Jorgensen or Bessey

[Bill Huber]

I am going to get some clamps and I am not sure which to get.

I have looked at both and really don't see much difference in them at all.

So what are your opinions on them.

Bessey K body
Jorgensen Cabinet Master

Right now I have 8 Jorgensen 3700 bar clamps but I would to go to the cabinet type clamp.

Now the wife statement was "How many clamps do you need anyway" ever heard that before.

[Doug Shepard]

I'm kind of partial to the Gross Stabils
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hi/105-1905033-0406841?url=search-alias%3Dtools&field-keywords=gross+stabil+pc2
I compared them to the Bessey's when I bought my first ones and liked them a little better but haven't looked over the Jorgensons to see how they compare.

[Scott Rollins]

I recently bought the Bessey cabinet set for some drawers...they are a world apart from the pipe clamps I had been using. The dovetailed drawers clamp perfectly square the first time every time. I don't have to fiddle with the clamps to get the drawer square as I did with the harbour freight bar clamps I started with. The panel glue-ups are a dream now. The boards just pull together without bowing at all. A couple of strokes the the scraper and done. I will buy more for my next project.

[Mark Carlson]

Bill,

I have a bunch of Bessey clamps and like them a lot. You might also want to condider the Jet version. I've read a lot of good things recently about them and if I was starting out I'd probably get them.

~mark

[Steve Rowe]

I am assuming you are talking about the parallel jaw clamps. I have used Bessey & Gross Stabil clamps for years and they are both fine clamps. There are features about each that I liked quite a bit and felt if I could take the best from each, I would end up with an outstanding clamp. Recently, I purchased the Jet clamps and honestly, they created the very clamp I would have designed with the Bessey & Gross Stabil features. They even added a few nice touches that I hadn't even thought of. Only time will tell but, Jet hit a home run with these clamps and if I had to add more, they would be my choice. I don't have any experience with the Jorgenson parallel jaw clamps so cannot offer any input on these.
Steve

[Ken Garlock]

Check out All Pro Tools. Their prices on Gross-Stabil (http://www.allprotools.com/store/page120.html) beat the pants off Amazon.

[Gilbert Vega]

I have 24 Jorgy's and 76 Bessey which should tell you which ones I prefer. The Bessey K-bodys are not as bulky as the CM's.

[Allen Bookout]

I have 24 Jorgy's and 76 Bessey which should tell you which ones I prefer. The Bessey K-bodys are not as bulky as the CM's.

I agree with Gilbert. I have 12 Cabinet Masters and 18 Besseys and I like the Besseys better due to the fact that they are not as heavy as the CMs and do the same job. The CMs are bullet proof though. I can see that I have some catching up to do to get anywhere near Gilbert.

[Tim Malyszko]

I purchased a total of 20 Jorgensen Cabinet Master's about 3 months ago, got them home and took every one of them back. They were too bulky compared to the Besseys I have.

I recently started purchasing the Jet Clamps and have been very happy with them. While they are more bulky than the Bessey's, their features more than make up for the bulkiness.

[Gary Herrmann]

I have 24 Jorgy's and 76 Bessey which should tell you which ones I prefer. The Bessey K-bodys are not as bulky as the CM's.


100 parallel jaw clamps? Gilbert are you getting close to the thing that must not be named - having enough clamps?

I've got Besseys. That said, I think Besseys, Jorgies or Gross Stabils will do you fine. In my opinion, the Jet clamps have bigger grooves in the bar, making them a bit more limited as to how fine you can adjust them when clamping.

[ryan smythe]

have a look at these heard good things about them.
http://www.woodworkersshop.com/Jet_Parallel_Clamps.htm

[Jim Becker]

I have the Bessey K-Body clamps and love them. I'd not refuse either the Jorgies or the GS version if they magically appeared, but I tend to like to keep my clamps consistent so I don't have any issues using them together. That's not a reflection on the quality or value of any of them...I just had Bessey first and that's where I've stayed.

