mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 17, 2013 7:37:19 GMT -8
Boy that's for sure. No such thing as too many clamps. Harbor freight has some squeeze type small bar clamps that I want.
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Post by bigbill on Dec 17, 2013 8:30:07 GMT -8
I bought some (6)of their small bar clamps about 12" or so that operate by squeezing a plastic handle and and all six have broken, probably the most discouraging purchase I have ever made at HF.
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paigenmarc
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1957 Siesta
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Post by paigenmarc on Dec 17, 2013 9:08:46 GMT -8
My son makes wooden longbows and has used the steam method for achieving a curve. He just used clamps and a large pot on the stove with water in it. We also used this method to make some molding fit around the back interior curve of the trailer because the trim would crack if we didn't. It seems to be holding fine. I just thought I'd throw in my two cents.
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61 Shasta
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Post by 61 Shasta on Dec 17, 2013 11:30:48 GMT -8
Boy that's for sure. No such thing as too many clamps. Harbor freight has some squeeze type small bar clamps that I want. Larry, These are a piece of crap! Sometime ago, they had a sale on these and I bought a dozen of them. Within about 2 days, 6 of them were broken. Everything is plastic and the holding mechanism is very weak. I'm with Bigbill, the worse purchase I have ever made at this store. However, to their credit, they took them back. |
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 17, 2013 12:09:57 GMT -8
Boy that's for sure. No such thing as too many clamps. Harbor freight has some squeeze type small bar clamps that I want. Larry, These are a piece of crap! Sometime ago, they had a sale on these and I bought a dozen of them. Within about 2 days, 6 of them were broken. Everything is plastic and the holding mechanism is very weak. I'm with Bigbill, the worse purchase I have ever made at this store. However, to their credit, they took them back. You mean these yellow and blue ones? I used Bob's for a week on this trailer and had to really squeeze them closed hard. They have metal bars and I couldn't seem to break them...
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Post by schweetcruisers on Dec 17, 2013 14:57:20 GMT -8
Irwin clamps(blue and Yellow) are the name brand ones sold at your favorite Orange Hardware store, Those are pretty tough and I use them almost daily. I highly doubt HF sells those exact clamps.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 17, 2013 15:29:33 GMT -8
Thanks Schweet... I'll post when I find out. |
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61 Shasta
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Post by 61 Shasta on Dec 17, 2013 16:48:01 GMT -8
Yep, the blue ones with the yellow pads are Irwin. They are the best I have found. Right now (today) they are on sale at my local ACE store for 9.99 p/pair. These are the 12" ones. Last year at this time I bought 2 pair at this price and this year I am buying 2 more pair. They are a whole bunch different than the plastic ones at HF.
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mobiltec
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Post by mobiltec on Dec 17, 2013 17:34:42 GMT -8
Yep, the blue ones with the yellow pads are Irwin. They are the best I have found. Right now (today) they are on sale at my local ACE store for 9.99 p/pair. These are the 12" ones. Last year at this time I bought 2 pair at this price and this year I am buying 2 more pair. They are a whole bunch different than the plastic ones at HF. OH ok I will be going to Ace tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up... |
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Dec 17, 2013 18:57:13 GMT -8
I bought five 24" Irwin clamps on sale last X-mas on line from Rockler Woodworking. I paid about $25.00 each clamp as I remember, which was a good price. They are blue plastic, but have "black pads", not yellow. When I opened the box, they had a sticker stating "Made in China" which quickly fell off. However, I use them every day and they have held up very well. I guess it just a sign of our times when you see "top tier" companies like Vise Grip / Irwin sourcing their products from off shore, and more American jobs lost.
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61 Shasta
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Post by 61 Shasta on Dec 17, 2013 19:21:10 GMT -8
If you watch the sales at Home Depot and Lowes around Christmas there are some pretty good sales on variety paks of Irwin clamps. I didn't pick any up there last year but if memory serves, you could pick up a pretty good selection of 4 12inch and one or two 24 inch for under $25. If you visit these stores at all during the holidays it is well worth your time to check out the center isles for these deals. AND, these weren't knock offs.
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Post by bigbill on Dec 17, 2013 19:39:28 GMT -8
When it comes to clamps Irwin good H F junk It is not the steel bar that fails they break where the squeeze trigger pivots.
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Post by vikx on Dec 17, 2013 21:31:36 GMT -8
Started this thread so we can chat about clamps, what we like, what we don't. My favorite are the old style orange Jorgensens:  Irwin are good, especially when you need to protect delicate areas. The rubber pads protect well. The red squeeze clamps are very good, but I've had bad luck with them. They come apart and lose grip rather quickly. At $15 for 4 of them, not really worth it.  |
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SusieQ
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Post by SusieQ on Dec 17, 2013 22:28:33 GMT -8
I really like the orange one in Vikx pic that I have, but I have the squeeze handle ones, black and red, too. They are good for light weight stuff. And I have vintage and new old-school C-clamps in various sizes. I have a really heavy duty one that worked better than the orange one when I was clamping the side of my teardrop to the frame (don't ask). I know they aren't as convenient to maneuver, but they get the job done.
My husband brought me a whole bag of those black/red squeeze ones. Don't know where he got them from, maybe Walmart, but they weren't as good as the ones I bought at Lowe's individually. The red ends break off easily. I have them neatly holding the folded edges of my tarp together that is wrapped around my Shasta now.
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Post by schweetcruisers on Dec 18, 2013 8:15:05 GMT -8
Boy I could write a lot about clamps, seems to be the one tool I am always using and seem to be always replacing especially the cheap ones,
F-style Clamps(like the orange one) are probably the most versatile clamps, I prefer Bessey Clamps. They have a really coarse thread for the tightener. I bought a bunch of clamps once from Rockler, their's have a fine thread, the deal with fine thread is 1)it is easy to strip the threads when tightening them 2) requires more turns to tighten. I seem to lose 2-3 Rockler clamps a year due to failure and the Bessey Clamps I bought in 2005 are fine.
Double Head F-style Clamps, work great when you need to nail or screw something because of the dual heads you can put the fastener in between the heads.
Spring Clamps, I usually don't use them unless I need delicate clamp pressure
Sliding squeeze clamps, versatile and easy to use, but don't over tighten them, since they're made with plastic they can and will crack.(ask me how I know!)
Pipe Clamps, some of the strongest clamps you can buy, but the longer the pipe the more flex the pipe will have. Just make sure you buy the pipe in the plumbing department, I've had some that came as kit(Rockler again) and the pipe was too thin at the threads and the it broke. Use either Black Iron or galvanized steel pipe.
Clamp flex, the longer the metal bar or pipe, the more flex the clamp will have. Of course if your using a 36" clamp and only clamping 2" you'll be fine, but if your using a 36" clamp and clamping 34" the bar will flex or bow as your tightening it. If your gluing multiple pieces of wood together for say a table top, the clamp flex will cause your work to bow.
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