hf 60" clamps 1/2 off- now $9.99

[rockybrown]

i needed some clamps for my biggest glue up to date and found these at harbor freight. i haven't used them yet so i don't know how well they work, but they look straight and square, and they're $22 cheaper than the similar 48" ones i was going to buy at sears...


rb

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Here is the link for the item . . . .

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92490

This is a great deal IMHO. This includes the deeper 3 5/8" throat. As someone who has a ton of parallel jaw clamps (Besseys) I still use my 24" aluminum clamps from HF quite frequently on smaller glue ups. The length being offered, along with the deep jaws/throat is a great combo.

[plarval]

These seemed to have quite a bit of flex, but for the price it's definitely worth working around.

[Andrew Benedetto]

The flex can be problem and would negate any benefits of the deeper faces if they go out of parallel significantly. How much are we talking about?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

These seemed to have quite a bit of flex, but for the price it's definitely worth working around.

Agreed. I would really like to know where you are seeing the flex. Is it the jaws (which appear to be solid metal) or the aluminum bar?

[eddy merckx]

I have a few of the HF 60" clamps with the regular heads. They don't really flex as in bowing, but they do twist quite a bit. It's easy to get around that by holding the clamp head in place as you tighten. Other than that, they seem to work fine. They sure are easier to handle than a 5' pipe clamp and they leave a much smaller dent when you accidentally bang them into something.

I'm a big fan of the 48" size of this clamp. Seems like it works for nearly everything. Last winter they were on sale for $5. I'm sure the same deal will be coming along soon.

For sure these ain't Jet parallel clamps, however you can get a whole rack full for the price of one or two parallel clamps.

Eddy

[Andrew Benedetto]

The heads twist esp. if the threads and rotating contact points are not lubed. I use wax and some oil. The tolerances are not very tight. I use rubber pads whch helps keep the head from moving too, these appear to have them. I have the smaller head models.

[plarval]

Sorry, I guess I used the wrong word. They twist, not really flex. I've had times where I've been tightening them up and one jaw actually twisted off the workpiece. It wasn't hard to fix, I just had to make it snug, check the jaw by hand and kind of hold it in place to continue tightening. I don't regret paying $10 for them at all. They're handy, but I could imagine a time when you're trying to snug together a big project when you really need a second person to help, and you're getting a headache because the clamps are twisting off.