harbor Freight). The 6" & 12" are quite useful. the 18" and 24" tend to bow with not much pressure. I also have 6 or 8 4" Bessies from a Woodcraft sale. I use the little ones more than I'd have thought. For spans greater than 12" either aluminum bar clamps, pipe clamps or parallel clamps seem more reliable. I like the aluminum bar clamps where heavy clamps can cause problems, they're nice and light. Parallel jaw clamps are great but they aren't light. For clamping up boxes I use the parallel jaw clamps on the bottom. They sit flat and don't tip easily. They also clamp 2 pieces of plywood square reliably. The aluminum bar clamps on top don't make the assembly top heavy and prone to tipping out of square. And in the bang-for-the-buck category it's hard to argue with pipe clamps especially if you have a source of cheap pipe.

[Myk Rian]

I have some of the Jorgensens from HoPo that work very well. The bars are heavy and don't bend. The grips are large and the castings are thick.
I also have some Jets that I won't buy again. Thin bars bend easily.

[scott vroom]

I'm also a newbie. Seems the concensus is Jorgenson. I checked their web site and was overwhelmed by the number of choices! I could use some guidance on best clamp for kitchen cabinet making. I don't want to over-spend but also have budgeted money to get good quality clamps. I notice their "Cabinet Master" look nice but are pricey. Are they worth it? Any suggestions are appreciated. Also, what sizes are desirable for typical kiktchen cabinets? Dumb questions, yes....but considering the source :eek:!

P.S. I'll be making bedroom furniture once the kitchen cabinets are completed. Will the same clamps support both projects or will I need different style clamps?

Thanks!