Which woodworking clamps should you buy?

hi I'm James Hamilton from stumpy nubs waterken journal and today we're going to talk clamps it seems a lot of new woodworkers are confused about what's out there in which they should buy this leads to a lot of wasted money this video is intended to save you the money and the grief that comes with buying the wrong thing and to inform you about some of the specialty clamps you may not have known existed in fact we're going to go through the pros and the cons of twelve different types of clamps and at the end I'll give you my specific recommendations in the meantime I'll put links to each type of clamp we discuss in the description below this video just click to expand that section below to see them now let's get started C clamps used to be the go-to clamp for woodworkers metal workers pretty much everyone and while some folks still like them I don't find them that useful for woodworking they're heavy especially the bigger ones they can be a pain to twist tight and the pads often seize up so they rotate with the screw and that twists your parts out of position as you apply pressure they do apply a ton of pressure though but that can easily Mar your workpiece if you're not careful I keep a few on hand for welding and working with metal but that's pretty much all I use these for wooden screw clamps are too often dismissed as old-fashioned by modern woodworkers the fact is they're very useful first they're strong you can really exert a ton of pressure with these yet the wooden jaws are less likely to Mar your work surfaces the jaw angles are also adjustable making it possible to clamp tapered work pieces they often have extra throat depth for a longer reach although the more throat depth the bigger the clamp will be and they can be used in creative ways such as holding small parts at the router table or the drill press or holding project parts upright during assembly don't underestimate the value of these old timey clamps many woodworkers buy a bunch of spring clamps because they're inexpensive at least some of them are and I do find them useful for some things they're great for light jobs where you need lots of clamps but the cheap ones don't exert a great deal of pressure and they're pivoting design can make it frustrating to keep glue surfaces aligned as you apply that pressure where they really shine though is for clamping stop blocks on fences or jigs or clamping power cords up out of the way anywhere you want to hold something fast and remove it just as quickly some include ratcheting mechanisms which help them to grip tighter but it makes them less quick to use bandy clamps are a clever idea with little rubber bands in the throats so you can apply lateral pressure which is good for holding on edge banding and other applications like that f-style clamps are among the most common in small shops because they're relatively inexpensive they're versatile and they're super strong they come in various lengths and a pretty light weight the screw head can exert a lot of force but longer lengths can bow under too much pressure and the pads can seize up like on C clamps which makes them turn with the screw and makes it difficult to keep your parts of lines you tighten them this version seeks to solve that problem by adding a piston type mechanism that doesn't turn as the clamp tightens another alternative design eliminates the screw altogether and instead has a cam or a ratcheting mechanism on the end these are fast to set and work really well but they don't provide as much clamping pressure as the screw type and there isn't a lot of play between the jaws which could help you force work pieces into alignment pistol grips are perhaps the most convenient clamps in my shop because you can operate them with just one hand good ones will apply a decent amount of pressure more than enough for most glue ups but cheap versions will break if you tighten them too much these are the clamps I use most often in my shop for small and medium glue ups I always wish I had more of them pipe clamps had been widely used for generations because they're very strong and available in almost any length imaginable they come in half-inch 3/4 and one-inch varieties weight is the biggest drawback of these especially the 3/4 and 1 inch versions they're best used for gluing up panels where you can just lay them on the bench and then put your boards on top however if you have a big piece of furniture and you need to force a cup or abode board into place these will do the trick because they're that strong the best feature is you can buy a few of the clamp mechanisms and swap them between different lengths of pipe as needed you can even connect two or more pipes together with couplings to make a super long clamp just watch out for glue squeeze-out because moisture can react with the iron and tannins and wood like oak and give you some nasty dark stains bar clamps are lighter alternatives to pipe clamps they're pretty inexpensive and work well for panel glue ups the shallow throat depth makes them difficult to use for project assembly but that's a drawback with pipe clamps as well and they aren't nearly as strongest pipe clamps but most edge glue ups don't require a great deal of clamping strength parallel clamps are so named because the jaws are designed to remain parallel to each other as they tighten making them ideal for gluing boards edge to edge to make panels without forcing them to Cup they're strong like pipe clamps but more convenient to stand side by side on a bench top as you put your boards in place and unlike pipe clamps their larger jaws make them more useful for project assembly the downside is they