sounds like the quick release bar clamps and the aluminum bar clamps are the only ones worth it
the quick release ratcheting clamps with the pistol grip are no good and have no power
but i have a tiny set of the pistol-grip ratcheting clamps and i find uses for them for small stuff
i was hand planing and went off the edge and caused a splinter the splinter did not come free so i put a dab a glue and a small clamp and it was just right
I have a pile of the HF aluminum bar clamps that you can have. They're junk.
Agreed. Fortunately I didn't have much invested in them before I figured it out.
The quick release "SAME AS BESSEY" C clamps are ok too. I have an older set of alum bar clamps. They are nice and thick compared to Jet and some others. Not sure about the current crop.
FWIW even high quality aluminum bar clamps are not very useful. They all bend very easily under light pressure. I have 6 and only use them as a last resort.
You seem to have condemned Jet for using a cheaply made fastening part, you are not going to like HF products.
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Try those from Dubuque Clamp Works...
There are several resellers; as the above article notes they've deliberately chosen to not go direct...
I've some of unknown manufacturer that are t-bar rails like the best old cabinet clamps with a very hard/stiff Al (I presume aircraft) alloy. But afaict there's nobody currently manufacturing such any longer. These were obtained from the shop of the old codger in Lynchburg of whom I've spoken previously when he was beginning to slow down and starting to limit the size and quantity of work he was doing. They're all 48"...
Those are exactly the ones I am talking about, and I paid more, ;~(, that that 25+ years ago.
If you click on the B&W inset photo and enlarge you can make out Universal Clamp Company on the side of the screw end of the clamp. Those are mine exactly. They are OK but have small clamping heads and the bars bend easily. I have the 48 and 72 inch varieties.
You must have a _much_ higher res monitor than I to be able to make anything whatever out of what the casting actually says... :)
I've not used the Dubuque's simply know they've been rated pretty highly and that Lee Valley says they're quite stiff and ime that's generally pretty reliable assessment...
I'm certain they're not as stiff as an old t-bar cabinet clamp and that if you're trying to squeeze the be-jxxx out of a heavy panel glue they can be caused to flex but I'd think them likely to be more than adequate for most work.
Anyway, they're surely bound to be far better than the HF or local Ace Chinese variety or even the Jorgy's...
27". And while not perfectly in focus, zoomed in you can see the individual letters and the L on the end of Universal.
They are not bad clamps for light duty work and probably better in shorter sizes but you have to clamp them down to the work on longer pieces so that they do not bow. This is especially true with thin panel glue ups.
And they are certainly light weight. One thing I especially do not care for is the ratchet end. I moves in increments of approximately 1/2 the screw travel. I found myself having to walk from one end to the other a time or two to get the moveable end in a location that did not reach the limit of the screw end in either direction. If you are in a hurry to set the clamps in a complicated glue up this is a bit nerve racking. ;~) Just food for thought. I pretty much quit them altogether when I started collecting the K-body style clamps.
Probably so but you can only expect light to moderate pressure out of them before they begin to bend.
Leon, we have already established you're a gorilla when it comes to clamping. (broken Cabinet masters).
I clamp tight, but not ridiculously tight.
I do find that I use my aluminum clamps when weight is a problem. Or if I just want to. I don't find them to be so bad.
My only experience with the HF aluminum bar clamps is in the store. They seemed very flimsy.
A good number of the ones I bought about seven or eight years ago broke. The ends are cast and *very* brittle. It's a PITA to have the clamp break when the glue is wet (and it always is when the clamp breaks).
And that surprises you?
Odds are that they won't break while being removed or while hanging on a hook.
When clamps break? Yes it certainly does.
It doesn't happen when dry-fitting or when you're adding clamps. It has to be at the worst possible time.
i really need to see them in person but maybe i will buy one and see how it is
one concern i have is getting glue into the track maybe i should just stick with good old bar clamps they are hard to beat
i have not used any of the aluminum ones yet now i am concerned that glue will get into the track
i may just stick with good old fashioned bar clamps they are almost indesctructible and it is easy to scrape off the glue
had never heard of these i read a review on one of their odd clamps with the novel grip mechanism
the reviewer complained that the face of the clamp left a mark on his piece
i guess he never heard of scrap maybe they have the guy at the store cut everything to final fit
1, One, Uno clamp????? Can you do anything with ONE clamp? LOL
There is enough slop in the fit that getting a little glue in the indentations was never a problem for me. AND the glue can be peeled off of aluminum pretty easily.
Or more likely, the reviewer expected them to be similar to the Bessy K-Body clamps, where it is unnecessary to protect the work from the clamp face.
Aside from Dubuque being a very pretty place (particularly arriving from US 61 N), those clamps are quite nice and affordable. The small clamp face does require clamping pads to avoid marring the work.
If you consider Iowa to be flat, you've never been to Dubuque.
To tell you the truth not having to use scrap anything between the wood and the clamp surface is well worth going for Bessey Kbody or Jorgensen Cabinet Master clamps. Especially if you are going to be using them often or in multiples. Be wary of Jet KBody style clamps however, they too will leave dents.
TRUE! Same style Jet clamp, Not so true. If Jet would fix this their clamps would be great with more features than Bessey and the Cabinet Masters combined.
I used the exact same aluminum clamps for years and oddly I don't ever recall the clamps faces marring the work and I did not use scraps. In fact the only clamps that I have used that do mar the wood are the Jet clones and the old style pipe clamps.
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