As a long time journeyman I know my share of tips and tricks, but I love the way you explain things and am so glad somebody of your caliber is on UA-cam giving tips and tricks to the inexperienced as well as the experienced. I enjoy your channel immensely. Keep on going.
All of them. You should buy all of the clamps. I have over 1,000, almost all of them see regular use, and I frequently wish I had more. Just buy all the clamps. Woodworking is primarily the process of spending money on clamps.
I am new to wood projects. Thanks for this great video. Been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what type of clamps I need. This is great. Thanks for creating this easy to understand video all about clamps. The pistol clamps are what I need to start. THANKS
I've always got enough clamps.... Right until that moment when I don't. Nothing brings a project to s slowdown like being 2 clamps short of gluing that 3rd table.
As a newbie expanding into DIY woodworking, the issue of clamps has been frustrating. So many choices, so much money! Thank you for your tips and guidance in this matter. I will be starting my collection as outlined. Much appreciated.
As with most tools, it's all in how you use them. I imagine we've all done some pretty creative clamping- perhaps Stumpy might put together a video on the subject. Personally, in addition to my assortment of clamps, I keep a 5 gallon pail filled with wedges. I've used various lead blocks (ballast salvaged from boats), rope, ratchet straps, hose clamps and threaded rod. I've made spring clamps by splitting short sections of pvc pipe, and for oddly shaped glue-ups, I've had good results with the rolls of stretchy plastic wrap sold next to the moving boxes and packing supplies.
The rotating round pads on c clamps wont seize up if you take a small hypodermic needle ( available at any farm store ) fill the needle with a quality high pressure grease and squeeze a small amount into the pad below and around the ball on the feed screw, be careful you wont need much. Also on the acme screw, purchase a can of moly coat dry spray lube ( lps force 842 is what I have used for years ) and apply it to the screw with it screwed all the way out, once dry it wont run , be sticky or come off on your hands or anything else, you will be surprised how much more useful your c clamps will become !
For myself, Pipe Clamps are becoming outdated. They're great for a HD clamp that is inexpensive, but the clamps out there these days are taking their place for myself (thank goodness, I only have 1 arm, so pipe clamping was a nightmare.) I'm using trigger clamps now. Irwin has their (reallllly expensive) HD Trigger clamps which had issues with length, but if you join two end to end, you can get a mountain of force on them. (I usually router an edge profile to help them lock together.) Plus they have accessories that can apply pressure from above to prevent buckling, and a stand to mount and keep them elevated. I'm really blown away by the HD trigger clamps. Will they last 100 years, no way, but I've been using them to glue my workbench tops lately, and it's amazing how well they work.... just dont get glue in trigger mechanism lol.
Just cleaning up my clamp mess! Too many from different manufacturers so slightly different heights and depths. Just picked up Bessy Gear Clamps and I love them - F-clamps that don’t bust your knuckles! Great video.
Not mentioned, but cam clamps are quite useful. I use them primarily for small boxes that don't require a lot of pressure. I believe they are the main-stay clamps for luthiers.
You omitted the old style wood cam lever f-style clamp which I find useful especially for repairs and exocic wood glueups. Mine have cork faces for mar prevention. I inherited mine from my dad who brought them from Germany in 1954.
I ve been making ferniture for 5 years , making kitchen doors twice, making doors, making tables, tv stand etc and i only own 14 bar clamps, one spring clamp for stop blocks, a few very old but very good f style clapms, two irwin quick realease clamps(bought them recently and i made a mistake), one band clamp for mitre joints, 5 parallel clamps. 4 k body from bessey and one that was shown on video,same one but red and its seems to be much better then bessey for half a price. The handle allows to put more presure then bessey. They are no name brand, bought them in cech rep. If i need long clamps i put two bars together. Dont buy clamp beacause they offer a lot of presure. If joint is good no need for huge amount of kgs. Altough i wish to buy a few aluminum clapms because they are light. Good videos. Thanks
I had that same thought. I imagine he knows that as well, but he was probably just relating a learning experience he's had, or throwing out some info for those who might not know.
Built a new set of gardens stools and a table this summer and the right-angled mitre style clamps were invaluable for holding large, heavy panels in place to mark and screw in brackets. I wouldn't be without them now. Between them and a few pistol grips, the whole project went like a dream. European translation - What we call G-Clamps and Sash Clamps are referred to as C-Clamps and Bar Clamps here.
Best clamps. Skip the Bessy f clamp and get the one at harbor freight that are blue and rubber handle. Don't buy pistol clamps at harbor freight. The break easily. Buy irwins instead. Pipe clamps are perfect for big glue ups. Spring clamps work great and cheap are fine. Great review stubby!!!
EXCELLENT, James. Trial and error gets expensive for a newbie. I haven't sprung for parallel clamps or pipe clamps yet. But I have a variety of styles and sizes, 4 of each. My favorite changes with each project. Thanks for convincing me I'm not crazy.
Yeah pistol grip clamps are my favorite as well. I use them for everything, even lots of tasks outside the shop. One of the most convenient and useful tools in my opinion. I have a small one in pretty much every room of my house because I’m always reaching for them for some reason or another.
Many years in a shop making cabinetry, along with the occasional furniture piece, these are the clamps used most: For larger pieces, the pipe clamp was the clamp of choice, and some heavy steel bar clamps often used as well. Aluminum bar clamps? About as durable as a plastic gun barrel, these NOT CHEAP, very nice looking clamps would bend so easily that they were a joke. The pistol grip "Quick Grip" clamps were fantastic, as they were surprisingly strong, easy to adjust, and very light weight. As soon as we had those in the shop, they were the go-to clamp for anything not requiring long length and/or a task requiring the greater force of the pipe or steel bar clamps. I would highly recommend the Quick Grip (or any similar, well-made, pistol grip clamps) to any wood worker.
I have seen videos of people inserting wood inserts into their aluminum clamps for added strength but yet be lighter than steel, Paul Sellers I think had a video on this. Guess it depends on how much you want to fiddle with your clamps to make them useful
I would also like to say thank you for the information you are posting in your videos. I truly think you have saved me a bunch of money as I would have purchased the wrong things for the right reason.
I have a couple of deep throat clamps for Luther’s work. Designed to be installed in the hole of an acoustic guitar to clamp down the bridge to the top. It’s amazing how handy these are for other, non guitar jobs when you need to reach farther in from the edge for a glue-up. They are available in a few different reach lengths.
