Pipe clamps 1/2" vs 3/4"

Mine are all 1/2 inch. Work fine. I guess they might flex over distance but that has not been a problem.

-- Bruce from Central New York

I use 3/4. They don’t cost that much more and they don’t flex when gluing up wide panels and tops. The flex can cause things to get out of whack.

Just o .02

-- Scott - Chico California http://chicowoodnut.home.comcast.net

I don’t have pipe clamps, so take this with a grain of salt.

I often make decisions based on what I call the “regret principle.” In other words, think about which decision might give you more regret in the future, and then choose the other course of action. So for your dilemma:

Which one might you regret more 10 years from now – buying 3/4” and finding out that 1/2” would have done you just fine all along (regretting the extra expense), or buying 1/2” and finding out that it sure would have been nice sometimes to have those 3/4” ones (regretting the inadequate strength)?

I guess you can tell which way I’d decide this one!

-- Eric at http://adventuresinwoodworking.com

I use 1/2” clamps but..I went with sch 80 pipe to eliminate the flex.
It would have been cheaper to go 3/4”

-- .

I look at it like buying a 1/2” socket set versus a 3/8” set. Maybe a little bit more for the 1/2” set but the capability far succeeds the difference.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Matt, I have both 1/2” and 3/4” and I find that I use the 1/2” more because they are lighter , I have 4’ pipes on mine. Most of my glue up requireing clamps are cabinet doors and I have not had an issue of flexing yet. I would only suggest to not buy the black pipe. They seem to leave stains on the wood more than the silver pipe. Hope this helps.

-- F.Little

Here’s a tip out of my workshop.

There are little clips for hanging things simple bent spring metal. These work great for grabbing the pipe (the one that stains wood) as well as providing a gap that prevents the wood from touching the pipe.

Screw these to a small board that has been 45’d on 2 sides. Then you can make a rack to hold the clamps by having these slide into matching miters (like a french cleat).

Both have their good/bad points.

They all seem to have been mentioned here. It’s now a personal choice.

Let us know what you decide and and your reasons, please.

-- - Ray

I mostly have 3/4” but I have a few 1/2” pipe clamps as well.

The 1/2” a lighter weight which I like. The bars deflect
under medium pressure.

I have K-body clamps too. I only use pipe clamps when
I can’t use my other bar clamps because I am using them
all.

3/4” pipe clamps deflect too – so it’s not as if 3/4” are
the same as bar clamps.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online businesses - http://COPYMATCH.COM

Has anyone tried the Grizzly pipe clamps? Trying to save a little money, but I know I’ve tried to do that in the past and not had good luck.

-- - If you can't have fun doin' it, it aint worth doin' - Matt

I have both 3/4, & 1/2”, but I use the 3/4” the most.

Check out these 48” aluminum clamps @ $9.99 from Harbor Freight.

You won’t need to buy pipe which seems like a good buy.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

i use both and i use 1/2” for smaller than 4’ and 3/4” for larger than 4’. haven’t had any problems yet but if i am gluing up like 5’ or something i want that 3/4” pipe.

Most of my clamps are 1/2” but I have a few 3/4”. They both serve there purpose: 1/2” are lighter and work better for shorter clamping distance, but the 3/4” work better for the longer clamping distance where the 1/2” pipe flexes too much. Get both and you won’t regret it. You can never have too many clamps.

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

I too have both the 1/2” and 3/4” pipe clamps. I have more of the 3/4” size.

As has been said, the 1/2” pipe will bend a little under a fair amount of pressure. The 3/4” are much more stout. However, they are both good for different jobs. I use the 1/2” for lighter jobs and they work very well.

Probably the biggest difference is that the 3/4” clamps have a much larger and nicer clamping screw and handle. This makes it easier to apply more pressure with the clamp and to also release it easier.

-- Mark, Webster New York, Visit my website at http://thecraftsmanspath.com

All mine are 3/4”. Main reason: I do not have to look for a extra piec of pipe when I need a longer clamp. If you do get both, make sure you get some extra pipe of both sizes for extensions and keep them seperate. The other nice thing about 3/4” is that they have the ones that can be reversed for seperateing peices.

I just bought these 3/4 pipe clamps from Rockler,

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17397

They are terrific, the extra troat depth, 1/2”, is worth the $2 more than Harbor Freights.
It doesn’t seem like alot of depth but it really is.
Wait for a sale , I paid $11.99.

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

One of my monsters tried to escape my lab the other day…Hit it with a 1/2” pipe and just pissed him off. Bad idea. Grabbed a 3/4” one and lets just say he’s back in his cage.

OK, puns aside…I use my 3/4” clamps to clamp large items…like heavy, wide tables. They won’t flex as easily as the 1/2” ones will. Consider also that we’re discussing a couple of 3/4” pipe clamps that are 6’ long. Short pipes won’t flex hardly at all. A buddy of mine has one he made for a special project that’s (no kidding) like 14’ long! It flexes just under its own weight! (Been meanin’ to ask him someday just what he clamped with that!)One big thing to remember is that these type clamps are easily capable of exerting a lot of pressure, so use cauls.

-- Bob Vila would be so proud of you!

I have both and use both according to what I am clamping. I keep the 1/2 on 36” pipes because longer than that seems to flex a lot. and I keep the 3/4 on 48” but can extended them to a full 96” if I need to. I really like the handles on the 3/4 better than the 1/2 I can more leverage on them. I have four of both of these clamps and plan on buying 4 more of each. I like using these more than I do using my K body clamps for gluing panels and I am hoping the build some kind of wall rack that will let me clamp panels in minimal space and store my clamps all in one area and I plan on using pipe clamps for this.

so I would invest in a couple of both sizes.

-- Joey~~Sabina, Ohio http://sleepydogwoodworking.blogspot.com/

mski is right on the mark. Do yourself a favor, buy Rockler’s Sure-Foot 3/4” Clamps. I also highly recommend the zinc plated pipes and clamp pads. I’m waiting for the next sale and I’m going to buy another 10 pairs.

-- Festool4

I use 3/4 ” clamps

Here’s my 20’ ers being used to squeeze the deck boards together while making my deck.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

Karson now that’s a clamp.
Do they flex alot at that length?

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

holy crap -those are long clamps… Karson: did you glueup the deck as a single piece? any benefit of doing that as opposed to screwing them down one piece at a time?

-- My Drinking Club has a Woodworking Problem...

mski, How often do the clamps go on sale?

Festool4, what are the chances of finding zinc pipe locally?

They are some extreme clamps Karson. I almost hope I never need anything that long.

-- - If you can't have fun doin' it, it aint worth doin' - Matt

Matt, Just wait for a sale or sometimes they have 10 to 15% discount coupons.
You can get zinc pipe at the hardware store,the pipe Rockler sells has a finer finish but a little expensive for me, I just use tape on the pipe to protect the wood.
I think I paid $11.99

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

They didn’t flex at all. I screwed down the center board and then started clamping boards on each side. I then screwed them down. And worked my way over to the edges. Here is the blog series on the deck.

I bought the clamp pieces at harbor freight. I usually paid 3.99 for a set on sale. When I buy pipe at HD or Lowes I have it threaded on each end so that with the addition of a pipe coupler you can extend the clamps.

I usually buy a 10’ section and make a 6’ and a 4’ out of it. or 3 – 39” out of a section. I also have a bunch of 12” ones for small glue-ups.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com