can be heavy and a little bit expensive I wish I had a SHOP full of this type of clamp but that would be a big investment there are several types of band clamps on the market and I really like them for gluing up mitered frames and boxes or for awkward shapes like cylinders and polygons simple ratchet straps can be used for this purpose but I prefer those with corner brackets many woodworkers neglect band clamps when they're building their collection but those who use them wouldn't want to be without at least a couple if you assemble a lot of mitered frames you may prefer a corner clamp like this one it'll hold two sides exactly 90 degrees while you secure it with glue or pin nails you may think you need four of them since there are four corners on a frame but if you use mechanical fasteners you can get by with just one if you make cabinets you may find face-frame clamps useful because they'll hold the frame in place while you bore your pilot holes and set the screws they're actually very clever a similar idea is found in these drawer front clamps what will they think of next face clamps remind me of vise grip brand plier but they have flat pads instead of tooth jaws I like them because they're fast to use especially the newer versions that adjust the tension automatically they come in different styles including deep throat versions corner clamping versions and pinned end versions for securing pocket hole joinery while you drive home your screws they do make bar clamp versions as well but I find them less convenient than regular F clamps if only because that's just what I'm used to using the saying goes you can never have too many clamps I disagree I actually do have too many clamps not because there's a magic number but because I have a lot of types of clamps that I simply don't use much for example I have a bunch of pipe clamps that mostly just hang out in the storage shed they're heavy and clunky and other clamp styles do the job just as well I also have a lot of spring clamps that I bought cheap at a Home Center and they sort of hang around they can be handy but I really don't need three or four dozen witch clamps are best for you depends on the work you do and your personal preference I hate pipe clamps but some folks love them I like pistol grip clamps and some folks hate them usually the clamps you are used to are the ones you like and the ones that you've never used before are the ones you have a hard time falling in love with so all I can do is tell you what I like for my shop and that includes a variety of styles each with its own purpose I like F clamps because they're inexpensive strong lightweight and versatile I use them when I'm clamping project parts together and I like at least two of each size available for if you can afford it I also really like parallel clamps they're perfect for gluing up panels and laminations and the longer ones can apply a lot more pressure to big tough project assemblies than other clamps can because they're expensive I recommend buying for medium sized ones to start out and expand from there as your project demands in your budget allows if you plan on doing a lot of panel glue ups at the same time and you can't afford a bunch of parallel clamps you might pick up a few inexpensive aluminum bar clamps to get you by for a while like I said before I also reach for pistol grip clamps the most because they're so handy for small a medium project part assembly I find the 12-inch versions to be the most useful buy them four at a time expanding your collection as you need to I also think you should have at least two band clamps they're worth their weight in gold in many projects another incredibly useful clamp is the pin type vise grip style for in holding pocket screw joints together if you do any of that type of joinery they're really useful for small parts holding and other miscellaneous tasks I like a few spring clamps and a couple wooden screw clamps as well so if you want a good starter set of clamps I recommend six to eight F clamps for parallel clamps for pistol grip clamps two band clamps for spring clamps and two wooden screw clamps then see how it goes you may find yourself using one style a lot more than others and that's the one you should invest more money into if you have a need for some of the specialty clamps I mentioned get them but don't buy a bunch just because you think you may need them wait until a project comes up I'll put links to all the clamps I mentioned below this video just click to expand the description below I hope this quick tutorial saves you some money and better equips you for your next project don't forget to subscribe who says you can't get tracked saw quality cuts from a simple circular saw more tools new wtx clamp edge guide system is light it's easily portable and it's far less expensive and with the optional rotor and jigsaw attachments the system is more versatile - check it out at the link in the notes below this video wait don't go yet if you're new here please subscribe and remember to ring the bell I would really appreciate that give us a thumbs up or better yet leave us a comment I always read them and be sure to check out the latest issue of stumpy nubs of woodworking journal it's always packed with tips tricks and tutorials designed to make you a better woodworker

Channel: Stumpy Nubs

Views: 468,958

Keywords: woodworking, stumpy nubs, tips, workbench, table saw, scroll saw, drill press, quick tip, band saw, bandsaw, lumber, hack, hand plane, sharpening, tormek, worksharp, diamond stone, water stone, wood turning, bowls, lathe

Id: PfDxa-0YQ88

Length: 10min 42sec (642 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 17 2019