I have parallel, F, pipe, spring, ratcheting and C clamps and my favorites are Irwin Quikgrip pistol grip clamps. I use C clamps mainly for doing brake jobs when compressing brake caliper pistons.
Spanish windlass is considered a device more for setting traps or a windlass a nautical device for lifting, more of what a luthier would use. In our shop growing up in the 60's the craftsman in our shop referred to it as twine and dowel it is more closely related to a tourniquet style of clamping and banding. I made a comment because a lot of younger wood workers may not have been taught how to do a lot of the old ways of doing things .It is also a very affordable way of doing tasks. Maybe you just gave the content creators here a good topic to cover a series of instructional videos on some of the older ways or more traditional ways of doing things for the people that have a smaller tool budget or perhaps prefer to do everything by hand instead of power tools and gadgets.
Great advice for the Newb to clamps......As a Luthier, I have 32 C clamps, 48 F clamps, 4 bar clamps 4 pipe clamps, 8 parallel clamps, and 12 pistol grip clamps...various spring and ratchet clamps.
I take it from several comments you made that you don’t see the need to exert so much force with your clamps that the wood wants to cry. I’ve said this for years and been chastised by other woodworkers. Funny enough I think their joints might fail before mine because they’re starved for glue cause they squeezed it all out.
Garry not Linda. Yes, an interesting take on that is George Vondriska at Woodworkers Guild did a piece on that very topic. He spent 2 years in the Peace Corps in Africa teaching woodworking. They didn't have many if any clamps so square joinery was most important. Glue ups would be done by standing one board up vertically on edge, glue applied, the two edges rubbed together until tacky, aligned and left overnight to set. The resulting joint was just as strong as any other. When stressed it was the wood that broke not the glue joint. I also have this thing about how much glue woodworkers waste for no good reason. An even coat to each edge is all that is necessary and there is a lot less cleanup.
More invaluable info in a concise one-stop format, this why we love you James. BTW C-Clamps also have their uses. I have a fold-up-&-stack-it all in the shed type workshop - so, I have many smaller, corded power tools, [grinders, vice, stationary sanding machines etc] I'v attached each one to a flat sturdy board and to set-up I clamp these to worktops...using c-clamps. They don't have to be massive, a small throat is often plenty, they grip good,n,tight AND of course free up my other clamps for the jobs they're needed on. Never underestimate any type of clamp.
I also agree that C-clamps have their place in the shop. And you can adjust them with one hand by swinging the frame clockwise or counterclockwise while holding the screw/handle. This technique makes short work of opening or closing the clamp while your other hand may be occupied holding the project or fixture components. I also use solid surfaces to build panel fixtures for assemblies such as door panels which may be used in pairs to make the left and right panels together to be sure that the fit is not only square, but in perfect alignment to each other. A combination of screwing the clamping surfaces and C-clamps, battens and wedges make short work of keeping the panels flat and in position.
Joseph Miller raises a very good point about “parallel clamps”. I am willing to suppose that they are parallel before they go to work, and that they will stay parallel if they are applying no pressure to the work. Most operations, we leave the pressure applied while glue dries. Any force applied by a bar clamp deflects that bar, do not kid yourself. Deflected bar equals unparallel jaws, no ifs, ands, or buts. I suppose that when clamping up case goods, you could back off the screw completely after squeezing up, and the carcase will be held together without lozenging, I’ll give ‘em that. I call that really light duty. But for general clamping, I would really prefer that the pressure I apply with the foot and the swivel is positioned to travel right down the center of the stock, for example when gluing up a panel or tabletop. These so-called parallel clamps will concentrate the pressure at the skin of the stock (and don’t inform me about alternating sides, please). This is why when using bar clamps (with a real bar, not those silly pipe clamps) to edge clamp up some boards I use some method at the foot of the clamp to center the pressure, such as a quick double bevel from the jointer on the outermost board. The screw end of the clamp can usually locate its pressure without any help. Ripping the panel to size afterward, anyway. For stock I want to protect, I keep a caul handy with that double bevel on it.
I can't believe that I have almost the exactly same type and quantities of clamps you recommend, only few more trigger clamps. Working very well for me. Thanks for the good education as always.
Two more clamp styles I've found useful are spool clamps and cam clamps. Both are popular with luthiers, but I've found the deep reach of the cam clamps useful for non-luthier projects as well. The spool clamps are more specialized, and I've only used them for gluing up acoustic guitars. Both are rather pricey, but are pretty easy to make yourself. I even developed a cam clamp that is 3D printable, but it still needs a little tweaking before I post it somewhere.
I bought a 4 pack of pistol grip clamps on sale, the get lots of use holding jigs to the bench and fences to drill press and router table. Also get a lot of use on smaller projects, a couple issues with that style is shortness of throat and sometimes the pull unevenly as the tighten up. F clamps are my go to for almost all serious clamping. I keep large screw clamps at the drill press and band saw / router table to hold small work pieces or uneven, round stock.
A clamp that I recommend, that for years I didn't know was missing is the corner clamps for picture framing, they get involved a lot where it wouldn't seem they are useful.
I fully agree with your choices for needed clamps. Fortunately most of my collection goes well beyond your minimums. I’ve been able to buy almost all my clamps on sale. Many came in sets that were well discounted. That way I’ve been able to get much more for my money.
The most use I found for spring clamps is zip tying a safety orange piece of cloth I could clip to the end of bar clamps sticking out of a glue-up so I'm less likely to bang my shins and knock the work out of square.
I make lots of different things. All styles are useful in turn. “I can never have enough clamps.” Well, no, I got lucky, met a man closing a custom millwright business, bought 107 F clamps, face frame clamps, pipe clamps, and handscrews. Still ran out of pipe clamps on a big glue up. Caught the sales, bought probably 60 HF bar clamps, scrutinized each one in the store to get decent ones. They make good light clamps or second-string helpers for big jobs. Finally, I might have enough clamps. And BTW, have two Bessey strap clamps. They’re great.
adding a wooden insert to the aluminum hollow rectangular bar clamps adds a ton of strength and keeps them from twisting. just make sure its a snug fit.
I love my wooden screw clamps, they have been extremely useful in the place of a bench vise while I saved up for one. Plus they are great for holding things when you don't want to get you fingers anywhere near the blade or bits on small parts. I picked up a bunch of them for less than a new one would have cost me, but I agree that you only really need 2 of them.
