Clamps - any to avoid?


Fxguy

Recommended Posts

I’ve got about 6 Irwin Quick Grip 12” clamps that work well but starting to need some larger clamps. As the length increase, those quick grips get expensive quickly. For 24” and 36” clamps, are there any brands or types to avoid? Any suggestions for these sized clamps? 
 

thanks!

Tim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suggest these clamps regularly. They are a bit less refined than the Bessy counter part but are FAR FAR cheaper even after you consider shipping (unless you live close to a store)

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/hand-tools/clamps-vises/masterforce-reg-24-f-clamp/3062467/p-1444439539769-c-9135.htm

They make 12" 24" and 36" versions. I have about 12 of the 12" clamps and use them daily. I have yet to have a problem with 1.

They compare to these https://www.woodcraft.com/products/bessey-tradesman-professional-series-bar-clamp-12-capacity-5-1-2-throat-depth?via=573621f469702d06760016cd%2C576328a869702d20ec000b2f%2C576419b969702d3baa0002ec

If you are in the budge for $40 per clamp wait for black Friday sales and grab Jet parallel clamps on sale, they are hard to beat. Otherwise Bessy sells some decent parallel clamps at a good everyday price at Home deopt. Once I get over 24" F style clamps get used less and i use more parallel style clamps. i like the larger surface area on the jaw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As with a lot of things in woodworking it really depends on what you are doing. Having said that quick grips are great but as mentioned above do not have the holding power you need for many tasks. I like the simple bar clamps for many applications and if it fits in the budget a set of 4 k body clamps. As the saying goes you can never have to many clamps :) 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the end having different styles of clamps let you do more. I would recommend getting different styles and different lengths. The quick grips have their place, but you definitely don't want to spend the price for these in larger sizes. I mostly use the quick grip style to clamp stuff down to the workbench. 

My main clamps are aluminum bar clamps. These are not too expensive, they are light, and do great for most simple clamping jobs and excel at gluing up panels. Pipe clamps basically do the same job, but I much prefer the much lighter aluminum. Size wise the 24" clamps do most jobs. These aluminum bar clamps have served me for many many years. 

My second most used clamp are the F style clamp, these too can be gotten pretty inexpensively and some guys have already posted a few sources at good prices. I'd get a bunch of these at smaller sizes, say 8", and a few at larger sizes. These larger F style clamps (I have four at 36") come in pretty handy for some clamping situations. 

My next clamp I use, but not nearly as often as the ones above, are the parallel style clamp. These are great clamps and I should use them more but they are more expensive and I only have a handful of them. These do have a great large clamping area and great clamping pressure. Biggest problem I have with these is it's often easier to just grab the lighter aluminum bar clamps. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Host makes some good clamps for the price and Peachtree puts some nice ones on sale sometimes. I have one strong DO NOT BUY and that’s this Tekton clamp, it’s weak and the grip is on backwards, probably to avoid a lawsuit:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000NQ4QQK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

@Bmac makes a good list, you need lots of different kinds of clamps eventually. Now while I only have one aluminum bar clamp, I have several parallel jaw clamps by Bessey (for strength in clamps don’t go cheap) and I even have 36” Irwin F clamps, they work fine although they aren’t super strong. 
HD usually sells some smaller Bessey F clamps, $20 for six or eight, I don’t recall. Those are a good deal for your smaller projects and I used the, all the time. 
For length and strength people have said pipe style clamps. I have one set 8’ long because I made a bed frame 6’x7’ but originally the pipes were 5’ so I bought couplings and added 3’ to them. Very flexible in that manner. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Bmac said:

...My main clamps are aluminum bar clamps. These are not too expensive, they are light, and do great for most simple clamping jobs and excel at gluing up panels. Pipe clamps basically do the same job, but I much prefer the much lighter aluminum. Size wise the 24" clamps do most jobs. These aluminum bar clamps have served me for many many years....

Which ones do you use Bmac? I have been thinking about getting some Dubuque Clamp Works.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, treeslayer said:

I can testify to the quality of the Dubuque clamps, lightweight and strong, don’t get the wanna-be ones, cheap and weak. I will say I’m a little bit prejudiced because Kieth and Edna Clark have owned the business for 40 years and are friends of mine, great folks

 

Friends that own a clamp business...Nice!!!

I'm going to give them a try. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One other point.  Should you require a lot of pressure for some reason. It's simple to cut a piece of wood that will slip inside the tube to strengthen it to keep it from flexing. Then slide it out when you're done. So far I haven't needed that much force, and really can't think of using that much force. But there's the simple remedy should you need it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 29 Guests (See full list)

  • Forum Statistics

    31.2k
    Total Topics
    421.6k
    Total Posts
  • Member Statistics

    23,748
    Total Members
    3,644
    Most Online
    luanaroly
    Newest Member
    luanaroly
    Joined