How much do you use Handscrew Clamps

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

I have five handscrew clamps, and a few kits to build a few more.

How often do use handscrew clamps? Are they important to you, and what sizes are used most?

I used two of mine, 10" size, within the last week, as I was gluing up a flat plate from 4 layers, two of 1/2" plywood and the two outside layers of 1/4" masonite to use to mount a small vise on. This so I can move it around to C-clamp it on sawhorses, etc. I needed to be able to reach in to the center of the plate to put pressure on the center of the plate, so used the two handscrew clamps.

One interesting thought: was thinking about the above type of clamps, and decided to see how many of the big 16" size they had listed on the auction site. It was a total of 4, but the interesting thing was that only one set of clamps was the modern steel screw type, the other 3 were made up using threaded wooden screws.

Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

My big pair is used occasionally. They were given to me by my dad.

Here is one of them:

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A pair of smaller ones get used more often.

They are not as handy as a C-clamp or a pipe clamp.

jtk

[Tony Wilkins]

I find that I use them more the more I use them. I hope that makes sense. At first I didn’t think I’d use them much so I just ordered one medium size (don’t recall the size). Once I used it a little I wasn’t sure but then I began to think of it when there was a work holding problem I couldn’t imedisolve. Dag nabbit if there wasn’t a way to use them in a lot of them. I got a couple of more in a size above and below and that opened up more options — holding large panels up for instance. I recently got several more that were my grandfather’s.

[Matt Evans]

I use mine all the time. Sizes from tiny little 1" machinist parallels to the 14" sets I have.

They are great for use in milling setups, as stop blocks on machinery, stands during layout and finishing, clamp blocks for other clamps to grab to, planing stops, etc.

[Wayne Cannon]

I have about eight, four large ones (though not as large as Jim's) and two each of two progressively smaller sizes.

I almost never use them for "clamping", as for gluing, etc. However, I use them all the time for work holding, fixturing, etc. The large ones are heavy enough that they make a pretty solid/stable base. You can rig work holding for just about any odd angle, shape, or size.

For example, when my daughter broke off the tail of one of her favorite toy horses, I was able to clamp it in place at just exactly the right angle for the tail to remain in the right position while the epoxy dried. When working on a bird feeder, I was able to clamp it upside down by one of the sloping gable ends at just the right angle to work on and spray paint its bottom. Where the weight of the bar on most clamp styles makes many clamping positions unstable, the handscrew serves as its own stable base. You can also use one handscrew as the base, clamping a second handscrew at any angle, which in turn clamps your work piece. Try that with a bar-style clamp.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Another Tony that the more he uses them, the more he uses them! I have a total of 11, with several altered for specific jobs-such as a small one, with the back of the jaw squared off and a 3/4" hole bored through, so as to hold saw screws and keeping one side tight, letting me unscrew the other.

All sorts of work holding can be accomplished by a couple of handscrews!

[Derek Cohen]

They are great to support ....

... when cleaning up the shoulders of curved rails ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/TheChairSawingTenonShoulders_html_m593dad32.jpg

... when holding rails on the bench ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Coved-Frame-And-Panel_html_2079b5d.jpg

... to remove waste and mortice ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/Coved-Frame-And-Panel_html_25467ff8.jpg

Or ...

https://i.postimg.cc/fRYdN12z/Ia.jpg

... a trim router when removing waste from a half-blind socket ....

https://i.postimg.cc/TwdgQQcR/Ja.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Edwin Santos]

Another good feature of wood hand screw clamps is that they will not work themselves loose the way F-style clamps will do.

[glenn bradley]

Not on every project but, a lot.

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A piece of hanging rope with loops tied in it at intervals makes storage and retrieval a breeze.

It's your best friend if you have an i-Box.

403441

Deadman

403440

[Tom M King]

I can't really say how much, but I wouldn't want to be without them.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I modified a small clamp by cutting a vee groove in the facing edges of the clamp. My GF uses the clamp to hold short dowels while cutting on the bandsaw.
Joe

[Charlie Hinton]

I don't use them all that often but there are times when they are just about the only thing that will get the job done.
When I am drilling a small part and need to hold it vertical a parallel clamp is especially useful at the drill press.

[lowell holmes]

I do the same as Charlie. I would not be without them.

[Jim Koepke]

When I am drilling a small part and need to hold it vertical a parallel clamp is especially useful at the drill press.

+1 on this. Mine are most often used when drilling out cylinders of wood or tree limb cut offs to make pencil cups.

jtk

[John Schtrumpf]

I have two 10" and two 14", I use them for work holding.

[Gary Ragatz]

For those who might be interested, Rockler currently has their 8" handscrew clamps on sale for $9 per. Seems like a pretty good price. Unfortunately, that's the only size on sale.

https://www.rockler.com/wooden-handscrew-clamps-clamps

[James Pallas]

I have about 10 of them within arms reach of my bench. Use them often to hold small piece that I don't care to hold in my hand and take a blade to. Use them as a vise in a vise often. Use them to hold tools that I don't want to put a metal clamp on. Such as in the picture. This is used like a marking gauge for repeats such as cutting many equal pieces off of a single board
Jim

[Mike Henderson]

I have a bunch of them in three different sizes. I don't use them much but every now and then they are just the right clamp. I bought most of them when I was just starting woodworking and thought they were what I needed.

Mike

[Kevin Jenness]

I find them handy for holding a door for lockset installation, with the handscrew clamped to the bench and grabbing the door edge.

You can screw jaw extensions on to make a deep reach clamp, for instance to push down a veneer bubble.

