DIY Panel Clamps- Help please

[Marc Jeske]

After alot of looking, I'm pretty sure this style of clamp will work good for me.

http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=31181&cat=1,43838

I need to on a regular basis glue up panels up to 28" wide x 7' long, 4/4.

Not production volume, but maybe 8 panels/ month probably for a couple years.

Only thing is, I need 5 or 6 of them and hate to pay the almost $300 for just the hardware.

I realize tools are an investment, and don't mind that... but always try to get best bang for my buck.

Any other options for the hardware ?

Other suggestions for this ?

McMaster or Reid ready made parts ?

No, I have no Machinist buddy to Acme thread parts or anything.

I do have a big old Delta drill press.


Marc

[Marc Jeske]

After more thinking, it's really just the vise end I need to come up with.

Marc

[Bill Dufour]

Just drill the cross holes and tap. Get a steptap? which is a shallow tap on the front then it switches to a full depth tap at the end nearest the handle.

Standard tap drill is for 75% engagement. I would shoot for 70-65%. I looked it up a standard grade 3 coarse thread 5/8 bolt is 14,000 Pounds of clamp force at 150 Foot pounds. I would guess you need well under 1,000 pounds per bolt especially with a short 4-6 inch long handle. And an acme thread should carry more load.
Bill D

[Marc Jeske]

Too fast of me to follow.

Re explain the basic configuration of what you suggest please.

I don't understand what I am supposed to tap.

If I could find various fitments for acme thread rod, I'd be able to figure it out.

Gonna go google that.

Marc

[Bill Dufour]

In the top photo cross drill the larger diameter shaft, the one without the handle. Then tap that new hole. I do not see any real threads on the outside of the bigger rods. Just some surface roughness so they do not fall out of the holes in the wood so easy.
The other piece looks like a thick nut to me. I think it has an O-ring on each side to keep it in place.
Bill D

[Marc Jeske]

Gotcha now.

Those pins with the "roughness".. I'm thinking like 1/2" + threaded rod would work.. would provide the non skid idea... although I would rather bolt/nut that and adjust down just right to not restrict but keep alignment of boards better.

Found this at good pricing -

http://www.surpluscenter.com/Power-Transmission/ACME-Thread-Lead-Screw-Nuts/

Those O rings hold the clamp "pad" at center of stock allowing for some different panel thickness.

I have just started to look into this.. just thought maybe one of you folks have done this and have a good hardware source for these kinds of pieces.

Marc

[Bruce Wrenn]

Good ideas so far. On the "all thread, I would add a square nut at center. Use RED Locktite on it. Then drill and tap cross hole. You could use regular bolt thru cross hole, and tighten clamp with impact driver. My preference though would be pipe clamps, fastened to a horizontal bar with a tee on end of pipe. This way when not in use they could be swung down out of the way. One thing to remember is with yellow glue, you only need to keep clamps on for 45 minutes, not overnite. (Read the bottle.)

[Bill Dufour]

Zorro is a good, source of allthread. and only $5.00 total for shipping. It pays to wait and total up a good size order to offset shipping.
Bil lD

https://www.zoro.com/value-brand-threaded-rod-low-carbon-steel-58-8x3-ft-24303/i/G1141244/

Not the correct thread but you get the idea below.

(https://www.zoro.com/value-brand-threaded-rod-low-carbon-steel-58-8x3-ft-24303/i/G1141244/)https://www.zoro.com/value-brand-coupling-nut-8-32-gr-2-zn-chromate-pk10-1ja47/i/G2818365/

[johnny means]

I've been a professional woodworker for a couple of decades now and I've never one seen panels clamped up with that set up. I have, however, clamped and seen clamped hundreds of panels using regular bar clamps, parallel clamps, pipe clamps, f-clamps, and even strap clamps. Use what you got and if you have to buy anything get yourself a good starter set of general purpose clamps.

[Ryan J Carpenter]

I second the F or parrakkel clamps for panels. I have tried similar devices to what the OP showed and found them more cumbersome than f clamps and a stack of dedicated cauls with integrated clamping bolts. If you want cheap acme thread, canabalize a harbor freight c- clamp. It even gives you a handle and swivel pad.

[Marc Jeske]

Johhny - 6 decent bar clamps will run me almost $400.

And I will still have some trouble w sliding and uplifting edges due to my inevitebly imperfect prepared edges due to limited experience, a short bed jointer, no planer, etc.

So, then I will have to mess w cauls...and more clamps for them.

Meantime everything will be wobbling around.

Rather than the above.. I am thinking of building a dedicated flat table w attached clamps, everything square and lined up for same size panels, kinda down the line of my OP.

I would make the "pins" at the far end out of bolts/ nuts, (ANMD at the clamp ends) allowing me to control and gently snug down the "cauls" to reduce the steps between boards.

