Just got my Toggle Clamps

[Phred]

Hey,

I just got my toggle clamps tonight.. didn't have too much time to play with them, but I mounted one to a scrap piece of ply to see how it handles. Initial thoughts are good. Just wondering who else is out there doing testing.

My first major project with the clamps will be to build a 45 deg miter sled for the table saw. I am in the process of building a kitchen with mitered doors, and I would like to use a sled on the table saw to make the cuts instead of my Miter saw for better accuracy. I really like the plan that Mark Schofield recently wrote for Fine Woodworking, and plan on developing a similar jig.

Nick

[woodcanuck]

Mine just arrived today...just opened the box to see what we're dealing with.

First impression is that these appear to be a lot more robust than the ones I've picked up in the past (that have all made their way into the 'broken tool' box over time). The handle grip is nice, I'll have to see how it goes when it's bolted down and I need to unclamp it.

The spec states a holding capacity of 700 lbs, I'm curious how that compares to the typical lighter duty ones I've had in the past, I don't believe they were anywhere near that strong.

It was a nice surprise to see that Bessey is only about an hour down the highway from me in Cambridge, ON...I'll have to visit sometime.

[thewoodwhisperer]

Looks like our Canadian members are getting theirs first. Stands to reason. Can't wait for mine to arrive. Just so you guys know, a representative from Bessey will be frequenting this private forum room, so feel free to ask questions and and express your honest opinions about the product. Who knows, this may pave the way for a new regular feature of the Guild.

[Danettej]

Happy to hear they are arriving. They are all couriered out, so they should be arriving ! I will track them all on Monday to make sure everybody gets them.

Enjoy playing with your new toys. We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks again so much for your help !

Danette

Bessey® Tools

[JcMcGrath]

Got mine today - Friday 01/14

Much more than the toggles I have and am using. Hoping to get some time this weekend to move them into some jigs I am making for some repetitive pieces.

Danette!!!! So glad this came together - Good Job! I think with Marc and what he has built with the Guild that this should drive some real value into the process.

"Simply Better" I like the slogan - I appreciate that you and your company are sincerely looking to build a better tool. Thanks!

Jon

[tveling]

I received mind on Thursday... these are slick and the quality sure beat most of hold downs I've seen. I have several router jigs in mind to test them out on.

Tom

[Dan S]

I got min today, err yesterday.

[bbast]

Received mine on Thursday, like the look and feel. Will be curious to see if the metal plate will leave any marks in soft wood when clapped down hard. Have a couple of new jigs I am going to try them on. Wondering if there is a way I can adapt one of these to work with t-track on my drill press table. Would be much easier to use then the screw down holders.

[JcMcGrath]

Received mine on Thursday, like the look and feel. Will be curious to see if the metal plate will leave any marks in soft wood when clapped down hard. Have a couple of new jigs I am going to try them on. Wondering if there is a way I can adapt one of these to work with t-track on my drill press table. Would be much easier to use then the screw down holders.

Brian I agree - Looking to do something with the mounting, a T-Track type application would work perfectly with the clamps sort of self adjusting ability. It makes set up mad fast and adding a T-Track element would be of great value - I am doing that to one of mine - of course T-tracks are not normally asked to provide the upward pull mainly side to side to keep objects straight - I do not think it will be an issue, as I outfit I will post some pics.

[Underscorefunk]

I got mine a little while ago as well. My first thoughts are:

Great quality and they feel like they're strong where they need it. I've noticed some clamps look bulky to make them appear stronger but in the end, it makes them cumbersome and annoying.

A few nice design aspects that I appreciate:

- Screw holes are nicely offset from the body of the clamp making these easier to fasten down than some other toggle clamps I've used.

- The knurled nut that secures the position of the clamp contact is an elegant solution to make adjusting it very easy. I like not having to deal with too many parts.

- The handle has a nice curve to it and fits my palm quite nicely. I have yet to experience a situation where the low profile of it would be of benefit.. but it's a value added in my book

There are two applications that are not traditional that I can see this fulfilling perfectly!

1) Hold down material at my drill press. Being able to lock down a third hand is going to be a god sent... having the elongated screw holes means I can easily slide it back and forth depending on the bit size to allow for the required clearance

2) quick hold fast for a bench that is dogholeless and relatively thin.

I work with super soft pine.. so I'll let ya know how the bruising goes and how I dealt with it.

Big shout out and thanks to Bessey for their forward thinking in opening up the trials to our community. It's comforting to see companies that are interested in innovating based on our needs and wants.

[Phred]

Received mine on Thursday, like the look and feel. Will be curious to see if the metal plate will leave any marks in soft wood when clapped down hard. Have a couple of new jigs I am going to try them on. Wondering if there is a way I can adapt one of these to work with t-track on my drill press table. Would be much easier to use then the screw down holders.

I noticed on mine, that if you turn the pressure up, and even at the lower setting, it was leaving marks on Hard Maple. I looked at the pad and there are few "dings" that were leaving marks in my work. It would be nice if the bottom of the pad were rounded over similar to the top to reduce the chance that marks would be left on the work. I will be heading out this weekend to do some work, and I am going to try to file down the dings to reduce the marking. (I'll post a picture of my marks shortly)

[Dyami Plotke]

I received mine last week, went away for the weekend, and forgot about them for a few days when I got home (Doh!). This week I managed to attached two of the clamps to a scrap of OSB. I have a lot of dominos to make while building my Bastard (i.e. Guild) Wall Hanging Cabinet, and I plan to use the Bessey toggle clamps to hold the pieces still while I domino them.

Though I've only tested them so far (not ready for dominos yet) they're working great. I was able to adjust their holding power appropriately and without adjustment the hold a single sheet of 3/4 plywood and two sheets of 3/4" ply equally well. I'm looking forward to using them.