[Larry Crim]

I'm with mark and ryan on this I Have used besseys in the past never used the CM's but I have Jet's and prefer them over the besseys.
larry

[Gilbert Vega]

100 parallel jaw clamps? Gilbert are you getting close to the thing that must not be named - having enough clamps?


I just buy them when there is a good sale, like the one a week ago when Amazon had the 24/40" set for $93. The LOML doesn't even ask (anymore) why I need more clamps. She just asks where I'm going to put them. Gotta love her!!

[Randy Denby]

I too have mostly Besseys. But a couple of months ago, Rocklers was selling 4 Jets (2-24's, and 2-48's) plus the cross pads for 99.00. Jets are a little more bulky...but they are great!

[Jim Fox]

I have a ton of Besseys just because they were on sale, but I'd rather have Jorgys. The ribbed bars on the Besseys are a major pain......IMHO.

[Jules Dominguez]

I have a bunch of 3/4" pipe clamps I bought many years ago, some Craftsman and some Jorgensen. I bought a bunch of Bessies about a year ago when they had a big sale on. They do a very good job and are much better than the pipe clamps, but have some awkward features in handling and setting the clamps. I wish I had put up with the pipe clamps a little longer and bought the new Jet design.

[Bill Huber]

You are sure making it hard on me.....:D

At this point the Besseys are out, I went and look at them at Lowes and when I picked one up the clamp sled down the bar and pinched my hand so they are out, well maybe not.

I am going to Woodcraft tomorrow and take a look at the Gross Stabil and have another look at the Besseys. I think that Texas Tools has the Jets so I am going to try and go by there.

I did look at Home Depot and they have the Jorgensens and they are built like a battle ship and are just about as heavy. I do like the handle and the way they work.

[Russ Filtz]

Another Stabil vote. I have both Besseys and GS. The GS just seem to work better for me.

[Mike Cutler]

The LOML doesn't even ask (anymore) why I need more clamps. She just asks where I'm going to put them. Gotta love her!!

I was kinda wonderin' the same thing. That's a lot of clamps.

Personally I like the Bessey's. I have Bessey's and Jorgies, and I subconciously reach for the Bessy's first. Nothing wrong with the Jorgies, I just reach for them second. Both are excellent clamps.

[Kim Spence]

I own Jets and Besseys, I prefer the Jets.

Both are equally good at clamping, but the Jets have a few features that I prefer such as the inch markings on the bar to let you get them all opened up to roughly the same width, the bench dogs to stabilize them on your bench, and the trigger mechanism.

The Jets are easier to store too because when you hang them on a clamp rack the bottom half won't slide down the bar because of the trigger release.

[glenn bradley]

Can't really go wrong with Bessey, Jorgie or Jet. The Jorgies and Jets are a little heavier than the Besseys weight-wise. The Jorgies have a large face, the Jets have a lot of add-ons that are cool. The Besseys are a solid proven design and is what I happen to have.

[Mike Seals]

I've complied quite a stack of Jorgies and a few Besseys, I tend to like the heavness of the Jorgies just for piece of mind. Plus I find that I can pick the Jorgs up at HD for a better price than I can order on line, even on sale.

[Larry Fox]

The ribbed bars on the Besseys are a major pain......IMHO.

First - Jim and I are not related in any way that I am aware of.

Second, I agree with his point about the ribbed bars being a bit of a pain. They seem to grab when you don't want them to and not grab when you do. However, as other posters have mentioned, they do a very good job of clamping paralell. I have 27 of them and no other brand so I suppose I don't mind the bars THAT much. It is a situation like Jim Becker points out - it is where I started and like to keep them consistent.

[James Carmichael]

I didn't know there were so many Gershwin fans on the creek.

Seems nearly everyone has "Jorgy and Bess".

Sorry, couldn't resist:D

[Eric Lewis]

So am I the only one still using old 3/4" bar clamps?

