Am I wrong or are parallel clamps supposed to be parallel? On my Jets, the end clamp section tilts in a bit and the adjustable end tilts in a bit (1/32-1/16"), after tightening.
Is there an adjustment procedure with these or are parallel clamps just supposed to be "close to parallel?"
I could suspect that under load they might square up. I could also suspect that under load they could deflect. So I am covered either way and should come out look> Am I wrong or are parallel clamps supposed to be parallel?
Think I remember reading that the jaw faces aren't completely parallel until they're clamped down at which point they do align forming a perfectly square clamping surface.
I have Jet, Bessey, and Cabinet Master parallel clamps. None of them are parallel at some stage of tightening and or depending on the opening on the clamps. Simply put, the bar will bend and that prevents the consistant possibility of a perfectly parallel set of jaw faces. BUT these type clamps tend to work about as good as you could expect.
That is correct however that point is at a specific pressure at any given opening distance. Change the opening distance or pressure and you are over or under.
Mine aren't perfect, but they are close enough. I have a million clamps, and to fight off the fact that they all twist a bit (Besseys.... not much, though) I use a lot of clamps and a little pressure.
I think so. Most of the time when you see twisting or wracking it can be minimized by reorienting the victims in the clamps.
However, when teaching others the art of the glue up, almost without fail the most likely culprit in their glue up failure is placing the clamps and material on an uneven surface to glue up. And uneven table top, gluing on saw horses, etc., bring a whole different dimension non parallel clamps.
When I glue something up in the field that requires this kind of clamping, I actually level my "table" on the sawhorses by carefully leveling the material I am using for a top.
Bingo. It took me awhile to learn that but once I did it solved a lot of frustration. I built an assembly table with legs that could be adjusted to level.
When I glue something up in the field that requires this kind of clamping, I actually level my "table" on the sawhorses by carefully leveling the material I am using for a top.
This cuts out most of the problems.
99% of my clamping takes place in the shop, the TS top typically is the flattest surface and therefore is my glue up table. :)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.