Help me with clamp decision

[Herv Peairs]

I am about to embark on a Sellers workbench build and need to buy some clamps. I've read a bunch of the threads here on clamps, but there don't seem to be any real recent ones. What I have now is a pair of 5' and a pair of 3' pipe clamps. My requirements are quality, sturdiness, durability, ease-of-use, and applicability for future projects. I am not particular about country of manufacture, but would spend a few dollars more on North American, all else being equal. Once I am done with the bench I am not looking at any large projects for a while, but who is to say when I'll start in on that seven foot highboy? Well, not for a few years for sure...

I am looking at the Dubuque bar clamp with the winged screw handle, available from Woodcraft and Lee Valley, and the parallel clamps available from Rockler (Bessey, Jet, Irwin).

I am thinking of buying 10 clamps. I am going to build the 5' long top shown in Sellers' book as opposed to the longer one he builds on YouTube. It looks like he uses 3' clamps, but I could buy some longer ones for future flexibility.

So, which clamps, and how long? What do you think of the winged screw handle vs. the Bessey/Jet screwdriver style?

Thanks, Herv

[Robin Frierson]

Bessey K body clamp is my favorite...Home Depot actually has good prices. 50 in is good size..You can spend a fortune on clamps. But they hold their value and easy to sell later on. Avoid anything with aluminum rail...they flex in my experience.

[Prashun Patel]

...Once I am done with the bench I am not looking at any large projects for a while, ...

I would get Bessey 3/4" pipe clamps and make cauls.

[george wilson]

I like Jorgensen bar clamps as far as long clamps are concerned. Hargraves are filthy with black crud from factory. Both are good clamps,but the Jorgensens won't make your hands filthy every time you use them. It takes a major cleaning job to deal with them. If Hargrave can't sell clean clamps,let them keep them. I made the mistake of buying Hargraves for the Toolmaker's shop. I seldom ever used long clamps as a guitar maker,so not experienced as I should have been. For my home shop,I wised up and got Jorgensens.

Pipe clamps? Cheaper,but not very rigid as pipes bend too easily.

[Dave Kelley]

George, Jorgensen is no longer in business. I bought a handful (everything that was left) of the discounted stock at my local Woodcraft. Getting them anymore is very unlikely.

[Don Jarvie]

I swear by Bessey K clamps. I have 4 of each size up to 50 inches and obviously I'd like more but I can pretty much do everything I need.

[Robert Engel]

IMO if you don't want to invest a lot of money now, you can't do it cheaper than pipe clamps.
For $15-20 you can make a clamp any length you want.
To save money, you can use the 10 set ups with various lengths of pipe, whatever suits your needs.
Remember when you're using pipe clamps it is imperative to alternate top and bottom to even out the forces, so you need more of them.

I recommend buying a few extra pieces of pipe that are 36-48" that way for something really long, you can use a pipe coupler to link together make one long clamp.
Don't forget to have the ends threaded at the hardware store.
Don't forget to put some wax paper on top of pipe so it doesn't stain wood.

[Jim Koepke]

Pipe clamps are convenient. The length can be changed by changing the pipe when needed. I tend to buy pipe longer than needed and then cut to my needs. I also bought a 3/4" pipe threading die for threading short cut offs.

When I see a decent clamp when out and about, if the price is good, it is mine.

jtk

[glenn bradley]

For long work I also use pipe clamps. That is really the only time I use them so I wouldn't go overboard on them if I were you (I'm not you so . . . grain of salt). The Bessey H model or the Rockler Sure-Foot version with their feet are a little extra convenient. Some inexpensive pipe couplers allow you to lengthen clamps without having to store long clamps. Shop made face cauls can act as "feet" for the less expensive versions.

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Just make sure they are of consistent height or the advantage fades rapidly ;-)

[Patrick Chase]

I am looking at the Dubuque bar clamp with the winged screw handle, available from Woodcraft and Lee Valley, and the parallel clamps available from Rockler (Bessey, Jet, Irwin).

I am thinking of buying 10 clamps.

Are you really constrained by # of clamps as this suggests, or by cost?