[Wilbur Pan]

I have a ton of Besseys just because they were on sale, but I'd rather have Jorgys. The ribbed bars on the Besseys are a major pain......IMHO.

I agree with his point about the ribbed bars being a bit of a pain. They seem to grab when you don't want them to and not grab when you do.
Even though they are not parallel clamps, that's why I like Wetzler Quick Clamps (http://wetzler.com/quick.shtml) over Besseys and Jorgies. Wetzler clamps manage to slide to the point you want them to and stay without ribbed bars or clutch plates. And although they are not parallel clamps, they do a fine job with panel clamping.

I think that Wetzlers are to clamps what Lie-Nielsen are to hand planes.

[Dave Fifield]

I didn't know there were so many Gershwin fans on the creek.

Seems nearly everyone has "Jorgy and Bess".

Sorry, couldn't resist:D

I'm more of an Elton John fan myself James.....you know, "...Bessey! Bessey! Bessey and the Jets!". :D :cool:

I'm equally sorry.... ;) not!

[James Carmichael]

So am I the only one still using old 3/4" bar clamps?

Nope, me too, Eric.

[Martin Shupe]

Bessey's for me, I broke a couple Jorgies, never broke a Bessey.

I heard the new Jets are nice, but have not held one in my hands.

[Bill Huber]

I could not find any Jets in the area, I looked at the GS at Woodcraft and they are nice but higher in price.

I am not a full time woodworker so I have to look at cost some because I will not be using them everyday.

I got 2 Bessey and 2 Jorgie to see just which one I liked best. I did a 4 drawer glue up yesterday, this is just the other shop cabinet I am building.

The Besseys are lighter in weight but not a lot but still nice.
The Jorgies have a deeper jaw, more clamping area.
The Jorgies have a bigger handle, better for me when clamping them down.

At this point it I could have gone with either with no problem, now in use.

The Besseys would open very easy and that sounds great but they would open when I didn't want them to.
Then when I went to clamp things up some times the Besseys would not set in the notch right and would not clamp until I fiddled with them.
The Jorgies held very will and did not move unless I wanted them to and when it came time to clamp they clamped.

So it looks like the Besseys are going back and I am going to get 2 more Jorgies or more as time goes on.

Thanks to everyone for your comments and suggestions, it really helps to hear what others think.

[Matt Benton]

Bill,

Looks like I am in the same boat as you (geographically as well).

I looked at the Bessey's at Lowe's and CM's at HD. I got the same impression as you. While I haven't used them, I tend to over-engineer most of the things I build, so I liked the Jorgy's for that. I also was not impressed with the Bessey's tendency to open while holding them.

[Greg Narozniak]

I have 2 50" Besseys, 4 40" Besseys, 4 31" Besseys and love them. I picked up 4 of the 24" Jorgies and really do not like them as much as the Besseys. I know there are people that will go the other way but using both for what I do that is my experience.

I have actually thought of selling the Jorgies or trying to trade them out for Besseys but never got around to it but it is still on my mind especially with posts like this. :)

Gregs

[Homer Faucett]

I have to quote this and agree. I bought two Bessey Uniklamps after I had heard everyone rave about Bessey's. I hate 'em. They grab when you don't want them to, and they are difficult to get loose when you need them to pull back. It makes glue-ups a nightmare, IMHO.

I may have to try some Jets, or maybe the true K-bodies are better than the Bessey Uniklamps, but I won't buy another Uniklamp. I had always used F clamps before, and I think I'll stick with the drawbacks of the F clamp over the drawbacks of the parallel clamping Uniklamp.


First - Jim and I are not related in any way that I am aware of.

Second, I agree with his point about the ribbed bars being a bit of a pain. They seem to grab when you don't want them to and not grab when you do. However, as other posters have mentioned, they do a very good job of clamping paralell. I have 27 of them and no other brand so I suppose I don't mind the bars THAT much. It is a situation like Jim Becker points out - it is where I started and like to keep them consistent.

