Every craftsman who deals with products and parts made of metal or wood cannot do without homemade clamps. Previously, such a tool was produced in various modifications, from specialized to universal. The main task is to fix the workpiece for processing and joining operations. We will analyze how a do-it-yourself quick-clamp clamp is made in various variations.
Angle clamp
This type of do-it-yourself clamp made of metal is designed to fix two objects at a right angle and connect to each other by any methods, however, the main purpose is a conductor for welding metal parts at the required angle. To make it properly you will need the following components:
Corners should be welded at a 90 degree angle to metal or steel plates. We fix the worm structure by welding, and screw the stud-knob into the working nut in order to assemble the stop at the end. The stop must be free to rotate. Then, on the reverse side, it is necessary to drill a hole where we insert a metal rod as a lever. The incredibly simple design and practicality of use have become the key to the popularity of such a clamp among all those who work with metal and products made from it.
Joiner's clamp
Such designs used in carpentry are of the following types:
- Standard clamp, which is the most popular or simple;
- In the form of a caliper for parts small size and operational fixation;
- Self-clamping clamp for milling processes and working with workpieces of various heights.
The first type is made from two pine blocks, lock nuts, rods, threaded lamb nuts and thrust washers. The manufacturing process is very simple:
- We cut out working pliers from the bars, drill holes for the studs, taking into account a small backlash;
- We screw the studs and counter them in the appropriate ways;
- We provide convergence with nuts, made either in the form of wing nuts or standard nuts for improved tension.
The second option is used when prompt fixation of small parts is necessary. Production is carried out from small bars and thin-sheet plywood. The worm system is nuts for furniture and studs-collars. One stop is fixed, we fix it at the end of the guide rail, in which we cut out recesses to fix the moving mechanism.
There is both a portable and a stationary version of this design, where grooves are cut for movement with fixed stops attached. The clamp is a furniture nut, a hairpin and a knob. Due to this, it is possible to work with blanks of any dimensions.
The self-clamping design has a lever with an eccentric at the swivel end. We turn to a certain angle, a quick clamp is automatically obtained. The height is adjustable with a pin on the workbench. It is made individually for each matrix, depending on its purpose and the purpose of the work being carried out.
Pipe clamp
End-to-end welding of metal pipes is complicated operation. It is considered simpler to weld the pipe to the finished system. The design for such cases is made of a metal corner and steel plates. The halves of such a device should be fixed by the traditional method, namely, threaded studs. As a result, a fairly simple and efficient design can be obtained, which will greatly facilitate the work when welding pipes with various designs.
There are other types of designs, including cams, belts and wire clamps, that can be useful for working with specific designs, including especially fragile and thin ones. However, their production is the subject of separate master classes and articles on specialized resources.
Homemade clamps are indispensable helpers for any craftsman working with metal and wooden parts and products. To make them is quite simple and very exciting. Here it is important to observe the manufacturing technology, to find optimal instructions and videos. You can buy clamps, but they may not be suitable in the end due to the specificity of the blanks or work. That is why you should make clamps yourself. Good luck with various blanks and making homemade quick-clamp clamps!
For hundreds of years that a person has been processing wood and making various products from it, it seems that the craftsmen have tried all possible tools and devices. Meanwhile, the creation of all kinds of devices continues today. It is likely that all this has already been invented by someone in past years, but each master tries to make devices suitable for him.
Wooden frames for pictures or photos shrink when glued, probably hundreds various ways. I myself can offer at least a dozen options offhand, here is one of the devices for this work from White Myers, Workbench website.
Tape ties are used most often for compression when gluing square or rectangular products. Such as chairs, stools, boxes and small tables. The use of this mechanism is convenient in that you can compress the entire product at once, smearing it with glue and assembling the legs, drawstrings and legs of the chair. But when gluing wooden frames, band tie in usual form doesn't fit. The fact is that during compression it is impossible to maintain angles exactly under 90 *, due to the uneven contraction.
In order to use the tape tie when assembling the frames, you need to make four corner blocks. The blocks have an outer rounded edge, which helps to evenly compress the product and sawn inner corner, exactly under 90*. At the beginning of the corner, it is imperative to drill a hole to prevent the frame from sticking to the blocks. More clip options for the frame in the article.
Clip for small parts
Each woodworker uses to process details grinding discs and grinding drums. Sometimes you have to process a large number of small wooden parts. It can be difficult to hold them in your hand, moreover, there is a risk of hooking the drum with your hands.
To make a clip, you need two wooden bars 150-200 mm long. and section 30/15 mm. . Bars can be made by sawing a round blank with a diameter of 30 mm into two parts. . Holes are drilled in the center of the bars for a clamping bolt with a lamb and several washers.
During operation, the necessary clearance between the platforms is immediately established, and compression is performed using a wooden wedge in the tail section. The process is quick and simple, we insert the part, push the wedge and work. We take out the wedge, change the part and again clamp it with a wedge.
The processing of workpieces on a carpentry workbench will be convenient when using various devices that fix the parts on the table surface. With your own hands, it’s really possible to make both the simplest stops and clamps, as well as universal systems that allow you to fix workpieces of any configuration.
Simple wooden stops for a carpentry workbench - drawing, example
Homemade bench stops made of wood do not blunt the tool and do not spoil the ends of the parts. Devices are divided according to the type of rod and inserted into holes of the appropriate shape.
Rectangular wedges do not rotate and ensure the absolute immobility of the workpiece. The stops themselves are easy to make, but gouging square sockets will take a lot of time and effort. It is advisable to arrange these holes in the countertops from solid boards at the manufacturing stage. carpentry workbench.
