# Pipe clamps - Will I ever be satisfied?



## cathode (May 18, 2014)

This post might come off as something of a rant. But I imagine that I'm not the only one that is rather miffed at the lack of quality of the pipe clamps that are out there to buy.

Originally, when I was getting my shop 'set up', I bought a couple Irwin 3/4 clamps at home depot, and some lengths of black iron pipe from the plumbing section, brought it home… and was promptly disgusted by the fit and finish of the clamps. The jaw faces were rough, convex, and in some cases, not even close to square/parallel. The bore and tap for the clamp screw was even crooked on several. Needless to say, they ended up at the returns counter. I felt like $14/ea was way too much for such a shoddy product.

After that, I did a ton of digging around online and reading reviews and looking at pictures… I ended up buying some Bessey clamps off Amazon, and I paid more for them thinking I would get a better product. Not so. Same problems as the Irwins. I ended up keeping these because I liked the 'H' shaped ends better. But still not really satisfied.

Is it really too much to ask for clamps with at least a cursory machining of the jaw face? With accurately drilled screw bores? Consistent length legs? I'm not much of a metalworker so perhaps I don't have a clear idea of the work required for this to become a reality.


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

No you're right. In my experience pipe clamps have pretty piss poor quality. I generally stick with PONY. I have had pretty good luck with them. The tolerances are pretty acceptable for the price. You have to remember you are buying pipe clamps, not k-body.


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

+1 for Pony

If you have a Menards near you then you can get them there and take advantage of an 11% rebate as well that's offered through today

http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/hand-tools/fastening-tools/3-4-pipe-clamp/p-1442513-c-9135.htm


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up. Post your evaluation in LJ Reviews! This speaks to a deplorable level of quality control. I have a bunch of old Pony pipe clamps - with no issues whatsoever. Haven't thought of what I would buy if buying new pipe clamps - Pony is on my list, but I will inspect them closely then.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Yes, pipe clamps are budget clamps at best. They work fine but like Shawn said, they aren't parallel clamps and the slop requires compensation during the glue up process. Alternating clamps top and bottom is almost a necessity. It's that or put some plastic or paper between the clamps and the wood then press the boards into the pipes to keep them flat.

You'll also need to use clamp pads to protect the boards from dents.

If you really want precision and don't mind the extra cost, head over to the hardware store and check out some cabinet clamps. You may like those.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I have never seen one in the flesh only on youtube or Norm Abram using them I understand they sometimes twist warp is that true? Anyway I have never seen them here in Europe for sale maybe it is an American idea.
As an old saying goes the Americans come up with the ideas,and do the research, and make the first prototypes then the Japanese make them and sell them .LOL I am sure there is some truth in that.Alistair


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Dang! I guess that I need to trash all my "pipers".
Sure hate to see 'em go 'cause they have been welllllll used.
Bill


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

That is the reason I got rid of all my pipe clamps and went to parallel jaw clamps. Much more expensive but way less frustration during glue ups.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You might be happier with this sort of thing:

http://www.amazon.com/Grizzly-H8027-Bar-Clamp-Heads/dp/B000M6317Q

Back in the day wooden clamps were made like this too. Antique
sash clamp heads can be found on ebay too.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

I have only eight pipe clamps right now, I will probably keep these because they are great when you need to clamp really large things, for example diagonally clamping a 36w x 80h cabinet to pull it into square. I buy straight connectors (unions?) and attach them to the threaded end of the pipe, so if i need a longer clamp I can just add another piece of pipe to make it longer. I suppose that's really where the advantages of pipe clamps are. But I think that I will probably go with other types of clamps from here on out.

I picked up the pipe clamp thing from my dad, who uses them almost exclusively. He's somewhat of an old-timer though, has been doing woodworking professionally for over 40 years now. I believe every pipe clamp he has is a Pony (orange/salmon color?)


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

Also here are the best pictures I could get of some of the issues, and a comparison between Irwin and Bessey…

The sliding jaw on the irwin has a noticeable convex shape. This particular irwin clamp has a better (flatter) fixed jaw than most of the others.









On this Bessey, you can see that the clamp screw is WAY off. It also has a huge amount of slop.









The bessey seems to be built tougher, there is more cast iron in the body, but the tolerances are worse. However the casting itself seems to be more consistent. All four Bessey clamps I got were about the same. The irwins have a lot of variance in the casting quality.









EDIT: forgot the last picture. The bessey jaws are relatively flat, but very rough.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Our old Pony pipe clamp fixtures are better than that.

Yes, we've got several dozen pipe clamps and like you say, nothing beats them for really long glue ups. That's how we were able to butt joint 8 foot long panels into 20 foot long pew seats.

