Stanley clamps?

[Drew Sanderson]

I was watching This Old House and saw Tom using some Stanley parallel clamps. Are they any good? I realize that Stanley is a show sponsor.

[Brian Effinger]

I have some, and while they are not the best, the work reasonably well. I couldn't beat the price either from big lots - $15.

[John Jendro]

I have some, and while they are not the best, the work reasonably well. I couldn't beat the price either from big lots - $15.


I feel the same way. I bought some when Big Lots was clearing them out, but I wouldn't pay full price for them. Stick to Bessy's Jorgy's or Jets.

[John McClanahan]

I too bought some from Big Lots. The tightening bolts seem to thread a bit less than square to the clamps. I thought they might be slight irregulars that Big Lots was selling, but I don't recall ever seeing Stanley clamps for sale anywhere else.

John

[Van Huskey]

Picked some up at Big Lots as well, I have since given them to a friend who needed clamps. They were the last ones I reached for when I had them. For near full price I will only buy Jet, on sale Jorgensen are fine too, though the Bessey parallel clamps aren't bad the other two are IMNSHO significantly better.

[scott spencer]

Hi Drew - I prefer my Jet clamps over my Stanleys, but when the price is right they do work well enough.

[Scott Vantine]

I bought mine from Big Lots as well! Picked them up for $10! Not the greatest, but they do the job!

[Will Overton]

When things work "well enough for the price", "for the price" is the disclaimer that says the really don't work all that well.

Save your money until you can buy something that works "really well".

Just my 2¢

[Will Blick]

I have tested these parallel clamps...
Stanley Bailey clamps, Bessey K's, Jorgies, Jets and a few no names....

In the big name clamps, the Stanley win HANDS down with their ability to exert pressure.... about 1200 psi, nearly double that of Jet, Bessey, Jorgie and the others.... this was consistent with many people who tried the test. A wood working magazine also rated them the best in this regard....

They also turned out to be the BEST in "holding force".... after 4 hours, the Stanley only dropped 20% of its force...vs. on avg. of 50% for most all of the other makers.

http://ic2.pbase.com/g5/25/583725/3/103632192.MaIJCAWA.jpg

As far as parallelism goes... Even though the Jets have the thickest bar, in my tests, the Besseys flex the least.... so for under 18" where bar flex is less of an issue, those Stanleys were a steal at Big Lots, I wish our Big Lots had them... I paid full price for the Stanleys, and they are always the first ones I grab for. 2x the pressure = half the clamps required....

[glenn bradley]

I picked up 8 when they were at Big Lots. For the price you couldn't go wrong. I wouldn't pay anywhere near Bessey (or others) prices for them though. They are heavy and a bit awkward compared to K-body clamps but very usable.

[Van Huskey]

2x the pressure = half the clamps required....


I don't want to rehash the infamous thread regarding you findings BUT twice the pressure from a single clamp very rarely means half the clamps required in woodworking senarios. If it weren't for the force from clamps being cone shaped OR if you have perfect caul action maybe, but it is rarely the case. This would also assume you need the excess pressure, which is rarely the case in most woodworking.

[Will Blick]

> They are heavy and a bit awkward compared to K-body clamps but very usable.


Yep, and thats why they perform so well vs. the K Bodies...

Yet, OTOH, the Jets are the heaviest of them all...and before I tested them (I have a bunch of them) I swore they were the best in every regard, so robustly built....but they exert the least pressure, around 500 lbs and that heavy bar flexes more than the bessey's thinner bar.... must be the metal type... I was quite shocked at this... like the ol sayin, you can never judge a book by its cover...

I like the fact with Bessey's you can join their bars to extend clamping range, (with accessory extender) this IMO offers great versaitiliy with less clamps... after I beefed up the Bessey handles, they are good clamps...and if I had to pick a single brand, I would stay with the besseys for their versatility...

If you want a real bargain in F clamps right now, Woodpeckers is clearing out the Bessey F clamps.... they are not the Tradesman name, but every bit as strong....these are ROCK solid clamps with 5" deep throats... but they seem to only have the 18" and 24" remaining..

and they really do hit 1200 lbs of pressure... very impressive for an F clamp....

from their site

<Here's your chance to own an "F" style Bessey clamp that Bessey manufactured in limited quantities but never took to market. We have a limited supply of these in stock. 1200 lbs.

http://www.woodpeck.com/media/specials_GSCC-Beauty.jpg
Quantities Limited!>

[Jon Grider]

I bought several at Big Lots as well. I like mine a lot... not as much as my Revos, but more than my old K's. The handles are actually designed for a large hand unlike the K's handles That I find wimpy and hard to grip. They are heavy, I consider that a plus in that there should be less flex and more durability. As far as the jaws being parallel I've not had any problems whatsoever with mine. The truth is in the glue up and mine come out well with my big yellow clamps...

[Will Overton]

In the big name clamps, the Stanley win HANDS down with their ability to exert pressure.... about 1200 psi, nearly double that of Jet, Bessey, Jorgie and the others....

While that may be true, if you need that much pressure you need to improve your joinery skills. :)

I do have a serious question for you. What is it about the design of all these clamps that allows one to exert more pressure than another? Is it the handles, the pitch of the threads, or something else???

[Will Blick]

>While that may be true, if you need that much pressure you need to improve your joinery skills.


