HF Handscrew clamps

[David Nelson1]

I'm face gluing a few long boards and of course I don't have enough clamps. Anyone have comments on the hardwood clamps that HF sells? I'm looking at the 7 inch clamp due to price.

[glenn bradley]

I have a couple large ones and a couple small ones. They do fine. I have had the threads slip now and again as opposed to the acme threads on others. Rockler blows the "Jet" or "Rockler" versions out cheap or 2 for 1 on a regular basis. My most recent mailer has their 8" ones on sale for $4.99 each starting April 2 - 29. You couple also make your own cauls out of scrap and make a pair of clamps cover a longer distance. I made mine with a template and the router table but, Mike Henderson has a great tutorial on making them another way right here. (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/Cauls.htm)

[David Hostetler]

I have a pair of the 10" models. They are fine. If it's price though, both Rockler and Woodcraft put name brand hand screw clamps on deep sale fairly regularly...

[Andrew Joiner]

I had about 30 Jorgensen hand screws in my commercial shop and used them for many years. Only one ever cracked with almost daily use. Now I have 5 Jorgensen and 20 Harbor Freight.The Jorgensen have maybe 10% better fit and finish and they're all maple.

The Harbor Freight work fine, none have cracked in 2 years light use. You must pick through them and buy the ones with no knots or defects. They are made from mixed hardwoods. They have a lifetime warranty so save your receipts.

[Erik France]

You must pick through them and buy the ones with no knots or defects. They are made from mixed hardwoods. They have a lifetime warranty so save your receipts.+1 on the inspection, check grain orientation too. I've had a couple warp. I picked up a few from HF and big lots and a few from Woodcraft. The hardware on the cheap clamps is not as good as the brass on my Woodcraft versions or the black steel on the pair of large craftsmans I have. A little lube will help them move smoother.

[Myk Rian]

I have 2, 10" and 4, 4". No problems.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've got 4-10" and 2-4". They have done well for me. Jim.

[Chris Tsutsui]

Rockler last month had 12" wood clamps on sale for $5.99 ea or something like that... I had to buy a couple. This was way less than Harbor Freight's cost. I think Rockler has these on the back page as doorbuster type of deals.

The poster above is correct and the 8" Rockler wood clamps are $4.99 starting april 2nd. I found the rockler ones to be on par with HF, though a little more consistent. My HF clamps had some movement issues and wood filler issues. One split, but I just split it apart and glued it back and it's been fine for years. I would buy again.

HF's new return policy is 90 days if your unsatisifed, though you need your receipt.

[Andrew Joiner]

HF's new return policy is 90 days if your unsatisifed, though you need your receipt.

My hand screws said lifetime on them 2 years ago. It looks like all those cracks and knots caught up with them. Many of the other HF clamps still have a lifetime warranty.