I could also buy used like JLT clamps used on racks and screw em down, but I would still have the sliding mating edge problem, and I think still like at least $80 to my door used each.

Marc

[Marc Jeske]

I guess I'll re title what I'm after - "Best design for efficiently edge gluing 4/4 28" x 7' panels repeatedly including built in stable cauls all mounted on permanent table", hopefully economically.

I dunno, maybe I just buy used one panels worth of a rotating clamp rack, something like that, but again, w built in cauls.

I have no compulsion to reinvent the wheel.

Just tired of bendy pipe clamps and cauls falling over needing 4 hands type of stuff.


Marc

[Matt Evans]

Johhny - 6 decent bar clamps will run me almost $400.

And I will still have some trouble w sliding and uplifting edges due to my inevitebly imperfect prepared edges due to limited experience, a short bed jointer, no planer, etc.

So, then I will have to mess w cauls...and more clamps for them.

Meantime everything will be wobbling around.

Rather than the above.. I am thinking of building a dedicated flat table w attached clamps, everything square and lined up for same size panels, kinda down the line of my OP.

I would make the "pins" at the far end out of bolts/ nuts, (ANMD at the clamp ends) allowing me to control and gently snug down the "cauls" to reduce the steps between boards.

I could also buy used like JLT clamps used on racks and screw em down, but I would still have the sliding mating edge problem, and I think still like at least $80 used each.

Marc

Simple solution to that. . .Get a good doweling system going. Sounds like you have some alignment issues that are going to cause you issues no matter what clamps you use if you don't do something to hold the boards where you want them while you clamp.

My suggestion of dowels is my first choice, followed by glue joint bit off the shaper or router table, thirds choice is to spline the joint, then biscuits as a last option. If I am doing a production panel run I'll set up the shaper and do glue joints on that. Makes alignment super fast with only light pressure needed from a few bar clamps.

[Marc Jeske]

Something like this you mean?

http://www.timberline-amana.com/routerbits/470-10-glue-joint-bits.html

Marc

[Matt Evans]

Something like this you mean?

http://www.timberline-amana.com/routerbits/470-10-glue-joint-bits.html

Marc

Yup. Make a setup block if you use consistent thickness wood for your panels. Makes set up simple and painless. I've got a set of them for mine in 1/16" increments from 5/8-1/34" (mines on a shaper)

[Marc Jeske]

Something like this might be OK -

http://www.rockler.com/how-to/wall-mounted-plywood-panel-press/

[Bradley Gray]

And I will still have some trouble w sliding and uplifting edges due to my inevitebly imperfect prepared edges due to limited experience, a short bed jointer, no planer, etc.

I have a Plano wall mount glue press. It does a great job of making flat, straight panels, but the mating surfaces still need to fit well.

Powerful clamps may be able to force poorly mating surfaces together but the issues will come back - you need to learn to fine tune with a hand plane or ? if you wish to make flat panels that stay flat.

[Marc Jeske]

Yup, I've looked at the Plano also.

I'll end up making some hybrid of the above ideas.

My jointer is the Craftsman 6" that was sold like in the 70's or so... Should I be able to do 7' 3/4 x 5" edges of boards on that?

If I had a longer bed I would feel more confident, but I'm hoping not to have to buy that.

I find past about 4-5' it gets more difficult to keep seated on beds.

I suppose I could extend the beds like this video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9HVUU-fF4k

Alternately, make an long infeed table for tablesaw and run them on a straightlining sled against my Biesmeyer w a Freud Glue Line blade.. then no jointer needed ?

I think the infeed table will reduce the "snipe" kinda thing I often get on rips by not not being perfectly parallel starting the cut.

Also possibly extend the fence on infeed end.

Actually, I will be running 8' boards, (need 7') so I can always cutoff one foot of bad rip end.

What do you guys think of those ideas ?



Marc

[Simon MacGowen]

[QUOTE=Marc Jeske;2776310]After alot of looking, I'm pretty sure this style of clamp will work good for me.

[url]

You are heading the wrong direction. Your problem is not with clamping but with basic stock preparation skill, or the lack of it.

Clamping won't fix your jointing woes. If you already have two or three flat boards to join and have a tablesaw (I assume you do), joint them on the tablesaw. There is a fool-proof tablesaw method (regardless of whether it cuts dead square), using the principle of complementary angles to "true" all the edges. Google it and you should be able to find some Youtube videos.

Simon

[Marc Jeske]

Thank you Simon.

Yes, I am familiar w the complementary flip flop thing...whether be off of table saw, jointer, router,... all edge prep methods benefit from it. and that is one of the main reasons I am interested in one of the clamp styles such as talked about... w the "built in" caul effect to keep those imperfect 90 edges from sliding.

As I mentioned above, I may use the table saw rather than jointer to prep the edges.

Will read more about that.

Marc