Through trial and error, and much discussions with Titebond glue engineers, I have learned the million$ into research on the required pressures for wood applications are very useful. So now I routinely follow the manufacturers reccomended pressures... of course, this is rarely to squeeze every ounce of holding power from the glue, but rather to assure near invisible glue lines.. Of course, not all joints are edge-to-edge, so there is situations where clamp pressure is not as applicable.....so of course, common sense still must be used.... when I attach small moldings on small projects, I use blue painters tape, its all that is required. anyway, this is has been beat-up b4....

Good question about the "why" the variance in clamping pressure.... from the best I can tell there is several reasons why some clamps perform so well vs. others....

1) handle design.... the abiltiy to exert force with our hands.... the Bar clamps use the same acme threads as the parallel clamps, but since the cross handles extend out for added leverage, these simple, low cost clamps can exert up to 1500 lbs. ... on avg. 1200 - 1300 lbs for the Rocklers and Jorgies... try that with a Bessey K body, the wood handle will break at about 800 lbs, assuming you are strong enough to get it there (the avg. person is NOT)... the Gross Stabil handles break up at 550 lbs... When I tested these, I did not realize this would be the resultant outcome...but, thats what happened... The Stanley Bailey's have the most Robust Handle of ALL the parallel clamps made...both in the handle shape and the non slip surface.

What I don't understand.... why didn't Bessey change the design on the Revo, and let the handle cock, via a U joint, so its easy to clamp without being so hard on your hands? This isn't rocket science. I have some cheapo Chinese clamps that implement the cocking handle, and WOW, how simple and effective....but of course, the rest of the clamp is junkie vs. the bigger name clamps...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_G51LJB_kBtM/SPIQVSPrTTI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ChyvuMiQuPE/s200/IMGP0019.JPG


2) Threads.... while the handle is still the most signifcant factor, the threads also contribute...and while they all look very similar, in fact, they are not.... some are machined to much tighter / smoother tolerances, which creates less friction... just adding Teflon lube to the threads will gain 250 lbs on avg... this occurs when the clamps are not lubricated at the factory.... the Stanley's gained nothing, they were well lubricated, the Jet's scream for teflon lube, they are relatively dry....not sure how they miss this at the factory. Without a gage, you would never know you are getting added clamping pressure, it all feels the same.


3) And what good is any pressure if the clamp slips after you tighten it? The Rockler bar clamps fall from 1200 lbs to 300 lbs in 3 minutes using their nickel pipe.... the glue has not even dried and have lost all your pressure... poor design. Black pipe helps. Now I use the Peachtree bar clamps for panel glue ups, where short jaw height is acceptable.... easy to tighten to 1000+ lbs without tearing your hands apart, and due to the fixed stops on the bar, they hold pressure with almost no loss over an hour. I have the 18", not sure if the longer ones will develop bar flex issues.... The stops are clearly the most sensible design to prevent slippage...

http://www.ptreeusa.com/email_images/big_foot_clamp_admail.jpg

[Will Blick]

>BUT twice the pressure from a single clamp very rarely means half the clamps required in woodworking senarios. If it weren't for the force from clamps being cone shaped OR if you have perfect caul action maybe, but it is rarely the case.


I agree in principle, but disagree with your term "rarely"... there is only two common glue ups which have high pressure requirements...

The first is face to face.... and that is beyond the means of the clamps we are discussing here.... at least to acheive the manufacturers recommendations, which is why you see massive hydraulic presses in factories that make face to face glued panels...

The other more common hobbiest scenario is edge to edge, the most common being a table top glue up. In which case, reducing the clamps in half, (assuming they exert 2x the pressure) will most often NOT create un even pressure at the joint lines.... the clamps are rarely more than a few inches apart for common 3/4" - 1" thick boards with board widths 4" +. The combination of required total pressure and board width requires so many clamps, that "uneven pressure" is never an issue..... this takes into consideration the clamping pressure radiates outward in the cone shape, as you suggest....

So I would suggest, the "rare" situation is either, or a combination of, very thin boards (say 1/4") which reduces the total glue surface area (thereby by reducing pressure requiements on linear basis) and/or very narrow boards, which now spacing between the clamps becomes an issue (as the cone of force does not have enough distance to spread). In which case, using a caul for even pressure distribution with fewer clamps is the better solution. Or alternatively, using more clamps which are only slightly tightened would be equally effective.


I would think in general woodwoorking, table top glues ups using...

1/4" thick boards which are only a few inches wide is much less common

vs.

3/4"+ thickness boards at 5" - 9".....

[Drew Sanderson]

You are all amazing! The amount of knowledge and thought on this one is great. When did you all see these at big lots? I currently have quite a few Jorgs.

[Will Blick]

Drew, the Big Lots Close-out on the Stanleys is sadly long over.....

I paid full price at Amazon, and when I heard about this over a year ago, my local Big Lots sold out in a week, I missed them all, for $12, I would have cleaned them out...

Still curious why Stanley got out of the business, for their first offering, they nearly hit a home run vs. the big names who have been making them for years....

[Dave Lehnert]

I have the Stanley and they clamp Sq. Better than the Bessy(Old style) I own. I like the Stanley a lot.
The bars on the Stanly is cast and will leave a black spot on the glue line like a pipe clamp.
IMHO- I think this is kinda they cost so much less so they can't be as good. (Big Lot deals) I paid a lot for my Bessy and they are good clamps but just don't see all the praise about them.