Where To Buy Pipe Clamps ((LINK))
12+ years ago, as we were starting our renovation journey, I had no idea what type of wooden clamps to buy for projects. We had some spring clamps in our tool collection but those had mainly been used for hanging sheeting for when we used our paint sprayer or holding edging on to the end of wood pieces.
where to buy pipe clamps
After a trip to the hardware store, I came home with a couple ratcheting c-clamps. At around $20 though, and for only a set distance amount, I quickly realized that we still didn't have the right type of tool. We needed large woodworking clamps and what we owned didn't cut it.
I honestly had no idea that pipe clamps were a thing at this point though so we just kept doing projects without having the right set of clamps for them. One day, at my Grandpa's workshop, I was looking around and helping him with something (oh, I think it was when he helped me strengthen and fix wobbly chairs!). Anyways, he had a bunch of pipe clamps for wood.
I'm hesitant to call this "DIY" pipe clamps because it's really just buying two parts and putting them together. But, since I didn't know about these when I started my woodworking journey, I'm sharing about how to make these clamps for woodworking.
To build your wood clamps, place the spreader and the pony clamp on your threaded galvanized pipe at opposite ends. One part of the pipe clamp will be stationary and the other part of the pipe clamp will allow you to move it to hold wood in place.
You can make these woodworking clamps at different sizes. To do this, you just need to cut your pipe at different lengths. In my grandfather's workshop, he had probably thirty pipe clamps and most of them were on pipes that were " thick and were around 3-5' long.
Well, I hope this was helpful to hear about! We've slowly added to our woodworking clamps. I've found a few bar clamps at garage sales and picked up a few C clamps up at the hardware store. The more woodworking you end up doing, the more you'll need.
Not actually a DIY clamp, like a moxon vice might be, for example. The parts are sold in stores specifically for the purpose of doing what you just described here. But of course you already said that lolAnyhoot..... another simple yet great "trick" we can do with pipe clamps is to buy some galvanized threaded pipe couplers to fit the pipe size we're using. With a coupler, we can take two 4' pipe clamps and quickly convert them to one 8' clamp. Of course we can make any length we want now by combining as many pipes as you need. Also, pipe clamps are reportedly the strongest of woodworking clamps, delivering a half ton psi each. Been my goto for many projects through the decades. Thanks for sharing this with people that need it. Most of us veteran woodworkers take those simple things for granted and thereby never bother to share them.
B-Line series pipe clamps to support conduit and pipes in electrical, datacomm, mechanical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration in commercial, industrial and utility applications.
Made to attach conduit or pipe to structural members and provide support, pipe clamps meet the requirements of a number of applications. Unless otherwise noted in the B-Line series strut system catalog, the pipe clamps include the following materials, finish options and certifications.
For use with PVC coated thinwall (EMT and rigid conduit and clamps). Compatible with B-Line series strut channel and 4Dimension strut. Refer to the B-Line series strut systems catalog for more information.
IPH series inserts with clamps help prevent insulation compression. Compatible with B-Line series strut channel and 4Dimension strut. For additional information, refer tothe B-Line series strut systems catalog.
Each clamp piece can turn allowing pipe to be fastened to channel at any direction. Compatible with B-Line series strut channel and 4Dimension strut. For additional information, refer to the B-Line series strut systems catalog.
I love the quick clamps, but use mostly 6 inch, and some 12. I have more of those than any other type. They have serious drawbacks,, but they are very handy.. I think the 24 and 36 are a waste of money.
For long lengths, pipe clamps are the most budget friendly. I started out with a ton of them, but only pull them out now when running low on parallel clamps, which are my favorite for panel and carcase glue ups. I use mostly 24 inch, but if you can only afford a couple, longer is more cost effective.
I love the heavy duty Bessey F clamps -- not the ones with the clutch, which I hate. I use 6 inch and deep 12 inch. They are pricey, but very strong. I would have no use for longer versions, if you have parallel and bar clamps.
Personally I think pipe clamps are awful and don't own a single one. Plus I don't think they are the bargain people think they are, unless you have an abundance of black pipe sitting around. A 3/4" pipe clamp cost $15-17 a 48" piece of black pipe about $15 so a minimum of $30 ea. Right now a 2 pack of 48" parallel clamps at taytools.com is $89.99 and it is a much better clamp in my opinion.
