How would you clamp this?

[Matt Day]

I'm not sure the best way to clamp this while protecting the corners of the legs. I was thinking some kind of 'V' shaped cleat for the heads of the clamps. I have both parallel clamps and f-style, but am thinking the parallels would be best. I plan to put a spacer at the bottom of the legs to keep the legs parallel so the clamping force doesn't push them together or pull them apart.

Any suggestions?

[Ben Hatcher]

I'd cut a v shaped dado on a scrap of 2x4 on the table saw to use as cauls. The spacer might help, but if your mortises are square shouldn't be necessary.

[Keith Starosta]

I have a couple of Bessey band clamps that came with corner braces. Using just two of the corner braces, placed on the 45's of the two legs, might work prety well. Just a though...

[Matt Day]

TS and a 2x4 - I was overthinking it!

I know what you're saying about it being necessary with square mortises, but even with square mortises, with clamping pressure and a long lever arm the legs could wander out of true.

Thanks!

[Matt Day]

I have a couple of Bessey band clamps that came with corner braces. Using just two of the corner braces, placed on the 45's of the two legs, might work prety well. Just a though...

I've got some of those too (Rockler brand though IIRC). I'll give that a dry run this weekend and see how it goes.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I made a few of these that have come in handy for similar situations. You can use double sided tape to temporarily stock this to one end of the clamp if you have trouble setting them up.

90caul.jpg

[Charles Wiggins]

I'm not sure the best way to clamp this while protecting the corners of the legs. I was thinking some kind of 'V' shaped cleat for the heads of the clamps. I have both parallel clamps and f-style, but am thinking the parallels would be best. I plan to put a spacer at the bottom of the legs to keep the legs parallel so the clamping force doesn't push them together or pull them apart.

Any suggestions?

I'd make V blocks out of tuba scrap. To keep the V block from rocking if the angle did not match perfectly, I'd first drill a 1/2" or so relief hole in the center of the block and then cut the V so that the apex of the V bisects the relief hole.
V-block.jpg

[Larry Fox]

If your pieces are square and you are just looking for something to keep everything together while the glue dries I would just tie a long piece of bike inner tube around it in the middle of the mortise. Total elapsed time < 45 seconds. I never patch an inner tube so I have a pile of them from flats I have gotten on my road bike. They are surprisingly handy to have around the shop for things just like this.

[Richard Hutchings]

I like using rubber for these apllications myself. I just glued up 9 shadow boxes using nothing but tape and rubber bands. Quick and easy and the joints are tight, at least the ones I cut perfect.

[Rick Lizek]

MLCS Merle band clamps would be my choice. Best band clamps in my 40 years of commercial woodworking.