[Bob Smalser]

Only with Jorgies will I set beams all by my lonesome. Wouldn't trust a Bessey. Plus they have little throw, little power, the handles are half the size they should be, and they clog up with glue too easily, making them fussy when you're in a hurry.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3297171/277999059.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3297171/282379653.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3297171/282379651.jpg

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/3297171/282384533.jpg

[Rob Diz]

All this talk of clamps, and no one is off of the Bessy/Jet/Jorgy reservation???

Granted, I have a wall full of the Bessy's, a "sampler set" of 4 Jets and a number of pipe clamps. But given the FWW article this month, why not consider a few I beam clamps??

[Bob Smalser]

....why not consider a few I beam clamps??

All Jorgenson bar clamps are "I-beam" clamps. I try not to fix what isn't broken.

[Bryan Berguson]

I have both and I like the Besseys a little better. The Jorgys have more play and take longer to get tight. Other than that, they are both great clamps.

Bryan

[Mickey Finn]

Home Depot has the Jorgs, Lowes has the Besseys.

I'm kinda skeptical of people saying they "broke" one of these things, no matter what the make. How the heck do you break a bar clamp?

Jorgs are about 15-30 bux cheaper per piece, from my research.

If you're buying a bunch of them, that adds up.

Look in your wallet and choose accordingly. :rolleyes:

[Greg Pavlov]

Are Jorgensens still made in the US?

I have two problems with Bessies: I have several that I have to really manhandle to release, even if not clamped to anything; I have a difficult
time - I'm missing the technique, I'm guessing - tightening a Bessie that
is hanging straight down, with the handle below the piece.

[Bill Huber]

I have both and I like the Besseys a little better. The Jorgys have more play and take longer to get tight. Other than that, they are both great clamps.

Bryan

Bryan, when you go to use the Jorgys, bring then up against the work and then just press down on the handle and they will start tightening right then.
I was kind of having the same problem and then I noticed that I could just press the handle down and the would tighten up very fast.

[Brian Ross]

With a back drop of that lake any clamp would look like a million dollars. Nice location .

Brian

[Drew Armstrong]

I have 8 Jets and as of today have 12 Jorgies... I purchased the Jorgensens because I got them for $12 each brand new. Having played with them all evening... I would take the Jets anytime. (but if faced with $12 clamps again would get more)

Drew

[Keith Beck]

For parallel clamps I have Besseys, the Woodcraft Green Besseys, Jets and Gros-Stabils at home and I've used my brother's Jorgeys. I figured I'd try numerous brands before I decided which ones I liked best.

For my money, all of my future clamp purchases will be the Jets. I think they're the best of the bunch by far. To me, they're more substantial, easier to adjust, they don't slide down the bar and smash your fingers, and the built-in ruler is a nice touch.

My .02....

Keith

[Greg Pavlov]

For anyone interested in the late and (perhaps) lamented Gros-Stabil:

http://www.woodpeck.com/pc2clamps.html

[Jules Dominguez]

I have Besseys. They're nice, but If I were starting over, I'd definitely check out the Jets before I made the purchase.

[Dana Van Pelt]

Besseys look good hanging on the wall but after 5 years of use here at American Sycamore they are worn out. I will never buy another or recomend any Bessey product. I have several broken Bessey clamps and American Clamping ( the importer) brings NO repair parts into the country. I have six $40.00 clamps setting in the corner. I know for a fact that Adjustable clamp has repair parts for what they sell. Lesson learned: I will only buy the 72 style I bar clamps from now on for my heavy use clamps.

Mike

[Lance Norris]

I have 16 Jets and I really like the Jet. Lucky for me, I just recently started buying parallel clamps and after doing a little research, IMO there was no other choice. The Jets are great. I wont use a pipe clamp again. I sure have wrestled with them alot. Parallel clamps are a joy to use.

[Don Bullock]

...Rocklers was selling 4 Jets (2-24's, and 2-48's) plus the cross pads for 99.00. Jets are a little more bulky...but they are great!

