Clamps???

[Michael Moscicki]

Here is what the end result will look like:
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The longest clamps I currently have are 24 inch Jorgensen 3724-HD's. I need to buy some clamps and am looking for advice.

Option 1: Twelve 48 inch Jorgensen Cabinet Masters 8048 for $402 with shipping from Ebay.

Option 2: Twelve Jorgensen 36 in. Heavy-Duty Bar Clamps for $227.64 at Home Depot.

Option 3: Four Pony 15 ft Band Clamps for $35 from Ebay.

Option 4: Four Pony 15 ft Band Clamps and four 48 inch Cabinet Masters 8048 for $173 from Ebay. Four cabinet masters for some support in case the band clamps are not strong enough by themselves.

Are there any other options I should consider?

I would rather not spend over $200 since I am also looking to buy the Ridgid eb4424 to avoid hand sanding.

1x2 s4s maple acclimating in the room next to the hallway where the shelf will end up. I still have a long way to go before I get to the clamping stage, so I have some time.

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[shane lyall]

The steel clamps from HF are one of their few gems. The Quick Grip copies aren't worth bringing home but I use the blue bar clamps every day with no issues. the're 1/3 the price as well

[John Hays]

The steel clamps from HF are one of their few gems.

Agreed. I've also never had a problem with their 48" aluminum bar clamps (Item #38185) either.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have Besey & Gross Stabil parallel clamps. Those would work great, of course.

But, to be honest, I would likely grab some of my 3/4" pipe clamps. Use cauls across the ends where the shelves meet, and clamp the cauls. You can measure the diagonals to be sure things are square - easy to do and adjust if needed.

You can get a lot of clamping capability for a few bucks with these - and changin lengths is simply buying different lengths of pipe.

Kind of heresy, I realize - pipe clamps. But they have done a great job for me for many years. 30+ sets of clamps across 40+ pipe sections. I still use the parallel clamps, of course, but it isn't hard-core doctrine with me.

[Jim Andrew]

The heavy duty bar clamps at Home Depot, are those the I beams? If so buy them. I can bend pipe clamps, over tightening them. I have been buying cabinet masters and I beam clamps, and the heavy duty F clamps. Menards had some 24" on sale on the made in america sale.

[Mike Cutler]

You should definitely invest in clamps, but there is another way.

A kit of T-88 epoxy, and a roll of fiberglass tape, would be a lot less than the clamps.

PS.
I'm not seeing a member to prevent "racking" in your design. I can see it will be a low stress piece, but the only thing preventing side to side and rotational, twisting, movement will be glue. Must be something not shown?

[Wade Lippman]

I would consider using pocket screws.

[Wade Lippman]

You should definitely invest in clamps, but there is another way.

A kit of T-88 epoxy, and a roll of fiberglass tape, would be a lot less than the clamps.

n?
I give up, what do you do with the fiberglass?

[Greg Hines, MD]

One thing you can do, if you have enough of your 24" clamps, as well as the usual quick grips and c-clamps that many of us have, is to use your 24" clamps with either additional cauls clamped across your shelf boards, to allow the shorter clamps to purchase onto the cauls, or make connectors, such as a bit of plywood, with holes in the ends of them to accept one end of your stubby clamps. Then you can use your shorter clamps to apply pressure as needed.

That said, if you are in the market for new clamps, I would suggest that you get the ones you need for your current project. Six 36" or 48" would be sufficient, in my opinion, so I am not sure why you are asking about getting twelve of them.

Doc

[Jim Matthews]

I wouldn't use clamps to make this, I would use wedges.

The sides and racks should be made individually, and on a flat surface.
Fix one side so it can't move against a batten.
(I screw those down to my bench - I know it's heresey!)

Fix another batten parallel to the first wide enough to fit the assembly in place.
Drive wedges next to each crosspiece to bring the joint home.
(A little glue squeeze out is good.)

I can't make out from your Sketchup if the racks are attached to some sort of cleat, or just a butt joint.
Butt-joints have zero mechanical strength.

