thinking about getting different clamps

[justin sherriff]

I have 8 Jorgensen parallel clamps (4-24 4-36)
Thinking about selling them and getting Dubuque Aluminum clamps. I have some of the harbor freight knockoffs and like them. I like to use the HF clamps more mostly because they are much lighter weight.
So do you think I will be kicking myself for not having the parallel clamps some day.

[Matt Day]

Keep them and buy more. Never sell clamps!

[Ron Selzer]

keep what you have and buy only Dubuque Aluminum from here out.
Can't have too many clamps. I started with pipe clamps , then Jorgenson bar clamps, other steel bar clamps and still have all of them and use them every once in awhile.
Dubuque is the only bar clamp I will buy now since I found them. Highly recommend two of each size to start then fill your collection out.
Have 8 24", 4 36", 2 48", 2 60" and 2 72", probably will buy 4 36" next, then 2-48", 2-60", 2-72", then 4 24", and 2 36"
always seem to use all the 24", sometimes 36" and 72", rarely the 48" and 60"
Do some shopping around and pay close attention to shipping prices as the cheapest selling price is rarely the cheapest total price to your door.
Good luck

Ron

[Steve Eure]

Not trying to high jack this thread, but I have a good amount of Rockler's aluminum bar clamps and do like them. A few have problems retracting/binding, not not too aggravating. Anyone have any comparison to the Dubuque's and Rockler's? Pro's and con's?

[George Waldner]

The Dubuques are great clamps. So much better than Harbor Freight. Made in USA. Check out Coastal Tool online for the best prices.

[Jim Becker]

No way would I ever sell those parallel clamps...keep them for when they might be the best choice or when extra clamps suddenly are needed. Buy a few of the type you want to try and actually test them with the work you do before you invest heavily.

[Robert Mayer]

I use my Bessey K-body clamps a huge majority of the time except for small stuff. There is nothing worse than having a gap during a glue up that a cheap clamp cannot close up. Or having a cheap metal clamp put a big dent in your finished wood.

[David M Peters]

If only had bar clamps I'd miss the longer throat depth of parallel-style clamps. Bessey's Uniklamp offers a nice compromise between weight and that depth of reach.

[Brad Rucker]

I have a (probably not very popular) opinion on Bessey K-clamps - I hate mine. Unfortunately, they were the clamps that I bought when first getting back into the hobby and I have around a dozen of them ranging from 48 to 60 inches. WAY too much money in them to replace them now. Especially with prices spirally upwards.

But several years after buying the Besseys, I took a chance and bought a few Jet parallel clamps. Absolutely loved them and bought a bunch more.

For me, the Bessey system of tilting the handle to tighten the clamp just never works well. I end up tilting it the wrong way, having to back it back out, then tilting it the correct way and finally getting it in place. Yes - pure user error. But with the Jets, the trigger allows me to get them close and then I just tighten the handle. No worries about tilting. :)

I wish all my Besseys would magically transform into Jets. And I'll repeat - I do not expect this to be a majority opinion. :)

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Or having a cheap metal clamp put a big dent in your finished wood.

This is it!

Keep your PJ clamps.
Another minority, I like my Jet clamps too. They don't fall closed and smash your fingers. Yeah, operator error.

[Mike Kees]

I had the same Jorgeson parallel Clamps and hated them as well. Sold mine for almost exactly what I paid for them originally and have not regreted the decision once. I use pony pipe clamps for my larger clamping needs. I have about 45-50 of them and they get used all the time.

[Phillip Mitchell]

This has been on my mind lately as well.

I actually like the older style Bessey parallel clamps (all red, not quite as heavy, wooden handle) way better than the REVO ones sold now. The shop I apprenticed in had the old Besseys and Pony pipe clamps, so that’s what I learned on. I have (2) 24” and (2) 40” REVO in a package deal from when I first got started woodworking and still use them because I have them, but they frustrate me about as much as they please me. Maybe I should sell them on eBay for more than they go for new as that’s the trend I’ve been seeing lately :D

I just ordered 4 of the 24” Uniklamps ($23 each on Amazon) and 4 Dubuque 48” from Klingspor ($35 each!) so we’ll see how those play with the others.

I always look out for clamps on the used market while I search for a myriad of other tools and very rarely see them and when I do they are usually approaching new prices for used clamps...

