Re: Bessey's on sale at Woodcraft!

Yeah Leon, but look. It was from "Mike in Idaho". By the time I drive all the way to Idaho with $3.00 a gallon gas, I might as well just buy one here. Some guys have ALL the luck. :-)

P.

Woodcraft store on Hwy 290 here in Houston looked to have about a

Just moved into a new house. Used to live in a Townhome with no means of doing woodworking. Now I have a garage. Not big but enough to do some work.

I have no clamps. What would be a good amount (combanation) to start with?

I have(or had) a Woodcraft store in my area. I say "had" because Woodworking stores do not stay long in my area. A Harbour Freight just opened up and I wonder how long that will stay open.

Thanks,

Bill

You are always going to need one more than you have. ;) It really depends on what you are going to build. Try 6 to 8 48" pipe clamps. Good for most case work and panels.

What he said. Really, pick clamps like you'd pick any tool; get what you need for whatever it is you make. Consider getting some small, less-expensive bar clamps or C-clamps to hold jigs and stuff.

Get what clamps things within the range most used. For most of us the 25" is the workhorse, which is why I have more (now) of them than other lengths. The 50" is great for those things we use 48" worth of ply to construct, but it's awful damn clumsy when you try to use it to clamp the "average" distance.

Buy short sizes, followed by long sizes, then write for gifts of the tweeners. Lee Valley's 25/50 set looks real good. Do two.