If you are joining each long spar to a cleat at the opposite ends, use a spacer block to set an equal reveal.
Two simple fine nails at the end will hold things aligned until the glue dries.

Lastly, without some sort of brace between the uprights and the crosspieces,
You'll have racking forces trying to drive the bottom of the uprights outward.

Some sort of gusset in the middle will counteract the static load.

[Mike Cutler]

I give up, what do you do with the fiberglass?

Hmm,,,, I must be using the wrong term Wade.
I know fiberglass tape to be the roll of tape you would buy for sending a package. It is tape reinforced with fiberglass roving that you would buy at a Staples, or an office supply type store.
The purpose of the tape would be to pull the project together tight enough to seat the joints, get it square, and long enough to let the T-88 set. The tape would come off the next day.

I'm an epoxy guy, (a holdover from my boat repair days). I know most folks don't like epoxy, but I'm pretty comfortable with it.
I rarely use Titebond. It's a great product, so don't get me wrong, but I've been using epoxy for 3+ decades now and am just more comfortable with it.

[Curt Harms]

Hmm,,,, I must be using the wrong term Wade.
I know fiberglass tape to be the roll of tape you would buy for sending a package. It is tape reinforced with fiberglass roving that you would buy at a Staples, or an office supply type store.
The purpose of the tape would be to pull the project together tight enough to seat the joints, get it square, and long enough to let the T-88 set. The tape would come off the next day.

I'm an epoxy guy, (a holdover from my boat repair days). I know most folks don't like epoxy, but I'm pretty comfortable with it.
I rarely use Titebond. It's a great product, so don't get me wrong, but I've been using epoxy for 3+ decades now and am just more comfortable with it.

What you're referring to is sometimes called packing tape. And yeah, T-88 has a long open time when that's required and is gap filling, not a common attribute of most woodworking glues. It also doesn't require the clamping pressure recommended for PVA glues, just enough to bring the pieces together which might be a benefit to Michael. Tape, band clamps, aluminum bar clamps, there's many ways to defur this feline. I like the aluminum bar clamps for situations where heavy clamps can cause things to sag, 48" aluminum bar clamps only weigh a couple lbs. each.

[glenn bradley]

I'll make a rare recommendation for pipe clamps. I primarily use parallel clamps for all the wonderful reasons people use parallel clamps but, they come with quite a price tag a you've found. The 12 48" Cabinet Masters are at a good price but, I can count the number of times I have needed a 48" clamp on my fingers and you have to store them when you aren't using them.

Although pipe clamps are a bit crude, when combined with some curved cauls they can be very effective. They can also change lengths and identities with the substitution of a piece of pipe or the coupling of existing pipe via an inexpensive coupler. I picked up a dozen on a deal 7 or 8 years ago and have been glad to have them. A while back I added some pads/cauls that act as stands. Greatly increased my frequency of use ;-)

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[Sam Murdoch]

Another simple option is to use your 24" clamps but have them meet in the middle - so 2 clamps will pull as one.

[Michael Moscicki]

Just to update:

Went with six 48 inch Jorgensen Cabinet Masters 8048 for $204.00 with shipping from Ebay.

Would have been $312.13 for six Bessey K-Body REVO Fixed Jaw Parallel Clamp, 40".
Would have been $354.42 for three Jet 70440-2 40" Parallel Clamp, set of 2.

So I ended up saving over $100 which will be invested in some nice Whiteside router bits.

Will provide pics when they arrive.

[Wade Lippman]

Hmm,,,, I must be using the wrong term Wade.
I know fiberglass tape to be the roll of tape you would buy for sending a package. It is tape reinforced with fiberglass roving that you would buy at a Staples, or an office supply type store.
The purpose of the tape would be to pull the project together tight enough to seat the joints, get it square, and long enough to let the T-88 set. The tape would come off the next day.

