Supplies and cutting
[Legebla en Esperanto]
I recently built two more of my wooden bar clamps. I decided to take photos along the way to show how they are made. These are made of 1×2 pine. Most of my bar clamps are of a very similar design. I've used them. They haven't broken and they hold wood together during glue-ups. Using a stronger wood would make the clamp… well, stronger.
N.B. I made these with basic hand tools. Using better tools will yield a more professional looking project. There are always different ways to do anything in woodworking.
For each clamp you will also need:
About 7 inches of strap steel .5 inch x 1/8 inch.
2 machine screws 1.25 inches long with 4 washers and 2 nuts
3/8 inch threaded rod about 12 inches.
2 nuts for the 3/8 inch threaded rod
2 washers sized for the threaded rod.
A piece of 1/4 inch dowel about 2 inches long.
A piece of wood 1 in x 1 in. x 4 or 5 inches long for the grip.
Wood glue
strong epoxy and/or JB Weld (other methods are OK too.)
Here we go!
[Above] Mark out your board for pieces that are 30 in., 3.5 in., 3.5 in., 3.25 in., 3 in., 3 in., and 2 in. It's OK if the 2 in. is a wee bit over. There no real precision needed here.
[Above] Cut out the pieces. The miter box will be handy in a moment though not absolutely necessary.
[Above] Now cut an (approximately) 45 degree angle in the 3.25 in. piece. Start in one corner and go from there. Put it aside for a while.
[Legebla en Esperanto]
I recently built two more of my wooden bar clamps. I decided to take photos along the way to show how they are made. These are made of 1×2 pine. Most of my bar clamps are of a very similar design. I've used them. They haven't broken and they hold wood together during glue-ups. Using a stronger wood would make the clamp… well, stronger.
N.B. I made these with basic hand tools. Using better tools will yield a more professional looking project. There are always different ways to do anything in woodworking.
For each clamp you will also need:
About 7 inches of strap steel .5 inch x 1/8 inch.
2 machine screws 1.25 inches long with 4 washers and 2 nuts
3/8 inch threaded rod about 12 inches.
2 nuts for the 3/8 inch threaded rod
2 washers sized for the threaded rod.
A piece of 1/4 inch dowel about 2 inches long.
A piece of wood 1 in x 1 in. x 4 or 5 inches long for the grip.
Wood glue
strong epoxy and/or JB Weld (other methods are OK too.)
Here we go!
[Above] Mark out your board for pieces that are 30 in., 3.5 in., 3.5 in., 3.25 in., 3 in., 3 in., and 2 in. It's OK if the 2 in. is a wee bit over. There no real precision needed here.
[Above] Cut out the pieces. The miter box will be handy in a moment though not absolutely necessary.
[Above] Now cut an (approximately) 45 degree angle in the 3.25 in. piece. Start in one corner and go from there. Put it aside for a while.