Clamps?

[Ryan Harrington]

Hi all-
I am new to sawmill creek, and am looking to get some clamps. Are the Bessey parallel clamps worth the extra money, or should I try to save by purchasing 3/4" pipe clamps? I will need to purchase 6 clamps for an upcoming project.

Thanks

[Nathan Callender]

I would love a set of parallel clamps but with. budget I have been able to do fine with bar clamps. The one nice thing about pipe clamps is that they are very adaptable so even if I had a lot of other clamps I would still have a few pipe clamps around.

[Joe Jensen]

I lived with pipe clamps for 15 years before going to Bessey Kbody clamps. You can build plenty with the pipe clamps, just need to be careful to make sure the clamp isn't pulling the boards out of flat when clamping. One way is to alternate with a clamp under the board, then on top, then under, then on top. This is because as the pipe gets pressure it flexes. The Bessey style clamps don't.

[Jim Rimmer]

+1 on what Joe said about alternating clamps. I would like to have some Bessey's as well but right now depend on the pipe clamps. Another hint is to put wax paper under the pipe so it doesn't leave a black mark on the wood.

And welcome to the Creek.

[Tony Joyce]

I have a mixture of pipe and bar clamps and they are fine for most everything as others have mentioned. At my day job we have bar clamps and some Bessy K bodies, I am not impressed enough with them to rush out and drop double what a bar clamp is for some of them. Just my .02 cents.

[Will Overton]

I recently gave away the last of my pipe clamps. They have been replaced by Bessey, and my preference, Jet parallel clamps. Obviously, I think they are worth the extra cost. That's a decision you and your finances will have to make.

That said, I worked with pipe clamps for 20+ years, so I couldn't say they don't work. Just follow Joe's advice.

[Paul Ryan]

I own 8 pipe clamps an about 30 bessy's. I wouldn't trade my bessy's for anything they are my go to clamp. If you can afford parallel clamps they are the way to go they are much more user friendly. But the cost is high and they do suffer from some draw backs. Less clamping power, which isn't that big of the deal, you shouldn't need more power than the bessy's provide. But the bessy's are limited to the length your purchase, generally speaking. You can buy adapters to lengthen a bessy but they are also expensive. Pipe clamps are not user friendly they bend, bend, and bend some more. They leave marks on your work piece, but they are cheap. I just used my set to build a king size head and foot board. I bought 4 couplers to tie 8 5ft pipes together. The local plumbing shop sold me the couplers for a whopping $4 total. For an extra $4 I had 10ft long clamps. A 8ft bessy is $80. So they they have their advantages. But personally I hate pipe clamps they are a pain to use, buy they are better than nothing.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

If you get pipe clamps, you are on the right track by saying 3/4" as 1/2" has too much flex. Also get decent quality ones. I've had some that were worth scrap metal price and no more.

[Bruce Page]

Ditto what Joe said, pipe clamps will do the job. That said, I haven't touched my pipe clamps since switching to the Bessy K-Body.

Big ++ for the 3/4" pipe size, the 1/2" is a waste of money.

[Lee Koepke]

a combination works too ... esp for larger glue-ups. You can use the large flat surface from the Bessey's to attach a pipe clamp to.

Realistically, you can effectively use most clamping systems provided you know their limitations. Pipe clamps are more affordable, so if it were me, i'd buy a few pipes ... and sneak in a Bessey when you get some extra $$

[Mark Woodmark]

I have used pipe clamps, Bessey clamps and Jet clamps. The Besseys and Jets are much better than pipe clamps and of those two I like the Jets better. They have more clamping surface, a more comfortable handle and I think they are a little more durable. I have had a couple Besseys break on me before

[Josh Bowman]

I started with pipe clamps and they have served me well for 20+ years. I agree about 3/4" being better than 1/2". This year I was able to afford some Bessy's. They are much better than the bar clamps, but only if you can afford them. They have some issues, I have not figured out how to keep glue off the notched edges except to use tape, a bar clamp will just knock the glue drips off. If you drop a Bessy just right, you can break it. But all that aside, when you tighten a Bessy, the value comes to light. Less work for you and very even pull on the board. Amazing how strong they are. Good luck. Just remember many folks have and still use standard bar clamps very successfully.

[Charles Krieger]

I have the Jet Parallel Clamps and love them. I also have pipe clamps and they do work, just not as easily or convenient as the parallel clamps. Buy parallel and skip the rest. You will eventually end up with parallel clamps!

There was a comparison article about a year ago that rated Jet best, Jorgensen second and Bessey third if I remember correctly.