I like pipe clamps as well, but you do have to be more careful with them and protect your work from the black pipe. I have some blue Rockler ones that I like because of the wide feet on them but just started slipping...must be the pipe hopefully?

Anybody out there regional to me wants to sell their nice supply of older Besseys, shoot me a message!

[Scott Winners]

WAY too much money in them

Exactly. My primary clamps for panel glue ups are some predilled 2x6 at 24, 48 and 72 inch length and some half inch all thread 36" long with fender washers, washers and nuts.

It seems to me the more I spend on clamps the faster I can close them. With my predrilled 2x6 and all thread I have maybe $150 tied up in clamps. I do have socket and ratchet wrench and a crescent wrench to tighten up the nuts on the all thread not included in that price.

One thing I learned from boat building was to do a dry lay up and dry clamp up before getting the glue out, then apply the glue, lay it up again and clamp it up again.

My system is not 'fast', but I can reach up to 33x72 inches and clamp the snot out of it. I remember having to buy 72" inch all thread at the homestore and loading it in my cart. I was walking tall past the tool corral with the more expensive clamps on my way to the cash register. I have a hack saw and a vise and the tap and die tooling, no problemo to cut the all thread down to 36 inches.

If I was doing a bunch of wide panel glue-ups, like a pro cabinet shop, it would make sense to buy a bunch of long expensive QR clamps. My 2x6 is predrilled (5/8) for 6/4 stock and I got plywood scrap to toss into the mix when glueing up 4/4 stock to keep my product flat.

I do have a five gallon bucket full of various smaller clamps, maybe two buckets. The first clamp of mine sold will be at my estate sale after I cast off this mortal coil.

[Mike Heidrick]

I own, along with others, both your Jorgy Cabinet Masters and Dubuque alum bar clamps. Def not the same clamp.

[Doug Colombo]

Although I like my Bessey’s, I love my Jet clamps a bit more.

[Johannes Becker]

It all depends on the type of work you are doing and anticipating of doing. So no, I would not sell clamps unless I am sure I had no further use (but I guess I developed an addiction...) In addition to the Bessey/Jorgensens I use Klemmsia clamps for lighter duty applications and love them. There is a difference between the original Klemmsia I grew up with in Germany (and that are available as well here now from some suppliers at a premium) and the cheaper imitations that operate not quite as smoothly in my opinion.

I have heard a lot about the Dubuques and want to try some. But so far I have not figured out whether that is just another solution for a lighter clamp like my Klemmsias for a drawer glue-up or a different animal altogether. Has anybody used both and can provide some feedback? Are you gluing something like cork pads to the Dubuque's clamping faces?

[Jeff Heil]

Rockler has the Bessey K-Body clamps on sale right now. 24" are on sale for $43 each. I just purchased 10 more to have close to enough clamps as I kept running short of clamps on my cabinet door assemblies.

[Kevin Jenness]

So do you think I will be kicking myself for not having the parallel clamps some day.

Yes.

If I had any parallel clamps that worked well I would keep them. However, my aluminum Jorgensen and Dubuque bar clamps are my favorites for gluing up panels and frames. Once in a while I pull out the old warhorse Jorgensen I-bar clamps when I really need extra pressure or screw length, but the aluminum clamps have plenty of power for most jobs and they are a lot easier on my back. I use pipe clamps occasionally for long pulls and when I run short of other clamps, but I hate the way they like to tip over and roll around the pipes when working alone.

Besides the bar clamps my go-tos are old Jorgensen f-clamps with throat depths from 2 1/2" to 5". The parallel clamps seem heavy for most of what I do. As a cabinetmaker I often make numerous assemblies in sequence, and lightweight clamps allow me to get a glueup off the bench to make way for the next one without getting sore.

Get a couple of the Dubuques and see how you like them- I think you will find them handy and better quality than Harbor Fright. We had some chiwan knockoffs from Lee Valley and several of the screw castings broke in use.

[Phillip Mitchell]

I just received the 48” Dubuque clamps I ordered and they are so lightweight, which I’m really looking forward to compared to Bessey K Body clamps and pipe clamps.

The price was pretty nice as well. Can’t wait to try them out and order more if I like them.

[Jim Dwight]

I do not like them much but I can't seem to spend more than absolutely necessary on clamps. So I have HF aluminum ones - 4 5ft and 4 4 ft - and a bunch of pipe clamps. Plus C clamps and F style clamps, also HF. Occasionally I need something longer than my 6 ft pipe clamps and it's really nice to be able to thread on an extension. 3/4 pipe clamps will also exert a LOT of clamping force but I need to be sure I protect the project. Ususally the cheap aluminum HF clamps are fine. If I need more force, I messed up.