I'm an epoxy guy, (a holdover from my boat repair days). I know most folks don't like epoxy, but I'm pretty comfortable with it.
I rarely use Titebond. It's a great product, so don't get me wrong, but I've been using epoxy for 3+ decades now and am just more comfortable with it.

Interesting. I have only used epoxy as glue once; had a table to glue up that required an hour of open time. But to me fiberglass tape is a 1 or 2" strip of woven fiberglass used in laminating.

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> Kind of heresy, I realize - pipe clamps.

Why? Every professional shop and well equipped amateur shop have ever been in has more pipe clamps than anything else. They are less expensive, much more adjustable, able to develop higher pressure and take up less room for storage.

In a test done a few years ago by Fine Woodworking, I think, pipe clamps could exert more pressure than any of the bar clamps...

[Dave Cav]

>>>> Kind of heresy, I realize - pipe clamps.

Why? Every professional shop and well equipped amateur shop have ever been in has more pipe clamps than anything else. They are less expensive, much more adjustable, able to develop higher pressure and take up less room for storage.

In a test done a few years ago by Fine Woodworking, I think, pipe clamps could exert more pressure than any of the bar clamps...

And I think the ones from Harbor Freight are as good as any.

Some things H.F. does pretty well, most of it is very mediocre at best, and a lot of the stuff is just crap. I think their pipe and F clamps are a pretty good deal. I have at least four or maybe five brands of 3/4" pipe clamps, Jorgys, H.F., C'man and at least two types of red ones. Most of them use the stacked disk lock mechanism on the sliding end, and some of the older ones and all the C'man use the toothed dogs. Those kind are the worst, as far as I'm concerned. The fit and finish on the H.F. aren't up to the standards of the Jorgys, but all of them I have work fine. If you're going to get a lot of them, go to your local scrap yard and buy scrap pipe by the pound; you can save a LOT of money on pipe over buying it at the Borg.

[Mort Stevens]

And I think the ones from Harbor Freight are as good as any.

I would rather have 4 really good quality clamps that work, than a couple of dozen that I have to fiddle and fight with. See this - http://consumerist.com/2008/08/01/why-do-americans-insist-on-buying-cheap-crap-instead-of-high-quality-merchandise/ FYI I have 3, a $250 10" Chef knife, $100 Bread and $80 Paring. In 40+ years of doing most all the the cooking in the house I have never needed any other kind of knife. If I spend $1,500 on clamps, then it means I'll own one less _______ (insert something here that cost $1,500, like a couch or TV) in my lifetime.... I can live with that. Quality matters and life's too short not to have the very best.

[John Hays]

Quality matters and life's too short not to have the very best.

Couldn't agree more.

But in reality, considering my weekly paycheck, I'd have an empty shop due to the fact that I'd still be saving up for all of those "quality" tools... which is the reason most people shoot for middle-of-the-road or lower quality. :(

[Mike Cutler]

Interesting. I have only used epoxy as glue once; had a table to glue up that required an hour of open time. But to me fiberglass tape is a 1 or 2" strip of woven fiberglass used in laminating.


I used to do boat repairs in a former life. Fiberglass strand mat, S-glass, a little carbon fiber, etc. I should have made a better distinction.
Of course, with some S-glass glass and resin, that project could be made very strong.

Epoxy isn't the answer for everything, but sometimes it can really simplify a project, or an aspect of a project. I just did a an epoxy glue up to attach a stile at a 45 degree angle to the corresponding face of a cabinet base I'm working on. No complicated clamp arrangement, or driving my self nuts trying to figure out how to align the two pieces. Pre tape the pieces, set 'em in place, apply the T-88 and pull the packing tape tight.

Hide glue has a long open time and for furniture that you may want to pass on would be a better choice than epoxy simply because the joint(s) can be repaired down the line. Bob Smalser did an excellent write up and there is a thread here on the board that goes into various glues and adhesives that is really interesting.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?21822-Are-Your-Glue-Joints-Repairable&highlight=Are+your+glue+joints+repairable

[Mike Schuch]

The better the woodworker you are the less heavy duty your clamps need to be. If your cuts are precise enough you should need almost no clamping force at all to glue a project together securely!

