Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 41

Thread: Do YOU use handscrew clamps?

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    Wayland, MA
    Posts
    3,655
    I have maybe a dozen acquired at an auction decades ago for about a buck each. I've never used them all at once and I've seldom, if ever, used them to clamp a glue-up. That said, they are, no doubt, the most frequently used clamps in my shop. Any time I want something to hold still on a temporary basis I grab one or two of them, from temporary fences, holding things on the drill press, holding a workpiece down to the bench, creating stops for cuts, and a million other things. I'd hate to be without them. I find them fast, convenient, and secure (unlike, say, the popular pistol grip clamps).

  2. #17
    A tip I saw somewhere recently, suggested always holding the end handle in the same hand (and the middle handle in the other). That way, you always spin it the same direction to close/open. All these years, and I never thought of that before...

    -- Andy - Arlington TX[/QUOTE]

    Yep, and making a habit of always picking them up by the handles prevents pretty painful pinches when they pivot.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    Northwest Indiana
    Posts
    957
    Have several and use them regularly in all the ways mentioned. At times I use one to clamp small parts to a wooden fence on my miter gauge—since they are wood you can cut through them no problem. I have one each with 90, 45, and 15 degree cuts. The kerf has widened over time, but they hold well and the sacrificial fence does its job. Have a few notched for holding at the drill press, great for irregular pieces like antlers.
    earl

  4. #19
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Alberta
    Posts
    2,162
    I use two on my shaper holding my outboard fence-there is no other clamp I own that could do this. Feather boards on my bandsaw table (18" jaw),two clamps as temporary vise at my bench,holding stuff at the drill press. Use them installing cabinets to clamp boxes together. One clamp on my bench leg does the job of a board jack. And on and on.... O yeah ,occasionally they get used for glue ups as well.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    Not the first clamps I reach for (deep Bessey F for me)
    but these excel on handling long boards, or for deep reach applications.

    My favorite use is on small parts I can't otherwise manipulate while drilling.

  6. #21
    Mods, I had another post here ,can't imagine why it would have been deleted. I notice "hybrid view" is that part of it?
    Thanks

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
    Location
    North Alabama
    Posts
    548
    Quote Originally Posted by Mel Fulks View Post
    Mods, I had another post here ,can't imagine why it would have been deleted. I notice "hybrid view" is that part of it?
    Thanks
    I see two posts from you, #17 and #21.
    Chuck Taylor

  8. #23
    Thanks for all the ideas guys!
    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.”

  9. #24
    I clamp them in conspicuous places around the shop so clients get the impression that I'm some sort of traditional wooodworker. They're especially effective when paired with a handplane or several chisels.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michiana
    Posts
    3,046
    I have a few vintage specimens picked up for cheap at yard sales and antique markets. All but one are Jorgensens from Chicago. They're not used often but when they are there’s nothing like them. They’re great for work holding duties and real finger savers at the drill press.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,685
    Quote Originally Posted by johnny means View Post
    i clamp them in conspicuous places around the shop so clients get the impression that i'm some sort of traditional wooodworker. They're especially effective when paired with a handplane or several chisels.
    roflol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. I don't have any, but suspect I'd use them a lot if I did. Holding smaller parts on the drill press and using them as stops on fences sound like good reasons to have some. Clamping smallish items for gluing with no twisting force would be a good use as well.

    I often use shop built cam luthier clamps for those uses, but hand screw clamps would probably be better suited to a lot of those tasks if I had some.

    I am sure they'd be handy for a lot of other stuff as well. I just never had any so I never developed the habit of using them.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
    Posts
    2,652
    as a stop on my router table. In a table vise, as a holder of small parts. As Johnny said, they do look serious when hanging on the wall.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Dec 2019
    Location
    The old pueblo in el norte.
    Posts
    1,844
    I have a couple now reinforcing my saw vise, which is now going to be replaced. Indispensable
    ~mike

    happy in my mud hut

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Arlington, TX
    Posts
    452
    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Staehling View Post
    I don't have any, but suspect I'd use them a lot if I did. Holding smaller parts on the drill press and using them as stops on fences sound like good reasons to have some. Clamping smallish items for gluing with no twisting force would be a good use as well.

    Snip...
    While hand screws do not "twist", they can "walk" when used for gluing (along the length of the clamp body), especially if the jaws are not kept close to parallel.

    For STRONG clamps that don't walk or twist (and have some "reach over"), Kant-Twist clamps work very well. They are a cantilevered, C-type clamp that originated for welding applications. The screw is at more or less a right angle to the clamping axis, so they are also useful in applications where C or F clamps might interfere with the work being clamped. They are not cheap, so I only have a few of them, in a couple of sizes.

    I have also seen youtube videos of making plywood versions of them. Those might work well for light clamping jobs. Or not...

    -- Andy - Arlington TX

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •