Request from Eric Brown

[harry strasil]

Jr in your post on drilling holes you have a picture showing a board clamped with a very nice looking wood bar clamp. Would you please start a thread showing details of this and other workholding devices you have made?
Greatly appreciated.

Eric

Eric, your request is being honored in a fashion. I have a few photos on file, but, most of what you want is in my demo trailer which is drifted in and inaccessable now.

I originally made the clamps for my demo shop as modern clamps would not look historically correct for my demos, mid to late 1800's, clamps in those days were called CRAMPS, as they used wedges to do the actuall tightening process, but many did add wooden screws to their Cramps to make them easier to apply. I only have a leg vise on my demo bench and use mostly Holdfasts and a wedge clamping system when doing demoes and in my basement shop, even tho my basement work bench has 6 vises on it.

There is a thread showing my demo bench and the use of wedges and bench dogs.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=38637

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clamp2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clampbrkt.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clamp1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clmp1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clmp2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clampsketch.jpg

There are way too many tools and aids I have made for myself to post them all, but if you have specific things, I can search thru my archived pictures and see if there are any to post.

Jr.

[harry strasil]

This is the thread with the requested tutoral from some time back, explaining how I made my clamps.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=3786&highlight=clamp

[Eric Brown]

Exactly what I was looking for. Any suggestions as to which woods to use or not use? Thanks.

Eric

[harry strasil]

Eric, I used salvaged oak for the body parts and salvaged walnut and hickory for the screws which I lube with beeswax and/or the white paraffin emergency candles.

Note: just make sure the beams, the main parts of the bar clamps have flat sawn grain like shown in the picture, old timers used only grain that was with the wides sides of joists etc, as it is much stiffer than quarter sawn and rift sawn and will not bow hardly at all in use even under lots of pressure.

[Robert Rozaieski]

These are fantastic! Thanks Jr.! I was going to make some of these in the style used in the Williamsburg cabinet shop but I like yours better...there's no metal work involved (not my favorite work to do). Consider your design stolen :D.

[harry strasil]

I forgot one tip, I have learned from using the clamps, when you drill the holes on the back side for the stop pins, drill them a 32nd over .

[David Gendron]

Thank you Eric for asking Jr. and thank you Jr., for posting these photos and drawing!
These "cramps" look fantastic!

[harry strasil]

I found a seperate picture of my board edge glueing clamp that may show more detail.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/edgeclamp.jpg

[harry strasil]

Now if y'all want to see what our forefathers had to work with in the line of Mfgd clamps when they came out, I used to do some work for an old time House Carpenter/Cabinet maker and he was going to throw out some of his earliest Cramps that he had inherited from his uncle who taught him and he inherited his shop. The shop still stands but looks like it is ready to fall in, and it was not very large either. He knew I collected old tools and did some woodworking in my early days, tailed of course then, before I got the BUG for old handtools, and told me to come over and I could have my pic of some of his JUNK.

This is the earliest ones that his uncle bought, I have 2, one complete.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/oldcramps001.jpg

You had to furnish a piece of wood for the screw end to go up against the screw which has a nice center tapered pin to hold the piece in place, which you beeswaxed for lube, if you look closely you can see 2 different height notches for the anchoring piece.

This is the next Cramp his uncle bought he told him, it's less bulky and heavy and has its own jaw on the screw. I have only one of these.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/oldcramps002.jpg

The backside showing the holes in the bar to anchor the movable jaw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/oldcramps003.jpg

This is the third style his uncle obtained, the jaws are a little higher for more support. I have 2 of these also. this one has part of the casting to hold the screw broken off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/oldcramps004.jpg

and the backside showing the notches to anchor the movable jaw.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/oldcramps005.jpg

This is the one I basically copied in all wood for my demo cramps.