Often times, woodworking requires a person to work on different areas of a project or a large piece of wood. When this happens, woodworkers sometimes wish he has six or eight more hands and arms to hold that project or object in place.
To hold things in place while working on some other area of the project, woodworkers employ the use of woodworking clamps.
The greatest advantage of using a woodworking clamp is that you get more torque than a human hand. Simply put, a woodworking clamp exerts more force and strength than a mere human grip.
Woodworking clamps come in different varieties. It is a good idea to have at least a pair of each variety.
The C-clamp is a basic woodworking clamp that every woodworker must have. Named for its shape, an iron C-clamp consists of a small flat area at the top of the C. At the bottom of the C is a hole with a long, large threaded screw which can be adjusted to the thickness of the item to be held in place. The end of the screw has a flat end which meets the flat end on the top of the C. The item to be held rests between these flat spaces.
When using a C clamp, care should be taken not to tighten the screw too much if the item to be held is a delicate piece of wood. Doing so will damage the wood.
Another type of woodworking clamp is the bar clamp. This clamp consists of a bar and two jaws, with one jaw fixed. Bar clamps is used to hold thinner pieces of wood.
A pair of pipe clamps is also necessary. A pipe clamp has a long grip and uses a pipe to achieve its length. This is used for holding very wide items. As long as the item has the same width as the pipe length, it can be held with a pipe clamp.
Another pair of woodworking clamps that you will need is web clamps. These are actually nylon mesh straps that are attached to metal ratchets that allow you to tighten the straps. These clamps are used to hold odd shaped objects.
You should also purchase two pairs of corner clamps, also known as miter clamps. Corner clamps are used to hold two objects together at a 90 degree angle. These are used when those two objects are to be joined to one another, be it by glue, fastener or bolt and nut. Corner clamps are useful for precision assembly of cabinet face frames, cabinet panels, cabinet door styles and rails, door jambs and vertical bookcases with shelves.
When buying these woodworking clamps, do not buy the cheap ones. Instead, get the best quality clamps you can afford. You don’t want the clamp to break up right in the middle of gluing two things together, right?
