Newbie Pipe Clamp Question

[Jason King.]

Need some help - i'm new to woodworking. Just got a doze pipe clamps from HF (3/4" heavy duty pittsburgh), my first time using these. I know I should try to get black gas pipe, but I have two quick questions:

1) Is there a standard threading for this; that is, when I tell the guy i need 1 end threaded, is it standard or do I have to specify type of threading.

2) Can the clamps be changed out for different lengths of pipe or do most people lock them in (i.e. locktight). I guess I'd like to be able to have 3' & 6' pipes and switch them out on the clamps or will i need to dedicate a pipe to each clamp & affix them permanently.

Any help with this is appreciated. JASON (Littleton, CO)

[Luciano Burtini]

Hey Jason

No problem with the threading, it is standard 3/4" NPT (there are others but they are not common). Also, you do not want to lock-tite the threads as you will remove the clamp ends to join pipes, etc. Simply screw them on. While your at it, get them to thread both ends of the pipe to give you you more options. A couple threaded couplers allows you to join pipes together to make longer clamps when needed. Protect the unused thread with the wire protection included with most (Pony) pipe clamp bodies.

[Norman Hitt]

Jason, the clamps have standared Pipe threads in them, and you just tighten the pipe into them snugly with a pipe wrench, NO Locktight is needed. If you would like to be able to use 3' and 6" length clamps, just put 3' lengths of pipe, (with both ends threaded), in ALL 12 of your clamps and then cut 12 additional 3' lengths and have them threaded on one end only. Buy 12 pipe collars and screw them onto the ends of the pipes that are installed in the clamps and tighten them with pipe wrenches. Now when you need to use a 6' clamp, just screw one of the spare 3' length pipes snugly into the pipe collar and you have a 6' clamp. This will be cheaper than having separate 3' and 6' lengths and give you a lot of versatility. If you don't think you will need 12 6' clamps at any one time, you might want to make some of the spare pipes 1', some 1 1/2' and some 2' long and these combinations would give you 4', 4 1/2' and 5' clamps.
Hope this answers your questions.


Oops, :oI had to stop to see about my wife in the middle of the post and see that Luciano answered your questions before I got back to it. Anyhow, welcome Jason, and have fun with your projects.:D

[Jason King.]

Norman, Luciano - you guys rock! That's exactly the info I was looking for. Now, I can try to glue up my first set of panels for an actual furniture project. JASON

[Kent A Bathurst]

Jason - It goes something like this:

Get a half-dozen clamp sets, and a half-dozen pipes.

Then, get a few more pipes, because the first set worked fine, but was unwieldy for shorter lengths. Easy and cheap to do - the BORG guy will take a 10' length of black pipe, and be happy to cut it and thread it.

Then, those shorter lengths are a lot easier to use, but just....not....quite....long enough for the next glue-up, so get some more intermediate pipe lengths.

Then - get lazy/tired of changing the clamps from pipe-to-pipe, so get a few more clamp sets.

It ends [well, I'm sure it hasn't actually "ended" yet] with 24 clamp sets and 32 lengths of pipe. Every so often, someone offers a great deal on clamp sets in Classifieds, and you jump on that one right away - don't even stop to think because I might beat you to 'em, and then...........well, you get it.

I have Bessey + Gross Stabil parallel clamps, and all manner of F-style, and wood handscrew clamps, and use 'em all, but the pipe clamps are my "go to" for glue-up of panels. Just be sure to alternate them "one from above, then one from underneath" to keep the panel glue-up flat.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Every so often, someone offers a great deal on clamp sets in Classifieds, and you jump on that one right away - don't even stop to think because I might beat you to 'em, and then...........

I purchased a mess of clamps on Craig's List for half price, and they came with the pipe :-)

[Andrew Gibson]

One word of waring. I went to HD yesterday to pick up some 4' lengths of pipe... They had no black pipe at all. No place for it or anything. Then I went to lowes a couple miles away. They only had pre cut and threaded lengths of pipe... fine for my purposes. I would suggest looking up a plumbing supply house or similar and give them your business so that you will have a place that stocks what you need in the future.