My go to clamps are my Bessey Parallel clamps but then I build mostly larger items. I also recommend buying clamps in groups of 4's especially for case work 2 clamps are seldom sufficient. There are less expensive versions of parallel clamps as well, my son just got some from Tay Tools that look promising at probably 30% less than my Bessey.
And since I'm old I still have a sizable collection of the classic iron bar clamps in sizes for 36"-60" for when I really need to put the pressure on. Just kidding these seldom leave the rack these days after discovering parallel clamps.
I haven't owned a spring clamp in decades but have come to see value in quick acting clamps sold by Armor, they self adjust and can put a pretty good amount of clamping pressure on if you can squeeze them one handed.
This may be controversial [that's o.k., when haven't I been?], but, even if money grew on trees, it'd be a stunted, dwarf variety. I'd suggest this friend in need of a clamp starter selection look into HFT's Pittsburgh brand F-Style and Pipe clamps. they've greatly improved over the years. [Their pipe clamps with stand off legs are the equivalent of Irwins but usually a buck or three less expensive apiece.] I started with a half dozen F-Clamps in 6", 12", 18", 24" and 36" apiece and then doubled up on those as I went along. The wooden hand-screws are far more useful than you think; using one 12" clamp to hold a board on edge and another one to clamp the first clamp to your bench is a very quick and easy way to hold that board while you joint an edge for example. [Put the board to be planed edge down on your bench, clamp it from one end with the hand-screw laying flat on the bench and then use the second clamp to clamp the first one to your bench.] I once had someone look at my clamps - in my house, no less - and start snickering about their origin, etc. and I reminded him that if your joints truly fit you don't need too much pressure to hold them together. Somehow he didn't like that. Oh, well.
For the long stuff, I would pass on the pipe clamps (I own 4) and go with the Bessey style. If you add in their Framing Set and K-body Extender, you've got a much more versatile and adaptable clamping 'system' rather than trying to maneuver 6' of pipe around the shop.
If you do much case work parallel clamps are great IMHO. A couple decades ago if I ever ran out of 24" k-bodys I bought more at the next sale. I kept doing this until I stopped running out during glue ups. Other lengths are good too. Once you start pushing over 4 feet a switch to pipe clamps may be in order.
Cheap pipe clamps are more trouble than they are worth. A HFT 3/4" pipe clamp almost did in hours of work for me just the other day. It and it's brother hit the recycle bin. I have a dozen Jorgie 3/4" pipe clamps so they won't be missed. They're not for everything but, when you need a quality pipe clamp, a pipe clamp is what you want.
I would recommend a 'buy as you need them' method to your friend. The clamps I gathered as I needed them are the ones I use the most. The ones I bought to "get started" are generally the last to get used.
Parallel clamps are my favorite, it's interesting to see in this post that many people love them, so not-so-much. I have eight 12", four 24" and two 31", and that suits me fine for now (fairly new hobbyist with a fraction of the clamps owned by more experienced folks). I have Jet and Bessey, and prefer the Jet (I assume that's a Coke-vs-Pepsi thing). To the OP, if your friend is a patient person, camelcamelcamel will let you know about sales on Amazon. I set a target price, forgot about it, got an email notification, and bought them on sale.
If this is a thread about which you clamps you love, a companion thread could be which clamps you hate. My list-topper is the Rocker "sure-foot" aluminum bar clamp. They go on sale a lot, which I why I have them. They are cranky and fickle and loathesome in every way. My clamp of last resort, they reside (literally) under my bench.
I'm curious, GDB, what, exactly, went wrong with your HFT pipe clamp(s)? Yes, the one's from the mid-'90's were "El Junko", but thus far, the ones (with the stand-off feet, at least) made in this millennium I've had no problems with.
I had a bunch of parallel clamps. Sold them all and bought twice as many Bessey heavy F clamps. Best thing I ever did. Search for Michael Fortunes article on glue ups. Begone heavy clumsy parallel clamps.
I'll just chime in again with a cautionary tale . . . one can get a little clamp-crazy and snap up good deals as they wander along through life. This describers me pretty well a decade or so ago. The downside is that you have to store them. They eat large amounts of space and honing your choices to fewer clamps that meet your needs is not a bad thing ;-)
Almost all of my clamps are stored in between the joists, or, in the case of quick clamps, clamped to the joists themselves. It makes reaching up and grabbing one very convenient when my hands are busy. Its one of the reasons I really like the one-handed clamps. 041b061a72