First pair of parallel clamps? Which to buy?

[Tobykanobe]

I'm looking to purchase my first two parallel clamps.  You probably all have your favorites, but I'm looking for probably a 48" version and I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on the Dewalt that Home Depot carries in stock.

Any others I should consider that are near that price? $44.97?

Thanks for your input.

[Tpt life]

Do you NEED parallel? They have been oversold a bit for tasks that don’t truly require parallel clamps. Dubuque aluminum bar clamps are gaining ground with some more experienced builders I know. 

[Tom King]

I've never handled any that I think are a real joy to use.   I think I have three different kinds, all name brand, but I don't care which ones I grab first.   I'd buy name brand, and whichever one has the best price when you need some.

[Chet]

Never messed with the Dewalts.  I have some Bessys and some Jets and like them both.  The Jets are heavier and I think pricier then the Bessys.  I have been giving some thought to a few of the Dubuque Aluminum bar clamps that Carus mentioned above.  They look like they would be nice for panel glue ups and such.

[JohnDi]

Harry Epstein has 36" Dubuque's for $25.00

i might try a few myself.

i know Paul sellers has a video of how to strengthen the bar.

[wtnhighlander]

The Dewalts appear to be near identical to the Irwins I got from Lowes. IMO, go for the $25 Dubuques. If you neef more pressure, get some $12 pipe clamps.

So far, I have not run across a task that makes a "parallel" clamp seem that important.

[treeslayer]

I’ll throw in a plug for the Dubuque clamps, they are made by a friend of mine and they are a great clamp and they do not need to be strengthened, the aluminum is plenty sturdy all by itself. I have a few and when a bar clamp is needed they are my go to clamp

[gee-dub]

The DeWalts are sloppy similar to the Irwins.  Parallel clamps are not really doing their job if the jaws misalign easily.  Common reasons for getting parallel clamps are:

Casework:

Long edge clamping where you need a large bearing face:

And they work great for panel glue-ups if you already have them but, if you just need a small bearing face, aluminum clamps will do the job in a light weight format:

What are you preparing to do?

[Coop]

And as doing Woodworking as a hobby, you may want to consider shorter clamps. I can’t tell you the last time I used my 31” clamps. Anything longer and I go to a good set of pipe clamps. 

[pkinneb]

22 minutes ago, K Cooper said:

And as doing Woodworking as a hobby, you may want to consider shorter clamps. I can’t tell you the last time I used my 31” clamps. Anything longer and I go to a good set of pipe clamps. 

X2

[wdwerker]

31" or 36" is usually easier to use than 48". Bessey K body Jr's are a good compromise .  I hate the grey Bessey quasi parallel clamps. I've only got 2 and they only get used when every other clamp that size in my shop are already in use. Did I mention I've got over 2 dozen clamps that have to be in use before I use the wretched things ? But we all have our favorite tools.

I need to give those Dubuque clamps a try. Weight is a consideration.

[RichardA]

I picked up 4 36" Dubuque clamps last year while in Iowa. They are my go to's when clamping panels. I haven't tried any parallel clamps, but I don't think for what I do, that they are any better than the Dubuque clamps. And they take up considerably less space on the wall or rack.

[gee-dub]

7 hours ago, wdwerker said:

I hate the grey Bessey quasi parallel clamps. I've only got 2 and they only get used when every other clamp that size in my shop are already in use. Did I mention I've got over 2 dozen clamps that have to be in use before I use the wretched things ?

@Tobykanobe - This is a good example of how to factor in different people's opinions and use experiences.  The Uniklamps that wdwerker dislikes are my go-to clamp.  I use them for most mid-size clamping jobs which make up most of my furniture making. Some folks praise their Jet parallel clamps but these are my "last choice" when using full size parallel clamps; too much time with the original K-Body design I guess.   Parallel clamps come into play for things over 18" and pipe clamps for most things over 40" depending on use case.

Trust me that these will not be the last clamps you buy.  Try to get your hands on some different varieties. You've already held the DeWalts, you can get your hands on some Bessey and Jets and sometimes Irwins at a Rockler but, I do not know if you are near one.  The Peachtree, Yost and Lee Valleys all get some praise with the Woodcraft K-body Groz clones being lower end but, usable.  In the end you'll find your favorite and probably end up with some that are your "last choice".