I picked up two sets from Rockler at $99. They are great clamps.

[Gary Herrmann]

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until I start having problems with my Besseys.

[Vic Damone]

My local Rockler has the 2-24" 2-48" JET sets on sale in the spring. This year I bought two sets and compared to my pipe clamps their great. Heavy? I wouldn't know. I had buyer's remorse right up until the first time I used them.

Vic

[Will Blick]

Recently, there was an article in WOOD magazine, as well as the current Fine Woodworking magazine, regarding clamps. I have experimented with many clamps... and since the ultimate goal of a clamp is to provide force to a glue joint, one should not overlook the value of a clamp that provides more force. I use a pressure gauge to test all my clamps, and the results were stunning, and it was nice to see the results confirmed by both of these magazine articles, although some were not as thorough as my tests. Here is some basic info...


Keep in mind, everyones hand strength is different.... I consider my hand strength avg, so I am providing my results. I have seen a few Hercules type do better, and most women do about 40 - 50% less.... but regardless, its nothing more than a point of reference....

I will provide my results in order of, worst to best....


Gross Stabil Parallel clamps, now discontinued. Build quality decent, not great, but clamp pressure is the worst of all.... about 375 lbs of force. I see why Bessey discontinued them after acquiring GS.

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/81223853http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/81223853.jpg


Jet Clamps - total disappointment, the build quality is SUPERB, grip handle is of a nice design, although hollow.... however, for reasons I can't yet explain, clamp pressure is very poor, 475 lbs... There seems to be some issues with the internal mechanics of the Jets, creating too much friction, thereby not transposing the hand energy into clamping force... very disappointing, cause I love the build quality of these clamps, as well as there nice dog adaption to work benches and the higher than normal Jaws... but, looks can be deceiving. Jet really screwed up here, premium price, yet terrible performance in the one area that counts the most.

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/87021454.jpg


Bessey K Body - Good build (not great), thin handle (poor gripping ability), and yet, these clamps performed remarkably well, in the 800 lb range. Adding an over grip will get an extra 100 lbs of force. The fact you can gang these clamps with the Bessey extenders, makes them very versatile, as you can join two clamps for long door glue ups, without stocking such long clamps (assuming its not an every day task). However, the Uni Parallel clamps by Bessey performed very poor, about 2/3 rds less force, so don't confuse them.


http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/87021423.jpg


http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/81223902.jpg

Pipe Clamps - clean winner... yep, they provide an easy 1200 lbs of force. I tested the Rockler version, as they have the deepest jaws. Cheap, flexible in size as you can keep spare sized pipe around. All the pipe clamps I saw tested in the magazines did equally well... the reason is the handle design, you can get the torque you need on the handle without shredding your hands. Downside is, jaws not as deep as parallel clamps.

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/87021470.jpg

And the new New Heavyweight Champion in Parallel clamps is Stanley!! Yep, Stanleys new Bailey Parallel clamps rock! 1200+ lbs of force without ripping the skin off your hands! Two key areas of success here... the perfect handle design, synthetic, soft, and octagonish, combined with frictionless gearing. Build quality is excellent. I miss the dog compatibility the Jets offer, and the use of extenders that K Bodies offer, but if this is not an issue, then they are superb... Amazon has them fall to $26 for the smaller ones.

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/87021530.jpg


And wait, there is a new parallel clamp from Woodline, which is a Chinese knock off of the K Body, I just ordered some... the beauty of this design is, the handle pivots 90 degrees to gain all the desired torque. But, I have been fooled before by these clamps, so I will hold off judgement till I test them later next week. Without a gage, these clamps can trick anyone, because you feel the same force leaving your hand going into each clamp, but yet, the force in the jaws is all that matters. But this pivoting handle is long overdue IMO, so more to come on this.......the web page is currently down, due to long backorders...

http://www.woodline.com/c-248-parallel-clamps.aspx


There is more to clamping then just force, although the amount of force your clamps produce dictates the number of clamps you need for a specific glue up. Although Titebond reccomends ~200 lbs psi of glue surface area, the current edition of Fine Woodworking magazine shows with certain woods, the pressure required is actually much greater, sometimes up to 1200 psi. This creates a huge spread in the number of clamps required for a glue up.... too bad FW magazine did not go further into this...but some simple math can demonstrate the value of high force clamps....

