Woodline clamps

[John Daake]

Has anyone had experience with the Woodline parallel clamps? They weren't included in the recent comparison of clamps done in one of the mags, but the price is more attractive than Bessey, Jorgensen, etc. The Woodline ad indicates these clamps may be new to their line; I don't know much about Woodline in general for quality of products.
Thanks for any info.

[Lance Norris]

I think the handle design is interesting. I think all the parallel clamps would benefit from this design. I dont have any experience with this clamp. I just wanted to comment on the handles. Sorry.

[John Daake]

Lance,
Do you know anything about the Woodline tools in general? Where are they in that realm between Porter Cable and Harbor Freight?
Thanks for the response.

[Will Blick]

the Woodline Bessy knockoffs are a great idea.... but, I bought a few, and sent them back. They are chinese made, and of course, have some problems. The release is very difficult to manage, could not slide the movable portion about the rail. The metal is not as beefy as the Besseys. lots more deflection.

IMO, another classic case of good idea, poor design, poor QC.... Kudos to Woodline for standing behind their products, never a problem with returns.... I had high hopes due to the handle design, but after testing them with a pressure gage, it turned out the Jets, Besseys, Jorgies AND specially the Stanleys all did equally as well....they forced the clamp to, or near its max. clamping force of 800 - 1000 lbs of force.

The Stanleys parallels achieved the same pressure with less fuss, and are much more solid. The new Bessesy will have new grips, similar to the Stanleys, so they also should be much improved... at least in the grip dept., as the K Bodies are already a solid clamp.

Anyone waiting to buy Parallel clamps, I would suggest waiting for the new K Body handles, they should be released any month now... Although I love the Jets, they are a bit heavy, and they lack one major feature the Bessy's offer, the ability to join the clamps rear ends to form a longer clamp. The clamp extender Bessy sells is rock solid, and for $14, you basically just turned two 48" clamps into a 96" clamp, or two 24" clamps to a 48". Based on the type of work you do, this can add lots of versatility to the clamps you own, and probably allow you to cut down on the total number required..... and, you can buy more smaller clamps, assuming you use them more often. I like the flexibility of having 8ft parallel clamps for door glue ups without owning 96" clamps, too bulky to store for the few times i would need them... just my $.02.

If joining the clamps together for longer work is not something you have a need for.... well, my vote now goes to the Stanleys. I thought the bench dogs on the Jets would come in handy, but for some reason, I never seem to use them. I guess because the clamps sit flat regardless. The Jets do have deeper throats by about an inch.

Since all the big names clamps are pretty damn good, in the end, most people buy whats on sale. Amazons prices area all over the map.... I picked up some 18' Stanleys for $17 on an Amazon sale, I should have bought more... I like the smaller size, easier to handle for small jobs.

[Lance Norris]

Lance,
Do you know anything about the Woodline tools in general? Where are they in that realm between Porter Cable and Harbor Freight?
Thanks for the response.

No Im sorry... I dont. But I will give you a recommendation for parallel clamps if you are looking to buy some. I really like the parallel clamp from Jet. I also think the Parallel Clamp Cabinet Door Set is the way to go. Its the best deal. I bought 4 of these kits from Amazon.


http://www.amazon.com/70411-Parallel-Clamp-Cabinet-Door/dp/B000F79022/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1201655389&sr=8-1

Here is a good review of the Jet parallel clamp and a video about its best features.

http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/jetclmprvu.html

[glenn bradley]

The prices are not that much better than the Bessys on sale. I think Rockler is running a buy one, get one half off right now. Amazon also has Bessy sales off and on so if it is not a right-now need, I would watch and get the real thing.

The "door set" (2 x 24" and 2 x 31" with blocks) goes on sale for around $120 pretty regular as well. That's how I got my first parallels. Got bunches now. They're like router bits . . . they just seem to keep showing up.

[John Daake]

Lance, thanks for the links -- I really like the release lever feature on the Jets. Sounds like the Woodlines would be a disappointment.Glenn, I know what you mean about the periodic sales -- that's also how I got my first parallels, but from Woodcraft. Thanks for the tips. My outbuilding for a new workshop won't be completed for several weeks, so I have time to watch for the sales.

[Lance Norris]

There actually hasnt been a good sale on the Jets for a while. Last year I believe you could buy the Jets for 1/2 price, but I missed out on that. I also have seen mention of Rockler having the cabinet door set for $99, but I recently paid $129. I think I got 2 sets for $119. I keep watching though, because Id like to have a couple more 12" ones.

[Greg Pavlov]

Anyone waiting to buy Parallel clamps, I would suggest waiting for the new K Body handles, they should be released any month now... Although I love the Jets, they are a bit heavy, and they lack one major feature the Bessy's offer, the ability to join the clamps rear ends to form a longer clamp.

The new handles are out, I bought several Bessys with them at the local Rocklers (2 for the price of 1 1/2), but most of the ones in stock were still the older version.

I have several of the Jets. The larger head is sometimes useful, especially the extra depth, but other times the smaller heads of the Bessys make them easier to use.

[Lance Norris]

Although I love the Jets, they are a bit heavy, and they lack one major feature the Bessy's offer, the ability to join the clamps rear ends to form a longer clamp. The clamp extender Bessy sells is rock solid, and for $14, you basically just turned two 48" clamps into a 96" clamp, or two 24" clamps to a 48". Based on the type of work you do, this can add lots of versatility to the clamps you own, and probably allow you to cut down on the total number required..... and, you can buy more smaller clamps, assuming you use them more often. I like the flexibility of having 8ft parallel clamps for door glue ups without owning 96" clamps, too bulky to store for the few times i would need them... just my $.02.



You can use the Bessey K-body clamp extender with the Jet parallel clamp very easily.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=67765

[Will Blick]

Larry, I always forget this fact.... the K body extenders do fit the Jets perfectly.... I have done this several times....

You have to drill the hole out a tad, no big deal.... thanks for the reminder....