Years ago, my Dad and I would go to Pasadena (Texas) Industrial Supply, to visit their annual Tent Sale. We got good deals every time on Jorgensen handscrew clamps, so we would each get a pair. I've inherited those clamps and I might have the best collection of handscrews in my town. Wouldn't trade them for anything.
The clamps I wish I'd gotten more of were the long 4-way panel clamps that were made of wood and slightly convex (toward the center). So they'd hold an entire panel 24" or 36" wide, and keep it flat across the width. Unfortunately, no longer made, but there's a version of them on Instructables that can be shop made.
I invested in a half dozen parallel clamps for my kitchen cabinet project. They are awesome, albeit heavy as mentioned. Got about twenty pistol grip clamps. The are the workhorse in my garage. A handful of spring clamps are handy and a single screw clamp which I rarely use, but when I do its the only one that works for the application. Great video! Might have to pull the trigger in those band clsmos if I ever do as much edge banding again like I did with my cabinet doors
A breath of fresh air, no name brands mentioned concise advise. I have been a cabinet maker for 25 years and most pundits on the internet shill out for a name brand this is good clear advice that allows the end user to decide what they need. Refreshing to see!
Great advice Stumpy. How about using bench hooks and wedges as clamps. I use 2 x 4s with 20mm holes (for the bench dogs) as stops and a bench hook end piece to brace against. Wedges behind a simple piece of baton wood to apply pressure. Very cheap, even uses off cuts of 2 x 4s.
I'm happy to hear you say that it's possible to have too many of something, especially clamps. Steve at Woodworking For Mere Mortals recently did a clamp video, and he also said it is possible to have too many of them. I have been in spots where I wished I had more clamps, but I usually have enough. The deficit has never been more than a handful, and I should pick up a few more. But even then, my set won't be very big. If I wanted to, I could go old school and just use rope and wedges for several types of jobs.
Add some conveniently shaped blocks of metal or wood and your bar/pipe clamps become parallel clamps. You may lose some length but as long as the extension uses support also from the underside of the pipe/bar it should remain parallel. Two "clamp" types were forgotten. 1st is rope, yarn, rubber or resistance band, cling foil, hose etc. which can be used to apply enormous amounts of pressure as you add more turns to it. This method is used to e.g. glue some guitar tops to bodies. 2nd is all kind of pressure devices such as bicycle or motorcycle tubes, fire hoses, balloons which can be placed inside a void space and filled. This too will produce potentially explosive amounts force as pressure is easy to apply too much.
Entry level woodworker here; truly appreciate the info. Going to follow your recommendation on the starter clamps. I bought quite a bunch of tools but haven’t bought the first clamp yet, I’ve actually viewed a bunch of these videos, especially everything aimed at beginners. Great channel.
Try to get your F-clamps with a 4" throat depth. I find the 3"-ers annoying, but use the 4" ones all the time. And Don't get spring clamps with a rubber covering like in the video. Eventually it wears through and you stop using the clamp because it mars the wood.
I have an inventory of most clamps, some collect dust but are used from time to time. I use alot of band clamps for making float frames and good quality pistol grip are my go-to clamps. I haven't seen parallel clamps in our area. Certainly on my wish list. Great video.😊🇨🇦
I am building my first bread board table this Summer & will need the 48-56 inch parallel clamps & I am starting a pipe clamp(3/4) for wood & metal work. Thanks for the video.
You can never have to many clamps. So often I start a project that utilizes ALL of my clamps. At this moment I have 8 spring clamps, 16 pistol grips, 8 F-clamps, 6 pipe clamps, 12 C-clamps, and 2 wood screw clamps and I regularly use them all up and find myself needing more. Wish parallel clamps weren't so expensive or just wish they would go on sale as much as pistol grip or spring clamps did. Lowes has clamp sales every now and then where you can get 2 12 inch and 2 18 inch pistol clamps for about $20 and I believe their 4 inch spring clamps are like $2 each on sale.
I made a set of clamps for a panel glue-up by getting 6 M10 screws/pins that are 1m long, some nuts and washers. I cut few 60mmx40mm rectangles with two 10mm holes for the screws. Each is 20mm thick. I use those to connect two screws in parallel, on one end of each screw there are two nuts and a washer to lock that end. I place the panel between those plywood "bridges" and clamp them with washers and nuts. Works great and is cheap, but a bit tedious to use. But with one set of those "clamps" and some additional bridges, nuts and washers I can clamp more panels, one next to another. And I also have some M10 screws thar are 2m long...
I am old school woodshop class! I have 3/4 pipe clamps, 6” C - clamps! I have f- style clamps from HF (the blue and gray handle one ) come to think about 🤔it all my clamps are from Harbor Freight!🤦♂️🤦♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️😜😜🤪🤪 Thanks For sharing James Regards BobLee
M’s husband Peter here. You failed to mention the new Dewalt pistol grip quick clamps. They have twice the grip of the familiar quick clamps and the large firm wrap around parallel jaws to give the high end parallel jaw clamps clamps a good run.
First clamp was a pipe clamp. Still the go to clamp when you need some serious squeezing. One pistol grip clamp is now totally dedicated to spreading. Even Gorilla glued it so I cannot turn it back into a clamp. That way I no longer waste time figuring out which one will spread and then waste more time converting to spreader and even more time making it a clamp again. Yeah, a variety of clamps to suit different purposes, but often one wishes they had one more clamp . . . I often find myself using eight or more clamps when assembling a larger drawer. Having that extra clamp when you really need it makes it worth much more than its cost.
When I'm clamping a shallow height box frame together with rabbet joints I find the bulky profile of a triggerr clamp can get in the way so that's where f style comes in. Trigger is the bomb and super powerful.
The Jorgensen brand have the ability to link together to double the length which is very helpful and keeps you from having to purchase so many different sizes.
Strange: I just remembered that yesterday to hold some auto hoses apart for better reach, and today stumbled on this! Some (Irwin?) brands have a roll pin at the base though.
I use my spring clamps to hold small pieces of wood when I need to make a delicate trim cut. I love my pistol clamps and I'm hoping Santa brings me some parallel clamps for Christmas.
