# Making wooden cam clamps?



## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

I remember seeing a project on here where someone had made some clamps out of scrap in his shop. Does anyone know how to make wooden clamps? I'd love to give that a try!


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## 489tad (Feb 26, 2010)

If we are talking about the same thing I made low profile cam clamps using 1/4 hard board. Any thickness will work. Mine were a circle shape with a handle. Kind of like a music note. I drilled a hole in the circle off center. A screw was used as the pivot point. When tight against the part I put a screw in the handle section to hole the pressure. I used this for pattern routing and it worked well. I can attach a picture in the morning if you'd like.


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## starringemma (Aug 15, 2012)




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## ScottinTexas (Jan 24, 2013)

My first thought was "he MUST be talking about Matthias." But I don't see one by him.

There is this guy who makes some "clamps" that use wood in a way that makes more sense….rather than trying to make a steel clamp out of wood.

The Wood Guy


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## starringemma (Aug 15, 2012)

Matthias made some long reach C clamps


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Was it these?

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/74409

I thought these were pretty cool so I favorited the page.


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## ScottinTexas (Jan 24, 2013)

"Matthias made some long reach C clamps"

Thanks for the link, Emma! I hate that guy - makes me feel so unaccomplished.


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## Benvolio (Feb 10, 2013)

Alex Harris made some basic ones:


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## JADobson (Aug 14, 2012)

What about these ones:


or if you want them to be all wood:


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## mbs (May 8, 2010)

or these


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## JADobson (Aug 14, 2012)

Whoops, I missed the "Cam Clamps" in the title. The clamps I posted earlier are not cam clamps. Sorry.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

or these or these or these.

For future reference, Google has this awesome feature where you can put "site:lumberjocks.com" in along with your search, and it'll search just that site. So I did A Google search for "site:lumberjocks.com cam clamps" and got all sorts of nougaty chewy goodness!


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up Dan. That is a very handy feature. I wish I had known about that before.


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## sergiozal (Jan 11, 2011)

Dan Lyke wrote:
" For future reference, Google has this awesome feature where you can put "site:lumberjocks.com" in along with your search, and it'll search just that site. So I did A Google search for "site:lumberjocks.com cam clamps" and got all sorts of nougaty chewy goodness! "

*I did not know this either, it will be very helpful for a lot of searches I do. Thank you.*


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Thanks +1, clearly the way to search LJ.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Are these what you are looking for?


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## Delete (May 19, 2017)

A little late to the game, but here are some cam clamps made from shop scraps. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on article.

https://hobbyworkshopprojects.blogspot.com/2019/03/odds-and-ends-tips-and-tricks.html


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Didn't Paul Sellers do a blog on such clamps…..?


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

Years ago in the 1970s I made some wood "cam clamps" like these (https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/64996) and they work extremely well. Two notes. (1) they get a better grip if you glue on leather pads to the jaws (get the leather from Tandy Leather Supply on the Internet) and (2) be sure to add the round steel pins to hold one of the clamp ends on and to take the wear and pressure of clamping on the other end. Note the position of these steel pins in this photograph (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/pinnacle-cam-clamp-8-opening-6-depth?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtr_mBRDeARIsALfBZA6d1wNbMnEB0I7lwRH8LhhfMwntRVSwleA1zpu4_z2cjIB4UXf7JxIaAttSEALw_wcB) They should be positioned so they bear on the sides of the steel sliding bar. This takes the wear and tear of use - steel on steel instead of wood on steel.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> Didn t Paul Sellers do a blog on such clamps…..?
> 
> - bandit571


Yes, i made 2 of them and they work quite well. Actually better than the blog post is the Woodworking masterclass course (free) where he really goes step by step through the build. But the OP posted several years ago, so probably won't help him. But I'll link in case it helps others searching.

https://woodworkingmasterclasses.com/videos/cam-clamp-project-info/


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## MPython (Nov 30, 2018)

A guy named Irving Sloan wrote a couple of books on guitar making and repair back in the 1970s.They were reprinted and republished in the late '80s. They were good, basic how-to books on lutherie. In one of them, I think it was "Classic Guitar Construction," he provided instructions and plans for building wooden cam clamps. I built four of them. They work very well and they are easy to build. Sloan's books are still available on Amazon.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> A guy named Irving Sloan wrote a couple of books on guitar making and repair back in the 1970s.They were reprinted and republished in the late 80s. They were good, basic how-to books on lutherie. In one of them, I think it was "Classic Guitar Construction," he provided instructions and plans for building wooden cam clamps. I built four of them. They work very well and they are easy to build. Sloan s books are still available on Amazon.
> 
> - MPython


Interesting thanks for posting. The reason I built the ones from Paul Sellers blog was actually for a Ukulele build. I'll try and post a pic of the modifications I made for one i used as a bridge clamp.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

> A guy named Irving Sloan wrote a couple of books on guitar making and repair back in the 1970s.They were reprinted and republished in the late 80s. They were good, basic how-to books on lutherie. In one of them, I think it was "Classic Guitar Construction," he provided instructions and plans for building wooden cam clamps. I built four of them. They work very well and they are easy to build. Sloan s books are still available on Amazon.
> 
> - MPython
> 
> - SMP


Hey, those are the cam clamps I made! I was building my classical guitar then from that book! See https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/409428


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## MPython (Nov 30, 2018)

> Hey, those are the cam clamps I made! I was building my classical guitar then from that book! See https://www.lumberjocks.com/projects/409428
> 
> - Planeman40


Cool! :>) Nice looking guitar.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Took a pic of the clamps I made for a ukelele build. In case anyone builds a ukelele and needs a bridge clamp, this worked great and cost maybe $1. I cut a home plate shaped piece of scrap to fit between the cross bracing. The scrap is just super glued onto the clamp face, and the clamps have 3 coats of danish oil, so I can actually snap that scrap off and scrape the glue off if needed and reglue if needed again. The shaping i did to fit into the smaller hole and shallower body of a ukelele.


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## MPython (Nov 30, 2018)

Nice clamps. Let's see your uke.


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