HF F-clamp Bench Holddowns

[glenn bradley]

I had a couple HF F-clamps that were too poor to use (I wasn't paying attention and picked up a couple funky ones). They have been laying around for about a year waiting for me to give them 10 minutes of attention:

95319 95320 95321

[Thomas Williams]

Great idea.

[harry strasil]

LOL, The Blacksmiths Motto: Overcome, Adapt, Imrovise, Modify. Good Idea.

FWIW - Next time, bend a piece of thin flat 180 around the spine end ways, then drill a hole in the middle and bolt thru. Will give more support under the bench as there will be support on both sides of the spine and will be easier on the bench due to more surface contact.

[glenn bradley]

LOL, The Blacksmiths Motto: Overcome, Adapt, Imrovise, Modify. Good Idea.

FWIW - Next time, bend a piece of thin flat 180 around the spine end ways, then drill a hole in the middle and bolt thru. Will give more support under the bench as there will be support on both sides of the spine and will be easier on the bench due to more surface contact.

Harry, I think I am seeing in my head, what you are saying . . . Could you say it again just a little differently to help me clarify? 180 "under" the vertical like a the letter 'U'? Thanks.

[Walt Caza]

Hi Glenn,
Glad you found a little shop time.
How are your nightstands coming.......
can we expect a post and pics soon?

Nice work on making holddown-aid out of those lemons!

Harry's U shape sounds like a clever enhancement.
I read it as sorta two straight pieces just like the one you have,
one of each flat side of the bar...
but they just happen to be one elegant piece, connected by a C
around one end of the clamp bar.

That's sweet...you gotta do it!
Please show us when you complete the upgrade...
(now ya got homework!)
be well,
Walt

ps yep, a long U, bolted thru center of the straights

[glenn bradley]

Alas, the clamp bar already "just" fits through the 3/4" dog holes and anything that had to toggle cannot increase that dimension but, a second strap on the other side to spread the load would be doable ;-)

[Walt Caza]

Hey again,
This brings to mind a Costanza quote...
George, in a distressed voice, shouted...
'why must there always be a problem?!?'
good times,
Walt

[harry strasil]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/odd/clampMod.jpg

[Lee Koepke]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/odd/clampMod.jpg
Harry, you always seem to have creative ideas.

Thanks for sharing your intuitive thoughts !!

[Alan Schaffter]

Another way to do it is to make the stop pivot towards the wide sides of the clamp bar. Cut a wide notch in the bottom of the clamp bar, make a stop bar, drill the clamp bar and stop bar on edge and insert a roll pin for a pivot so the stop bar pivots towards the wide sides of the clamp bar.

[glenn bradley]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/odd/clampMod.jpg

Ahhh, a picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks Harry.

[John Shuk]

Great idea

[Bruce Benjamin]

Great idea and very inexpensive too. But it's pretty much identical to what I've seen in an email that one of the WW magazines send out once a month. I don't remember which magazine but they send out, "Tips and Tricks" or something similar to that with ideas of this sort. I think I saw it in one of the, "Readers Tips" sections of a magazine too. It also works with the Quick Grip style of clamp.

One of the EZ Smart user's ideas was to use a Quick Grip clamp like this but instead of the end going through a dog-hole it had one of the EZ connectors attached to the end and it went into some of the EZ SME extruded track. :cool:

All of these ideas are great and much cheaper than using something like the Kreg bench clamp. Both will work well for clamping but for the price of the Kreg you could make quite a few of the home made versions. Plus, you can use the Kreg only where you have the plate but the home made version can be used anywhere there's a dog-hole.

Bruce

[Charlie Kocourek]

Great idea Glenn,

Easy, cheap, and oh so functional!:D