Pipe clamps - here we go again, Aluminum this time.

[Dennis McCullen]

I picked up a 5 ft 3/4" pipe clamp at a thrift store a week or so ago that had the orange Pony fixtures attached. I was curious at first about the light weight of the assembly and found the pipe to be non-magnetic. I then researched the inner and outer diameters. The pipe seemed fairly rigid and turned out to be Schedule 40 aluminum pipe. I was very surprised that a search on a few woodworking sites turned up almost nothing, positive or negative, about using Al pipe. Black pipe vs galvanized ad nauseum, but virtually nothing about Al.
I found a local jobber handling the pipe and bought 40" pieces as well as a couple of the H. F. pipe clamp fixtures. The knock I had seen only occasionally on the fixtures is a rough finish, but I could tell the two I purchased were very well finished. Most of the pipe clamps I've had around are the toothed pawl type, sold by Sears several years ago, and I liked the clutch type on my "new-to-me" thrift store clamp.
In this particular instance, the two sets of clamp fixtures from the Big Chinese box tool store were very well finished and all they needed was a spritz of dry lube on the threads. The aluminum, pipe I bought was not all that expensive, running about $8 each, some of which was the cut and thread charge, $3.75. Additionally, I live in a rural location and this one shop selling the pipe is the only outlet and is generally known to be pricey. I will say that the clutch-type clamp ends bite into the aluminum a little, but it should take hundreds of uses before the pipe is worn enough to merit replacement. When I assembled fixtures to pipe, I used a few layers of Teflon tape in hopes to prevent a galvanic response between dissimilar metals in case I ever want to remove the fixture heads.
For about $16 each I have a new pair of pipe clamps that seem very rigid ( or rigid enough for me). I have lots of iron pipe clamps of varying lengths around that sometimes get used in my construction efforts around here, but I'm trying to get away from such heavy clamps for case and panel work. I feel sure the light (lighter) weight clamps will serve me well.

[scott vroom]

My pony clamps dig pretty hard into galv pipe when cranked tight. It'll be interesting to see how the aluminum pipe holds up.

[Bill Dufour]

I have one on Al pipe. It bites deep under load. You have to be careful not to slice yourself when handling them. Good idea to hit the spot with a file after each use to knock down the raised sliver.
Bill D

[Peter Christensen]

One up side is there will not be any black stain from glue squeeze out that touches the bar.

[Lee Schierer]

You may find that the aluminum pipe will flex considerably more than iron pipe when you apply pressure.

[Frank Pratt]

As others have noted, aluminum flexes way too easily & the clutch mechanism will make a mess of the pipe. I wish it weren't true, because the light weight sure would be nice.

[phil harold]

I have 4 clamps I inherited from my father made from 3/4" aluminum pipe
there are light
and they do flex more than my black pipe ones
I have used them for over twenty years, occasionally use they seem to work fine when I need all my clamps for a glue up

[Dennis McCullen]

Thank you all for your thoughts! and Bill DuFour for the safety suggestion. I sanded off the marks left from the grab of the pipe threader before assembly. I am not about to get rid of my iron pipe clamps, but.....Let us compare these "lightweight" pipe clamps to other lightweight (aluminum) bar clamps and only use them for frame and panel assembly where very little clamping pressure is applied. I subscribe to the school of thought that a craftsman's joinery needs improvement instead of increasing clamping pressure to make things fit. I submit the idea that the cheap imported aluminum bar clamps that people buy and reinforce with a stick of hardwood in the rectangular void (I've done about four of these) have much more "slop" in them, a smaller diameter screw, and take a little time to fit with wood. My iron pipe clamps certainly have their place, for example; My entire house has a ceiling / roof decking that is 2x6 center matched (tongue and groove) SYP. There's no way to keep runs straight without the help of an iron pipe clamp. For the lighter side of things, e.g., frame and panel cabinet sides and doors, these should work fine. One additional benefit is that it gives me a new genre of clamps to invest in! LOL! Can never have too many!