For small projects the Harbor freight aluminum clamps work nicely for me. For bigger stuff I use the misc (including Harbor freight) pipe clamps. I wish I was precise enough for everything to "just fall together perfectly" but I all too often have to pull stuff together. :(

I have used my band clamps once... they were such a hassle that they just collect dust on the peg board. I don't see much value in band clamps unless you have a really weird shape you are working with. When I was young I DID you my fathers band clamps A LOT... but that was just to harass my little brother (He was a very odd shape... at least that is what I always told him)! :eek:

[Michael Moscicki]

After a 2,730 mile journey on board UPS trucks and the like , here are the pictures. One of the clamps came with a cracked handle. Rather than returning the clamp, is there any way to fix the handle? Make a new handle? Put some glue in the crack, clamp it, and then put grip tape on it?

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[Albert Lee]

I use Frontline clamps, very solid and very easy to use. biscuit or domino are no longer required before glueing up the panel.
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[Doug Richardson]

The steel clamps from HF are one of their few gems. The Quick Grip copies aren't worth bringing home but I use the blue bar clamps every day with no issues. the're 1/3 the price as well

I see lots of people (either that, or you in a lot of threads..... ;-)) recommending the Harbor Freight steel clamps. Could you give me a stock number so I know exactly which clamp(s) you are referring to? Steel clamps returns a lot of items in their search engine.....

[Dave Cav]

I'm not Shane, but I'm happy with 96210, 96213, 96214 and the other sizes of the steel F clamp, and the 31255 pipe clamps.

[Lornie McCullough]

I'm not Shane, but I'm happy with 96210, 96213, 96214 and the other sizes of the steel F clamp, and the 31255 pipe clamps.

This is good advice. And I suggest you look at HF "Handscrew Clamps".

These harbor freight clamps are not the 'best quality', however I think they are the "BEST VALUE" for your dollar spent. If you have a LOT of these inexpensive clamps and a FEW of the 'more expensive' clamps you will have great versatility in your workshop.

Lornie

[Doug Richardson]

Thank you for the info, gentleman!

[Greg Hines, MD]

I would return anything that is damaged. You can try replacing the handle, but realistically, they should replace any defective or damaged item.

Doc

[Curt Harms]

After a 2,730 mile journey on board UPS trucks and the like , here are the pictures. One of the clamps came with a cracked handle. Rather than returning the clamp, is there any way to fix the handle? Make a new handle? Put some glue in the crack, clamp it, and then put grip tape on it?

273064273065273066273067

There was a tip in the current issue of Wood magazine that might help. A guy fastened some small dowels along the length of the handle (cyanoacrylate? dunno) then put a piece of shrink wrap tubing over the handle & dowels and heated it. He said he could better grip the handles that way. I don't recall the details, I imagine you could also split larger dowels or something.

[Kent A Bathurst]

There was a tip in the current issue of Wood magazine that might help. A guy fastened some small dowels along the length of the handle (cyanoacrylate? dunno) then put a piece of shrink wrap tubing over the handle & dowels and heated it. He said he could better grip the handles that way. I don't recall the details, I imagine you could also split larger dowels or something.

My version of reality:

Close the clamp all the way, and tighten it snugly. Run the handle thru the bandsaw, creating a flat face - being sure to curve out before the metal ferrule. Then, tighten some more to get the opposite round in play, and flatten it as well.

You can get a very good grip with this. But wait! There's More!!

Get a chunk of 3/4" or 1" hardwood scrap. Drill two holes of the appropriate size an inch or 2 apart, and chisel out or jig saw out the meat in between - an oversized elongated hole. This becomes a wrench, and slips over the flattened handle, and you can put some serious reef on the clamp using it.

First time I did this was on some medium size Jorgy F-style clamps, and I used a block plane. Nice, but boring and too much work. The bandsaw makes quick work of it, especially on the larger handles of a parallel clamp, etc.