How many clamps

[durango dude]

How many clamps does a woodworker need?

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[durango dude]

Just one more, honey....

[Slik Geek]

Always seems like you end up short just one clamp eventually...

[LCHIEN]

Too many Pipe clamps. I find them heavy and unwieldy and bulky and then also bend a lot. Mechanically speaking the round hollow pipe is has its strength in all directions while a thin steel bar that is thick in the right direction has a lot more stiffness per pound. THe only way the pipe clamp excels is in the flexibility of changing length of the bar. but really long pipes get pretty floppy because the jaws are offset and not in-line with the member.

While the bar of F-clamps and quick grips has more side play than a pipe, in practice that's not a force that is applied. And the bar can be made smaller and lighter for the less bowing under clamping forces.



I have a lot of quick grips - one-handed ratcheting clamps and a lot of F-clamps, probably as many as he has pipe clamps.

[capncarl]

If you have to use this many pipe clamps to pull a glue-up together, you haven’t completed machining your wood.
It does take a lot of clamps for sure. By no means do I have as many of the same size and type clamps as the photo, but I seem to always be able to scrounge up enough clamps to meet my needs. I really like the quick grips and have around 2 dozen 6 incher’s, 7-8 12 incher’s and a number of 2-3 footers. When assembling Tiny Tables every quick grip clamp I own will be in use, my assembly table will look like a porcupine. Having been into metal working for years I have amassed a goodly number of every size and shape of Vice Grip, and C clamps from 1 inch to 18 inch. I won’t hesitate clamping boards up with C clamps if necessary.

[LCHIEN]

Quick Grips - love them. I must have 2 dozen of the 6 inch minis plus more of 12 inch and some full size ones.



P.S. It was a definite eye hazard walking around that glue up - easy to poke your eye out!

[capncarl]

I have 2 problems with quick grips. #1 some of my clamps are loosing their gripping ability. They just don’t “pump up” as tight as the others.
#2 the dang rubber pads come off at the most unopertune time. …. Example, on your clamp tower, when you loosen a clamp to remove it the pad somehow will jump inside the tower, never to be seen again. I have found a site that SOLD replacement rubber pads, but can’t seem to locate them any more!

[d_meister]

Just a note about Harbor Freight clamps. I have a lot of the old black quick grip types with the bright orange pads. Many have broken on the stationary end over the years, and I recently found out they are guaranteed for life. I've since had several 4" and 6" ones replaced at Harbor Freight. Some just slipped when trying to tighten, and a couple had blown out the side. The manager had to look them up to be assured they were actual HF products, but it got done.
The new Pittsburg grip types are much better, and the upper level Bremen ones brag about 300#+ clamping force.

[LCHIEN]

I have 2 problems with quick grips. #1 some of my clamps are loosing their gripping ability. They just don’t “pump up” as tight as the others.
#2 the dang rubber pads come off at the most unopertune time. …. Example, on your clamp tower, when you loosen a clamp to remove it the pad somehow will jump inside the tower, never to be seen again. I have found a site that SOLD replacement rubber pads, but can’t seem to locate them any more!

Here is the replacement pads part for the mini quick grips but no one seems to have them in stock nor expecting more; its like they are discontinued


Amazon:

[capncarl]

That’s the one! I bought a mess of them several yrs ago when I found them, What I do now for glueing up nearly finished wood, I use a discarded white shorty sock to wrap around the pad a couple of times and hold it on with a rubber band. Not a tool to be used near glue for sure, but when I’m assembling a Tiny Table or simular.

[dbhost]

Total number of clamps needed is a simple equation where N is the total number needed., C is the current number of clamps owned.
N = C+1
Of course once the +1 is acquired the value of C changes, and the equation starts over again, so it is sort of a recursive loop.

[twistsol]

And your clamp rack always holds precisely C-1 clamps

[dbhost]

twistsol more like C - 5 clamps...

[dbhost]

On a serious note, I have had the old Harbor Freight quick grip style clamps now, half a dozen of them for at least 10 years and haven't broken a single one... yet. I know they are somewhat fragile so I don't tend to get too aggressive with them...

[LCHIEN]

On a serious note, I have had the old Harbor Freight quick grip style clamps now, half a dozen of them for at least 10 years and haven't broken a single one... yet. I know they are somewhat fragile so I don't tend to get too aggressive with them...

that's sort of like having hammers that break easily, so you only hammer softly...???

[dbhost]

Nah, more like working on an old British Sports Car. I believe it was the 1950s Triumphs that the cylinder head torque spec was "sufficiently tight".... Just apply enough clamping force to keep it together, don't get all ham fisted with it...

[dbhost]

How many clamps does a woodworker need?

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If those are yours, you've got me skunked on parallel clamps as well as pipe clamps, but I have it above and beyond with F bar clamps, quick grips and an obnoxous amount of corner clamps for some unknown reason...