My best clamps are deep throat G clamps and sash clamps that fit on various lengths of wood with holes drilled ,I put stick on foam pads if I need to protect the surface
A trait of parallel clamps vs pipe clamps which you didn't mention - but which I think is the deciding factor between the two - is that you can rotate the pipe clamp, enabling you to use two, (or more), to clamp something larger than your individual capacity.... I recently used a 7' pipe clamp and rotated my 2' pipe clamp to hold an 8' span while constructing an 8' long firewood holder, (to hold a cord of firewood). I've also used this configuration a couple of other times - can't see anything else working. --- If they would mount the parallel clamps on a round "pipe" that would enable "infinite" length and 'rotate-ability" I think I would immediately buy at least 4 of them
I do a lot of hobby work with polystyrene, chipboard, and mdf mixed with tiny pieces and random materials added in, so the quick, accurate and low pressure clamps are great for me, so spring clamps, mini locking pliers, rubber bands, mini pistol grips are the most used. I'm finding most of my real NEEDS are clamps that i need to make myself, because they are just too specialized to bother buying a whole set of clamps for. I'll definitely need a pipe clamp of a decent size though, when building frames for doghouses its really easy to just squeeze something square when its needed. I've had to do that building a shed, its sort of hilarious what kind of mistakes and wood warping can be corrected this way... Overall though my favourite is pistol grip clamps, i find them useful for carpentry, woodworking, and hobby work for production and assembly. They can exert enough pressure or have light, precise pressure, and the better brands are very stable on a flat surface.
Great video! I bought a huge lot (over 100 not including spring) of clamps from a gentleman who was retiring - he was one of those guys who would go to garage sales and buy clamps any time they see them. Every kind of clamp imaginable. I agree with the points you made in this video, and have a similar setup of clamps I use most. Such a patchwork collection was great for understanding the differences between good and bad brands, too. I think it explains some of why some people hate some clamps - they might have tried a cheaper version of the product. Trigger clamps for instance, the cheap modern Irwin clamps are just okay, but some of the pricier brands or older models (with less plastic) can exert almost as much pressure as a parallel clamp.
Buy a bunch of various length 'F' clamps from Harbor Freight. They're great quality for the price. These will get you a great start and let you save money for buying other shop tools or specialty clamps.
F - clamps are my clamp of choice. I have about 30 of them, and frequently wish I had a half dozen more. I have a few each of most of the others discussed, and they do find use, but my favorites are the F's. I have bought bar clamps from Harbor Freight but ended up throwing them away. They were far too light weight to be useful for glue ups and eventually just plan failed.
Great video, suggest taking the "extra" spring clamps + a bike inner tube (cut the inner tube in sections and mount over the end of the spring clamps) = Home made bandy clamps for edge banding glue ups
This was a great video... If I was ever in your shop, It would take me at least a week because I would have to touch and handle every single tool you have on the back wall.. I love all old hand tools..
Your presentations are always very informative. Thank you! I'm not a fan of pistol clamps at all. I've owned several - all Irwin brand - and to my disappointment, they didn't retain the ability to hold tightly after just a few years of moderate use. I don't know - maybe there's a rubber O-ring inside that can be replaced. Another disadvantage is that they're tightening power is fully dependent on your hand strength - something that my Dad discovered as he got older. I've switched mostly to F clamps. I have several Bessey and Pony F clamps of various sizes, but found that the inexpensive Harbor Freight ones are also very good. Bungee cords work well to hold irregular shaped objects - chair legs for instance. I always look at yard and garage sales for clamps. You can score C, F, and pipe clamps, as well as some specialty clamps (face clamps and corner clamps) for practically nothing. Sometimes, all they need is a good cleaning.
Interesting survey. For the Fs there is also friction versus the more expensive clutch mechanism. A clutch allows for easier one-handed operation once the depth is set. For the pistol grip, I’ve found that the release lever design on some brands allows much easier one-handed adjustment. Something that can be checked at the hardware store before purchase.
James I have watched this one 2 or 3 times. the only thing i might add to this is the bar clamps are best with galvanized pipe. The rust from the black pipe is a bear to get off.
Pistol grip style is the one I use most. Most of my projects are done solo, so the ease of one handed operation wins out. I also have a bunch of the f style and use them next most often. I often use my clamps to hold something in place on my work surface so I can saw or drill accurately.
What could also have been said about parallel clamps is that some brands support joining two clamps end-to-end to make one long clamp. Some even have angled jaws for mitered surfaces, making them... non-parallel clamps? Thanks for the video, Mark!
59 yrs old and as a beginner this information is golden.
I always include this man's opinion when making determinations on woodworking decisions . . .
As a long time journeyman I know my share of tips and tricks, but I love the way you explain things and am so glad somebody of your caliber is on UA-cam giving tips and tricks to the inexperienced as well as the experienced. I enjoy your channel immensely. Keep on going.
I'm kind of new to wood working, but couldn't agree more. He's very insightful!
Excellent as always
All of them. You should buy all of the clamps. I have over 1,000, almost all of them see regular use, and I frequently wish I had more. Just buy all the clamps. Woodworking is primarily the process of spending money on clamps.
This breakdown was awesome. Thanks for the number recommendation as well.
The mini squeeze clamps have been the best chip clips and I’ll never go back :)
I’ve now watched this one twice. The advice is excellent, as usual. What a blessing to have Stumpy!
I am new to wood projects. Thanks for this great video. Been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what type of clamps I need. This is great. Thanks for creating this easy to understand video all about clamps. The pistol clamps are what I need to start. THANKS
How refreshing to have honest professional advice on what we really need. Thanks
I've always got enough clamps....
Right until that moment when I don't.
Nothing brings a project to s slowdown like being 2 clamps short of gluing that 3rd table.
As a newbie expanding into DIY woodworking, the issue of clamps has been frustrating. So many choices, so much money! Thank you for your tips and guidance in this matter. I will be starting my collection as outlined. Much appreciated.
As always, the preparation you put into your vids is obvious, and SO effective.
I love my Jurgensen pistol grip clamps. Expensive but very handy.
As with most tools, it's all in how you use them. I imagine we've all done some pretty creative clamping- perhaps Stumpy might put together a video on the subject.
Personally, in addition to my assortment of clamps, I keep a 5 gallon pail filled with wedges. I've used various lead blocks (ballast salvaged from boats), rope, ratchet straps, hose clamps and threaded rod. I've made spring clamps by splitting short sections of pvc pipe, and for oddly shaped glue-ups, I've had good results with the rolls of stretchy plastic wrap sold next to the moving boxes and packing supplies.
I really like the ratcheting type of Bessey clamp for many projects. I use them all the time.
What size do you have?
Gregory Mize I have a dozen of the 8”, four of the 12” and four 12” heavy duty for persuading things.
