Since I've gotten serious about woodworking about 1 1/2 yrs ago I've collected a decent collection of pipe clamps and a large amount of the cheap f-type clamps like you get at those truckload tool sales. I've been thinking about starting to collect the cabinetmaster or k-body clamps, not sure which ones are better. Other then the deeper jaws over pipe clamps what advantage would they have. Looks like they would be better for panel glue ups. I've been thinking about starting the collection with the 2 ft ones. Thanks, Mike
I have a bunch of K-Bodies and swear by them. The jaws will clamp parallel to each other. Cabinetmaster's are similar. Both are good clamps. I have heard of problems with the cabinetmasters. The K-Bodies have a smaller jaw.
I think you will probably be happy with either.
You might check out your local Home Depot. They just discontinued K-Bodies in favor of the cabinetmasters. You might be able to find a good deal on the K-Bodies.
Both the K-Bodies and the Cabinet Master are great clamps. The advantages of these type clamps are many over the regular pipe clamp. My pipe clamps have cob webs on them these days... These clamps set squarely on the work surface with out having to make sure the adjustable end is clocked squarely to the table. These clamps can be stood up and set on end off the work surface while the glue dries. As you have mentioned, they have a deeper reach and you do not have to put a scrap between your work and the clamp jaw. They are marginally lighter weight. The Cabinet Masters being the newer clamp on the scene... have a few more advantages over the K-Bodies. The adjustable little foot on the end of the bar holds the clamp up on one end so that you can move the clamping end freely with out having to lift the movable end off the work surface. This is a real plus over the K-Body or ANY clamp for that matter. The Cabinet Master clamp can be reversed and used as a spreader. I have used that function about 5 times in the last 8 weeks. While that may not to you and did not seem a selling point to me, I found that having the ability to do so increases the likely hood that you will use the clamp in this setup instead of using something else.
I ordered 8-24" and 8-32" GS clamps from AllProTools on Thursday of last week. They showed up totally unexpectedly yesterday! These clamps are in the same league with the K-Bodies, and at these sale prices, a absolute steal IMO.
Personally, I can't see myself ever needing to have 1100 lbs per clamp of force. An article I read somewhere within the last year, maybe 6 months, estimated a panel clamp-up only needing 200 lbs per sq. inch of clamping pressure.
Nonetheless, the GS are great clamps, I agree. Still, I saved hundreds of dollars over the allprotools sale prices when I bought my CMs from that woodcraft sale.
I would like to get some 12" clamps, but allpro apparently doesn't find it necessary to discount those. grrrrr
If you're referring to an article that was in Fine Woodworking recently, it wasn't entirely accurate. Read the follow-up in the current FWW letters.
Basically, what the original aricle neglected is that "per sq. inch" refers to the area of the glued surface. For example, if you're edge gluing 1" thick boards, each inch of board length would require 200 lbs of clamping force (using the numbers you cited). That means one clamp (that provides 1100 lbs of force) would be needed every 5.5".
In practice, well-fitted joints can be glued with much less than the optiaml clamping force.
By Tue, 20 Apr 2004 02:07:11 GMT, "Mike S." decided to post "clamp question" to rec.woodworking:
I was at a woodworking show about 6mos. ago and was looking at a tub of clamps offered by Rockler. I've never seen that type of clamp before and was puzzling over how to use it -- it was too busy in the booth to ask. A guy walks up and grabs about a dozen of them; they were pretty small, about
12" long. I asked him what they were used for, and he said, "I'm not really sure, but it's a great price and I'm going to buy a bunch of them anyway. I'm sure I'll find a good use for them, and even if I don't, 'He who dies with the most clamps wins.' " He said this in all seriousness.
I took a pass on the offer. I'm up to about 2dozen F type clamps in different makes, lengths and styles, Bessey Tradesmen, GrossStabil, Jorgenson, cheap nonames, and 4 good K-body's, bought at a show on spec. It took awhile before I used the K's but when I glued up some table frames recently, they worked a treat. They're about a year old, but I don't think they have the reversing feature -- to act as spreaders. Wish they did, I can see how that would be very useful.
Aw, the old clamp question... After reading the entire string, several adages come to mind, as yet unmentioned. Of course, a woodworker cannot have too many clamps, and if they sit in the corner for a while, the old black plumbing pipe will rust...only, that shining black finish is paint, and tends to flake off onto the project, so I choose to buy galvanized pipe. I cut the pipe into 16-inch dimensionals (16,32,48,64) and thread both ends. With unions, I can make a pair of two-hundred foot clamps, if need be. On galvanized pipe, excess glue is easily cleaned off by sliding the tail-piece up and down the pipe. A clean clamp is mandatory. To keep the thread adjustment clean and free moving, I keep a slab of canning wax in the drawer, and swipe that along the threads before running the adjustment up and down...about twice a year. No problem with rust. Of course, the beauty of working wood is such variety of opinion. Different clamps for different purposes is hard to argue, but the old pipe clamps have served most purposes in my shop for more than thirty-five years, and many of them are that old. DAC
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