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Thread: Puting in a order for clamps.. am I missing anything?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Arlington, TX
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    452
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Kraakenes View Post
    Do you know the actual clamping length of these clamps?
    Actual length.. or a bit longer?

    Bessey are a bit longer then actual "stated" length..
    Per Tools For Working Wood's product description for Universal bar clamps from Dubuque:

    "The listed size is the maximum length of the clamped items. The overall size of the clamps are slightly larger."

    I just measured one of my 24" Universal bar clamps, and with the movable bar in the last notch, and the screw fully retracted, it measured 24 5/8" between jaw surfaces. So there is also room for pads between the clamp jaws and the specified maximum width (24") work piece.

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

  2. #17
    My list is crazy long and VERY different than yours and so are a lot of other folks. It will depend on how you work and what you build. I agree that buying for the projects you are doing as they come up is a good way to guarantee that you buy stuff that best fits your needs.

    That said I don't see how you can go wrong having a bunch of F style clamps in a couple sizes. I find 6" ones very useful and really see no reason to buy 4" ones at all, just buy more 6" ones. I do have longer ones though, but not as many. I find the cheap harbor freight ones are good enough for most usage and allow you to buy a lot of them with not much investment of cash. That is at least in the shorter lengths. The real long ones are pretty flexible, limiting their usefulness.

    I personally also use a lot of little C clamps and a lot of shop made luthier cam clamps, but they are not universally recommended. Other styles I won't comment on because there is more personal preference that will eliminate one type or another. I will say that I would up with a lot of clamps over the years. I don't know how many. A hundred plus maybe?

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
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    989
    That seems like a lot of clamps to swallow at once -- do you have space allocated for clamp storage? and remaining budget if you want different clamps?

    Is there anything specific you plan to do that requires specific clamps? (e.g., steam-bending or bent-lamination projects often use a lot of f-style clamps to hold the work on the forms). Gluing up a 20" workbench top will employee every one of the 8x24" k-bodies.

    I've tended to buy in small groups - a pack of the quick grips, then a set of bessey k-bodies for frame&panel glue-up (2x24 and 2x40), then a second set of those, etc.
    If I was buying, I'd probably halve the quantities you listed for general-purpose clamping, maybe bumping up qty on a size needed for an immediate project.

    What do you expect to be using 8x50" k-bodies for? For panel glue-ups, you'll want a flat surface where you can set up your clamps. Ideally the clamps are just a bit longer than your glue-up width. Having extra capacity in these is better than too little, but too much extra is annoying to work around. When I started to need long clamps for pulling larger furniture piece together, I bought a set of the dubuques, as their the weight was much better. I do like those.
    If buying clamps for panel glue-ups, I'd probably also look in to the heavy bessey bar clamps (Tom McLaughlin had discussed the set he got from Bessey in one of his streaming videos earlier this summer)

    I use the F-style quite a bit for different things around the shop -- especially clamping things to workbench, drill press table, etc.
    For the 12" and 6" f-style, I've preferred the clutch-style with deeper throats. I haven't bought f-style in these sizes with 2.5" throats.

    I do have a few lightweight f-style. These are very handy for clamping stop blocks to fences. I wouldn't use 8 of these.

    You are missing hand screws. 1 big and 1 small will get you started.
    And I occasionally use c clamps (although the handle always seems to be getting in the way)

    I don't use spring clamps a lot, but did eventually get a set of bandy clamps (spring clips from Rockler with a rubber band to help with edging plywood). I don't think these would be a first purchase if you are mostly handtools.

    What do you use for workholding on your bench? Vises? holdfasts? veritas hold-downs?

    Matt

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    SCal
    Posts
    1,478
    some great advise here...
    Like others suggested... the length of clamps you need is highly dependent on what you plan to build...
    IF you plan to build doors, well, you need super long long clamps....if you plan to only build occassional long items like doors, then the Bessey Extenders sure come in handy and save you the cost of those long clamps and storage of them. If you plan to build kitchen cabinets, or other similar size then focus on the 24-40" range.
    I would agree with others, some deeeep reach clamps always come in handy.
    and of course, I love the new Gear Klamps by Bessey, very unique where the handle is placed, its the only clamp that works in certain situations.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    Handscew clamps. One of the most under rated and most useful clamps. I have about 10 of various sizes.

  6. #21
    This is for my new woodshed / workshop.. Its been in the making for 3 years and I was supposed to complete it last year, but I broke my foot and haven't been able to do the inside roof or walls yet. I hope to be finished by Christmas this year..

    Reason for buying so many at the same time are... I should have bought them 3 years ago and have the funds accumulated..
    I want them to look the same when hanging on the wall.. I think I would go crazy if it was a mismatched mess... Thought this is for private use, not a business
    And I get a larger discount by buying more.
    As well as just buying things made in EU, NA or other high cost countries really restricts what I can buy.. so I got to research it a bit.

    The shop actual shop is 12´ x 20´ or 240 sqft... So I am really restricted to what I can build.
    There is another 240sqft of storage rooms beside it for lumber, miter saw, plunge saw, vacuum, Christmas lighting (ugh), bikes, finished projects etc etc..

    Intend to make furniture for our house and other relatives.. I have 5 young nieces and nephews around us, so I think beds, outdoor furniture or study/school benches might be the largest I might build.


