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Clamps too short

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Corey

Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2005 10:25 pm

Guest

Well, I'm starting back from my winter hiatus.

I was going through a dry run glue up tonight and realized that I don't have
clamps long enough for what I'm trying to do. I have the quick grip type
clamps - 36" and 24" variety. But I need to clamp about 40" wide.

I thought I had seen somewhere before how to combine two clamps together to
make a longer one. Was this on the quick grip style clamps or another kind?
Or am I going to have to resort to buying more clamps?

Thanks

Joe_Stein

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:23 am

Guest

Being a woodworker you should know you can never have enough clamps.
Combining clamps means using bar or pipe clamps. You really wouldn't
have to do that with pipe clamps, since you can use any length pipe.
Good luck.
Joe

Corey wrote:

Quote:

tiredofspam

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 12:24 am

Guest

If you can't afford a good set of bessey or pony cabinet master clamps,
then go for pipe clamps. they are cheap can be made to any lenght and
with a coupler can be extended.
HF has sales for about $3.48... well worth it considering it is a pipe
clamp. I have some of them, but a bunch of bessey's and cabinet
masters... Like them all. Don't bother with quick grips for big glue
ups.. they don't have the necessary pull

Corey wrote:

Quote:

J T

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:17 am

Guest

Tue, Feb 15, 2005, 3:21am (EST+5) corey@myhouse.com (Corey) laments:
Well, I'm starting <snio> I don't have clamps long enough <snip>
I thought I had seen somewhere before how to combine two clamps together
to make a longer one. Was this on the quick grip style clamps or another
kind? Or am I going to have to resort to buying more clamps?

I don't know about combining two, but you could cut the bar in
half, and rivet a piece on each half.

Or, you could make cam clamps. I made some 48" long. But, wound
up only using shorter ones, so cut the long ones short. Cam clamps work
neat, and they are cheeeeep.

Or, you could do like th other guys said, and get pipe clamps.

JOAT
Intellectual brilliance is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
- David Fasold

Robatoy

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:17 am

Guest

In article <8VdQd.27251$uc.10336@trnddc04>, "Corey" <corey@myhouse.com>
wrote:

Quote:

Or am I going to have to resort to buying more clamps?

Oh noooo..!!! The dilemma!

<G>

Pipe clamps have always worked for me. But get good ones.
I think most of mine were Pony's..but there were a few crappy ones too.

I had a few K-Bodies. I used those for glueing bisquit joined cabinets.
They are a must for that kind of job.... where 'square' matters.

I completely agree with tiredofspam (IF that's his real name). The
quickGrip kind just ain't got it. They're supposed to be okay for some
things, but I have yet to figger out what.
I bought a bunch of clamps at a welding store. C-style. Then I made some
3/4" UHMW Polyethelyne shoes for them.(With a dove tail bit on a router
table).....
I use them to hold down guides, templates and jigs. When there is a lot
of vibration, say from a router with a 1 1/2" radius Bullnose bit, an
aged bar-clamp can pop open.
DAMHIKT <--- learned that here.
Clamping action can never be too positive although pressure can be
excessive.

0¿0

Rob

Patriarch

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:23 am

Guest

"Corey" <corey@myhouse.com> wrote in news:8VdQd.27251$uc.10336@trnddc04:

Quote:

Well, I'm starting back from my winter hiatus.

I was going through a dry run glue up tonight and realized that I
don't have clamps long enough for what I'm trying to do. I have the
quick grip type clamps - 36" and 24" variety. But I need to clamp
about 40" wide.

I thought I had seen somewhere before how to combine two clamps
together to make a longer one. Was this on the quick grip style
clamps or another kind? Or am I going to have to resort to buying more
clamps?

There are clever ways to 'clamp' without buying more clamps (says the
fellow who just did a quick mental inventory of over 100...) The best
of them rely on a workbench and/or assembly table, and fashion a
clamping/squaring jig.

Pocket screws function as sort of a clamp, as can screw blocks into a
piece of plywood...

The Revered Plaid One uses a couple of brads, until the glue dries.

Wedges. Rope and a twist stick. Bungee cords. Tie down straps for
your pickup truck or backpacking gear. A long belt. Bricks wrapped in
brown paper bags and/or duct tape. Sprung sticks against a ceiling or
wall. Air bags.

Fast setting glue.

Different joinery.

Or you can buy more clamps. Assuming you're going to do more of this,
they are a long term investment.

Betcha JOAT has even more ideas, including some of these I 'borrowed'
from his inspiration.

Welcome back.

Patriarch

Phisherman

Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:01 pm

Guest

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 03:21:40 GMT, "Corey" <corey@myhouse.com> wrote:

Quote:

You can make extensions from scrap wood and clamp to the extensions.
I've done this once and it worked well, but after that I bought 3/4"
Pony pipe clamps which I used for 10 years until I bought some Bessey
clamps. The pipe clamps are nice in that you can add extensions to
them when needed. If you think you will be doing woodworking for many
years ahead, go ahead and buy good clamps. No matter how good they
look, stay away from clamps made in China.

Larry Blanchard

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 9:11 pm

Guest

In article <makesawdust.1kj49z@news.diybanter.com>,
makesawdust.1kj49z@news.diybanter.com says...

Quote:

I have quite a few of the harbor freight pipe clamps. They're cheap,
but the quality of their castings is pretty poor. I have no complaints
for the price, though. They work ok, but not as smooth to use as the
Pony pipe clamps I have.

HF has, or at least had, two grades of 2/4" pipe clamps. One with a

straight handle and one with a crank handle. I've bought both. The
straight handled ones are now rusting in some garbage dump. I use the
crank handled ones all the time.

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description

Guess who

Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2005 10:01 pm

Guest

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 16:11:46 -0800, Larry Blanchard
<lblanch@fastmail.fm> wrote:

Quote:

In article <makesawdust.1kj49z@news.diybanter.com>,
makesawdust.1kj49z@news.diybanter.com says...
I have quite a few of the harbor freight pipe clamps. They're cheap,
but the quality of their castings is pretty poor. I have no complaints
for the price, though. They work ok, but not as smooth to use as the
Pony pipe clamps I have.

HF has, or at least had, two grades of 2/4" pipe clamps. One with a
straight handle and one with a crank handle. I've bought both. The
straight handled ones are now rusting in some garbage dump. I use the
crank handled ones all the time.

You are right about that wood straight handled junk. The best I have
I got in a yard sale for about $5 for the lot. they have a wheel
about 3"diam. You get a good grip with the entire hand, and don't
need to hold the clamp with one hand while jacking the handle around
with the other. More force, more easily applied = less effort. I
haven't seen them in stores [prefer auctions and yard sales and house
sales], but that would be my first and only choice.

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