[Jim_WoodWarden]

I got mine sometime early last week. Tore the box open and my initial impressions are they are very sturdily built. My only initial concern was whether the plastic knob like handle molded over the metal handle if it could hold up to abuse. Just holding it I was concerned if the plastic was both adhered to the metal strongly and that it not be brittle if dropped. Well only one way to test the drop issue - I dropped one of them from a few inches above table saw height to a concrete floor intentionally trying to get it to drop on the plastic - did this probably about 12 or so times. Other then a few scuff marks which are very minor - the plastic stayed on and didn't crack. Also the other part of that goodness is everything else stayed together and appears to work fine. I still need to mount them to something and try them out. I wanted to try and make either a new coping sled for my router table or a tenon jig for my table saw with them. Right now though I am tied up until this weekend is over finishing b-day presents for over half my family (wife, mother, brother, sister-in law and niece all January/February b-days and my parents travel into town and we all get together this coming weekend so feeling the time crunch on some router tray/bowl projects).

Will try and get a jig built and work with these some before the mid-February deadline.

Jim Woodward

[Jim_WoodWarden]

Oh your mention of the knurled screw head/nut on the tension/clamping force adjuster did make me think about my initial impression of that as well. I felt that it would be nicer if that was about twice the size in diameter to make gripping it and turning it easier. Since that is a special machined head maybe it would not be too much of a change for Bessey to modify that.

Just a thought - Bessey?!? Bessey?!?! (ok a bit of Bueller joke there - "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" movie - guess it may not be as funny if you gotta explain it LOL).

Jim Woodward

I got mine a little while ago as well. My first thoughts are:

Great quality and they feel like they're strong where they need it. I've noticed some clamps look bulky to make them appear stronger but in the end, it makes them cumbersome and annoying.

A few nice design aspects that I appreciate:

- Screw holes are nicely offset from the body of the clamp making these easier to fasten down than some other toggle clamps I've used.

- The knurled nut that secures the position of the clamp contact is an elegant solution to make adjusting it very easy. I like not having to deal with too many parts.

- The handle has a nice curve to it and fits my palm quite nicely. I have yet to experience a situation where the low profile of it would be of benefit.. but it's a value added in my book

There are two applications that are not traditional that I can see this fulfilling perfectly!

1) Hold down material at my drill press. Being able to lock down a third hand is going to be a god sent... having the elongated screw holes means I can easily slide it back and forth depending on the bit size to allow for the required clearance

2) quick hold fast for a bench that is dogholeless and relatively thin.

I work with super soft pine.. so I'll let ya know how the bruising goes and how I dealt with it.

Big shout out and thanks to Bessey for their forward thinking in opening up the trials to our community. It's comforting to see companies that are interested in innovating based on our needs and wants.

[Dan S]

Now that I've had time to play with them, I have the following thoughts opinions etc.

1. As others have suggested, I hope when they eventually make it to market, that several sizes are offered.

2. I think some piston sytle clamps would also be a good idea.

3. Someone else also suggested different sized clamp heads and those would be beneficial as well.

My only real complaint was that the head was metal. While the stock didn't use during use, I was a little weary using them. Perhaps coating them in some kind of thin layer of rubber would help them with grip, or at the very least make those of us that are used to the old style feel better.

[bbast]

I have posted some thoughts on the clamps elsewhere, but to summarize. I agree they need to offer different lengths and have some kind of cover on the piece that contacts the wood. It would be nice if the adjustment knob could be angled out instead of inline, that way you would not have to open the clamp most of the way to adjust the pressure.

It would also be nice if there was a way to mount a base on a jig and then be able to actually swap out the clamp to use different lengths or styles

[JcMcGrath]

Got mine today - Friday 01/14

Much more than the toggles I have and am using. Hoping to get some time this weekend to move them into some jigs I am making for some repetitive pieces.

Danette!!!! So glad this came together - Good Job! I think with Marc and what he has built with the Guild that this should drive some real value into the process.

"Simply Better" I like the slogan - I appreciate that you and your company are sincerely looking to build a better tool. Thanks!

Jon

02/15

Well I have had the month to work with the clamps - Many of the items good and improvement opportunities have been listed, but I will sum up my experience:

First and Foremost - To Bessey - thanks for the opportunity - I hope this process drives some value for you. To Marc - thanks for the opportunity, I think this is a very cool extension of what the Guild is capable of, and I hope to see more of it in the future

Great:

The intuitiveness of the clamp to have the ability to apply pressure without adjustment to varying thickness of material - A true time saver and joy to use.

Good:

Handle, the overall presence - smooth actions, well built/engineered, quality materials overall functionality

Opportunities:

Size options

Larger face plate or hold down and options for either rubber/plastic foot - I think increasing the overall size of the hold down plate would spread the pressure and eliminate many of the "denting" issues.

Fastening footprint and size of holes for installation - something a bit smaller - I think wood workers have a boat load of #8 size screws floating around and could install without washers, etc if holes could be reduced to this size.

Fastening options - While I did put the clamps in many scenarios - Cross Cut sled, spline jig, pocket hole assembly jig, miter fastening jig - many times I would needed the ability to move the clamp - where if available with a T-Track option would have bee optimum, again with its ability on varying thickness of material it begs for the same mobility to become "THE GO TO" or Gotta have clamp. I feel it would be so superior with that option it would change the game in these type of clamps.

Same for the hold fast or bench dog application for use with typical workbenches - again drives the superiority of clamp,

That sums it up for me, I truly had no other concerns, I found the adjustment screw straight forward, the knurled adjustment nut worked well for me.

Thanks again, and as aforementioned, I hope this process drives value for Bessey and look forward to the roll-out of the product so I can purchase even more!!!

Jon McGrath