If you're constrained by # of clamps then get mostly K-bodies or similar as somebody else suggested. I have 4 each 2' and 4', and they're among my most used clamps. They can also be joined to form longer clamps, which is handy. The only catch is that they're heavy and bulky, so you'll probably want something more svelte to complement them.

The Dubuque aluminum bar clamps are a lot lighter and easier to work with, and 1/3 cheaper than K-body ($30 vs $45 at LV and Amazon respectively). I have 6 4' Dubuques and use them a lot. The Dubuques have a 1000 lb load limit, which is plenty for me.

You'll also probably want a range of smaller bar clamps, including some deep-jaw ones (Bessey makes a Tradesman clamp with ~7" jaw, which is handy). I have a bunch of Bessey Tradesman clamps, a bunch of the house-brand ones that LV sells, and some Irwins. They all get the job done.

Like everybody I also have some very long pieces of pipe and some traditional pipe clamps for big jobs. They're hard to beat for the price.

[Patrick Chase]

George, Jorgensen is no longer in business. I bought a handful (everything that was left) of the discounted stock at my local Woodcraft. Getting them anymore is very unlikely.

Wow, I did not know that had happened. Bummer.

[Prashun Patel]

Herv-
Unless you are time-restricted, I suggest you glue up the bench piece by piece instead of all at once. This will allow you to align each piece fairly well, and to clean up well. This will also prevent flex and minimize the force required for the early pieces.

I HIGHLY suggest you make curved clamping cauls too. They will distribute the pressure along the joint. You can do this with 2x4's. You can either do a single set of 60" cauls, or (2) 30"ish sets. This will only require 4 clamps and IMHO results in better, easier to manage glue ups.

If your bench is > 2.5" thick, I'd think twice about pipe clamps because they have less deep reach than the k-bodies.

[Brian Holcombe]

I agree with Prashun, having a decent number of clamps is handy, but if you are not going to use them regularly for projects then I would avoid buying extensive collection of clamps.

[Herv Peairs]

Are you really constrained by # of clamps as this suggests, or by cost?

Not constrained by either, but in general I buy just whatever gizmos I need for the current project and happily apply them to the next. For the workbench I just need to clamp the top and the H-frame legs. Sellers uses the same bar clamps for each. I can't tell which clamp he uses but I know he stiffens them using wood inserts, and I am not going to bother doing that. I am willing to pay for what will serve me best now and in the future.

Thanks, Herv

[Herv Peairs]

For long work I also use pipe clamps. That is really the only time I use them so I wouldn't go overboard on them if I were you (I'm not you so . . . grain of salt). The Bessey H model or the Rockler Sure-Foot version with their feet are a little extra convenient. Some inexpensive pipe couplers allow you to lengthen clamps without having to store long clamps. Shop made face cauls can act as "feet" for the less expensive versions.

342164342165342166

Just make sure they are of consistent height or the advantage fades rapidly ;-)

It never occurred to me to add cauls to mine. Forums are great for newbies like me. I wish like you I had used galvanized pipe for mine instead of the gooey black stuff, but it was leftover pipe from another project where that didn't matter.

[Dennis McCaigue]

I might suggest Lee Valley Veritas clamp no. 05G16.01 they are very veratile.

Or if you want neanderthal use heavy dowels, and a wedges.

[Herv Peairs]

Herv-
Unless you are time-restricted, I suggest you glue up the bench piece by piece instead of all at once. This will allow you to align each piece fairly well, and to clean up well. This will also prevent flex and minimize the force required for the early pieces.

I HIGHLY suggest you make curved clamping cauls too. They will distribute the pressure along the joint. You can do this with 2x4's. You can either do a single set of 60" cauls, or (2) 30"ish sets. This will only require 4 clamps and IMHO results in better, easier to manage glue ups.

Great suggestions, thanks Prashun. The curved caul concept is new to me. Does this article point me in the right direction? http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodnews/2010april/cauls.html

[David Eisenhauer]

Correcto. The exact 2x4 cauls in that article work just fine and I also heartily recommend them. Indispensable for gluing up table tops IMO. I have four pairs of them around 24-28" long that I use over and over again. I also second the above opinion to glue up in single pieces as opposed to several pieces at a time. If using Titebond (or the like), clamp time is around an hour or so in the summer time and that means you can add several pieces throughout the day and then let it all set overnight. I don't care for pipe clamps (yes they do clamp, but are "too fiddly" for daily/heavy use in my hands), but they are handy (and oh so much cheaper) when used in the seldom-used size or application.

