How Many Clamps Do You REALLY Need?

Sometimes, you may wish to engage in the journey of woodworking, but you feel overwhelmed without knowing the exact number of clamps required. Don’t worry because I will provide you with an ultimate guide on the perfect number of clamps that you require.

Therefore, below are the best 8 crucial clamps that you need to have for your woodworking journey.

C-clamp

This is a crucial type of clamp for woodworking and drilling tasks. Its name is due to its single shape and curved body, which appears like the letter C. It comes with a screw that usually runs around from one end to the tip of the other end of this clamp. Another type of this C-clam is a 3-way edged clamp that has 3 adjustable clamping screws which are useful for holding the edged pieces. Besides, you can use them to keep the woods together while on the workbench.

Usually, the sizes of different clamps depend on clamping capacities. Therefore, most of the users require having a perfect number of these clamps because they need to hold up to 2.4s or even nailing the wood which they clamped for gluing at the same time. The primary function of this C-clamp is to grip wood, standard C clamp, and also to hold the 10-inched equipment firmly.

Pipe clamp

The pipe clamps with large size fixtures have tremendous pressure than those with small sizes. They are instrumental in exerting pressure to a specific point of the galvanized pipe because they can hold large objects safely. Most of the pipe clamps are adjustable and can be fitted easily to other pipes. However, you should ensure that the adjustable tailstock of this clamp is on the other end of this pipe entirely. Notably, the headstock fixture is usually singly and stationary threaded on the other end of the pipe.

Additionally, most of this pipe clamp usually comes with multiple disks, allowing them to be easily attached to different parts of the clamp. The purpose of the spring is to prevent the spring from sliding off the entire pipe. It is good to note that the clamps and pipes come with different outlets.

The pipe clamp consists of the standard diameters of 1/2 –inch and 3/4-inch. The capacity of this pipe clamp is usually proportional to the length of its pipe that is operating on.

Deep throat bar clamp

This type of clamp works almost similar to that of C-clamp. Besides, it combines the stretch and power of the pipe clamps. It comes with a clamping capacity range from 6 to 10 inches, together with the standard depth of about 2 to 4 inches. However, most of these clamps consist of a clamping capacity of about 1-3 feet, which is replaceable with the pipe clamp on different occasions.

It is good to look for the drawn rail bar clamp with a zinc finish to prevent some marks on the wood. This ensures that the model does not slip over while you are holding the wood in place.

Handscrew clamp

A handscrew clamp is a handy tool for those who are professionals but meaningless when it comes to ‘do it to yourself.’ This type of clamp consists of dual-threaded handles and metallic jaws useful in applying very high pressure, making it appear like a C-clamp. It is one of the clamps that have been used for several years.

However, it rarely makes the use of the adjustable jaws in clamping the slope and offsets. Many times, hand screws are useful in technical woodworks where high pressure is necessary. It has a proportional clamping capacity and jaw length. Note that the screw with a jaw length of 4-inch gives a clamping capacity of 2-inch while the one with the jaw length of 2-foot has a clamping capacity of 18-inch.

One-handed bar clamp

This is the type of clamp that does not require the use of both hands because it consists of a sliding and fixed jaw moved around by triggering the gripping handle. If you want to move the sliding jaw, you can squeeze the trigger along the bar to connect the two ends of the clamp to the fixed jaw. If you want to release them, you can press the release lever so that to unlock the jaws.

One handed bar clamp features some specifications which include 4 feet and 6-inches with the lengths ranging from one to three feet. However, you cannot handle long distances using this clamp. It is advisable to use a pipe clamp for more extraordinary lengths and C-clamp for minimal spaces.

Spring clamps

You can compare this type of clamp with the pins used in the over-sized clothes because it consists of similar features as well does the same tasks. Sometimes it is referred to as pinched clamp. This spring clamp has a steel spring that links 2 sides of the clamp separated by just squeezing its handle. Some spring clamp comes with rubber pads that prevent any damages when operating them.

However, they are relatively cheap since different designs feature different prices.

Usually, the model with padded handles is the best because they help in lowering the pressure inserted by the woodworker by preventing the strain from the hands of the user. You can use the spring clamp as supplement equipment while gluing, repairing, or even painting. The force of this clamp may be similar or even more compared to that of  C-clamp with stick out.

Ratchet- action bar clamps

This type of clamp is also known as a band clamp. It is the most suitable, especially in clamping oddly-shaped pieces of wood. Besides, they feature long a flexible long band, which is useful in holding the workpiece when using it. The length of the band is within the range of 1 to 2 inches. However, most people prefer using the ratchet clamp with a width of two inches that require more bands.

The price of this clamp depends mainly on the length of the band.

Miter clamps

The miter clamp features a design that enables the woodworker to slide the pieces of wood and tighten the handles of the threaded screw so that to hold the wood pieces at the perfect angle. The equipment is very useful, especially in assembling the frames of pictures at the same time molding.

Besides, you can use this clamp on a T-shaped joint or even at the right angle. Furthermore, they have spring pliers, which is essential in holding most of the items once you remove the clamps.

Conclusion 

In general, the C-clamp is the most readily available clamps suitable for woodworking. The pipe clamps are useful in holding small and large items together with a very great force. On the other hand, the deep bar clamp makes use of power with reach. The one-handed handle is excellent due to its high speed.

If you want an alternative clamp for clothes-pin, then you can go for a spring clamp. Also, the spring clamp is suitable for use in holding the sheets of wood while using it. Besides, you can use the ratchet action clamp in holding the small and delicate items without harming them.