I love this guy. Articulate, intelligent and fun to watch.
The rotating round pads on c clamps wont seize up if you take a small hypodermic needle ( available at any farm store ) fill the needle with a quality high pressure grease and squeeze a small amount into the pad below and around the ball on the feed screw, be careful you wont need much. Also on the acme screw, purchase a can of moly coat dry spray lube ( lps force 842 is what I have used for years ) and apply it to the screw with it screwed all the way out, once dry it wont run , be sticky or come off on your hands or anything else, you will be surprised how much more useful your c clamps will become !
electricman5010, good one, thanks!
Pipe clamps are my most used clamps. I build a lot of large kitchen tables.
Same
For myself, Pipe Clamps are becoming outdated. They're great for a HD clamp that is inexpensive, but the clamps out there these days are taking their place for myself (thank goodness, I only have 1 arm, so pipe clamping was a nightmare.)
I'm using trigger clamps now. Irwin has their (reallllly expensive) HD Trigger clamps which had issues with length, but if you join two end to end, you can get a mountain of force on them. (I usually router an edge profile to help them lock together.) Plus they have accessories that can apply pressure from above to prevent buckling, and a stand to mount and keep them elevated.
I'm really blown away by the HD trigger clamps. Will they last 100 years, no way, but I've been using them to glue my workbench tops lately, and it's amazing how well they work.... just dont get glue in trigger mechanism lol.
Just cleaning up my clamp mess! Too many from different manufacturers so slightly different heights and depths. Just picked up Bessy Gear Clamps and I love them - F-clamps that don’t bust your knuckles!
Great video.
Not mentioned, but cam clamps are quite useful. I use them primarily for small boxes that don't require a lot of pressure. I believe they are the main-stay clamps for luthiers.
You omitted the old style wood cam lever f-style clamp which I find useful especially for repairs and exocic wood glueups. Mine have cork faces for mar prevention. I inherited mine from my dad who brought them from Germany in 1954.
I ve been making ferniture for 5 years , making kitchen doors twice, making doors, making tables, tv stand etc and i only own 14 bar clamps, one spring clamp for stop blocks, a few very old but very good f style clapms, two irwin quick realease clamps(bought them recently and i made a mistake), one band clamp for mitre joints, 5 parallel clamps. 4 k body from bessey and one that was shown on video,same one but red and its seems to be much better then bessey for half a price. The handle allows to put more presure then bessey. They are no name brand, bought them in cech rep. If i need long clamps i put two bars together. Dont buy clamp beacause they offer a lot of presure. If joint is good no need for huge amount of kgs. Altough i wish to buy a few aluminum clapms because they are light. Good videos. Thanks
I keep my clamp screws oiled for easy/smooth operation. Also a drop of oil in the foot socket keeps them from seizing.
I had that same thought. I imagine he knows that as well, but he was probably just relating a learning experience he's had, or throwing out some info for those who might not know.
Built a new set of gardens stools and a table this summer and the right-angled mitre style clamps were invaluable for holding large, heavy panels in place to mark and screw in brackets. I wouldn't be without them now. Between them and a few pistol grips, the whole project went like a dream. European translation - What we call G-Clamps and Sash Clamps are referred to as C-Clamps and Bar Clamps here.
As a newb woodworker, I was not aware there were so many types of clamps. Thanks!
Best clamps. Skip the Bessy f clamp and get the one at harbor freight that are blue and rubber handle. Don't buy pistol clamps at harbor freight. The break easily. Buy irwins instead. Pipe clamps are perfect for big glue ups. Spring clamps work great and cheap are fine. Great review stubby!!!
EXCELLENT, James. Trial and error gets expensive for a newbie. I haven't sprung for parallel clamps or pipe clamps yet. But I have a variety of styles and sizes, 4 of each. My favorite changes with each project. Thanks for convincing me I'm not crazy.
Pipe clamps are inexpensive. Get them at HF, HomeDepot or Rockler (when they are on sale). The pipe is cheap at HD.
The only thing a c-clamp is good for, is pressing the piston back into a break caliper.
You can use a bar clamp too. Been there, done that. C-clamps have there uses. If you're a metal worker....
I use c-clamps for my gluing cauls. Dont care about marring junk wood.
That’s the first clamp I ever bought and for that purpose
My c clamps are generally fairly dirty. Metal work and brakes.
Okay Cletus....
Yeah pistol grip clamps are my favorite as well. I use them for everything, even lots of tasks outside the shop. One of the most convenient and useful tools in my opinion. I have a small one in pretty much every room of my house because I’m always reaching for them for some reason or another.
Many years in a shop making cabinetry, along with the occasional furniture piece, these are the clamps used most: For larger pieces, the pipe clamp was the clamp of choice, and some heavy steel bar clamps often used as well. Aluminum bar clamps? About as durable as a plastic gun barrel, these NOT CHEAP, very nice looking clamps would bend so easily that they were a joke. The pistol grip "Quick Grip" clamps were fantastic, as they were surprisingly strong, easy to adjust, and very light weight. As soon as we had those in the shop, they were the go-to clamp for anything not requiring long length and/or a task requiring the greater force of the pipe or steel bar clamps.
I would highly recommend the Quick Grip (or any similar, well-made, pistol grip clamps) to any wood worker.
I have seen videos of people inserting wood inserts into their aluminum clamps for added strength but yet be lighter than steel, Paul Sellers I think had a video on this. Guess it depends on how much you want to fiddle with your clamps to make them useful
I would also like to say thank you for the information you are posting in your videos. I truly think you have saved me a bunch of money as I would have purchased the wrong things for the right reason.
I have a couple of deep throat clamps for Luther’s work. Designed to be installed in the hole of an acoustic guitar to clamp down the bridge to the top. It’s amazing how handy these are for other, non guitar jobs when you need to reach farther in from the edge for a glue-up. They are available in a few different reach lengths.
I have parallel, F, pipe, spring, ratcheting and C clamps and my favorites are Irwin Quikgrip pistol grip clamps. I use C clamps mainly for doing brake jobs when compressing brake caliper pistons.
Spanish windlass is considered a device more for setting traps or a windlass a nautical device for lifting, more of what a luthier would use. In our shop growing up in the 60's the craftsman in our shop referred to it as twine and dowel it is more closely related to a tourniquet style of clamping and banding. I made a comment because a lot of younger wood workers may not have been taught how to do a lot of the old ways of doing things .It is also a very affordable way of doing tasks. Maybe you just gave the content creators here a good topic to cover a series of instructional videos on some of the older ways or more traditional ways of doing things for the people that have a smaller tool budget or perhaps prefer to do everything by hand instead of power tools and gadgets.