    If I where to make a living in here, I would have to make smaller objects to be able to store finished things and have enough lumber stored.


    Sounds like more smaller clamps.. and a few long ones for the rare large build.

    48" - A few (4-8) for rarer projects.
    24" - Sash/pipe/bar clamp
    12"- F-clamp
    6" - F-clamp
    2-4 trigger clamps in different sizes
    Last edited by Dan Kraakenes; 08-03-2020 at 6:29 AM.

  7. #22
    Which also means I am buying all the handtools I need in one go now, to push myself to get it finished... and my bank account is bleeding.
    The clamps are just small part of the whole picture..

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Doylestown, PA
    Posts
    7,541
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Kraakenes View Post
    This is for my new woodshed / workshop.. Its been in the making for 3 years and I was supposed to complete it last year, but I broke my foot and haven't been able to do the inside roof or walls yet. I hope to be finished by Christmas this year..

    Reason for buying so many at the same time are... I should have bought them 3 years ago and have the funds accumulated..
    I want them to look the same when hanging on the wall.. I think I would go crazy if it was a mismatched mess... Thought this is for private use, not a business
    And I get a larger discount by buying more.
    As well as just buying things made in EU, NA or other high cost countries really restricts what I can buy.. so I got to research it a bit.

    The shop actual shop is 12´ x 20´ or 240 sqft... So I am really restricted to what I can build.
    There is another 240sqft of storage rooms beside it for lumber, miter saw, plunge saw, vacuum, Christmas lighting (ugh), bikes, finished projects etc etc..

    Intend to make furniture for our house and other relatives.. I have 5 young nieces and nephews around us, so I think beds, outdoor furniture or study/school benches might be the largest I might build.


    If I where to make a living in here, I would have to make smaller objects to be able to store finished things and have enough lumber stored.


    Sounds like more smaller clamps.. and a few long ones for the rare large build.

    48" - A few (4-8) for rarer projects.
    24" - Sash/pipe/bar clamp
    12"- F-clamp
    6" - F-clamp
    2-4 trigger clamps in different sizes
    One of the advantages of ordinary pipe clamps is that short clamps can become long clamps with couplings. And pipe clamps can be pretty cheap, especially if you can find used pipe and a way to thread the ends.

  9. #24
    95% of my clamping is done with Bessey Tradesman F style clamps. I bought two of the 30 piece sets 20 years ago and a hundred clamps later, they are still my go-tos. More is always better. I went a long time without parallel clamps and have never thought of them as indispensible. If your cuts are square, they're not necessary. If your cuts aren't square, they won't help. Stuff like this happens to me all the time.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,527
    I really think you’re making a bad decision to basically buy all clamps and “hand tools” at once. (“Hand tools” covers a wide range of stuff) You’re sure to over buy or under buy, or just buy wrong. Whatever your first project is, buy for that project. Better yet, wait until you have a place to put them. Also, I’d rather have functional clamps rather than be matchy-matchy.

    I’m sure you’re excited to finally get your shop built and stocked, but it takes more than a couple bulk buys to make it a functional shop that fits your style of work.

    Where are you located? Seems like you alluded to that with buying stuff from certain countries?

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Itapevi, SP - Brazil
    Posts
    672
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Day View Post
    I really think you’re making a bad decision to basically buy all clamps and “hand tools” at once. (“Hand tools” covers a wide range of stuff) You’re sure to over buy or under buy, or just buy wrong.
    [...]
    I agree totally with you if you are starting from scratch and do not have a clear idea what you need but it can be not the case.

    A few years ago I was preparing to move abroad and I prepared a comprehensive acquisition list for my new workshop. It was based on that I already have in my current workshop and work experience. On that circumstances I see no problem to purchase your tools at once.

    Perhaps it is also the situation of the OP.

  12. #27
    I also think it prudent to buy them as needed. It's hard to describe, but depending on what you gravitate to building, your needs will shift.

    For my money:

    50" K bodies (I have 4) are a pain to use. Too big, too heavy, requiring 2 hands to set. I prefer pipe clamps when I need to reach that far.

    I'm leaning towards more one-handed Irwin style clamps. There are some heavy duty ones that - while big headed - provide a lot of force and don't have a bottom like F's or K's or pipes that require you to bring the head in with 2 hands close before tightening; they're convenient to use one-handed.

    I do love the harborfreight 12" F clamps. They're my most used.

    Oh yeah, ok K bodies, buy a quality brand. These fail easily. The Peachtree and Woodriver knockoffs I bought had to be thrown away because the catching mechanism failed.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    One more time for emphasis. HANDSCREW clamps. Until you play with a couple of these you have no idea how useful they are.

  14. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Kees View Post
    One more time for emphasis. HANDSCREW clamps. Until you play with a couple of these you have no idea how useful they are.
    In twenty plus years in the field, I've never seen anyone use handscrews on a regular basis. Everyone owns a few, but I think it's just to create an old timey atmosphere around the shop.

  15. #30
    Totally depends on the work. There are a lot more cabinet shops than architectural millwork shops. If you have to make
    something like hand rail ,you need a lot of them. Sadly they are popular with thieves. One guy I worked for bought a
    pickup truck full of them ,and needed them since they were always disappearing.

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