Crude Clamp Brkt

[harry strasil]

This is the Crude mortise and tenoned Clamp Brkt I thru together this morning to store my wood clamps in my trailer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clampbrkt2.jpg

Loaded with 10 clamps and strapped down for transport.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/clampbrkt.jpg

[Lars Thomas]

Harry, that's a nice enough bracket, but tell us more about the 'Jorgies' you have hanging on it. Lars

[harry strasil]

"Jorgies", that's a good one Lars.

When I started collecting old tools to use I was more or less into Transitional planes, Never really got into the all metal ones altho I do have a few. Then I found a couple of reprints of old WW'ing books that showed how to adjust and use Woodie Planes. I had a few already and after tuning a couple up, I decided to use all the woodies I could for demos, and started looking for woodies in good shape to use. I slid down the slope rather quickly and easily and decided if I was gonna demo 1800's tools, I should put myself in an 1800's WW's frame of mind.

Other than planes, chisels, braces and bits, I reasoned that money was scarce and WW's of that day would not and probably could not afford to purchase something that they could make themselves. They could purchase fret blades and make the rest of their bow and frame saws as well as benches, saw tables, tool chests, etc. So I started making my own tools. Old tools were expensive and hard to come by and some even non existant.

The WW's of the 1800's could always rely on the local Blacksmith to make any ironwork they needed and usually the work could be bartered for, so no money out of pocket to speak. I already had the blacksmith skills so I just started making tools in the basement shop during the wintertime.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/woodclamp.jpg

I started off by making a small pair of clamps similar to this one, then made a larger pair, I used a rocking type movable pad at first, but it was rather difficult to get then so they functioned well, so I started using just a sliding pad with a peg or pin secured by a piece of chalk line string to keep from loosing the pin. This design worked very well and needs a minimum of clearance to move and functions very well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/edgeclamp.jpg

This design was born out of necessity for edge clamping longer pieces without them buckling up or down in the center and they cover more surface area so as not to make indentations in the edges when clamping. I saw one catalogue with some similar pony double pipe clamps in it one time, but have never seen them again. Makes me wonder if someone saw my wooden ones at one of my demos, and borrowed the idea. LOL

My work bench has a lot of holes in the top and I use these with some wooden pegs, wedges and spacers for holding/clamping small or thin pieces so I can work them.

I just enjoy making tools it seems.

These clamps were in an earlier thread in 03. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=3786