Woodworking 101: Shopsmith clamps

Sonntag, 5. Juni 2011

Shopsmith clamps

I was using these clamps today and thought to myself that I have never seen a review of these clamps on LJ.

These are my favorite clamps for gluing up panels (like table tops or chair bottoms). What you see in this picture will be a chair bottom by the end of the day. When you tighten these clamps you are applying pressure to the edges and the sides. This does a great job of keeping the boards aligned.

I particularly like these clamps when I am making something that is too big to go through my thickness planner.

Be advised that you can buy the hardware and make clamps like this yourself (i.e. make the wood part). I have done that and I do not like them. That hardware does not have any springs built into them and without the springs these clamps are hard to use. The springs put pressure down from the top and up from the bottom. Note – my bungee cord idea did not work out very well.

You can, and I have, make your own wood parts if you need something longer than what the standard clamps can reach. As an FYI – I try to make the wood parts with a very slight convex curve to increase pressure in the middle.

Some may find these clamps a little awkward to use because you slide the boards in from the side of the clamps while holding them open. This is something you will get better at the more you work with them.

I have tried to use wax paper to keep any glue off the clamps and I have stopped doing that. It is too awkward to do easily.

These clamps look well used – because they are used a lot.