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Clamp FAQ v 1
F-Clamp, Bar Clamp
The F-Clamp or Bar Clamp, is often a beginning woodworkers first clamp purchase. The Bar Clamp is one of the least expensive of all clamps, though it has inherent weaknesses. The Bar Clamps pressure distribution is not very even, as there are only two small points of contact of the clamp with the project. Additionally, Bar Clamps typically have much lighter duty bars and are prone to flex, effectively reducing the amount of clamping pressure that one can apply with these clamps. it is commonly held that bar clamps longer than 18" have an unacceptable amount of bar flex. Alignment also becomes an issue for these clamps. So what does the Bar Clamp have going for it? As noted it is one of the least expensive clamps and it is quite effective in attaching utility application such as holding a fence in place on a router table or attaching a temporary sacrificial fence to a table saw fence. Many woodworkers on the BT3Central forum purchase Pittsburgh brand Bar Clamps from Harbor Freight when they are on sale and in conjunction with % off coupons. They are certainly a decent bang for the buck.
Parallel Clamp, Parallel Jaw Clamp, “K-Body”, “Cabinet Master”, “Bessey”
Often referred to as “Besseys” or “K-Body”, the Parallel Jaw Clamp is among the favorites of todays woodworker. For clarification, Bessey is a manufacturer of all types of clamps. Bessey happened to introduce and/or refine the parallel jaw clamp, brand named K-Body, to the point that it has become the industry standard. Jorgensons Cabinet Master and Gross Stabils Parallel Clamp were the main competitor of the Bessey K-Body until the last year. Jet introduced a new Parallel Clamp which has some unique features such as built in bench dogs, rulers stamped on the bar and reversible handles for spreading pressure versus clamping pressure. Jet has raised the bar (pun intended) with their new clamps, though the pricing has yet drop to Bessey levels. Recently Amazon.com, Rockler and Woodcraft have had price reductions in the new Jet inventory and it should be expected that the Jet clamp will be competitive with Bessey. On the matter of pricing, parallel jaw clamps are among the most expensive clamps. A typical 24” parallel clamp will run $30 - $40 per clamp. Purchasing these clamps in cabinet sets (set of 4 clamps one would use for a frame) result in a much lower cost per clamp. Often a cabinet set of Besseys can be had, including some plastic set up blocks, on Amazon.com for around $100. By closely watching Amazon.com, some forum member have bought the Bessey 2440 (2 – 24” and 2 – 40”) for less than $70. Harbor Freight and Woodcraft has introduced their own brand name of parallel clamps (with Woodcrafts being made by Bessey) however their street price is still above Amazon.com sale price of Bessey clamps. Watch for Harbor Freight sales and discount coupon opportunities. In my review of the HF clamps, they seem to be as functional as the Bessey.
Enough about the back ground of parallel jaw clamps and on to why they are considered the best all around clamp. Parallel jaw clamps are designed to keep the large jaws parallel to each other when pressure is applied. These jaws show far more accuracy than any other type of clamp. All have steel jaws covered in plastic. The plastic resists glue and is less unlikely to damage your project surface. The cited weaknesses of parallel clamps include weight and difficulty obtaining extremely high clamping pressure using the small wooden handles, though some argue that pressure beyond that readily availiable in the parallel clamp would starve a glue joint. And of course they are the most expensive clamp.
Pipe Clamp, "Pony"
The pipe clamp has been around the shop for over 75 years. They are sold as clamp fixtures, meaning that only the two pieces show on the top of the photo above are included. Typically one must provide their own pipe. This allows a lot of flexibility in the choice of length. They are sold in ¾” or ½” diameters. Forget the ½” . There really is not a point in the 1/2” other than saving a little money and a little weight. You are giving up a lot of strength for those small gains. Once you have obtained the clamp fixture, you go to your local hardware store and purchase pipe cut to your desired length. They will thread one end of the pipe for you so that the handle end will have a secure connection. The tail jaw is placed on the other end and is allowed to slide freely on the pipe. This play results in the tail being racked back to an angle greater than 90 degrees when pressure is applied, thus creating the clamping pressure. You can choose black iron pipe or galvanized steel. Steel is more expensive but less likely to mark your project. It is common for pipe clamps to cause the carcass sides of the project to bow under normal pressure, which can be corrected through clamping pads or cauls. When creating panels with pipe clamps it is a good idea to alternate clamps, one on top and one on bottom to keep the panel flat. Jorgensen is probably the best known of the pipe clamp makers. The Jorgensen No. 50 and Rocklers pipe clamps are among the lowest in deflection.
The pros of the pipe clamp are their relatively low cost, around $10-15 for the fixture set and around $1 per foot of pipe, and the fact that you can use fixtures on multiple lengths of pipe including very long lengths unattainable by other clamps. The cons of the pipe clamp are the weight and the propensity of the user to over clamp. Additionally, having multiple lengths of pipe may reduce the number of clamps on hand resulting in a clamp shortage during a project.