[Brian Ross]

I too have bessy and Gross Stabil and they are my go to clamps .ipe clamps work fine and occasionally use the long ones I have. If buying pipe clamps today I would purchase the ones that have a foot that holds the pipe clamp higher than the ones that came out originally where the pipe almost rested on the work surface

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=904181&Ntt=904181&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber&eid=ShopToIt&utm_source=ShopToIt&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=904181

This link will give you an example


Brian

[Van Huskey]

Parallel clamps can't be beat.

That said I much prefer Jet parallel clamps with Jorgensen second. FWIW, FWW agrees.

[Charles Wiggins]

Ryan,

I think a lot of woodworkers start out with pipe clamps because they are more affordable and build up a collection of better quality clamps as they can afford it.

If you have the $$ then you can't go wrong getting good quality parallel clamps, but if that expense is going to keep you from doing other things that are more pressing, as others point out, pipe clamps will do fine if you pay attention to how you use them.

I have several 3/4" pipe clamps - mostly 3' and 4', and I bought connectors so I can combine the pipe and make 6', 7', and 8' lengths if need be. That came in handy when I was assembling our king size headboard.

I also have some aluminum bar clamps and several F-style clamps and bunches of spring clamps, and a couple of C-clamps. Then there's the specialty clamps like miter clamps. You can never have too many clamps.

I just got my first parallel clamps at an estate auction a few months back and have not gotten to use them much, but I am really pleased so far.

[Eric DeSilva]

+1 for JET clamps.

They have a nice cabinet set that was just on sale at tooliday for $129--two 40"ers and two 24"ers. See http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=141815. Might do watching that site, since according to the thread the deal has recurred fairly often in the last 6 mo. That is a nice price for some very nice clamps.

[Paul Steiner]

You can never have too many clamps. I am probably echoing what has been said but pipe clamps are good for starters. I bought pipe clamps and inexpensive f-style clamps because I could buy many of them with a small budget. Slowly I am going from cheap clamps to nice clamps as I find deals here and there.
I would recommend build chaulks or stands for you pipe clamps and cawls also. Makes using them alot easier.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

+2 for the Jets. They have a few gimmicks that make them "better" than the other parallel jaws. The main reason to buy pipe clamps IMO is if you are going to clamp things greater than 40". The best feature of the Jets is the head stays where you put it. It won't move around unless you move them.

[Paul Johnstone]

Hi all-
I am new to sawmill creek, and am looking to get some clamps. Are the Bessey parallel clamps worth the extra money, or should I try to save by purchasing 3/4" pipe clamps? I will need to purchase 6 clamps for an upcoming project.

Thanks

They are worth the extra money.
Look at it this way.. The guy just posted a link to 4 for about $30 each. I didn't click on the link for specifics.. but sometimes you can get even a better price.

A pipe clamp comparison.. Well, if you go with HF, the clamp fixture is roughly $5.. Other brands are maybe $10 or so. Then you have to buy the pipe.. depending on length, that's another $5-15/
So, pipe clamps will cost you $10-25 each. I know that's a rough figure, but the point is that they cost money too :)
If you have the extra money, you'll be glad you get Bessey types to begin with.

[Rod Sheridan]

The advice I have is buy the parallel clamps now while you are starting out, that way you maximise your usage/cost ratio.

I bought pipe clamps when I was starting out, In my opinion it was money wasted, because they're now sitting in the corner taking up space, as I use my Bessey clamps instead.

Yes the parallel clamps cost more, however they're worth it in the short and long term.

Buy good stuff once..............Regards, Rod.

[Frank Drew]

For a bent lamination glue up, I bought maybe twenty short lengths of pipe to fit my by-then rarely used pipe clamp fixtures, so, yes they can be useful.

For most other furniture/cabinetry type work, though, parallel clamps are way better, as just about everyone has noted. I only have experience with Bessey and never found anything about them I didn't like.

[Ryan Harrington]

Thanks for all the advice, gentlemen. I bit the bullet and picked up the Jet cabinet door set. Looking forward to putting them to use!

Ryan

[Thom Porterfield]

There is no such thing as owning too many clamps. I inherited some old Jorgeson wood screws some really funky pipe clamps, a couple of ancient bar clamps, then built 1/2" pipe clamps, 3/4" pipe clamps (using all kinds of whatever ends were available), have Jorgey bar clamps, Wetzler bar clamps, Harbor Freight bar clamps, Home depot bar clamps, some bar clamps I can't remember where they originated, spring clamps, some countless numbers of various sized C-clamps, and a silly nylon band clamp that only sort of works, and I still find myself coming up short.

So you ask "SHould I buy these?" The answer is "What else will you spend the money on? Plywood? Still have to clamp the plywood, don'tcha?"

:D

[Alan Lightstone]

+3 for the Jet Parallel Clamps. Later, I added Bessey Tradesman F-Clamps, but the Jet's are my go-to clamps.