Bar Clamps

mountain4don · Post by **mountain4don** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:08 pm

I am in the process of building a set of shelves up along our exposed stairway to the second floor. And the individual shelves and vertical panels are just glued up 3/4" oak boards approximately 25" x 18". Fitted to a framework already constructed along the stairway. So I am looking for a system of clamps to glue up these panels and came across the old Shopsmith Maxi-Clamp systems on one of the auction places. Does anybody have one of these and can tell me if they are functional and useful? I notice that Shopsmith doesn't sell anything like this anymore.

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:32 pm

mountain4don wrote:I am in the process of building a set of shelves up along our exposed stairway to the second floor. And the individual shelves and vertical panels are just glued up 3/4" oak boards approximately 25" x 18". Fitted to a framework already constructed along the stairway. So I am looking for a system of clamps to glue up these panels and came across the old Shopsmith Maxi-Clamp systems on one of the auction places. Does anybody have one of these and can tell me if they are functional and useful? I notice that Shopsmith doesn't sell anything like this anymore.

Are these the ones?

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... blebar.htm

Ed

lv2wdwrk · Post by **lv2wdwrk** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:47 pm

reible wrote:Are these the ones?

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... blebar.htm

Ed

More like these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Shopsm ... 3a7781ab12

or these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Maxi-c ... 3cc907a842

berry · Post by **berry** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 5:52 pm

I've had a set since '82 but I've never been successful at getting them to work very well, can't seem to get any real clamping pressure. It may be me... maybe I'm not patient enough or haven't read the directions carefully or???

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 6:16 pm

lv2wdwrk wrote:More like these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Shopsmith-Maxi-Clamp-System-505846-/251113089810?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a7781ab12

or these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Maxi-clamp-clamping-system-made-by-Shopsmith-NOS-MIB-/261070760002?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc907a842

OK then, those have a reason why they are not sold anymore.... and yes I did fall for getting a set. They are not what you want for doing the large panel glue-ups.

I think you will need to look for clamps more like this:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page ... lter=25629

There are other brands and styles all of which probably would work just as well, I just happened to buy Bessey when I got stated and kept with the brand. You can never have too many clamps but they add up the cost quickly... I'd shop around for a better prices or make sure you have a discount to use at Rockler (Just put an order in from them with 15% off the whole order).

Try to size the clamps to what you need, so if you are gluing up something 20" wide go for 24" clamps, it makes the process go a lot easier then trying to use 60" clamps for the job. They are relatively heavy so making them easier to handle helps. I have only enough for a single clamp up so if I'm doing panels it takes a long time but I have more time then money so I live with it. (This referrers to having your glue up set overnight in clamps.)

Ed

mountain4don · Post by **mountain4don** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:34 pm

reible wrote:Are these the ones?

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... blebar.htm

Ed

No, they are a series of threaded rods and connectors and clamp brackets on the ends and nuts to hold it all together it looks like. Like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261070760002?_t ... 97.c0.m619

mountain4don · Post by **mountain4don** » Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:35 pm

lv2wdwrk wrote:More like these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Shopsm ... 3a7781ab12

or these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shopmate-Maxi-c ... 3cc907a842

Yes, these are the ones.

keakap · Post by **keakap** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:52 pm

mountain4don wrote:Yes, these are the ones.

['the ones' being the maxi-clamp thingie, not the double-bar]

I've got the Double-Bar clamps, NOT the threaded rods etc kits.
Used as the SS blurb says (and as Nick suggests for a veneer press) the Double-Bar clamps work dang near perfectly.
And after looking quickly at the Bessey advertisement mentioned earlier I get the impression the Double-Bar jobs, especially in the 3-sets, are easily cost competitive if not cheaper.
Once I used them a time or two- and made some a Nick's spacers outta scrap- I found them to be reasonably easy to set up. One Use caution: they are capable of too much clamping pressure (the ol' squeeze-n-starve trick).

SQUEEZE-out-- I think Nick recommended using wax paper under the clamping edges. I use some oven-paper (found in the pantry when the Pantry Boss wasn't around) that's used for lining cookie sheets and like that. It is some of the slickest stuff I ever done seen, and it just laughs at glue.
Another porpoise for it is to wrap a piece around the roller on an outfeed support for the table saw. If the roller is a wee little bit off-perpendicular to the blade it'll drag the cutoff that way, but with this baking-paper stuff it just slides right straight on. Great stuff.

Anaway, I do like the Double-Bar clamps. Buy 'em on sale.