Aluminum Bar Clamp
Aluminum bar clamps are an excellent value for clamps that have the characteristics of light weight, low deflection and lower cost. Aluminum bar clamps are constructed of an u-shaped aluminum bar which has a permanently attached end and a tail fixture that slides along the bar. The tail fixture can lock into the desired notch in the aluminum bar to create the appropriate length. These clamps are great for small projects where a heavy parallel bar clamp or pipe clamp could cause the project to flex. Things to look for in a bar clamp is the distance of the notches on the bar (closer is better), weight, how stable the clamp is when used on a bench for a glue up and price. Harbor Freight seems to really step up to the plate on aluminum bar clamps. Sale prices at HF are usually at least 50% off, often more, than their normal low price. In addition to standard aluminum bar clamps shown above, there are variations that include larger jaws for more even pressure distribution.
As noted the aluminum bar clamp includes great characteristics such as low price and light weight with very good jaw squareness. They are particularly good for cabinet carcasses. There are not a lot of bad things to say about the aluminum bar clamp and they are highly recommended.
Steel Bar Clamp , I-Beam Clamp
The steel bar clamps combines the mechanics of the pipe clamp with the a bar similar to the F-style clamp but much heavier duty. These clamps are the heaviest of the clamps shown in this FAQ. They have stiff bars and large crack handles capable of delivering 2000 + lbs of clamping force! They exhibit very little bar flex or jaw deflection. Problems noted with these clamps are users over clamping and starving glue joints, as well as the fact that the jaw faces are less than 90 degrees which can cause squareness issues compounded by extreme force. As noted these clamps are very heavy and make large assemblies very difficult and often considered overkill for a lot of applications.
Pros are pretty much limited to 2000 lbs of clamping force (which often ends up being a negative). Cons include cost, only parallel clamps are more expensive based upon suggested retail, weight and crooked jaws.
FUTURE VERSIONS TO INCLUDE RECOMMENDED BEGINNERS SET OF CLAMPS, CLAMP USES, AND OTHER QUESTIONS POSTED IN REPLY. SUGGESTIONS WELCOME. I TRIED TO GET THE IMAGES UNDER EACH SECTIONS DESCRIPTION BUT COULDN'T FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.
F-Clamp, Bar Clamp
The F-Clamp or Bar Clamp, is often a beginning woodworkers first clamp purchase. The Bar Clamp is one of the least expensive of all clamps, though it has inherent weaknesses. The Bar Clamps pressure distribution is not very even, as there are only two small points of contact of the clamp with the project. Additionally, Bar Clamps typically have much lighter duty bars and are prone to flex, effectively reducing the amount of clamping pressure that one can apply with these clamps. it is commonly held that bar clamps longer than 18" have an unacceptable amount of bar flex. Alignment also becomes an issue for these clamps. So what does the Bar Clamp have going for it? As noted it is one of the least expensive clamps and it is quite effective in attaching utility application such as holding a fence in place on a router table or attaching a temporary sacrificial fence to a table saw fence. Many woodworkers on the BT3Central forum purchase Pittsburgh brand Bar Clamps from Harbor Freight when they are on sale and in conjunction with % off coupons. They are certainly a decent bang for the buck.
Parallel Clamp, Parallel Jaw Clamp, “K-Body”, “Cabinet Master”, “Bessey”
Often referred to as “Besseys” or “K-Body”, the Parallel Jaw Clamp is among the favorites of todays woodworker. For clarification, Bessey is a manufacturer of all types of clamps. Bessey happened to introduce and/or refine the parallel jaw clamp, brand named K-Body, to the point that it has become the industry standard. Jorgensons Cabinet Master and Gross Stabils Parallel Clamp were the main competitor of the Bessey K-Body until the last year. Jet introduced a new Parallel Clamp which has some unique features such as built in bench dogs, rulers stamped on the bar and reversible handles for spreading pressure versus clamping pressure. Jet has raised the bar (pun intended) with their new clamps, though the pricing has yet drop to Bessey levels. Recently Amazon.com, Rockler and Woodcraft have had price reductions in the new Jet inventory and it should be expected that the Jet clamp will be competitive with Bessey. On the matter of pricing, parallel jaw clamps are among the most expensive clamps. A typical 24” parallel clamp will run $30 - $40 per clamp. Purchasing these clamps in cabinet sets (set of 4 clamps one would use for a frame) result in a much lower cost per clamp. Often a cabinet set of Besseys can be had, including some plastic set up blocks, on Amazon.com for around $100. By closely watching Amazon.com, some forum member have bought the Bessey 2440 (2 – 24” and 2 – 40”) for less than $70. Harbor Freight and Woodcraft has introduced their own brand name of parallel clamps (with Woodcrafts being made by Bessey) however their street price is still above Amazon.com sale price of Bessey clamps. Watch for Harbor Freight sales and discount coupon opportunities. In my review of the HF clamps, they seem to be as functional as the Bessey.