[Clint Bach]

I modified one to use as a valve spring compressor during an engine overhaul. Worked great.

Clint

[fritz eng]

I use mine to hold small circular objects secured with those non-slip mats when drilling on the drill press.

[Doug Dawson]

Hi All,

I have five handscrew clamps, and a few kits to build a few more.

How often do use handscrew clamps? Are they important to you, and what sizes are used most?


I have a bunch of them, across the range of sizes. I use the Dubuque clamps, which have rather impressive holding power. https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TL/item/MS-WSC.XX They are the first things I'll reach for if a clamping situation looks awkward with a regular F-type clamp. Also you can gang them up easily.

[Kevin Hampshire]

I must be the odd-man-out here. I have no idea exactly how many I have but considerably more than anyone else posted.

I love my original Jorgensen clamps, but since the demise of Pony, I tried some of the HF versions in various sizes. Not so fond of the HF version but they are fair. Need to try the Dubuque brand.

To answer Stew’s original question, I keep a couple stacks of them near the bench and usually grab them first. They apply pressure across a broad area and I can use the two knobs to adjust where that pressure is greatest. Not as quick or easy to use as a good quality Bessey F-clamp or Quick-Clamp, but certainly very versatile.

[Tony Zaffuto]

In the eaely 60's, whn I had my first shop class (7th grade), the only clamps we had were handscrew clamps. We had benches, IIRC, 6' X 6', with vises on two of the left corners. We built a number of things, and I really don't remember needing any other sort of workholding beyond what we had and what our shop teacher showed us.

[Don Dorn]

Odd man out - I had a number of them, got rid of them and never missed them. To hold a piece on the bench over a leg, I use a 6" F style Bessey.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I use mine all the time; have 8 ttl: 4", 6", & 8". The 6" are used most.

[James Pallas]

One of the many ways I use hand screws. Holding small parts where you don't want your fingers in line with a blade or you don't want your blade to hit other than wood. It helps to support small objects to prevent breaks.
Jim

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

One of my co-workers used to work in a cabinet shop. He said he used them every day.

The cabinet shop he worked in made curved cabinet stuff. They used thin strips glued up so that they could make pretty good bends. When they glued and clamped up the stips they used handscrew clamps about every 6" around each curve.

He now has a couple handscrew clamps now in his own shop, and uses them a great deal on his own projects. I think he added that there are many uses for them, and in some cases they are about the only way to do a glue up.

He said at the cabinet shop they used primarily 10 and 12 inch clamps. He has 8 inch clamps at his home shop.

Stew

[Mel Fulks]

Stew, we used them same way. We also had orders for straight hand rail that had to be glued up. Sadly they were often
stolen . Several times I saw the shop owner drive up in a pick up truck filled with them, he never missed a chance to
buy them from a shop going out of business.

[James Pallas]

Because they can be easily offset its easy to clamp odd shaped pieces like railings. They can be used in pairs to clamp and glue shelves into dados on long pieces you don't have bar clamps to reach. Curved work they shine on. A piece of wax paper and nowadays packing tape keeps the glue off. They are the first clamps I think about when I'm looking for a way to clamp something difficult to figure out.
Jim

[Kurtis Johnson]

Thanks for the link. It’s good to know of a good ole USA source for new clamps.

I have a pile of old all wood handscrew clamps. Some quite large. I may have one or two that rival Jim’s monster. I do use them.

The parallel variety were a brilliant bit of evolution. I would not not do without my hoard of Wetzler wood parallel handscrew clamps. Most of those took some effort to clean the threads to smooth condition, but worth the effort.

[Gary Ragatz]

[QUOTE=glenn bradley;2898300]

It's your best friend if you have an i-Box.

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/QUOTE]

Good to know. I just ordered an I-box last week - thanks for the tip!

[Gary Ragatz]

Thanks for the link. It’s good to know of a good ole USA source for new clamps.



I've heard good things about the Dubuque bar clamps, too.

[Zach Dillinger]

I used to use handscrews a lot for various workholding operations but they have largely been replaced by my raamtangs (large wedge powered clamp / vises). They still see limited use for clamping but they are rarely my first choice.

[James Pallas]

I used to use handscrews a lot for various workholding operations but they have largely been replaced by my raamtangs (large wedge powered clamp / vises). They still see limited use for clamping but they are rarely my first choice.
i can’t quite picture how raamtangs could nearly replace handscrews. Can you elaborate a little.
Jim

[Rob Luter]

I have a collection of Chicago/Jorgensen hand screw clamps in various sizes. Most picked up for cheap at flea markets, antique shops, and when they’d go on sale at the home center. I’m glad I got stocked up on the real deal prior to production moving off shore.

I find them them to be just about as handy as they come. Derek illustrates a few of the many uses earlier in the thread.

[Jim Koepke]

One of my 8" hand screw clamps was used today to hold a piece being cut with a fret saw.

jtk

[Jerry Olexa]

Don't use often but also handy when repairing/regluing a broken wooden tote on a bench plane...
You are able to get near the exact angle to do the reglue properly before sanding..

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a use from today:

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The hand screw clamp is being used as a planing stop while planing a 16/4 piece of poplar.

With the light weight saw benches one has to set the plane to a lighter cut to keep from moving them around all the time.

jtk

[Kris Cook]

4 inchers currently on sale for half price. Just ordered four of them.

I must say - providing links to items to be purchased should not be allowed, especially on a day where the high will be 8 degrees... I have clicked on more than one link from this forum to purchase stuff.

Just kidding obviously. Thanks for the link.

[Bruce Page]

I have two that were given to me long ago. I can't remember the last time I used them.