clamps

[sam4msu]

I need some large(over 36" clamps and saw the pipe clamps on sale at Harbor Freight. I can't afford the besseys right now. Are pipe clamps a suitable substitute to begin with?

thanks
sam

[drumpriest]

The Bessy's are on sale at rockler right now, 40% off, and the starter kit will be on sale for 95$ on black friday. That's 4 clamps.

As for pipe clamps, I use them, they work great.

[monte]

Pipe clamps are a cheap alternative to more expensive clamps and you can make them any length you want. The HF pipe clamps work very well.

[Pappy]

There are 2 types of 3/4" pipe clamps at HF. One has a spring loaded lever on the adjustable jaw that grips the pipe. The other has several plates in the jaw that the pipe fits thru. You want the latter, they grip and hold position much better.

[mater]

I use pipe clamps on anything over 48". They work great.

[sam4msu]

thanks for the great info

[lrogers]

One nice advantage of pipe clamps is that if get your pipe threaded at both ends, a cheap coupling turns 2 36" into a 72" clamp for those extra size glue ups.
I have 4 in the shop, 2-30" (1/2" pipe) and 2-60" (3/4" pipe). I don't use thwm as often as the lighter quick clamps, but they are used often enough to be worth having.

[Ronak Shah]

The Rockler pipe clamps are on sale - buy 3 @ $15 each & get one free. In addition, they let me use my $15 off $50 coupon. Nice of them.

Does everyone use the black pipe? Any good sources on non-marking zinc, other than the ones at Rockler?

Larry, good idea on the couplers - I hadn't thought of that.

[LarryG]

Ronak, are you talking about the Rockler Sure-Foot clamps? And is the price you quoted from a retail store? The Rockler web site shows these on sale for $10.99 ea (reg $14.99), which works out to about the same deal you quote.

I have some of these clamps, and they're sweet; I'm going to get some more. BTW, Grizzly sells a knock-off (interestingly, the castings bear the "Pittsburgh" name, of Harbor Freight fame) but they're of Chinese origin and not nearly as well-made as the Rocklers, which come from Taiwan.

For those just starting a pipe clamp collection, when you get your pipe cut remember that you'll lose 4" to 6" of gross pipe length to the clamp hardware and jaw pads, if you use them (I screwed a small square of cork-faced MDF to the jaws of all my pipe clamps).

[vaking]

I would think that aluminum bar clamps are superior to pipe clamps. They are not as cheap but they are not as expensive as Besseys either. Here are some at HF.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38183
Penn State is another good source of bar clamps.

[LCHIEN]

quote:Originally posted by vaking

I would think that aluminum bar clamps are superior to pipe clamps. They are not as cheap but they are not as expensive as Besseys either. Here are some at HF.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38183
Penn State is another good source of bar clamps.

Well, all tools have their pluses and minuses.
For the pipe clamps, the plusses are:
Easily changeable length
Cheap in really large sizes compared to other clamps

The minuses are:
Pretty heavy for the length
not as stiff as the square/rectgaular cross section aluminum clamps - they'll bend over the longer sizes

BTW they come in 1/2" and 3/4" pipe sizes, I've heard that
the 3/4" sizes are much more desirable from the standpoint of the sizes you want to use e.g. 4' and up, the 1/2" will bend too much.

[monte]

Check out the following link. 3/4" for $3.49

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=31255

[Ronak Shah]

Wow, monte - the rockler ones can't compare with $3.49 each!

Larry, yes, I got this deal at the Rockler store. You can see the buy 3 get 1 free advert in the sale flyer. I don't know exactly why they let me use my coupon, but I'm not complaining.

[JimD]

I have 4 three foot, and 4 four foot pipe clamps on 1/2 inch zinc plated pipe and 2 four foot and 2 six foot pipe clamps on 3/4 black pipe. The shorter 1/2 inch pipe clamps screw together but they bend when you go long with them. 3/4 pipe is definitely better over 4 feet. My 3/4 pipe also screws togther and I've gone as long as 12 feet successfully with them (although they flexed some at the joint but I was able to get enough pressure ). The fixed jaw also requires a swat of the hammer on my 1/2 inch pipe clamps either due to the zinc plating or the design of the jaw (it is the toothed pivoting design, I agree the multi-plate design is better). I would go with the cheaper black pipe if I was starting over.

As far as bending goes, I am not sure Loring is up to his usual standards but his memory may be better than mine. I seem to remember a test in FWW where pipe clamps were stiffer than all except rectangular steel clamps - stiffer than aluminum bar clamps. I will have to dig that issue out of the pile to see if my memory is working this time or not.

If you use 3/4 pipe for the longer ones, my experience is pipe clamps are stiff enough. They are not very elegant but they work just fine. My last several purchases have been HF and they work well, I see no reason to pay more for a "better" brand (although the feet on the Rocklers look nice).

Jim

[LCHIEN]

quote:Originally posted by JimD

I have 4 three foot, and 4 four foot pipe clamps on 1/2 inch zinc plated pipe and 2 four foot and 2 six foot pipe clamps on 3/4 black pipe. The shorter 1/2 inch pipe clamps screw together but they bend when you go long with them. 3/4 pipe is definitely better over 4 feet. My 3/4 pipe also screws togther and I've gone as long as 12 feet successfully with them (although they flexed some at the joint but I was able to get enough pressure ). The fixed jaw also requires a swat of the hammer on my 1/2 inch pipe clamps either due to the zinc plating or the design of the jaw (it is the toothed pivoting design, I agree the multi-plate design is better). I would go with the cheaper black pipe if I was starting over.

As far as bending goes, I am not sure Loring is up to his usual standards but his memory may be better than mine. I seem to remember a test in FWW where pipe clamps were stiffer than all except rectangular steel clamps - stiffer than aluminum bar clamps. I will have to dig that issue out of the pile to see if my memory is working this time or not.

If you use 3/4 pipe for the longer ones, my experience is pipe clamps are stiff enough. They are not very elegant but they work just fine. My last several purchases have been HF and they work well, I see no reason to pay more for a "better" brand (although the feet on the Rocklers look nice).

Jim

I'll confess to not having much experience at all with pipe clmaps. I've seen the 1/2"-ers bend with over 4' as Jim says,
I have heard that the 3/4"-ers bend significantly when you get to the longer lengths, I'm assuming 6-7 ft or so. And by bending I mean enough that the jaws become significantly non-parallel and the bent pipe beam has bowed so far that the pipe passes through the imaginary line from the center of the two pads of the clamp.

This means that the edges of the pads may start digging dents into the workpiece and that the beam will be striking the side of most straight-walled items.

I own at least a pair or two of the 3/4" variety but have not been forced to try them on any assemblies I've made that my other clamps can't handle.

If Jim says they'll work then either they don't bend as badly as I have come to believe or else he uses them in a way that it doesn't pose a problem. In that case, they'll probably work for you, too.