Box of Clamps

You can never have enough….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

If you’re doing panel type work or other such glue-up, these will do just fine. Only problem with bar clamps of ANY brand is that they don’t have a very deep throat. I regularly find myself pouting because I need to clamp something about 5” in from the edge and none of my clamps have a 5” throat.

-- Dean, Missouri

Seems like a pretty good buy, Debbie. I agree with Woodminer on the throat. I recently bought a big set of Bessy F-style clamps on Amazon and use them ALL the time (they have a deeper throat). I use my bar clamps less that others but they are essential too. I wish I had 10 more…

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

thanks for the input.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I wish Rockler would bring back their sale on Jet clamps. It was 2 for $50 on their 40” Bessy style F Clamps. I’m kicking myself for not getting some of them.

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov

Yeah, I’d love some of those Jets. My only gripe with aluminum bar clamps, is that they deflect pretty badly. Just watch your clamping pressure and they’ll serve you for years. Too aggressive and they can pull things out of square.

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

ah.. thanks!

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I came here this morning to ask the same question. I think I’ll wait for a better deal on tougher clamps.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

This is a good deal for this type of clamp. They are adjustable, and easy to use. There is the problem noted about the depth of the clamp, but it depends on what you are building. Another problem with these type of clams is the bar is aluminum, so it can flex if you tighten the clamp too much. This may affect your glue up, if you are doing something like a panel that needs to be flat. But, it is still a good bargain.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

I would rather have 2 of the Parallel Jaw Bar Clamps (Jet, Bessey etc.) and have to glue one thing at a time.

-- Che.

all good points.. I guess we have to think about what we will use them for..

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)