1" thick boards, 2ft long (does not matter how many boards, only the length matters)

1 x 24 = 24 sq inches of glue surface

To demonstrate two extreme scenarios, with different woods, and different clamps....which starts to address the "how many clamps do I need"

Lowest number of clamps required (softer hardwood, freshly jointed)

24 sq" x 100 psi required, = 2400 lbs of clamping force required.

2400 lbs / 1200 lbs per clamp (bar clamp or Stanley) = 2 clamps. Not so bad, huh....



Now, the other extreme..... some of the tough woods quoted in FW magazine article (not commonly used woods)...

24 sq" x 1,000 psi required = 24k lbs of clamping force required.

24k / 400 lbs of force per clamp (GS or Jet) = 60 clamps.... can't even fit that many across 24" boards. Of course, if you used the bar clamps, at 1200 lbs, / 3 = 20 clamps, still a tight fit, but workable.

Now, these clamping forces are based on achieving a glues maximum holding power. This does not mean if you use less pressure, the joint will fail....as often, the glue joint is not subjected to heavy loads. However, it's NOT all about joint strength, it's sometimes an issue of aesthetics.... certain forces are required to make a near invisible ~.003" glue line, and in fine art ww, this is often desirable, regardless of the loads placed on the finished joint line, so we all have different applications, so use this information to match your needs.... or the ol, Your Mileage May Vary......

So, the moral to this story is, there is "VALUE" in clamp force. Meaning, one Stanley clamp is worth 3x more than one Jet clamp, as you need 3x more Jets to achieve the same clamping force, and yet, their are priced near the same...so this is something to consider for your next clamp purchase.

As mentioned above, there is other issues regarding glues ups, which i won't get into here...but for those interested, you should read both the Wood mag. and the FW mag. articles on this subject, as they raise other issues, such as clamp spacing, parallelism under pressure, etc. I only offered this portion of the subject, as one of the most common questions is, (from the OP of this thread) is, which clamps to buy, and how many....and before I got my hands on a a clamp pressure gauge, I too was fooled by how best to answer this question. Hope this helps...

[Bob Mircetic]

Bar Clamps - clean winner... yep, they provide an easy 1200 lbs of force. I tested the Rockler version, as they have the deepest jaws. Cheap, flexible in size as you can keep spare sized pipe around. All the bar clamps I saw tested in the magazines did equally well... FYI, you appear to be confusing bar clamps with pipe clamps. They are different animals. Looks like you are referring to pipe clamps.

[Will Blick]

Correct Bob, I mistakenly said bar clamp, instead of pipe clamp.... for what its worth, I tested some of the bar clamps also, they also performed as well as the pipe clamps.... which makes sense, they have the same clamp head and handle. I corrected this above

[Bryan Berguson]

Bryan, when you go to use the Jorgys, bring then up against the work and then just press down on the handle and they will start tightening right then.
I was kind of having the same problem and then I noticed that I could just press the handle down and the would tighten up very fast.


Thanks Bill! I'll try that out.

Bryan

[Keith Beck]

Will,

Very interesting test and analysis. I for one am very disappointed to see that the Jet clamps did so poorly. :(

Keith

[John Gornall]

Will.

Did your testing measure the pressure at the bar and at the jaw tips - it would be important that the pressure was even across the jaws.

I'm curious about the gauge you are using - where do I get one? I have a specific use for a gauge such as this.

Actually as I type this I started thinking about how a gauge like this could be used to tension a bandsaw - hmmm.