Enough about the back ground of parallel jaw clamps and on to why they are considered the best all around clamp. Parallel jaw clamps are designed to keep the large jaws parallel to each other when pressure is applied. These jaws show far more accuracy than any other type of clamp. All have steel jaws covered in plastic. The plastic resists glue and is less unlikely to damage your project surface. The cited weaknesses of parallel clamps include weight and difficulty obtaining extremely high clamping pressure using the small wooden handles, though some argue that pressure beyond that readily availiable in the parallel clamp would starve a glue joint. And of course they are the most expensive clamp.
Pipe Clamp, "Pony"
The pipe clamp has been around the shop for over 75 years. They are sold as clamp fixtures, meaning that only the two pieces show on the top of the photo above are included. Typically one must provide their own pipe. This allows a lot of flexibility in the choice of length. They are sold in ¾” or ½” diameters. Forget the ½” . There really is not a point in the 1/2” other than saving a little money and a little weight. You are giving up a lot of strength for those small gains. Once you have obtained the clamp fixture, you go to your local hardware store and purchase pipe cut to your desired length. They will thread one end of the pipe for you so that the handle end will have a secure connection. The tail jaw is placed on the other end and is allowed to slide freely on the pipe. This play results in the tail being racked back to an angle greater than 90 degrees when pressure is applied, thus creating the clamping pressure. You can choose black iron pipe or galvanized steel. Steel is more expensive but less likely to mark your project. It is common for pipe clamps to cause the carcass sides of the project to bow under normal pressure, which can be corrected through clamping pads or cauls. When creating panels with pipe clamps it is a good idea to alternate clamps, one on top and one on bottom to keep the panel flat. Jorgensen is probably the best known of the pipe clamp makers. The Jorgensen No. 50 and Rocklers pipe clamps are among the lowest in deflection.
The pros of the pipe clamp are their relatively low cost, around $10-15 for the fixture set and around $1 per foot of pipe, and the fact that you can use fixtures on multiple lengths of pipe including very long lengths unattainable by other clamps. The cons of the pipe clamp are the weight and the propensity of the user to over clamp. Additionally, having multiple lengths of pipe may reduce the number of clamps on hand resulting in a clamp shortage during a project.
Aluminum Bar Clamp
Aluminum bar clamps are an excellent value for clamps that have the characteristics of light weight, low deflection and lower cost. Aluminum bar clamps are constructed of an u-shaped aluminum bar which has a permanently attached end and a tail fixture that slides along the bar. The tail fixture can lock into the desired notch in the aluminum bar to create the appropriate length. These clamps are great for small projects where a heavy parallel bar clamp or pipe clamp could cause the project to flex. Things to look for in a bar clamp is the distance of the notches on the bar (closer is better), weight, how stable the clamp is when used on a bench for a glue up and price. Harbor Freight seems to really step up to the plate on aluminum bar clamps. Sale prices at HF are usually at least 50% off, often more, than their normal low price. In addition to standard aluminum bar clamps shown above, there are variations that include larger jaws for more even pressure distribution.
As noted the aluminum bar clamp includes great characteristics such as low price and light weight with very good jaw squareness. They are particularly good for cabinet carcasses. There are not a lot of bad things to say about the aluminum bar clamp and they are highly recommended.
Steel Bar Clamp , I-Beam Clamp
The steel bar clamps combines the mechanics of the pipe clamp with the a bar similar to the F-style clamp but much heavier duty. These clamps are the heaviest of the clamps shown in this FAQ. They have stiff bars and large crack handles capable of delivering 2000 + lbs of clamping force! They exhibit very little bar flex or jaw deflection. Problems noted with these clamps are users over clamping and starving glue joints, as well as the fact that the jaw faces are less than 90 degrees which can cause squareness issues compounded by extreme force. As noted these clamps are very heavy and make large assemblies very difficult and often considered overkill for a lot of applications.
Pros are pretty much limited to 2000 lbs of clamping force (which often ends up being a negative). Cons include cost, only parallel clamps are more expensive based upon suggested retail, weight and crooked jaws.
FUTURE VERSIONS TO INCLUDE RECOMMENDED BEGINNERS SET OF CLAMPS, CLAMP USES, AND OTHER QUESTIONS POSTED IN REPLY. SUGGESTIONS WELCOME. I TRIED TO GET THE IMAGES UNDER EACH SECTIONS DESCRIPTION BUT COULDN'T FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.
Attached Files
Loring in Katy, TX USA
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