bob493 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I've used cheap clamps... and I know they suck! But man, spending 60$ on a clamp seems outrageous for what Ill use it for. Trouble is, its by far the best clamp for some of my uses. So, if anyone has a good recommendation for 18-24" (12" is too short, anything more than 24" is just too big for my uses), that wont break the bank, I'd greatly appreciate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Wait till the Christmas sale?? I think it was where Jet has half off clamps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Christmas in july? haha Im willing to pay retail... I only need 4 really. I was just hoping someone had some hidden gems up their sleeve lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Check out the Peachtree parallel clamps. I have been pleased with them. The 24" model is less than $30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Seriously...wait until Black Friday...it's only a few months away. Buy yourself a few now to get you through a couple projects, then stock up come sale time. They do it every year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Check out the Peachtree parallel clamps. I have been pleased with them. The 24" model is less than $30. sounds good! Ill give them a gander. What about the jorgensen brand? I found some on amazon, they seemed reasonably priced ~20$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chet Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I got mine at Rockler. They are the Bessey K-Body Revo Jr.'s, I think the 24 inch were about $32. I have been real happy with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Seriously...wait until Black Friday...it's only a few months away. Buy yourself a few now to get you through a couple projects, then stock up come sale time. They do it every year. That's what I'm doing. I'm about to start a project that will require two 50" clamps, so I shopped around and they'll be here Thursday. For the rest, I'm waiting until the Jets go on for 1/2 price. I picked up 8 24" and 2 40" last year. Saved a bundle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomwolf Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Also, watch Kijiji. I recently got two 50" k-bodies, and six other clamps of varrying sixes for $100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Bessey is the way to go - I have the k body clamps with the newer "nonwood" handle. They are beasts (but pricey). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collinb Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Watch online auctions, not just eBay. auctionzip.com is useful in many areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 What about the jorgensen brand? I found some on amazon, they seemed reasonably priced ~20$ I love Jorgensen. I got 2 48", 3 36" and 2 24" and I got them all from Menards. I go to Home Depot, they have Jorgensen 36" for like $50. I go to Menards and they are $35ish. And you can catch them on sale. If you got one local, no shipping. Not sure they charge shipping for online orders or not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted July 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Get some pipe clamp to tide you over until the sale. Just add some 3/4" black pipe and you are good to go. Yes parallel clamps work a little better but pipe clamps will do. Watch woodworks, it is all David Marks ever used. http://www.amazon.com/PONY-50-Clamp-Fixture-Black/dp/B0000224C9/ref=lp_553154_1_3?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1436969962&sr=1-3 I use pipe clamps, not quite what I need. I typically find they have such narrow jaws that they put a LOT of pressure on an angle, and cause poor jointing. I typcially use them in conjunction with F clamps to get even pressure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Seriously...wait until Black Friday...it's only a few months away. Buy yourself a few now to get you through a couple projects, then stock up come sale time. They do it every year. X2. Every jet clamp I own was purchased on the black Friday flash sale at huge savings under listed retail. Everything from 24-40" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 X2. Every jet clamp I own was purchased on the black Friday flash sale at huge savings under listed retail. Everything from 24-40" Brendon/others, do you prefer the Jet's with the release on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 The jet parallel clamps are the only parallel clamps I own. The release is a bit finicky until you learn the right place to hold it. I can release it in a pinch now but it took a bit of wax and getting used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 As a heads up for anyone looking for clamps. I got a flyer from woodcraft and all clamps are 10-25% off on July 24th and 25th. It is their anniversary sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I probably am not missing clamps by any of the manufacturers. Unless I had a desperate need, I bought them on sale, cheap. When I'm clamping something up, I never think about what kind of clamp it is, or even how it operates. I'm just thinking about getting the work done. If you can get the Jorgenson's at a good price, they work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted July 16, 2015 Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 If you want to shoot the gap for what I classify as "value" clamps, shopfox has "Heavy Duty" F-style clamps, when paired with some scrap wood, allow for some exceptional clamping pressure. They actually have equal or greater throat depth than my parallel clamps. Here is a link. My parallel clamps are still my go to, but these are next when the parallels are all used up. They sell them individually too, but less than $10 a clamp is pretty decent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwacked Posted July 16, 2015 Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 If you want to shoot the gap for what I classify as "value" clamps, shopfox has "Heavy Duty" F-style clamps, when paired with some scrap wood, allow for some exceptional clamping pressure. They actually have equal or greater throat depth than my parallel clamps.Here is a link. My parallel clamps are still my go to, but these are next when the parallels are all used up. They sell them individually too, but less than $10 a clamp is pretty decent. How's the quality of the shop fox? I have never heard anything on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 16, 2015 Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 I'm going to show my ignorance but hopefully will learn something in doing so. When using F clamps for laminating two or more pieces face to face, how do you guys/gals keep the pieces from twisting/sliding clockwise (direction the screw is going) when tightening the clamps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted July 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2015 I'm going to show my ignorance but hopefully will learn something in doing so. When using F clamps for laminating two or more pieces face to face, how do you guys/gals keep the pieces from twisting/sliding clockwise (direction the screw is going) when tightening the clamps? You dont. hence the need for parallel clamps haha. You can get crafy with some other clamping methods, but f clamps will ALWAYS bow out joint, even if you clamp the middles. edit: Sorry I wasn't clear. I have a lot of clamps. I have 34 F style, 12 pipe clamps, 3 bajillion spring clamps I never use, large and small c clamps, and even a couple G clamps. I was using F style for years, and realized I am probably doing it wrong. Parallel clamps have always been a "thats expensive, I dont need it" kinda thing, but Im tired of finnagling methods to glue tops together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris H Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Quality has been great for me with the shop fox, and I use them all the time for laminating. I typically use my parallel clamps for pressure on the face of the piece and the SF F-clamps on the end grain with calls. The call doesn't usually move,but the when you are torquing on the handle (and I mean cranking as hard as I can), the clamp itself can shift, but if you hold the clamp with your other hand it's no problem. Only quality issue I would note is the cheap "non-marring" caps. They aren't great. But I have many brands of F-clamps (Jet, Irwin, Jorgenson, HF, SF) and they all stink. Just plan to use scraps to protect any work piece if you are using an F-clamp. They definitely are the heaviest duty F-clamp I have ever scene, and I have 5-6 different brands of F-clamps now. They are actually thicker bars than my Jet and Bessey parallels. (I am not sure on the steel grade though, so they could be thicker, but lower quality. They look very similar though). As far as the F-clamps (any brand) bowing the call, you can easily get around this by getting the pressure over the work piece instead of on the end of the call. If you have straight down pressure, you won't get bowing. This is wear the deep throat of the shop fox clamps really pays dividends. You can get 3-4 clamps on each call if you really want. I don't normally do more than two personally, but you could. I get away with one per call if it is just two boards being laminated. As noted above, the joint bowing is equal or less than the Parallel clamps due to the heavy duty bar. It's not 100% square, but neither are your parallels under similar pressure and distance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob493 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 the problem is clamping a 24" x 14" x .25" piece. I need surface area, not pressure so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDi Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Would hand screws work for your application? Could grab HF models for now and wait for black Friday sales fornthe parallel clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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