Great advice for the Newb to clamps......As a Luthier, I have 32 C clamps, 48 F clamps, 4 bar clamps 4 pipe clamps, 8 parallel clamps, and 12 pistol grip clamps...various spring and ratchet clamps.
I take it from several comments you made that you don’t see the need to exert so much force with your clamps that the wood wants to cry. I’ve said this for years and been chastised by other woodworkers. Funny enough I think their joints might fail before mine because they’re starved for glue cause they squeezed it all out.
Garry not Linda. Yes, an interesting take on that is George Vondriska at Woodworkers Guild did a piece on that very topic. He spent 2 years in the Peace Corps in Africa teaching woodworking. They didn't have many if any clamps so square joinery was most important. Glue ups would be done by standing one board up vertically on edge, glue applied, the two edges rubbed together until tacky, aligned and left overnight to set. The resulting joint was just as strong as any other. When stressed it was the wood that broke not the glue joint. I also have this thing about how much glue woodworkers waste for no good reason. An even coat to each edge is all that is necessary and there is a lot less cleanup.
More invaluable info in a concise one-stop format, this why we love you James. BTW C-Clamps also have their uses. I have a fold-up-&-stack-it all in the shed type workshop - so, I have many smaller, corded power tools, [grinders, vice, stationary sanding machines etc] I'v attached each one to a flat sturdy board and to set-up I clamp these to worktops...using c-clamps. They don't have to be massive, a small throat is often plenty, they grip good,n,tight AND of course free up my other clamps for the jobs they're needed on. Never underestimate any type of clamp.
I also agree that C-clamps have their place in the shop. And you can adjust them with one hand by swinging the frame clockwise or counterclockwise while holding the screw/handle. This technique makes short work of opening or closing the clamp while your other hand may be occupied holding the project or fixture components.
I also use solid surfaces to build panel fixtures for assemblies such as door panels which may be used in pairs to make the left and right panels together to be sure that the fit is not only square, but in perfect alignment to each other. A combination of screwing the clamping surfaces and C-clamps, battens and wedges make short work of keeping the panels flat and in position.
Joseph Miller raises a very good point about “parallel clamps”. I am willing to suppose that they are parallel before they go to work, and that they will stay parallel if they are applying no pressure to the work. Most operations, we leave the pressure applied while glue dries. Any force applied by a bar clamp deflects that bar, do not kid yourself. Deflected bar equals unparallel jaws, no ifs, ands, or buts. I suppose that when clamping up case goods, you could back off the screw completely after squeezing up, and the carcase will be held together without lozenging, I’ll give ‘em that. I call that really light duty. But for general clamping, I would really prefer that the pressure I apply with the foot and the swivel is positioned to travel right down the center of the stock, for example when gluing up a panel or tabletop. These so-called parallel clamps will concentrate the pressure at the skin of the stock (and don’t inform me about alternating sides, please). This is why when using bar clamps (with a real bar, not those silly pipe clamps) to edge clamp up some boards I use some method at the foot of the clamp to center the pressure, such as a quick double bevel from the jointer on the outermost board. The screw end of the clamp can usually locate its pressure without any help. Ripping the panel to size afterward, anyway. For stock I want to protect, I keep a caul handy with that double bevel on it.
I can't believe that I have almost the exactly same type and quantities of clamps you recommend, only few more trigger clamps. Working very well for me. Thanks for the good education as always.
Two more clamp styles I've found useful are spool clamps and cam clamps. Both are popular with luthiers, but I've found the deep reach of the cam clamps useful for non-luthier projects as well. The spool clamps are more specialized, and I've only used them for gluing up acoustic guitars. Both are rather pricey, but are pretty easy to make yourself. I even developed a cam clamp that is 3D printable, but it still needs a little tweaking before I post it somewhere.
I bought a 4 pack of pistol grip clamps on sale, the get lots of use holding jigs to the bench and fences to drill press and router table. Also get a lot of use on smaller projects, a couple issues with that style is shortness of throat and sometimes the pull unevenly as the tighten up. F clamps are my go to for almost all serious clamping. I keep large screw clamps at the drill press and band saw / router table to hold small work pieces or uneven, round stock.
Thanks, James. Good overview and recommendations. TIP I didn't see in the video: Use pistol-grip clamps as spreaders by reversing the static end.
Excellent. You have saved me some money buying clamps I don't need and making me aware of clamps I could use but did not know about. Thank you!
A clamp that I recommend, that for years I didn't know was missing is the corner clamps for picture framing, they get involved a lot where it wouldn't seem they are useful.
I fully agree with your choices for needed clamps. Fortunately most of my collection goes well beyond your minimums. I’ve been able to buy almost all my clamps on sale. Many came in sets that were well discounted. That way I’ve been able to get much more for my money.
I want them all and I want them now.
The Veruca Salt of woodworking! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
The most use I found for spring clamps is zip tying a safety orange piece of cloth I could clip to the end of bar clamps sticking out of a glue-up so I'm less likely to bang my shins and knock the work out of square.
Thank you! Super useful info! I know it seems silly but for beginner woodworkers, clamps are confusing and overwhelming.
Love pipe clamps , I just ordered two of them today 😊🔨
I make lots of different things. All styles are useful in turn. “I can never have enough clamps.” Well, no, I got lucky, met a man closing a custom millwright business, bought 107 F clamps, face frame clamps, pipe clamps, and handscrews. Still ran out of pipe clamps on a big glue up. Caught the sales, bought probably 60 HF bar clamps, scrutinized each one in the store to get decent ones. They make good light clamps or second-string helpers for big jobs. Finally, I might have enough clamps. And BTW, have two Bessey strap clamps. They’re great.
adding a wooden insert to the aluminum hollow rectangular bar clamps adds a ton of strength and keeps them from twisting. just make sure its a snug fit.
I love my wooden screw clamps, they have been extremely useful in the place of a bench vise while I saved up for one. Plus they are great for holding things when you don't want to get you fingers anywhere near the blade or bits on small parts. I picked up a bunch of them for less than a new one would have cost me, but I agree that you only really need 2 of them.