Can you tell I am tired of going to 2 different borgs to find something simple that I could have gotten at a real hardware store without issue?

[Dave Gaul]

Try your local Ace Hardware too, mine always seems to have a bin full of cut offs that they sell fairly cheap, usually in 1' to 4' lengths... already threaded on both ends too! Both in black & galvanized...

[Stephen Cherry]

Now, I can try to glue up my first set of panels for an actual furniture project. JASON

Also, be sure to figure out how you are going to hold the boards flat during the glueup. Actually, the together part of clamping a panel is the easy part, it's the flat aspect that is the trick. This will save lots of time later.

[scott vroom]

Also, be sure to figure out how you are going to hold the boards flat during the glueup. Actually, the together part of clamping a panel is the easy part, it's the flat aspect that is the trick. This will save lots of time later.

I use cauls to keep my panel glue-ups flat.

[Mike Henderson]

You don't have to use black pipe - galvanized pipe works fine.

And for Stephan Cherry - here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/Cauls.htm)a tutorial on making cauls. They're the best way to keep a panel flat during glue-up.

Mike

[Stephen Cherry]

And for Stephan Cherry - here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/Cauls.htm)a tutorial on making cauls. They're the best way to keep a panel flat during glue-up.

Mike

Nice, thanks!

[Jason King.]

Holy moley Mike, what an awesome link - definitely going to knock out those cauls this weekend. Thanks to all - I'm trying to make a changing table for my newly pregnant wife (our first) and need to make a panel for the top. The sides will be posts woth motise & tenon cross supports, so I'll just need I good panel for the top. These tips will be super helpful. JASON

[Brian Tymchak]

Jason,

If you haven't heard or read this yet, make sure that you do not let black pipe lay against oak during a glue up. The moisture from glue from a joint can cause a nasty stain on your oak. Take some care to keep your pipe clamps off the wood and I would also suggest running a layer of painters tape on the "wood side" of the pipe just as added insurance. I've heard, but do not know for a fact, that galvanized pipe is not as bad about leaving the stain (but still will). Unfortunately, I do know for a fact that black pipe will stain. :mad:

Welcome to the Creek!
Brian

[Steve Griffin]

I've done thousands of pipe clamp glueups, and never once needed "cauls".

Alternate your clamps top/bottom, or adjust the pressure point on your clamps and you can glue up anything flat.

Also, I don't like using pipe couplings except when I'm really desperate for length. They take time to use, and take up a fat 1/8" of an inch which often is in the way. Get pipes in different lengths.

The best length of pipe for the majority of your clamps depends on the depth of your glueup table. There is almost no advantage to having a bunch of 3' clamps when your table is 4' anyway and can handle 4' clamps.

Finally, more important than anything is to get some good stand up pads. These compensate for the poor design of the pipe clamp which doesn't allow it to sit nice on the table, plus allow you to skip padding your work in most cases.

-Steve

[Kent A Bathurst]

.........keep your pipe clamps off the wood and I would also suggest running a layer of painters tape on the "wood side" of the pipe just as added insurance.........

Better yet - get a short length of 1" PVC pipe. Cut it into short [~1"] pieces. Then, with a hacksaw or a bandsaw, cut away part of the circle - leaving a section about 60% of the original diameter.

Snap 2 of these onto 3/4" pipe. Slide them up + down the length of the pipe as needed. Just lay the pipe clamp on the boards, with the PVC pieces near the clamp head + foot. The 1/8" thickness of the PVC acts as a standoff from the wood and any glue squeeze-out.

You can also take more of these pieces, screw them to a wall, and stand your pipe clamps upright, snapping them into these pieces - easy storage + retrieval.

EDIT - RE: Cauls.

