Pipe Clamps

[Sean Troy]

Hey all, who has the best deal going on Pipe Clamps now? Thanks for any info. Sean

[Peter Quinn]

Dont know about right now but I've been real happy with the Rockler sure foot pipe clamps. Real nice turn screws and easy to hang on the wall. I bought a bunch when they were on sale for like $9 each.

[Jim Becker]

Worry less about a "deal"...go with the better designs and quality for more enjoyment long term. Some of the newer ones with "feet" should be in your arsenal, too, if you don't plan on investing in parallel jaw clamps. IMHO, of course.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

You would probably be better off checking clamps in person to see if the design and the way they work does the job. I bought about three sets of real 'inexpensive' ones and when I got them out of the box and put them on some black pipe found out they were not only 'inexpensive' but 'cheap'. I also bought a couple sets a long time ago through Sears that I dislike. They work well but the release operates backward from what it should and takes two hands to move it. But then I have also bought some 'inexpensive' ones from Harbor Freight that work very well. Unless you're going to buy umpteen sets the cost for better quality shouldn't be all that much.

[Sean Troy]

Worry less about a "deal"...go with the better designs and quality for more enjoyment long term. Some of the newer ones with "feet" should be in your arsenal, too, if you don't plan on investing in parallel jaw clamps. IMHO, of course.

I should have worded my question better. I didn't mean who has the cheaper built ones but who has the better prices on the better ones. Thanks for bringing that to my attention Jim. Which brands have the feet? Sounds like they sit higher off your work surface and that I would like. Thanks again.

[Tom Esh]

Don't expect the "better" brands to be defect free. Maybe it's just me, but it seems the defect rate has risen sharply the last couple years. It's gotten so bad I no longer buy clamps that I don't hand select and verify they work. If I bought online and needed to put them to use upon receipt, I'd have to buy extras. I'd rather spend a few minutes rejecting the duds at the store than returning them.

[glenn bradley]

Which brands have the feet? Sounds like they sit higher off your work surface and that I would like. Thanks again.
Bessey H series:
http://www.hartvilletool.com/shared/images/products//medium/21087-07.jpg

Rockler:
http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/30921-01-200.jpg

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I use the pony clamps you can get at the borg.

[Sean Troy]

Looks like it's shopping time!http://sawmillcreek.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Jim Becker]

I believe the Irwin version also has the feet...

[Denny Rice]

I would worry more about size than value. When I first started buying woodworking equipment yrs ago I purchased 10 1/2 pipe clamps. They worked ok for small things but I found they were not sturdy enough for large projects, I would suggest what ever clamp you buy, make sure its 3/4" dia. you will pay a little more upfront buts it money well spent. I cannot remember the last time I have used my 1/2" pipe clamps.

[Pete Stack]

Those zinc-coated pipes on the Rockler clamps look so nice and shiny.

But do they get nicked-up during the clamping process? I've noticed some small gouges in the pipes on my clamps (Pony clamps with standard black pipe for natural gas--probably the result of overtightening on my part). Not a big deal. But if I were to spring for the nice and shiny pipes, can I expect to see the same small gouges?

[Greg Hines, MD]

A couple of years ago, Woodcraft was offering pipe clamp heads for about $5 each. I bought 4 of them, and wish I had gotten more, because they are very good clamps.

Regardless of the type, get some clamp pads for your clamps. Woodcraft has two styles, one for the footed types from Bessey or Rockler, and a larger style, that I use with "regular" clamps with smaller feet, which are much larger and function as feet for your smaller clamp heads.

Doc

[Jon Crowley]

IMHO, go with the cheapest. Harbor Freight often has them for $3-4 for 3/4" on sale. Seriously, it's a piece of metal with threads cut into it... not a whole lot can go wrong there. :) I'm willing to bet the pricier brands are also made in China at the factory across the street.

Save your money for other tools.

[Bob Vallaster]

(Pardon the diversion from OP)

Pete,
The choice between black pipe or galvanized pipe is your decision, as the buyer usually provides pipe separately.
Yellow glue (squeeze-out) reacts with black pipe to yield some very unpleasant staining, noticeable even on darker woods---and it's deeper than you want to try sanding out. You can prevent it by waxing the pipe, painting the pipe or being careful to create a stand-off or other barrier (wax paper).
Or you can pay a few pennies more per foot for galvanized pipe and avoid the heartache.
The clutch mechanism on most clamps does bite into the pipe OD slightly. I have had no noticeble ill effect on the galvvy pipe I use, and some of mine have been in service for 10+ years.
I have found some inconsistency in OD among various sources for 3/4" pipe, enough that the slidiing piece (clutch end) wil not slip onto the pipe. Solution: take a slider with you when you shop for pipe. Odd that the used (vintage) pipes I pick up at garage sales or the metal bin at the local dump all fit; the (import?) stuff at the borgs has been hit-or-miss for dimensional compatibility. YMMV.

Bob V.

[Sean Troy]

I would worry more about size than value. When I first started buying woodworking equipment yrs ago I purchased 10 1/2 pipe clamps. They worked ok for small things but I found they were not sturdy enough for large projects, I would suggest what ever clamp you buy, make sure its 3/4" dia. you will pay a little more upfront buts it money well spent. I cannot remember the last time I have used my 1/2" pipe clamps.
I agree. I wasn't even thinking of the 1/2" ones. just 3/4/. Thanks, Sean

[Greg Hines, MD]

In a related vein, I would comment on the "deep reach" clamp heads that are available. I have a couple of different brands of them, and one pair (they are black/speckled, but I cannot recall the manufacturer) had clutch plates that were so tight, you could not adjust the adjustable clamp head on the bar. Removing one clutch plate (it came with four) fixed the problem but it is a consideration for any of these clamps. The clamp heads I bought from Woodcraft did not have that problem.

Doc

[Randal Stevenson]

(Pardon the diversion from OP)

Pete,
The choice between black pipe or galvanized pipe is your decision, as the buyer usually provides pipe separately.
Yellow glue (squeeze-out) reacts with black pipe to yield some very unpleasant staining, noticeable even on darker woods---and it's deeper than you want to try sanding out. You can prevent it by waxing the pipe, painting the pipe or being careful to create a stand-off or other barrier (wax paper).
Or you can pay a few pennies more per foot for galvanized pipe and avoid the heartache.
The clutch mechanism on most clamps does bite into the pipe OD slightly. I have had no noticeble ill effect on the galvvy pipe I use, and some of mine have been in service for 10+ years.
I have found some inconsistency in OD among various sources for 3/4" pipe, enough that the slidiing piece (clutch end) wil not slip onto the pipe. Solution: take a slider with you when you shop for pipe. Odd that the used (vintage) pipes I pick up at garage sales or the metal bin at the local dump all fit; the (import?) stuff at the borgs has been hit-or-miss for dimensional compatibility. YMMV.

Bob V.

Bob, so you have never had any slipping on new galvanized pipe?

I have heard it from friends (who then went with black and painters tape), but all my experience has really been with old, former water pipe galvanized (lot's of old homes).