# HF Aluminum bar clamp



## CharlesA

Did you see any difference in their clamping performance?


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## rsharp

Thanks for the review. I have a number of HF bar clamps and use them all the time. For simple glue-ups and pulling together mortise and tenon joinery, they work great for me.

I do notice some flex in the aluminum body, but that serves to tell me I've tightened up enough.

There is no pretense on my part that these are the same quality as the higher priced Jorgensen or Bessey, but I've not had one fail on me yet.

For the price, I'm happy with my HF choice and can heartily recommend them to the woodworking hobbyist.


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## mnguy

I purchased what appear to be the same/similar clamp as the HF on a special from Lee Valley a few years ago. They were a set of (10) 24" clamps for cheap (don't remember the exact price). The only major difference I see is that mine came with non-marring jaw pads. Mine have provided excellent service.

One plus for the Jorgensons is actually the shorter handle. The LV/HF handles hit the bench when turning; a shorter handle would actually be handier. Especially since I am not typically trying to crank up the pressure with these clamps. For that, I get out the parallel jaw or the pipe clamps.


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## OggieOglethorpe

One simple comment…

The Universal brand aluminum bar clamps, sold by TfWW, Woodcraft, and lots of others, are in a whole different league than either of the two clamps in the photos attached to this review.

I just thought I'd point that out… It's not a simple China vs. USA sourced difference.


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## carver1942

Thanks for the review, gamygeezer.
I have a dozen of these clamps. I find they work great for glue ups. For the pressure needed for glue joints they don't flex. If someone is clamping hard enough to flex them, there's something wrong with their joint, plus a joint should not be squeezed so tight you end up with a dry joint. I own higher priced clamps, but these work just as good and enable me to own more clamps. You never can have enough clamps. I'm on a tight retirement budget and can't always buy top of the line equipment. These clamps fit the bill.


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## gamygeezer

Barry, I have been eyeing those clamps from TfWW for quite a while. They are priced by the pair, and are thus really reasonable. Thanks for the observation. If I find I need more, especially 6 footers, I will certainly get them there.

Ken


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## b2rtch

I also have these clamps and I am also very happy with them


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## nicholasrhall

Paul Sellers had a great post about these a little while back. He fills the cavity in the bar with a piece of wood to stiffen them up and give them more rigidity. It's a pretty nice clamp for the money!


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## sgmdwk

Like others here, I like these clamps because they provide a great value. I can collect a bunch of useful clamps for a fraction of the cost I'd pay elsewhere.


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## whitebeast88

great review,i have 2-24" and 2-48".so far am pretty satisfied with them especially for the price.i'll be buying more when i go back to hf.


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## ljhhontx

I have some of these in 48" and had one break just tightening by hand, probably a fluke, glad to know they have lifetime warranty, will take it back next trip. Otherwise I have been very satisfied with them, alot lighter than my pipe clamps.


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## rrww

I have 48 or so of these. Hey - they are cheap. About 1 in 8 randomly break the casting near the base of the threaded end. Its annoying - it happens under very little pressure (one handed). I have had a couple guys crank them a little too much and the bar is very soft and can bend easy. Once this happens it bulges the sides of the clamp and the locking end can't slid by the bulge very easy. In my opinion they are not as good as the premium brands. (But much cheaper) If it was me I would give three stars - just because the breaking is random. At this price I can't really complain too much. They are great for most smaller glue ups, as long as you don't try to force the wood with them.


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## Craftsman70

I got one…the casting broke with little pressure. I guess it was the 1 in 8. Maybe I'll try another.


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## lj61673

Wow, all these comments about "great review", did I miss something? Not one word about how the clamps actually work.

Is this a review about how they look? Or about how closely they resemble the Jorgensons?

This review section becomes more useless with each review like this one.


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## rrww

You must have missed something. To operate the clamp you adjust the stop to the proper width of your work piece then apply pressure by turning the handle to make it tighter. Most wood clamps operate in the same or similar matter. For any other details you can read what is written above. I hope that clears it up for ya…


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## b2rtch

gamygeezer, I would like to say "thank you" for the very good quality of the pictures.
I wish all pictures were always that good.


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## Kentuk55

Thnx for your review. I have a few of these of different lengths from HF, and they work fine for me. IMO, they give enough clamp pressure for any glue-up. I've used small 1/4" thick pieces of pine and/or hardwood with double-sided tape, and/or hot glue to attach them to the clamping ends for project protection from any "denting" while under pressure.


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## BensBeerStShop

I can't really compare them to anything, but two of mine broke this week. I didn't think I had that much pressure on them, but they gave out. At least they have the life time warranty. I took them back and walked out with 2 new ones.


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## PurpLev

just an FYI as I notice this large excitement of people from these clamps as well as HF in general - casting that look the same isn't always the same. casting that costs ~50% less are most definitely NOT the same. on another metalworking forum, a member actually tested the metal HF tools were made of to find out it is very soft, brittle and low quality materials that they are made of - hence the lower cost. this is not the same clamp at a 'better deal' per se… seeing that so many of these break and returned makes me think this is actually marked up pretty expensive for it's quality

just know the facts…


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## b2rtch

I am not stupid and I do not expect something 1/3 of the price to be the same quality.
I have used them for several years,I am still to break one.
So for me, they are very good deal.