[Minnesota Steve]

I have some 48" and 24" jorgensen parallel clamps.  They're really heavy and hard to work with.   And they really hurt if you've got one standing upright and as you're positioning things it falls over and whacks you on the head.

 

[Chestnut]

36 minutes ago, Minnesota Steve said:

I have some 48" and 24" jorgensen parallel clamps.  They're really heavy and hard to work with.   And they really hurt if you've got one standing upright and as you're positioning things it falls over and whacks you on the head.

 

I'll take those off your hands if you don't want them any longer

[Brendon_t]

I prefer heavy parallel clamps for 31" and lower. I actually like the weight of them. Bigger panels, I have some hf aluminum and 4' pipe clamps but I do not like using either of those much. 

[Minnesota Steve]

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

I'll take those off your hands if you don't want them any longer

If I get hit on the head again by those suckers, they're outta here... 

[wdwerker]

I've also got a couple short Peachtree parallel clamps. They work but aren't favorites either. They are the last 2 used before I grab the dreaded Gray Bessey's. This variation of preference for certain clamps & tools in general reinforces the old " opinions are like (backsides),no one wants to listen to either ! "   Just because they aren't my favorites doesn't mean they don't meet the preferences of other folks.  Try a couple of any brand clamps to see if you like them before you buy in quantity.

[Chestnut]

33 minutes ago, Minnesota Steve said:

If I get hit on the head again by those suckers, they're outta here... 

Deal <runs to rig some sort of contraption to get MN steve hit in the head by a clamp again>

[DerekMPBS]

I picked up some 24" and 51" Bessey clamps at my local Home Depot this weekend.  They were $39.97 and $44.97, respectively.  This was a much lower price than I found elsewhere for these clamps.

I read on another forum that Home Depot is discontinuing the Bessey clamps and will carry the DeWalt clamps instead.  My local store had no DeWalt parallels clamps, but had 11 of the Bessey clamps.  I bought 6 of them.

[krtwood]

9 hours ago, gee-dub said:

@Tobykanobe - This is a good example of how to factor in different people's opinions and use experiences.  The Uniklamps that wdwerker dislikes are my go-to clamp.  I use them for most mid-size clamping jobs which make up most of my furniture making. S

Mine too.  I like that I can pick up 8 of them at once if needed.  Mostly I liked the price.  You used to be able to get six for $100.  I don't know why the price of clamps has doubled over the last 10 years while everything else in woodworking has gone up maybe 10-20%.  I would have a very different clamp collection if I had to start over now.

For the shorter clamps I would get some harbor freight f clamps and do this with them. 

 

[wtnhighlander]

Just don't bother with the Harbor Freight F-style clamps at anything over 12". They will bend like a pretzel under their own clamping force.

[Tobykanobe]

Thanks for all the replies.  I have bar clamps, C clamps, even one that is similar to the dubuque.  I just don't have any parallels.  In my mind, I thought they were a favorite clamp of masters, sounds like it depends!

Thanks again, I'm going to pick up a couple of the dubuques and maybe a couple parallels to have on hand.

 

Thanks!

[Chestnut]

9 hours ago, Tobykanobe said:

Thanks for all the replies.  I have bar clamps, C clamps, even one that is similar to the dubuque.  I just don't have any parallels.  In my mind, I thought they were a favorite clamp of masters, sounds like it depends!

Thanks again, I'm going to pick up a couple of the dubuques and maybe a couple parallels to have on hand.

 

Thanks!

You won't use the parallel clamps as much as you think. I use these Clamps More than any other clamp i own. I like them because they are as strong and durable as the bessy clamps but less than half the price.

 

[Cliff]

I got probably 30 or so Parallel clamps. Bessey, Jorgensen, Jet and Irwin. I would rather set the Irwins on fire than use them again. Jets tend to stick when expanding/contracting. I'd rate the Jorgensens and Bessey as mostly equal, but since the Besseys were at least 1.5x the price - Jorgensen has been my favorite. Unfortunately when Pony/Jorgensen died, Menards started carrying Irwin instead of those, and never switched back once they became available again. 

I really want some of those aluminum ones.