How much do you use Handscrew Clamps

[Stew Denton]

Hi All,

I have five handscrew clamps, and a few kits to build a few more.

How often do use handscrew clamps? Are they important to you, and what sizes are used most?

I used two of mine, 10" size, within the last week, as I was gluing up a flat plate from 4 layers, two of 1/2" plywood and the two outside layers of 1/4" masonite to use to mount a small vise on. This so I can move it around to C-clamp it on sawhorses, etc. I needed to be able to reach in to the center of the plate to put pressure on the center of the plate, so used the two handscrew clamps.

One interesting thought: was thinking about the above type of clamps, and decided to see how many of the big 16" size they had listed on the auction site. It was a total of 4, but the interesting thing was that only one set of clamps was the modern steel screw type, the other 3 were made up using threaded wooden screws.

Regards,

Stew

[Jim Koepke]

My big pair is used occasionally. They were given to me by my dad.

Here is one of them:

Wood Screw Clamp.jpg

A pair of smaller ones get used more often.

They are not as handy as a C-clamp or a pipe clamp.

jtk

[Tony Wilkins]

I find that I use them more the more I use them. I hope that makes sense. At first I didn’t think I’d use them much so I just ordered one medium size (don’t recall the size). Once I used it a little I wasn’t sure but then I began to think of it when there was a work holding problem I couldn’t imedisolve. Dag nabbit if there wasn’t a way to use them in a lot of them. I got a couple of more in a size above and below and that opened up more options — holding large panels up for instance. I recently got several more that were my grandfather’s.

[Matt Evans]

I use mine all the time. Sizes from tiny little 1" machinist parallels to the 14" sets I have.

They are great for use in milling setups, as stop blocks on machinery, stands during layout and finishing, clamp blocks for other clamps to grab to, planing stops, etc.

[Wayne Cannon]

I have about eight, four large ones (though not as large as Jim's) and two each of two progressively smaller sizes.

I almost never use them for "clamping", as for gluing, etc. However, I use them all the time for work holding, fixturing, etc. The large ones are heavy enough that they make a pretty solid/stable base. You can rig work holding for just about any odd angle, shape, or size.

For example, when my daughter broke off the tail of one of her favorite toy horses, I was able to clamp it in place at just exactly the right angle for the tail to remain in the right position while the epoxy dried. When working on a bird feeder, I was able to clamp it upside down by one of the sloping gable ends at just the right angle to work on and spray paint its bottom. Where the weight of the bar on most clamp styles makes many clamping positions unstable, the handscrew serves as its own stable base. You can also use one handscrew as the base, clamping a second handscrew at any angle, which in turn clamps your work piece. Try that with a bar-style clamp.

[Tony Zaffuto]

Another Tony that the more he uses them, the more he uses them! I have a total of 11, with several altered for specific jobs-such as a small one, with the back of the jaw squared off and a 3/4" hole bored through, so as to hold saw screws and keeping one side tight, letting me unscrew the other.

All sorts of work holding can be accomplished by a couple of handscrews!

[Derek Cohen]

They are great to support ....

... when cleaning up the shoulders of curved rails ...



... when holding rails on the bench ...



... to remove waste and mortice ...



Or ...



... a trim router when removing waste from a half-blind socket ....



Regards from Perth

Derek

[Edwin Santos]

Another good feature of wood hand screw clamps is that they will not work themselves loose the way F-style clamps will do.

[glenn bradley]

Not on every project but, a lot.

G-blade-handscrew-storage.jpg

A piece of hanging rope with loops tied in it at intervals makes storage and retrieval a breeze.

It's your best friend if you have an i-Box.

i-Box (1).jpg

Deadman

deadman.JPG

[Tom M King]

I can't really say how much, but I wouldn't want to be without them.

[Joe Bradshaw]

I modified a small clamp by cutting a vee groove in the facing edges of the clamp. My GF uses the clamp to hold short dowels while cutting on the bandsaw.
Joe

[Charlie Hinton]

I don't use them all that often but there are times when they are just about the only thing that will get the job done.
When I am drilling a small part and need to hold it vertical a parallel clamp is especially useful at the drill press.

[lowell holmes]

I do the same as Charlie. I would not be without them.

[Jim Koepke]

When I am drilling a small part and need to hold it vertical a parallel clamp is especially useful at the drill press.

+1 on this. Mine are most often used when drilling out cylinders of wood or tree limb cut offs to make pencil cups.

jtk

[John Schtrumpf]

I have two 10" and two 14", I use them for work holding.