I am about to buy some clamps from lowes. I have a cabinet that is 19" wide that I will need to clamp when I glue it.
To me it looks like a clamp is a clamp. So I'm considering
2 Columbian 24" SUMOGRUP Bar Clamps @ $12.48 each. Some of the others are much more expensive and I am wondering if there is anything I might be missing. Ill probably do one project every 4 months so I don't need the uber clamps.
The IRWIN 24" quick-grip bar clamp / spreader is $24.
Just checking before I buy these. Don't want to get home to find out I have "consolation prize" quality tools.
with all the respect to the Good Tools I do not think expensive clamps are that much better, easier to use .. maybe, but come on, how much time will you be spending working on clamps, you set them and they work no matter how much they cost. For large things i love the pipe clamps, have them on short
30 inch pipes but have some long pipes just in case to use once in a blue moon, or to scare wildlife.
In my humble opinion, you'd be better off getting something either better or cheaper. Amazon has Jorgensen 24" heavy-duty bar clamps for $13.99 each with free shipping over $25 - I have some of these and they're very beefy and nice. They have nice wide threads so you don't have to spin the handle a bunch of times to tighten it, and the handle is large enough in diameter that you can put some good torque on it. If you just want something to use 3 times a year and to be functional but you'd settle for less beefy, I'd go to Harbor freight (if you have one, or harborfreight.com) and get some of their 24" bar clamps for $6.99 (or less if they're on sale as they frequently are). HF stuff is obviously cheap and cheaply made, but from what I've seen on this newsgroup, I'd be willing to try these clamps, especially at half price. If you really like the SUMOGRIPs for some reason, and you're willing to wait a week, Amazon has those for $8.99, again with free shipping over $25. Hope this helps, Andy
Sorry for the second post - I forgot to mention that I have some of these quick-grip clamps and I don't like them that much. They can be used one-handed, but it doesn't seem like I can put very much pressure on them, they're somewhat difficult to release, and I've heard stories of them coming apart. If I were getting more of this style clamp, I'd look at the Jorgensen ISD line, also available at Amazon. No experience with these, though. Andy
In case you didn't know, dnoyeB - the pipe clamps should be there at the hardware store, but they're hiding in little boxes since you only buy the ends, then go to the plumbing aisle and get the pipe separately.
I would much rather have 8 cheap clamps than 1 uberclamp (yes the price differnce can be that much).
Harbor freight (Pittsburgh) bar clamps are of adequate quality and excellent price. They come little plastic pads which are actually quite helpful if you can get them to stay on (hint-hotmelt glue).
Don't get me wrong, I really like my cabinet masters, and you probably want at least a few bar clamps to handle large carcass assemblies, but for mnost things where a 24" or less clamp will do HF is a good value.
On Tue, 31 Jan 2006 22:06:35 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, dnoyeB quickly quoth:
I've never seen those but have dozens of the HF Pittsburgh bar clamps. They work very well and are 1/2 the price or less. (They're often on sale for half that.) Pittsburgh clamps have a lifetime warranty but I've never had to return one.
formatting link
Just checking before I buy these. Don't want to get home to find out I
I'd be wary.
- Press HERE to arm. (Release to detonate.) -----------
I hope nobody beats me to the next one, but I buy older clamps at yard sales, flea market, and other such. The best by far have a wheel to turn for great and easily applied pressure. Next after that are two very solid 4' clamps with a wooden straight turn handle, well designed and solid, I got the last two for $15 Can. I do a lot of browsing though, and don't buy anything that's not excellent quality, such as an old Stanley hand-drill with all the bits for $1 Can at a house sale.
I have a "Quick grip" I'll give away as soon as I find somebody I hate enough. The damned thing won't spring back for more pressure, then an hour later I hear a "click" ...but too late.
Most yellow wood glues only need to be clamped for an hour or so. The glue is still drying for another 4-24 hours, so it still should be handled carefully and not machined, but the clamps can come off.
I found out long ago that leaving them on longer was usually a waste of time. Bends and some edge to edge glue ups need more clamp time.
DnoyeB, Some people like pipe clamps because they're cheap, versatile, and super-beefy (at least the 3/4" ones are). You can start with whatever lengths of pipe you can get (HD etc. will cut and thread them for you), connect 2 lengths, or get longer lengths as needed. However, pipe clamps are very heavy and bulky, and therefore less mobile than most others. I have a couple pipe clamps, but I find I reach for bar clamps almost all the time since they're lighter and easier to maneuver. Pipe clamps are especially good for glueing up wide panels like table tops, especially if you don't have any Bessey K-body or Jorgensen Cabinetmaster clamps (super-nice, super-expensive, parallel-jaw type clamps). Your 24" bar clamps were an excellent way (IMO) to start your clamp collection, but if you ever need more capacity or more clamping pressure, you can check out some pipe clamps. Note - I've also heard from various people on this NG that Harbor Freight brand pipe clamps (only the Heavy Duty 3/4" ones) are decent quality, and if you see them on sale for $3.49 a set like they were a few weeks ago, they're definitely worth it. Hope this helps, Andy
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.