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## Ocelot

I have a dozen of these (I think the 36" ones) that I bought a couple of years ago when they were half-priced on a coupon. There was a limit of 4, so I went in there 3 times to get my dozen. I've found them to be fine for everything I've done with them so far. Wish I had bought more. I also bought a 60" one just because I wanted a piece of that aluminum extrusion to make a bracket to mount the DRO on my planer. Now it's a 48" clamp.


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## cutworm

Thanks for the review. 1+ Bert. For me - so far, so good.

FYI - I ran across Jorgenson bar clamps at Ollies. A good savings compared to other places that sell them. I got several of the 12, 18, 24 and 36 inch clamps.


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## skywalker01

I have about 5, but I had about 8 and like others have said, they break right below the cranking arm. Unless they have changed construction since a couple years ago the blue parts are made from cast aluminum…cast aluminum…. so you can understand their weakness. Mine broke under light pressure so it doesn't seem to have much to do with cranking down on a board that should have been fixed before being clamped. The ones I still have seem to work fine but I know not to give them too much work or they'll bust.


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## PurpLev

nobody said anything about "being stupid" bert… calm down  we are all in a positive mood here. I was merely referring to the OP specifically showing pictures saying "looks just like the other clamp", and reminding readers that "looks the same" and "is the same" are not always "the same thing" (pun intended).

peace!


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## craftsman on the lake

I did the recent review of the locking casters you went to HF for originally. Did you get any?

I have two of these clamps. They work well but I find them inadequate compared to my parallel clamps. They do work though.


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## b2rtch

PurLev, no offense done. 
I am not upset. 
I just mean to say that I know what I am buying, or may be, I know what I am not buying.
Shalom


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## woodmaker

Just purchased 5 of the 60" for 15.00 each so i they work great if not I ain't out much and will buy better clamps when I can afford them.


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## DavidTF

Just wanted to give a thumbs up for the Harbor Freight Aluminum bar clamps.

The are great starter clamps which do a good job for the money. Over time I ended up getting two high quality 48 inch aluminum clamps for critical joints and four 60 inch steel clamps for pesky joints. More often than not, I end up grabbing the light weight HF clamps for quick jobs.

A shopping tip… Take a small block of wood into the store when you go shopping so you can crank down good and hard on the block. It is a quick way to sort which clamps are going to break or have questionable threads before you leave the store. The clerks in my local store are very used to people testing out the merchandise


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## curliejones

Thanks for a good review. It seems petty to pick up on the "looks like" wording when the performance was clearly demonstrated. If a person owning both Jorgy and HF 48" could weigh the two and find the weights very similar, there would still be no evidence that the two are the same because of the metallurgy and forming processing of the clamping head, a common breaking point (when it breaks). Get over it jocks! The review clearly demonstrates that the reviewer is satisfied with the clamp's performance, not to mention the comments regarding same. There's still the issue of quality control, and that would include the casting of the clamp head and it's make up. They are half the price of many comparable length aluminum bar clamps and if you break one, it is replaced on your next trip to HF. You pays you money (half as much).... you takes you chances.


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## b2rtch

curliejones, 
Rigth on, Amen


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## 00dahc

I have a few of the 48" version of these from HF. Last time I used them I just started to clamp the project down and before any real prrssure was applied the aluminum head of th be clamp fell into pieces.

Lifetime warranty but i had a heck of a time getting them to replace it.

Now I have something like 50 parallel clamps so these just sit in the corner where they belong.


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## REL

I wanted non marring soft pads for my HF aluminum clamps and this thread came up. Combining the low price, lifetime guarantee, and great performance they are great! The only thing lacking are the pad to prevent marring. This is true with all the aluminum pads regardless of who is selling. I own at least 12 various size HF aluminum clamps never broke one yet. I have about 15 rachet 1' and 2' sizes, broke a few of those over the yrs and had no trouble replacing them at two different stores.

I also own a bunch of bessey and other heavy expensive clamps and if it wasn't for the pads, I wouldn't need them. I the light aluminum. Plenty of holding pressure


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## curliejones

Update! We consumers have evidently made these popular enough to warrant HF raising the prices a good bit. I bought two for $8.99 mid-2015 on a free shipping day and priced them yesterday at $11.99, a 33% increase. Both were simply "sale-priced" no coupon etc. I've used them a couple of times after putting a stick down the aluminum void (Sellers-style) and thought they are ok (for the $)


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## curliejones

Just an interesting (perhaps) aside, if any newbies are interested: I'm building my first joiner's bench and ripping SYP just like in the torture test above. Rather than fight the stresses in the wood by forced clamping, I am checking the ripped pieces for edge straightness and passing about half of them through my table saw clamped to a plywood sled that gives me a straight edge. That edge is marked then used against the fence for final ripping. Even after sitting overnight, they remain straight for easy glue-up.


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