Years ago, my Dad and I would go to Pasadena (Texas) Industrial Supply, to visit their annual Tent Sale. We got good deals every time on Jorgensen handscrew clamps, so we would each get a pair. I've inherited those clamps and I might have the best collection of handscrews in my town. Wouldn't trade them for anything.
Nice presentation. No messing around. I love your style.
I have to say, I agree with you 100%. I do have some aluminum bar clamps that were given to me and they are working too.
The clamps I wish I'd gotten more of were the long 4-way panel clamps that were made of wood and slightly convex (toward the center). So they'd hold an entire panel 24" or 36" wide, and keep it flat across the width. Unfortunately, no longer made, but there's a version of them on Instructables that can be shop made.
Ii like your videos. They're densely packed with info and devoid of silliness. Thanks for saving my time.
Thank You!!… The pistol grip and f clamps are my leading candidates
I invested in a half dozen parallel clamps for my kitchen cabinet project. They are awesome, albeit heavy as mentioned. Got about twenty pistol grip clamps. The are the workhorse in my garage. A handful of spring clamps are handy and a single screw clamp which I rarely use, but when I do its the only one that works for the application.
Great video! Might have to pull the trigger in those band clsmos if I ever do as much edge banding again like I did with my cabinet doors
A breath of fresh air, no name brands mentioned concise advise. I have been a cabinet maker for 25 years and most pundits on the internet shill out for a name brand this is good clear advice that allows the end user to decide what they need. Refreshing to see!
Great advice Stumpy. How about using bench hooks and wedges as clamps. I use 2 x 4s with 20mm holes (for the bench dogs) as stops and a bench hook end piece to brace against. Wedges behind a simple piece of baton wood to apply pressure. Very cheap, even uses off cuts of 2 x 4s.
I'm happy to hear you say that it's possible to have too many of something, especially clamps. Steve at Woodworking For Mere Mortals recently did a clamp video, and he also said it is possible to have too many of them. I have been in spots where I wished I had more clamps, but I usually have enough. The deficit has never been more than a handful, and I should pick up a few more. But even then, my set won't be very big. If I wanted to, I could go old school and just use rope and wedges for several types of jobs.
I'm just getting started and want to buy some basic things. This was the best of several utube sites so I bought the recommended clamps. Thank you.
Add some conveniently shaped blocks of metal or wood and your bar/pipe clamps become parallel clamps. You may lose some length but as long as the extension uses support also from the underside of the pipe/bar it should remain parallel. Two "clamp" types were forgotten. 1st is rope, yarn, rubber or resistance band, cling foil, hose etc. which can be used to apply enormous amounts of pressure as you add more turns to it. This method is used to e.g. glue some guitar tops to bodies. 2nd is all kind of pressure devices such as bicycle or motorcycle tubes, fire hoses, balloons which can be placed inside a void space and filled. This too will produce potentially explosive amounts force as pressure is easy to apply too much.
Thanks. I am going to be adding a second shop at my snow bird location and this will help me think about how to outfit that shop.
I greatly appreciate those priceless "Tricks of the Trade" as I am a certified welder of 19yrs and I am wanting to further my woodworking skills.
Entry level woodworker here; truly appreciate the info. Going to follow your recommendation on the starter clamps. I bought quite a bunch of tools but haven’t bought the first clamp yet, I’ve actually viewed a bunch of these videos, especially everything aimed at beginners. Great channel.
Try to get your F-clamps with a 4" throat depth. I find the 3"-ers annoying, but use the 4" ones all the time. And Don't get spring clamps with a rubber covering like in the video. Eventually it wears through and you stop using the clamp because it mars the wood.
manyirons much appreciated!
I have an inventory of most clamps, some collect dust but are used from time to time. I use alot of band clamps for making float frames and good quality pistol grip are my go-to clamps. I haven't seen parallel clamps in our area. Certainly on my wish list. Great video.😊🇨🇦
I am building my first bread board table this Summer & will need the 48-56 inch parallel clamps & I am starting a pipe clamp(3/4) for wood & metal work.
Thanks for the video.
You can never have to many clamps. So often I start a project that utilizes ALL of my clamps. At this moment I have 8 spring clamps, 16 pistol grips, 8 F-clamps, 6 pipe clamps, 12 C-clamps, and 2 wood screw clamps and I regularly use them all up and find myself needing more. Wish parallel clamps weren't so expensive or just wish they would go on sale as much as pistol grip or spring clamps did. Lowes has clamp sales every now and then where you can get 2 12 inch and 2 18 inch pistol clamps for about $20 and I believe their 4 inch spring clamps are like $2 each on sale.
I made a set of clamps for a panel glue-up by getting 6 M10 screws/pins that are 1m long, some nuts and washers. I cut few 60mmx40mm rectangles with two 10mm holes for the screws. Each is 20mm thick. I use those to connect two screws in parallel, on one end of each screw there are two nuts and a washer to lock that end. I place the panel between those plywood "bridges" and clamp them with washers and nuts. Works great and is cheap, but a bit tedious to use. But with one set of those "clamps" and some additional bridges, nuts and washers I can clamp more panels, one next to another. And I also have some M10 screws thar are 2m long...
I am old school woodshop class! I have 3/4 pipe clamps, 6” C - clamps! I have f- style clamps from HF (the blue and gray handle one ) come to think about 🤔it all my clamps are from Harbor Freight!🤦♂️🤦♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️😜😜🤪🤪 Thanks For sharing James Regards BobLee
Ice to se a good word for HFT for a change.
M’s husband Peter here. You failed to mention the new Dewalt pistol grip quick clamps. They have twice the grip of the familiar quick clamps and the large firm wrap around parallel jaws to give the high end parallel jaw clamps clamps a good run.
First clamp was a pipe clamp. Still the go to clamp when you need some serious squeezing. One pistol grip clamp is now totally dedicated to spreading. Even Gorilla glued it so I cannot turn it back into a clamp. That way I no longer waste time figuring out which one will spread and then waste more time converting to spreader and even more time making it a clamp again. Yeah, a variety of clamps to suit different purposes, but often one wishes they had one more clamp . . . I often find myself using eight or more clamps when assembling a larger drawer. Having that extra clamp when you really need it makes it worth much more than its cost.
Just used a Kreg pin end clamp for pocket hole assembly - worked great.
When I'm clamping a shallow height box frame together with rabbet joints I find the bulky profile of a triggerr clamp can get in the way so that's where f style comes in. Trigger is the bomb and super powerful.
