Clamps

[Parlourman]

Hello all,

I have a variety of clamps in my shop, mainly for furniture - some small-ish ones, but none particularly suited to guitar making.

I'd like to get anyones opinion on a minimum requirement for a build. Type and quantity - seeing as I seem to be throwing every spare cent at StewMac currently!

Spool clamps? how many? bridge clamps? cam-clamps? . . . . .

I've made a go bar deck, and have plenty of g-clamps for fingerboard.

Thanks

Steve

[kiwigeo]

My most used clamps are my cam clamps.

[charangohabsburg]

I think one never will have enough clamps. The problem is not only the mere quantity but also the fact that we (or at least me) always will find the need of more specialised clamps. How many of which clamps you need will depend quite a bit on the building method applied.

For example, my solera for classical guitar accepts 23 spool clamps, so I have 2 dozens of them. But one can do it using less clamps, or also more, and one can use cam clamps instead of spool clamps, or some other sort of clamping method...

Wooden cam clamps are nice because they do not weigh a ton and are faster in theis use than F-clamps are. I find it nice to have eight cam clamps but would love to have at least 80 (20 of for different sizes), just to be sure (sure? ) to never again have to think "right at this moment 'd like to have two more". Even if money is not a big issue (easy to make your own if you have the time) my problem would be where to stuff all that!

Bridge clamps: I use two or three, or also none at all... it depends on the instrument. Three is a good number for "normal" guitars.

I get more clamps as I see I will need (= believe to need / want) them in a close future. Visualising the whole process of the next build helps to figure out.

[jeffhigh]

I do all my body assembly (top and back to sides) with Go Bars, I have not got any spool clamps or cam clamps.
For other jobs, I use Irwin quick clamps, get the irwins not cheap knockoffs.
Vacuum clamping for the bridge.
The Go Bar deck really is versatile, not just for bracing.

[Parlourman]

Jeff - do you mean vacuum bag style system? - like this? http://www.carbatec.com.au/roarockit-th ... its_c19154 . . . . . i have been looking at these for sometime for furniture veneers . . . you can get a bag that fits a guitar in - but would you worry about putting to much pressure on the box itself?.....

Steve

[jeffhigh]

NO,NO,NO
Not a vacuum bag around the guitar, it would implode.
I use a vacuum clamp comprised of a frame stightly bigger than the bridge with a rubber membrane covering it and a seal around the bottom

[Parlourman]

Ha!! could have been the shortest lived guitar on the planet!

[Taffy Evans]

The way I did it was when I found a task that needed a clamp I did not have, or needed more than I had, I bought or made them at that time. As I do repairs and building, and build many types of instruments, I have a sh** load of clamps of all type,and sizes.
I thought that buying or making clamps this way would save me buying some "just in case", but I do, do that too.

[DennisK]

I'm a cam clamp guy, although they do have their shortcomings. Particularly the way they tend to pull the joint sideways as you tighten the cam. But if you put on a few of them oriented different directions and tighten them a little bit at a time, the joint will usually stay put. I love the quick action, deep reach, and large padded jaws that don't dent things.

Bare minimum is two each of 4", 6", and 8" reach. Better if you can get 3 each.

If you build with a radius dish and outside mould, then you'll probably be better off with go-bars instead of spool clamps for box closing. I build freeform so I prefer spool clamps. Can be done with 30 of them, but you really need at least 40.

I also have a couple of tiny Irwin quick grip clamps, which come in handy for all sorts of things.

For linings, get a bunch of little pinchy spring clamps. I only have one dozen, because I glue my linings in short strips between side braces. For full length lining strips you'd need at least two dozen, maybe more. And double that if you want to glue both sides at once... or quadruple to do all 4 strips at once.

And a few bricks for gravity clamping

I have a couple of F clamps, small C clamps, and a large C clamp... but I hardly ever use any of them.

[Nick]

I'm a cam clamp guy, although they do have their shortcomings. Particularly the way they tend to pull the joint sideways as you tighten the cam. But if you put on a few of them oriented different directions and tighten them a little bit at a time, the joint will usually stay put. I love the quick action, deep reach, and large padded jaws that don't dent things.

I love my cam clamps too, one thing I've found to counteract the side slip Dennis is if you are clamping to a workboard or dish & have enough room, is to raise the dish/board up on some blocks & have the movable jaw on the bottom. It eliminates the problem as the fixed jaw pulls down straight (because in essence it's not tilting as the cam jaw does which is what's inducing the side pull).

[Taffy Evans]

I had a bit of time yesterday so did an inventory of the clamps I have. I have three workshops and clamps to hand in each of them. So after the count I ended up with 157 assorted clamps and 30 hand spring clamps.
Among that lot are: 15 cam clamps, 53 spool clamp of varying sizes, 15 of those clamps that work like a caulking gun [indifferent sizes] and 3 boxes of little spring clamps as in the pic. That's what happens after years of repairing and building.

Needless to say no matter what job crops up there's a suitable clamp for it. Oh, I forgot to mention the strap clamps.

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[charangohabsburg]

And a few bricks for gravity clamping

You're right. Here we go:

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This was an improvised repair I had to do three years ago in a little town at the Peruvian coast. I remember it as a "no-tool" repair.
These were two out of four types of clamps I used then. The other two were cotton string and masking tape. Actually you can even see that in the picture above I also applied the cotton string clamp...

[ProfChris]

There's nothing wrong with gravity clamps. Here's the bridge plate going onto my most recent ukulele.



Mind you, this only works if they're your own books (though only edited, in this case).

[Nick]

There's nothing wrong with gravity clamps. Here's the bridge plate going onto my most recent ukulele.



Mind you, this only works if they're your own books (though only edited, in this case).

Shameless plug for your edit work there Chris Nice one! Not exactly a bit of light bedtime reading I suspect but just enough weight for 'holding down'

[ProfChris]

Shameless plug for your edit work there Chris Nice one! Not exactly a bit of light bedtime reading I suspect but just enough weight for 'holding down'

It would be if there were any potential buyers here, but i think they all have far, far better things to do! This is the 7th edition, and over twice as big as the first. If there ever is a 14th, it will become a suitable clamp for dreadnaughts.

[Taffy Evans]

I suppose the heavier the reading the better the clamping pressure.

Talking of gravity clamping I forgot these that were under the bench. the deluxe models have felt glued the one side.

[Taffy Evans]

Oooops!

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