[Mel Fulks]

Internet seems to call every thing “parallel clamps”. If you mean the jurgenson wooden ones ,I would keep them . Spin them ,holding both
handles, no bad pinches to hands. They are speedy and accommodate angles, you need both. I worked for a couple of companies that each
had at least a hundred, for things like custom hand rail they are great.

[Kevin Jenness]

Internet seems to call every thing “parallel clamps”. If you mean the jurgenson wooden ones ,I would keep them . Spin them ,holding both
handles, no bad pinches to hands. They are speedy and accommodate angles, you need both. I worked for a couple of companies that each
had at least a hundred, for things like custom hand rail they are great.

I think the op is talking about clamps similar to Bessey K clamps rather than what we call "handscrews" around here. The wooden clamps are very versatile though. I use them occasionally to hold pieces upright on the bench or to hold a door upright for lock work with the handscrew clamped to he bench surface.

You can't have too many clamps. My son asked me a few years ago why I have so many. He must never have been in the shop when I was gluing up a batch of doors or edgebanding panels.

[Carl Beckett]

My experience mirrors Kevin:

I have some of those Aluminum clamps for years (decades) now, I believe they are jorgensen brand. They are my most often used clamps, due to the lightweight nature and quick adjusting. I also have some Rocklers but they stick/bind some, not nearly as smooth operating.

Sometimes I want more clamping force. The Aluminum ones will curve/bend with much force. So the second style of clamp I added to the arsenal were steel 'I' beam type. they are heavy duty and I use them second most.

I went years before adding parallel clamps. I now have some Jet and also some Bessey parallel. They are ok, and I do like the deeper jaw. I had some Irvin parallel clamps but they were never smooth. They are heavy. And not the most often used.

Then I added more 'F' style clamps. Some various sizes. These get used a fair bit. Not as heavy duty, but that is fine.

And also for decades I have owned various 'Quick grip' clamps. Light duty, but these get used more than any other clamp for whatever is needed in the moment (holding something in place, clamping to a benchtop, etc.).

So I do endorse the aluminum clamps and they would still be my first choice for general purpose clamping.

[justin sherriff]

Looks like the consensus is never sell clamps.

Now how do you feel about other types of tools in the shop? Are you more likely to, keep tools because there is a small chance you will use it again some day or get rid of a unused tool? Cluttered or clean shop?

[George Yetka]

I started with dewalt quick clamps and quickly picked up a variety of f style and bessey parallels. Now I have about 32 parallels and Jet/Bessey. As for the rest I personally use smallest bessey f clamps in qty and will use the deepest reaching ones as well. I would sell the rest of the F's to make room on the wall if I get around to it. The Quick clamps get used occasionally and I have a drawer of oddballs that get used occasionally too. I havent had any Jorg clamps but would agree to hold onto them and buy more clamps.

[Jim Becker]

Now how do you feel about other types of tools in the shop? Are you more likely to, keep tools because there is a small chance you will use it again some day or get rid of a unused tool? Cluttered or clean shop?
I think the answer to that question comes down to the nature of those tools. There are some specialty things that rarely get used, but when they are the right tool for the job...they are the right tool for the job. There are other things that we sometimes "collect" on whims that count more as clutter. My recent shop move really revealed some of that stuff for sure!

The thing with clamps...even the most despised clamp becomes your favorite when it's the last one you have available to use in a glue up that's in progress. :) :D (For me, those are some pipe clamps that stay stored away for "that time" when extras are needed)

[Kevin Jenness]

"There are other things that we sometimes "collect" on whims that count more as clutter. My recent shop move really revealed some of that stuff for sure!"

I resemble that remark. When I added on to my shop and put a wood floor over the slab 15 years ago I moved everything possible upstairs to the lumber room, and a lot of it never came back down. With more lumber coming in it was getting hard to move up there, so I have spent the last several days doing a cleanout of stuff that has been there long enough that I know it never will get used. Not tools so much as jigs and offcuts. I don't know how many times I have muttered "What was I thinking?" Anyway one dump run down and another to the re-store and dump today- and it's still full! But now it's useable lumber and stuff that will get used (sure) and I can see it. So take heed youngsters and don't do what I did.