[Ray Selinger]

The fast acting Bessey F clamps will vibrate loose, rather annoying if you are clamping a rip fence. The Jorgensen style are less handy but more reliable. Get some of those Irwin Quick Clamps, the real ones not the knockoffs.They are an extra hand, will clamp on an angle and might even have enough force for some glue ups.

[Dave Kelley]

Wow, I did not know that had happened. Bummer.

Pony made them, Pony is out of business as well. Over 100 year old company now gone, very sad.

[Patrick Chase]

Pony made them, Pony is out of business as well. Over 100 year old company now gone, very sad.

Yep, Jorgensen was/is a Pony subsidiary.

[Herv Peairs]

Is this the style of Jorgensen clamp that people on this forum seem to like?

342175

[glenn bradley]

Is this the style of Jorgensen clamp that people on this forum seem to like?

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Yes. Great clamps. Really heavy. I don't have any any more. This is an example of a clamps that you have to buy with a 57" capacity if that is what you need. A pipe clamp is whatever size you provide with the pipe. I can't believe I am rooting for pipe clamps :rolleyes:. I am a K-body guy all the way . . . all the way until I need something longer than my longest K-body :D. One more thing about pipe clamps; when your done and you find you won't need them again till next year, put the heads and tails in a drawstring bag and put them with the the pipe up over the rafters.

[Herv Peairs]

Other than being all-steel, are the Jorgensens superior to the Jet clamps? I don't like that the heads are plastic, but it does seem to be a nice clamp:

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[John Crawford]

While I'm not a big Harbor Freight fan, the aluminum bar clamps from HF that Sellers uses in his videos actually work fine. Of course they may be lesser than the more professional options above, but they are decent (I glued up a bench using them, and continue to use them on the hobbyist level). Not trying to persuade you against getting a collection of really nice clamps though....

[glenn bradley]

Other than being all-steel, are the Jorgensens superior to the Jet clamps? I don't like that the heads are plastic, but it does seem to be a nice clamp:

342177

The Jets have a larger head than most parallel clamps and I have a few for that reason (also the black Friday half price). They take some heat for the handles breaking if dropped but, my answer to that is to be careful. My 31" Jet flex much more than my Bessey K-body 31" despite the Jets having a more massive bar. I do not know that longer versions would remain viable as parallel clamps although they would still be usable as clamps. Anything short of (and maybe including) a full-on I-beam will start to suffer as the length of the bar increases.

[John Glendening]

While I'm not a big Harbor Freight fan, the aluminum bar clamps from HF that Sellers uses in his videos actually work fine. Of course they may be lesser than the more professional options above, but they are decent (I glued up a bench using them, and continue to use them on the hobbyist level). Not trying to persuade you against getting a collection of really nice clamps though....

The hollow aluminum ones can be modified by inserting wood into the hollows. Cheap 1X pine works well. Paul has a video out recently that shows how he does it. Ends up being stiff and solid. If that's too "fiddly", then drop the big bucks on something else.

[george wilson]

I have the type of Jorgensens seen in post #23. Too bad they are no longer in business !!!!!! I didn't know that either,having bought my last bar clamps and hand screws back in the 80's or possibly early 90's. can't recall now.

The wooden hand screws were an icon commonly referred to as "Jorgensens" regardless who made them.

Once again,I'm glad I already got all I'll ever need. I guess the semi crummy Chinese knock off wooden hand screws are the only option for that type clamp now?

I got lucky with my wooden handscrews,which cost a fair amount each. There is this huge place called "The Pottery Factory" near here which,over the years,has burgeoned into all kinds of product sales,including,some time ago,hardware. I seldom ever go there,but did go to their new hardware building about 25 years ago. I found Jorgensen hand screws there pretty cheap compared to any where else I had seen them. The Pottery Factory USED to be known for its bargains. Thinking this was typical of their low pricing,I bought all the clamps they had!!! Some time later,I returned,to find the stock replenished,but at MUCH higher prices. Apparently they had accidentally sold their first batch at COST!!!:)