But we also have 16 parallel clamps and almost exclusively use them for day to day assembly. By waiting for sales or auctions, we avoided paying full price for any of them. I think $30.00 for the two 48" clamps is the most we paid.

Perhaps the Rockler pipe clamps are the best made these days? I've never seen one in person so I can't say.


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## DocBailey (Dec 9, 2011)

I love my Rocklers with the raised foot ...


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I make a wooden face for all of my pipe clamps. They are bigger than the pipe clamp face and spread the pressure a little wider. In addition, they are made of pine so that they do not cause a dent in the wood I am clamping. Even if the face of the clamp was machined flat, I would not use them directly on the wood parts I am clamping.

I think that my Rockler big foot clamps are the best of the bunch but I probably have a little of everything.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

http://woodworker.com/bear-paw-i-beam-pads-mssu-115-352.asp


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

@Redoak - I thought about this. But at the end of the day, time is valuable even for a hobbyist and I have a lengthy "to-do" list. I typically just use a sacrificial stick between the jaws and the workpiece no matter what style of clamp is being used.

@Loren - After buying a pipe clamp, those pads, and the pipe, I might as well have just bought a parallel clamp because it would be the same cost. Although they do look useful if you already have a large arsenal of pipe clamps.


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## paxorion (Oct 19, 2012)

+1 for the Pony. Ironically, my HF pipe clamps aren't as bad as those.

But then again, who am I kidding…I've gone parallel clamp crazy and I haven't used my pipe clamps in a while.


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## BAMCIS (Jul 7, 2013)

If you have a Lowes around, you might be able to get some Bessey K Body REVOs for cheap, as they are currently dropping the brand. I picked up (3) 50" for $15.55/each, (2) 40" for $21/each, and (8) 24" for $9.36 each. I found all of them just this last week. And I know that you're not a fan of their pipe clamps, but if you can find some good ones, they're going for around $5.


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

For pipe clamps, I don't think you can beat products by Adjustable Clamp Company (Pony).


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

I agree with you regarding the quality of the Irwin clamps. I bought some deep reach versions for a project and they are not very good. Lots of play in the handles, poor threads in castings, and the nickel plating on the acme screws peeled off the second use. Wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I have a couple Bessey and Pony clamps as well. The Pony seems to have a very slight edge overall on quality and smoothness .vs Bessey, but not much.

But, I stopped buying them all, and went with Harbor freight's 3/4 clamp with base (item#94053). With a 20% off coupon, they cost me $8 each and with the base to keep them off the table, work better than the stock Pony. The only weak point in the HF version I've found is the 1/8" cross drilled handle retaining pins will sometimes back out and the head comes loose from the handle end. But it is fairly easy to but it back in, and center stake it so it doesn't come out again. I've used a dozen of them couple of times a month for last 4 years with no issues. I have Pony clamp I managed to bend the acme screw (I'm a Klutz), and several HF that have bent the pipes due to much pressure, but the HF haven't broke. They work better than I would expect from clamps costing $10-12 each including the pipe, and I see no reason to buy $15-$20 for the other brands (without pipe).

IMHO - pipe clamps are not precision clamps, and should not be used where precision of a parallel jaw cabinet clamp is needed. And since they can apply some serious pressure, you always need a wooden face block to avoid marking and this helps keep things more square. If you want precision clamps buy some Jorgenson or Bessey cabinet clamps.

If you want a heavy duty clamp with moderate precision (better than pipe clamps), then try the Jorgenson I-beam clamps. They don't flex like a long pipe will, and can apply enough pressure to damage or warp your glue up. I have 15 year old ones from an auction, and a couple of new ones. The castings are still rough (ie. no perfectly flat) like the all pipe clamps, but due the I-beam they are much more square to the bar. The biggest disadvantage to using them is mass. They are all steel, and you get a real work out using the larger ones. They are also not cheap, but I like them much more than pipe clamps when I need to glue up large panels (or doors).

YMMV


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I use pipe clamps for assembly sometimes because I don't have
a lot of long bar clamps, but seldom for glue ups. At a certain
point, 50" or longer perhaps, good bar clamps are pretty heavy
and awkward to use for anything smaller than near full capacity,
not to mention pricey.


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## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

I've got to say, I've been collecting clamps for a long long long time. I know the day I die I will not feel I have enough clamps. I've bought good ones, and a few HF ones. I prefer bessy's on the parallel jaw ones. I've got a lot of irwin pistol grip type and like those. The cheapo HF ones are pure garbage, but they can fill in gaps with you need a ton of em. I started buying the bessy H type pipe clams and love em. High quality and love them for panels. the H with the notch on the feed make them easy to hang on the wall too. I've got some GROZ parallels I like too. Stay away from the cheapo's though. About once every other month I pick up a pair of the h style bessy pipe clamps and have them in everything from 12" to 24" to 48, to 60".


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