Jet Clamps - what is normal

[Graham Hutchinson]

I took advantage of the recent sale and ordered some Jet clamps. Until now I have used Bessey clamps. The Bessey bars are dead straight on both planes. The Jet clamps arrived with bends in both planes. Is this normal for Jet clamps? If so, does it affect their usage? Here are some pictures. Thanks in advance for your comments.

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[Matt Day]

Did you ask Jet? That would be my first call.

[John Coloccia]

There's another Jet parallel clamp thread kicking around here. Anyhow, it might be the new normal, but it completely defeats the purpose of parallel clamps. I don't think it's reasonable to expect straight edge accuracy....little bumps and undulations are very reasonable and expected, but it's got to at least be sorta' straight since the whole point is to clamp pretty close to 90 degrees.

[glenn bradley]

I only ordered a couple as I am a die-hard old-style K-Body guy for the reasons you state. Glad they were half price.

[Mark Bolton]

I took advantage of the recent sale and ordered some Jet clamps. Until now I have used Bessey clamps. The Bessey bars are dead straight on both planes. The Jet clamps arrived with bends in both planes. Is this normal for Jet clamps? If so, does it affect their usage? Here are some pictures. Thanks in advance for your comments.

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Are you really concerned with that much bend especially when the clamp is laying on its side? What the heck would that have to do with anything? If it bothers you, put it over your knee and straighten it. The bend in the edge photo may well come into your advantage as a pre-camber in the beam that when you put the clamp under load springs flat. I have put so much mo-jo on a pair of 50" jets that the beam probably had 1/2-3/4" of bend in the beam (under clamping force).

Your over thinking it. Just get in the shop and make something.