Which clamps to buy?

Power Boats only. Please include the boat type in your question.
Cbuf
Active Poster
Active Poster
Posts: 356
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:38 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by Cbuf »

I think I was at costco when they had a package of the one hand spring clamps of 4 sizes and a total of 25 and I bought 2 pkgs for cheap, like 1 dollar per clamp. I wish I would have bought 1 more set. I have beat them, epoxied them, broken them. I got every penny out of them. many times you just need holding pressure vs clamping pressure. These work great. I also bought 3 sets of pipe clamps and 4' -6' pipes. They hold the boats shape nicely after the flip. lastly always have a couple nice quick clamps, hand trigger sytle, great in a pinch.

cbuf
See my LM 18 build here.
viewtopic.php?t=64254
See my LM 18 Questions here.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=64299&hilit=lm18\
Finished Boat Here
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=65173

pee wee
Very Active Poster
Very Active Poster
Posts: 2276
Joined: Sun May 01, 2011 8:29 am
Location: Georgia

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by pee wee »

All types of clamps will eventually come in handy; I use my pipe clamps the least, but when you need them it's nice to have them. You can have too many pipe clamps. :D

I'll second the thumbs down on the cheap Harbor Freight quick clamps, I bought some ten years ago that were pretty bad but they work, the ones they sell now don't even work.

One nice thing about spring clamps is if you're clamping something that is gradually getting thinner because adhesive is squeezing out, they keep the pressure on.

Any clamp you can work with one hand is nice, even if it's just to hold something long enough to get a better clamp on it.

While there may be some difference in quality among spring clamps, it seems like the one clamp category you can pinch pennies.
Hank

User avatar
Jaysen
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 6499
Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2015 7:59 am
Location: St Helena Island, SC
Contact:

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by Jaysen »

the contrarian in me wants to point out that no one really cares about having to grind a crappy HF clamp off the side of the boat. But the first time you are grinding off a the-g-d-epoxy-won't-let-it-come-off clamp that was more than $20 you will start to wonder why you didn't just get the HF crappy ones.

I also recommend NEVER using metal clamping surfaces. Always put some type of paper or cardboard between the clamp and wood. extend the protective element to catch drips/squeeze that might impinge on the clamp mechanism. It is really hard to use a cut-off wheel on clamps. Even harder when you are crammed under a hull trying to do it.

Yes. I've had a bad experience recently. I don't want to talk about it.
My already completed 'Lil Bit'. A Martens Goosen V12 set up to sail me to the fishing holes.
Currently working on making a Helms 24 our coastal cruiser.
“Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens” wrote:Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
Jaysen wrote: Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:44 pm I tried to say something but God thought I was wrong and filled my mouth with saltwater. I kept my pie hole shut after that.

pee wee
Very Active Poster
Very Active Poster
Posts: 2276
Joined: Sun May 01, 2011 8:29 am
Location: Georgia

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by pee wee »

Jaysen wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 8:56 am the contrarian in me wants to point out that no one really cares about having to grind a crappy HF clamp off the side of the boat. But the first time you are grinding off a the-g-d-epoxy-won't-let-it-come-off clamp that was more than $20 you will start to wonder why you didn't just get the HF crappy ones.
Jaysen, I get the part of why spend more if less will do, buy more quantity for the same dollars, but the clamps we're talking about really won't hold what you clamp them to. I've got a few of the older ones from Harbor Freight and I used a few of the newer ones when I had a big clamp-up project and my neighbor loaned me his. Much as I needed every clamp I could get my hands on, I had to throw those newer clamps aside. They didn't just work poorly- they wouldn't hold at all. The price seems attractive, but in reality they're not worth what they cost.
Hank

jonnymac
Active Poster
Active Poster
Posts: 338
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2020 8:33 am
Location: Eliot, ME

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by jonnymac »

i find I have needed almost no pressure most of the time, Spring clamps are too much pressure most of the time as the epoxy just squeezes out.

The thing about harbor freight is you need to check the product before you leave store. Its easy to check clamps to see if they are going to hold. I have some more expensive bessey clamps from Home depot have as much holding problems for me.

Chenier
Active Poster
Active Poster
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:46 am
Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by Chenier »

Dougster wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 9:53 am The best answer is more.
This. Here's adding a sheer clamp to one side of an MF14. The only clamps I didn't use were my pipe clamps:

Image

Matthew Anderson
Frequent Poster
Frequent Poster
Posts: 56
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2020 9:20 pm
Location: Corpus Christi,Texas

Re: Which clamps to buy?

Post by Matthew Anderson »

From time to time Home Depot will have a sale on the 2" Anvil brand spring clamps for .99. The won't be on a shelf but in a cardboard temporary display box. I buy every one I can.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests