Heavy duty wooden bar clamps

They look great, and quite do-able. How do they compare with Steel clamps?

-- I'm not creative, I'm just bad at copying

Well done,not only useful but attractive .

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

very cool. these look like they would clamp firmer then a bar clamp.

-- I played with Legos as a kid and I never had the part I thought I needed, so I learned to improvise. Now I'm an engineer with a woodworking hobby.

Thanks for the comments.

Slapdash, They compare well i.r.o. clamping pressure with steel clamps. In my o[pinion they are just as good as steel clamps and will last just as long. The advantage that they have over my present steel clamps is that they provide a stable uniform platform for the boards to be clamped even without the saddle feet that I made. To me that is a big plus. The other big advantage is cost, about 10% of the equivalent steel clamps for the same performance. I think they are better, but then maybe I am biased because I made them :-)

-- Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

I like these because they are beautiful! The fact that they work well is great – I may have to try some. Do you think it would work to make them on a smaller scale?

-- Kay - Just a girl who loves wood.

Kay
Thanks for the compliment. Contrary to my usual approach to tools and jigs, I decided to finish these by sanding and a poly finish.

In my original plan the bar was 50×50mm. To maximise the wood that was available I cut that down to 40mm wide x 50mm high.

There was no science in deciding the dimensions other than my gut feel. I am quite sure that you can scale them down some more. I wouldn’t go smaller than 30×30mm. I suggest you make 1 on a smaller scale and see how it holds up for whatever you plan on clamping with them. Also I would use fine straight grain hardwood, especially if you want to downsize to ensure that you still maintain enough structural strength. The problem with going too small is that you will experience some bending in the bars. However I don’t think that will be a problem with 30×30mm hardwood bars.

If you decide to make some light weight clamps, I will be interested to see how they turn out. A lot of the material on YouTube and LJ about shop made clamps use a lighter construction than what I used. EG. Take a look at Kova’s clamps. (some pics in the comments of episode 1 of the blog and his FB page.

-- Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

Hi George.

In clamps like this, width isn’t as important as depth. You could get as good performance with material half as thick. Bars 3/4” x 1 1/2” (19 mm x 37 mm) would work well as the strength is a combination of tension and bending. The inch and a half depth is sufficient for most jobs providing the clamp isn’t over 24 inches long clamping distance.

Paul

-- The nicer the nice, the higher the price!

Hi Paul

Thanks for the info, I will keep that in mind for future clamp builds. Cutting on width will help to save when using hardwood (which is more scares than soft pine in my shop).

-- Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching.

QUEDARON HERMOSAS GEORGE Y PARECEN ANTIGUAS!!!!!
FUÍSTE VALIENTE EN UTILIZAR UN PALO DE MADERA EN LAS BARRAS DE TRABAR
EN LUGAR DE UNA DE METAL COMO UTILIZAN EN EL VIDEO ;-)

-- KOVA, EL CARPINTERO DEL PUEBLO https://www.facebook.com/pages/El-Carpintero-Del-Pueblo/148976618479733