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Thread: Aluminum bar clamp shootout..

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    Upland CA
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    Cool Aluminum bar clamp shootout..

    Couldn't resist. Sounds like a cover blurb from Motor Trend.

    I needed a couple more 36" aluminum bar clamps for the collection, and bought two yesterday. My current collection of this type clamp is all Jorgenson's which I picked up for $5 each when the ShopSmith store closed a looong time ago.

    While the Jorgies have served me well and will probably continue to do so for the duration, I always liked the looks of the Duluth, which are made in, well...Duluth.


    The Duluth's have a slightly thicker wall thickness on the bar and are very stiff for this type clamp, maybe 1/64 difference, but it is there. Side note....Both are thicker than Rockler, forget the HF. Point Duluth.

    The indents on the bar are closer together on the Duluth. For every 3 notches on the Jorgie, it's 4 on the Duluth. Point Duluth.

    They both have Acme threads on the screws, but the Duluth are a finer thread. I would think you could tighten them a bit more, but wonder if that makes them a bit weaker? Same size screw. Draw.

    The shoulder that the screw threads into wraps around the stationary bar on the Jorgie, not on the Duluth, but the threaded shoulder on the Duluth has 1 5/16 of threaded depth, while the Jorgie has 3/4" of threads. That loop on the Jorgie seems there mainly to allow a little foot to raise the bar above the table 1/4", while the Duluth has no feet. Draw?

    The Jorgie has a sliding bar (like a vise) to tighten with, while the Duluth has a large cast in wing nut. The sliding bar is 3 5/16, and the wing nut is 3 1/2" with better purchase. Point Duluth.

    The pads on the Jorgie are slightly taller and thicker, like 1/64" thicker. Point Jorgie.

    This may vary for individual clamps, but the actual max opening on my Jorgie was 36 1/8", while the Duluth opening was 36 5/8". Point Duluth.


    OK, on points the Duluth seems to be the winner, but we should take into account the fact that the Jorgie has been used for years with NO problems. The winning points were all fairly minor.

    If I were in the market for new clamps I would go Duluth, and I will buy more as needed, but no way am I retiring the Jorgies for new ones. Mine are all older made in the USA models.


    Footnote: I also have a dozen or so Rocklers, which were bought used. They are definitely in a less HD class, but there are also two things about them I really like. They have taller feet, and a nice crank shaped handle to tighten.

    I also have a few 12"(?) HF models for small work, and that is all they are good for.


    There you have it. I are now a revuer.

    WAIT.........They are not Duluth clamps, they are Dubuque clamps. My bad. Another senior moment.
    Last edited by Rick Potter; 04-04-2019 at 4:21 PM.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  2. #2
    I don't have any aluminum bar clamps. Used to use several pipe clamps, and when I was younger and stronger, bent some of the pipes. So started buying I beam clamps. Those babies are stout.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Sedalia, Mo
    Posts
    12
    I think you mean Dubuque clamps which are made in Dubuque Iowa. I have several of the old Jorgensen bar clamps in all sizes up to 8’ but man do they get heavy. I find my self more and more grabbing my aluminum clamps from Dubuque for most of my glue ups. They also make some cool cam clamps that work great for smaller glue ups. The other thing I really like about the aluminum clamps is the glue doesn’t react with them and stain the wood with those annoying black marks like the steel ones do.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
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    6,529
    And I thought Duluth just made pants! ;-)

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
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    Boy Matt (s), you really got me on this. Of course you are right. Funny thing is that I was writing the post I mispelled Duluth every time, and had to correct it. It kept bothering me, and now I know why.

    YES, I meant Dubuque clamps, not Duluth which I am wearing right now. Sheesh, I was broken down in Dubuque for several days once, maybe it was a Freudian thing.

    Sorry
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Eastern KS
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    406
    I bought a few dozen Dubuque earlier this year. Before I was using a random bunch of parallel bar clamps. While I do think the parallel clamps excel at some things. for panels I like the aluminum Dubuque clamps hands down.

    Less expensive by a third and way less weight.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Tucson, Arizona
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    1,204
    Hi Rick,
    I have just ordered some of these clamps based on your review. I found the best prices at Tools For Working Wood. These look like really nice clamps.
    Thanks,
    David

    https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/CDC/item/MS-ABAR.XX

    Dubuque Bar Clamps.jpg

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Andrew View Post
    I don't have any aluminum bar clamps. Used to use several pipe clamps, and when I was younger and stronger, bent some of the pipes. So started buying I beam clamps. Those babies are stout.
    I don't have any aluminum bar clamps either. My Dad has a few which he used extensively when I was growing up and worked with him in the shop. They were okay, but were expensive and he only had four of them, and between those and two very rusty four foot long orange Jorgenson clamps, we'd clamp together dowel-joined pine boards to glue into wider panels with yellow Elmer's glue. The results led to a lot of belt sanding.


    I have a good amount of pipe clamps, which I prefer to bar clamps. The pipe clamps are much less expensive and can be made in whatever size you want. I haven't bent any, but I use 3/4" pipe instead of 1/2" pipe for anything longer than 3 feet. A 3/4" pipe is pretty strong unless you use a 10 foot long piece as a cheater bar.

    Oh, and Iowa >> Minnesota.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by David Buchhauser View Post
    Hi Rick,
    I have just ordered some of these clamps based on your review. I found the best prices at Tools For Working Wood. These look like really nice clamps.
    Thanks,
    David
    You won't be disappointed. I bought a bundle of 10 Dubuques from The Best Things about 18 mos ago. They are premium tools and they perform like premium tools should. Love those things.
    Fred
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  10. #10
    I have a couple dozen aluminum bar clamps, mostly Jorgensen with a few Dubuques- pretty much equivalent. First choice for panels, cabinet doors, face frames, boxes. I have a dozen I-beam Jorgensons but they only come out when I need to pull together a large door or such-like. The aluminum ones are a lot easier on the back when in production and plenty strong enough for normal joinery. Pipe clamps are for extra-long pulls and little else.

  11. #11
    Been meaning to get some of these. Tough part is figuring out what size. I've acquired about 8 parallel clamps and honestly, they're pretty cumbersome to use and when I get glue on the threads I freak out because they cost so much. I've heard very good things about the dubuque clamps. Some will add a piece of wood that fits perfectly inside for some rigidity depending on what you need to clamp.

    I found a site while back that was the cheapest, think it might have been Klingspor. They might sell them. I'll see if I can find that. With shipping I was getting them to be around $25 a piece.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Tucson, Arizona
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    Here is the Klingspor's link for the Dubuque bar clamps. They are a little bit higher priced than the Tools For Working Wood site, but still much cheaper than Amazon.

    https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/dc93600/

    Klingspors Aluminum Bar Clamps.jpg

  13. #13
    I bent the 3/4" pipes with no cheater when I was younger. No longer. If I bought any of the Dubuque clamps, don't know where I would store them. My racks are FULL.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
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    5,548
    For the locals, I paid $26 each for two 36" clamps at Reel Lumber in Riverside. I think that was with a 10% discount because the WW club was meeting there. That would make their regular price about $29. Still a good price, and a chance to thank Reel Lumber for their generosity.
    Last edited by Rick Potter; 04-05-2019 at 1:44 AM.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    N CA
    Posts
    1,279
    I bought 4-24 and 4-36's some months ago and they have been excellent. I have some of the Bessey bar clamps and assorted pipe clamps. These fit in nicely.

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