[James Phillips]

I do not know if this has been posted, but Bessey makes the K-Body clamp in green for woodcraft. Same clamp smaller price tag... For the 24" it is $29 versus $36.

[Will Blick]

Hi Keith, thanks for the kind words.... I too was VERY disappointed with the Jets, as I own a lot of them, and also felt from their feel, they were the best of the bunch. I tested enough of them to feel confident it's no fluke. Then, when I saw the magazines confirm my results, arggggg.... oh well, live n learn. Another classic case of "looks are deceiving."

> Did your testing measure the pressure at the bar and at the jaw tips - it would be important that the pressure was even across the jaws.

I did try this on a few, and it was not perfectly even, but this was to be expected as the bottom of the jaws will have a little flex, but close enough for ww.



> I'm curious about the gauge you are using - where do I get one? I have a specific use for a gauge such as this.

The gauge is a "clamp pressure gage", specifically designed for this task. They are used in the metals field, as the must know how much pressure to apply to certain metals. Its been several years since I acquired this one, and have searched trying to find the vendor for others, and I can't seem to find it. The bottom of the device is all that matters, as the tops are just gages you can buy anywhere. The company I bought it from calibrates them on a reference bench. If I find the source, I will post it... sorry....


> Actually as I type this I started thinking about how a gauge like this could be used to tension a bandsaw - hmmm.

I am not sure how this would apply. I am sure you have seen the blade saw tension gages sold by companies like Itura?

[Greg Pavlov]

Someone made the comment that the Jet clamp serrations are coarser than the Bessey's. I wonder if that would help explain the difference in clamping pressure.

[Will Blick]

Greg, the tpi of the Jets appear the same as the besseys....assuming that is what you meant by coarse.

In the past, I have tried some 3 in 1 oil on the threads on some clamps, but never noticed much results.... so before I responded to this post, I went and tried these new super lubricants, paticularly the Dupon Teflon versions. And much to my surprise, WHAMO! Completely blew me away...

http://www.pbase.com/bglick/image/87063481.jpg

[Will Blick]

In all my excitement, I forgot to mention, i did the same with the Gross Stabil clamps, and the gain was not worth mentioning.... the reason is, the handle itself is the limiting factor, the diam. is too small and too perfectly round to get a good grip....

So if you want your clamps to perform up to spec. (most state 1000 lbs of force) you need two things, Teflon lubricant and for those small and / or round handle clamps, put a build-up grip over the handle, which Lee Valley sells, or buy some cheap tennis racket grips which work even better.

Everything is so deceiving.... I am surprised the ww magazines did not pick up on this lubrication issue. I actually think Jet does not lubricate their clamps at the factory, and Bessey does. Cause when I lubricated the Besseys, there was no change in clamp pressure, same with GS..... which still makes the GS the worst of the bunch.

[Greg Pavlov]

Greg, the tpi of the Jets appear the same as the besseys....assuming that is what you meant by coarse.

In the past, I have tried some 3 in 1 oil on the threads on some clamps, but never noticed much results.... so before I responded to this post, I went and tried these new super lubricants, paticularly the Dupon Teflon versions. And much to my surprise, WHAMO! Completely blew me away...


Hey, isn't that what I said? :rolleyes:

Thanks for the time you took to do this and write it up, by the way.

[Will Blick]

> I do not know if this has been posted, but Bessey makes the K-Body clamp in green for woodcraft. Same clamp smaller price tag... For the 24" it is $29 versus $36.

Are you sure they are made by Bessey? Lots of Chinese knocks offs...

[Steve Clardy]

I've got/had both Bessey and Cabinet Masters.

Not the clamps that I thought was the clamp of all clamps.
I've sold the Besseys.
I'm slowly selling off the Cabinet Masters.

I'm in the slow process of building up a supply of I-bar clamps.
[ Which I should have continued instead of buying parallel clamps ]
Slightly cheaper on price, much better clamp.
My opinion only.