A lot of pistol grip clamps can be reversed and used as spreaders. I’m surprised he didn’t mention that
Good point, I've used my dewalt ones just for that and didn't even think of it until I read your comment.
Will Ryder same here done it a couple of times and saved me a lot of time and effort
The Jorgensen brand have the ability to link together to double the length which is very helpful and keeps you from having to purchase so many different sizes.
Yup. They’re my goto clamps.
Strange: I just remembered that yesterday to hold some auto hoses apart for better reach, and today stumbled on this! Some (Irwin?) brands have a roll pin at the base though.
Band clamps are worth their weight in gold when assembling drawers.
I use my spring clamps to hold small pieces of wood when I need to make a delicate trim cut. I love my pistol clamps and I'm hoping Santa brings me some parallel clamps for Christmas.
watch for Jet's Black Friday sale
My best clamps are deep throat G clamps and sash clamps that fit on various lengths of wood with holes drilled ,I put stick on foam pads if I need to protect the surface
Good content; basic for anybody with shop experience but so methodical and thorough it's still a pleasure to watch.
A trait of parallel clamps vs pipe clamps which you didn't mention - but which I think is the deciding factor between the two - is that you can rotate the pipe clamp, enabling you to use two, (or more), to clamp something larger than your individual capacity.... I recently used a 7' pipe clamp and rotated my 2' pipe clamp to hold an 8' span while constructing an 8' long firewood holder, (to hold a cord of firewood). I've also used this configuration a couple of other times - can't see anything else working. --- If they would mount the parallel clamps on a round "pipe" that would enable "infinite" length and 'rotate-ability" I think I would immediately buy at least 4 of them
I know it's been out for a while but totally agree with you James!
I do a lot of hobby work with polystyrene, chipboard, and mdf mixed with tiny pieces and random materials added in, so the quick, accurate and low pressure clamps are great for me, so spring clamps, mini locking pliers, rubber bands, mini pistol grips are the most used. I'm finding most of my real NEEDS are clamps that i need to make myself, because they are just too specialized to bother buying a whole set of clamps for. I'll definitely need a pipe clamp of a decent size though, when building frames for doghouses its really easy to just squeeze something square when its needed. I've had to do that building a shed, its sort of hilarious what kind of mistakes and wood warping can be corrected this way... Overall though my favourite is pistol grip clamps, i find them useful for carpentry, woodworking, and hobby work for production and assembly. They can exert enough pressure or have light, precise pressure, and the better brands are very stable on a flat surface.
Great video! I bought a huge lot (over 100 not including spring) of clamps from a gentleman who was retiring - he was one of those guys who would go to garage sales and buy clamps any time they see them. Every kind of clamp imaginable. I agree with the points you made in this video, and have a similar setup of clamps I use most.
Such a patchwork collection was great for understanding the differences between good and bad brands, too. I think it explains some of why some people hate some clamps - they might have tried a cheaper version of the product. Trigger clamps for instance, the cheap modern Irwin clamps are just okay, but some of the pricier brands or older models (with less plastic) can exert almost as much pressure as a parallel clamp.
Buy a bunch of various length 'F' clamps from Harbor Freight. They're great quality for the price. These will get you a great start and let you save money for buying other shop tools or specialty clamps.
Heck yeah, and spray some dry lube on em now and then and they'll treat ya like a king
F - clamps are my clamp of choice. I have about 30 of them, and frequently wish I had a half dozen more. I have a few each of most of the others discussed, and they do find use, but my favorites are the F's. I have bought bar clamps from Harbor Freight but ended up throwing them away. They were far too light weight to be useful for glue ups and eventually just plan failed.
Great video, suggest taking the "extra" spring clamps + a bike inner tube (cut the inner tube in sections and mount over the end of the spring clamps) = Home made bandy clamps for edge banding glue ups
This was a great video... If I was ever in your shop, It would take me at least a week because I would have to touch and handle every single tool you have on the back wall.. I love all old hand tools..
I'm loving your videos! Extremely helpful. I'm an old machinist and sometime woodworking but I learn new stuff every time I watch. Thanks bro!
Your presentations are always very informative. Thank you!
I'm not a fan of pistol clamps at all. I've owned several - all Irwin brand - and to my disappointment, they didn't retain the ability to hold tightly after just a few years of moderate use. I don't know - maybe there's a rubber O-ring inside that can be replaced. Another disadvantage is that they're tightening power is fully dependent on your hand strength - something that my Dad discovered as he got older.
I've switched mostly to F clamps. I have several Bessey and Pony F clamps of various sizes, but found that the inexpensive Harbor Freight ones are also very good.
Bungee cords work well to hold irregular shaped objects - chair legs for instance.
I always look at yard and garage sales for clamps. You can score C, F, and pipe clamps, as well as some specialty clamps (face clamps and corner clamps) for practically nothing. Sometimes, all they need is a good cleaning.
Wooden screw clamps make great stop blocks when fastened to drill press, router table & saw fences.
I’d say my favorite are f clamps…I really don’t have use for any strong strong clamps,but it’s always good to have a variety just in case.
Interesting survey. For the Fs there is also friction versus the more expensive clutch mechanism. A clutch allows for easier one-handed operation once the depth is set. For the pistol grip, I’ve found that the release lever design on some brands allows much easier one-handed adjustment. Something that can be checked at the hardware store before purchase.
Great, clear information as usual. I like to use old bike inner tubes for some glue ups. Infinitely adjustable, flexible, and almost free.
So informative, so efficient, so authoritative and thoughtful. Excellent videos. Thank you!
Thank you - I'm starting a pretty hefty investment into shop clamps and this intel is super valuable. Thank you very very much. Cheers from Wisconsin.
Can't double like this. But ran across it a second time and it's still a great video. Nice work!
James
I have watched this one 2 or 3 times. the only thing i might add to this is the bar clamps are best with galvanized pipe. The rust from the black pipe is a bear to get off.
Pistol grip style is the one I use most. Most of my projects are done solo, so the ease of one handed operation wins out. I also have a bunch of the f style and use them next most often.
I often use my clamps to hold something in place on my work surface so I can saw or drill accurately.
What could also have been said about parallel clamps is that some brands support joining two clamps end-to-end to make one long clamp. Some even have angled jaws for mitered surfaces, making them... non-parallel clamps? Thanks for the video, Mark!
Johan Fredrik Varen, any clamp will do that. Just grind off the keeper rivet. I’ll admit the foot end is less versatile that way, though.