One more grooming tip. I finally got around to putting "glue grooves" in all of my cauls. ~ 1/2" wide by ~ 3/8" deep [dims not critical] across the caul in the center. I position these over the glue joint during clamp up. I also made 4 small blocks of wood with grooves, for clamping the ends of the boards with F-clamps.

Now, the squeeze-out stays in a bead, rather than getting smeared into the oak's open grain by the cauls. Holy Glue-Up, Batman!!! What a difference. The glue bead turns rubbery in an hour +/-, and lifts right off with a card scraper.

And - yes - I only clamp up one glue joint at a time. While this means it takes longer, it also means that I can lift the glue bead right off, and over time I have gotten good enough with the clamps + cauls that the alignment is pretty much dead-nuts 99% of the time, so I only need a card scraper to get it all ready to go.

[Jim Rimmer]

Better yet - get a short length of 1" PVC pipe. Cut it into short [~1"] pieces. Then, with a hacksaw or a bandsaw, cut away part of the circle - leaving a section about 60% of the original diameter.

Snap 2 of these onto 3/4" pipe. Slide them up + down the length of the pipe as needed. Just lay the pipe clamp on the boards, with the PVC pieces near the clamp head + foot. The 1/8" thickness of the PVC acts as a standoff from the wood and any glue squeeze-out.

You can also take more of these pieces, screw them to a wall, and stand your pipe clamps upright, snapping them into these pieces - easy storage + retrieval.

This sounds like a good plan and I'm going to try it. If you don't have time to implement it before your first glue up, wax paper between the boards and clamps works well.

P.S. Welcome to the Creek. You'll find lots of good help here. If you think you got $6 worth of help in your first post, consider being a contributor. :)

[Kent A Bathurst]

.......wax paper between the boards and clamps works well...........

Yeah, buddy - I use way more wax paper in the shop than the family Chef uses in the kitchen. I never start gluing without wax paper and 2" Famous Blue Tape on hand.

Since the machinery is off at this point, a glass of nice Cabernet seems to help also.

[Jerome Hanby]

Doesn't Rockler sell inc plated pipe for pipe clamps? I'm guessing it has two purposes, one to get a lot of your money, and two to prevent staining the wood.

Are there any less expensive sources for zinc plated pipe?

[Gary McNair]

I recently bought some short 1/2" pipe nipples for a small clamping project. All they had were galvanized so grabbed 'em and then discovered the clamps wouldn't fit over the galvanized, whodda thunk? Returned them, got black pipe and life was good again.

[Norman Hitt]

You don't have to use black pipe - galvanized pipe works fine.

And for Stephan Cherry - here's (http://www.mikes-woodwork.com/Cauls.htm)a tutorial on making cauls. They're the best way to keep a panel flat during glue-up.

Mike

Firrst, let me say that All pipe clamps are NOT created equal, AND, not ALL galvanized pipe is created equal, so there can be different reasons for what I am about to say. I quit using ANY galvanized pipe in pipe clamps many years ago, because too many times one or more, (sometimes three or four) clamps would slip and lose clamping pressure during a glueup when using galvanized pipe. I mounted the same clamps on black pipe and, with the exception of one bad clamp, (which I threw in the dump) they all worked fine. YMMV, but for me it just isn't worth the risk, so why take the chance.

[Mike Henderson]

Firrst, let me say that All pipe clamps are NOT created equal, AND, not ALL galvanized pipe is created equal, so there can be different reasons for what I am about to say. I quit using ANY galvanized pipe in pipe clamps many years ago, because too many times one or more, (sometimes three or four) clamps would slip and lose clamping pressure during a glueup when using galvanized pipe. I mounted the same clamps on black pipe and, with the exception of one bad clamp, (which I threw in the dump) they all worked fine. YMMV, but for me it just isn't worth the risk, so why take the chance.

You're right, of course, it depends on the pipe and the clamps. However, I've used galvanized pipe for about 40 years - different pipe and different clamps at different times - and I've never had a clamp slip after I did the clamp up. My suggestion was intended as an alternative to the OP who was having trouble finding black pipe.

Mike