# A poor man's panel clamp/veneer press



## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I'm a cheap old son of a gun. This system is almost foolproof, and costs far less than others. 
The green monsters are 1 5/8X1 5/8 perforated Unistrut sections. Buying them at my electrical wholesale house, each 36" clamp costs ten bucks, plus the bolts and washers. In a larger city, the cost may be even less. 
Pictured are clamps using 4" bolts and washers, used to insure flatness in the glue up. When face gluing, I use 5" or 6" bolts. 
Shorter lengths of Unistrut are used for veneer pressing. 
The maximum thickness of a glue up is limited only by the length of the bolts used.
Not as elegant as others, but, as I said…I'm Cheap!







!
This next picture (don't know why it didn't show up in the post….guess you have to click it) shows the method Unistrut uses to accept the bolts. The "nut" is captured by the Unistrut lip. A spring under the "nut" holds it in place. since the bottom piece is perforated also, I laid in a strip of hardboard to keep the spring from entering the perforation. 







!


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## Gerry1 (Jul 12, 2009)

Hi Gene.

Brilliant! IMHO, cheap is a good thing. Makes us use our brains! BTW, what are you building?


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

This is great. I'm considering using your idea for a panel glue-upper. I'm also considering adapting Rick's cawl suggestion. I figure with a bit of planing, I can crown a thin piece of wood and glue it to the bars. This is great. I said that already, I suppose.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Hi Rick,
I use cauls/battens, also. However, I much prefer these things. I just find them easier to use. When needed, I do insert crowned shims, but they are seldom required.
For face glue ups, a lot more pressure can be exerted with a ratchet wrench than with my tired old hands on woodworking clamps.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

Great idea Gene

Thanks


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Hi Anji,

I'm honored to have my contraption even slightly compared to Mr. Frid's ideas!!!

To date, the four clamps I use have negated the need for pads or crowned cauls on panels. Most of my panels are either walnut, maple, red oak or QSWO. I would use pads for softer woods.
If pads were needed for veneering, or large marquetry, I'd use a piece of 3/4 Baltic birch plywood with waxed paper between it and the work. I've done small veneering jobs, 18X18 being the largest, and have had success with using three of the clamps and no pads. The veneers were 1/4" solid wood, though.


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## Deltawood (Aug 24, 2009)

I'll have a couple of pairs in my garage by the end of the week. Great idea, thanks for sharing.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Deltawood,
You might check out the 7/8 deep ones. Lighter, cheaper, and the nut doesn't need the spring on the bottom. 
The 7/8 seems to be stiff enough for anything 24"- 36" wide as long as the bolts are as close to the panel edge as practical.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Gerry,
The blanks are for a series of wall mirror/coat hanger/plant holder thingies.
Here's a couple of pics of the templates. I use an over arm router to cut 'em out. 
The last pic is the template for the plant holder.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

Unistrut is one of the neatest things around, you can use it to build a ton of different things and it looks like you just found another thing to use it for.


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## shelly_b (Aug 8, 2012)

I just wanted to say thankyou!! I have been searching the web for a couple days trying to find and easier/faster way to glue up panels without spending a whole paycheck, and I beleive this is it! Awesome idea, and I can't wait to try it


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Go for it Shelly_b.

If you are just doing one or two smaller pieces, Rick Ls method of clamps and cauls is the way to go. But, when I'm doing several large panels (24X24 or so) I don't want to be fiddling with all the clamps and cauls necessary.

When I'm doing a run of 6-10 or so glue ups, I keep 6 sets of the UniStrut clamps set up on a long bench. After loosening the bolts but, before I take the dried panels out, I insert pieces of scrap, a bit thicker than the panels, between the pieces of UniStrut to hold them apart for the next set. Just insert the panels, pull the scraps and put the socket wrench to work. Makes the job a lot easier and faster.


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## camps764 (Dec 9, 2011)

Will be using this moving forward! Looks great…and I've got some buddies that will probably have uni-strut scrap laying around from job sites…THANKS!


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## Arron (Nov 10, 2012)

Great idea Gene. I've seen endless variations on this and the caul press but I like yours because the nuts/bolts wont get lost and I can wrench-tighten in an unobstructed manner. For me, I have to be able to tighten with a wrench - no longer able to abuse my poor hands.

I can add a couple of things to what is discussed here. 
When pressing veneer I use melamine coated pineboard for the cauls. Pva glues wont stick to it so I dont need the waxed paper etc.
If you dont have crowned battens (say because you want to use steel ones) just fold up an old newspaper a few times and put under the centre of the batten if you think pressure in the middle will be inadequate.

Cheers
Arron


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Hi Arron,
Thanks for the news paper tip. That's a great idea.


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## shelly_b (Aug 8, 2012)

I am about to glue up some panels that will be about 6ft long, so this will be a big help! I thought it was going to be a big chore either making cauls and trying to keep them in place or beating it to death lol but this seems like it will make it much easier. They arent very wide, so I'm not worried about crowning or bowing in metal. I was just worried I wouldn't have enought clamps. Thanks for the other tips too Gene!


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Shelly,
You are very welcome.
If you get the same grade of Unistrut that I did, you can be absolutely guaranteed they won't bow or bend when used as clamps. Crank 'em down! They won't bend.
If you buy from an electrical wholesale house, they will (probably) cut the 10' stock length to your needs.


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## shelly_b (Aug 8, 2012)

I will have to do some researching, because I do not know of any electrical wholesale suppliers around here, and this is the first time I have even heard of unistrut…but I'm sure I will find some


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Shelly,
Home Depot carries it also. Don't know if they will cut it for you, though.
HD


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## shelly_b (Aug 8, 2012)

Awesome, thanks gene! I should be able to cut it with an angle grinder shouldn't I?


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Maybe, but I'd have a few extra disks on hand. That stuff is pretty heavy duty.


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## Kennyl (Apr 20, 2013)

Shelly if you have a sawsall just get a metal cutting blade and you can cut the unistrut.Print a picture of Gene's application and seek out anyone you may know in the trades they should be able to help you find unistrut.I too have been looking for cheaper alternative for future clamping what a great idea.


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## Kennyl (Apr 20, 2013)

I went to Menards they have the unistrut Gene used for panel glue ups.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

If you buy it, make sure you get the spring loaded nuts. You'll need them.


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## Scotirish (Aug 14, 2013)

Gene, Awesome idea, wished I thought of!!!!


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## rrww (Aug 12, 2012)

Great idea, I'll be trying this out in the shop. Anything to save time is great!

Thanks!


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## Belg1960 (Jan 3, 2010)

Gene, as an electrician I'm saying to myself why didn't I think of this b4!!! Couple questions are you not worried about discoloring like with pipe clamps? And what thickness bolts 3/8??


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Belg,
No problems with discoloring the wood. The Unistrut I use is powder coated. Makes glue clean up a breeze, too. 
Yeah, mine are 3/8. But get the nuts with springs from your supplier.


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## Belg1960 (Jan 3, 2010)

Gene, got the nuts already and will probably just use some good quality paint on mine to stop the marks. Or packing tape. Thanks for the reply.


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