In work surfaces made of sheet material, it is more correct to use stops with a cylindrical rod. Such devices are convenient for fixing curved parts, and holes for them can always be drilled in the right place. Rigid fixation of rectangular blanks is achieved by installing an additional bar with two rods.
How to make an emphasis with a round rod
Birch, cherry, maple or walnut is suitable for the bench stop shaft. The top plank is made from the same solid wood or plywood. Low profile stop can be made from laminated panel high density remaining after laying the flooring.
Decide on the diameter of the rod. If you plan to purchase ready-made fixators later, select standard size 19 mm. If you are confident in the further independent manufacture of fixtures for a carpentry workbench, use a diameter of 21 mm. Such outer size have half-inch water pipes, from which homemade clamping clamps are made. Approximately the same value corresponds to the conditional passage of three quarter pipes suitable for the manufacture of round rods of wood.
Take a piece of pipe with a diameter of 3/4 inch, 60-80 mm long and with a thread of at least 20 mm. Sharpen the edges from one end and screw the nut onto the other.
Insert fixture into inch pipe and drive a birch stick through it, striking from above with a heavy hammer.
Cut the wood when the chips hit the nut. It may seem that it is easier to take a longer tube, but then punching will be much harder.
After driving the stick, remove the burrs sandpaper. Wooden rods made in this way may have minor flaws that do not affect the overall shape of the cylinder. At the beginning of the arrangement of the home workshop, when there are no special machines yet, you will not find more easy way making a round stick with your own hands.
Draw on the blanks the upper parts of the stops in the right amount and mark the centers for drilling the holes.
Make indentations half the thickness of the material with a spade drill. Start drilling at low speed, lightly pressing on the drill. At the moment of contact, marks will appear on the surface, which will show where the tool should be deflected for perpendicular drilling.
Saw the blanks, grind the ends and countersink the holes for the screws.
Apply wood glue to the rod and into the recess.
Connect the parts, press them with your hands and wipe off excess glue. Insert the rod into the hole in the tabletop and tighten the screw.
After ten minutes, carefully pull out the fence, pushing from below and without moving the parts. Leave the device until the glue is completely dry.
Drill holes for bench supports where you see fit. Most often they are needed on the left side of the table for planing workpieces and next to the vise for sharing. The distance between the centers of the holes must be the same everywhere and correspond to the size of the long stops. Attach from below before drilling unnecessary board so that there are no chips when the drill exits.
How to make an emphasis for cutting boards
The stop located on the side of the tabletop is convenient for cross-cutting boards. When it is not needed, its rotary part is lowered and does not interfere. Use the fixture in conjunction with a long bench rest, holding the board firmly with one hand and working with a hacksaw with the other.
Cut the wooden elements of the stop from the remnants of hardwood. Make two countersunk holes in the fixed part and one in the turn plate, exactly matching the diameter of the screw being used.
Mark on the end of the table the location of the moving part in line with the bench stop.
Fasten the turntable first, adding a block if necessary to increase the thickness of the countertop. Next, install a fixed part perpendicular to it.
Universal bench clamps
Movable fasteners allow you to fix various workpieces and removable work panels on the carpentry workbench. The clamps move in flush-cut metal T-slot rails (T-slots), which can be aluminum or steel.
How to make DIY guides
An analogue of factory rails with a T-slot is easy to make from a metal pipe of a rectangular or square section. A profile with a height of no more than half the thickness of the countertop is suitable. Immediately pick up the bolts and mark the cutout on one side of the pipe in proportion to the diameter of the bolt.
Cut the groove with a grinder, trim the edges with a file and round the edges with sandpaper.
Select suitable profile cuts for making sliders if the hex head is smaller than the chute and rotates in it.
Drill holes for the bolts and cut the brackets, calculating their height to be 1-2 mm less than the internal passage of the profile.
How to embed guides in the countertop
Use manual frezer for sampling recesses in the countertop. If the insert profile is wider than the cutter, make the groove in two passes.
Draw a markup on the surface and install a flat panel parallel to it. To prevent chipping when the cutter exits, attach a wooden lath close to the end.
Set the milling depth gauge and select the slot in multiple passes.
Rearrange the panel, cut out the remaining material and sand the recess with abrasive paper.
Fasten the guides with screws, making recesses in the metal for the caps.
How to make a simple clamp bar
Customizable clamping systems provide many options for securing parts on the joinery. The simplest design is a clamping bar, fixed by bolts sliding in T-shaped tracks.
Saw strips of plywood, adding 20 mm to the width of the parts indicated on the drawing, in order to cut the glued workpiece later and get perfectly even ends. For the middle part, plywood trimmings of the same thickness will fit.
Glue the parts, drill holes with a countersink to a distance of 25 mm from the edges and tighten the screws on both sides. After the glue has dried, saw off the workpiece to the final dimensions with a circular saw.
Cut plywood washers with a diameter slightly larger than the width of the clamping bar.
Carefully drill holes for the bolts in them.
Place the fixture on the surface of the carpentry workbench, put on washers and tighten with wing nuts.
The clamping bar is great for holding large workpieces and also as a side stop, along which the tool can be guided, for example, when milling a longitudinal slot.
How to make clamps from plywood
Simple and convenient clips in the form of brackets are fixed on the workbench in the same T-slots, they are easy to move and allow you to fix various parts in any position.
The device consists of a plywood part with a groove, a bolt with a slider, washers, a wing nut and a metal sleeve.
For the manufacture of wooden elements, you will need a template; it is easy to draw it on paper following our instructions.
How to make a template
Trace the template on the plywood and mark the center of the hole with an awl.
Make a hole with a spatula drill with a diameter of 22 mm.
Prepare the rest of the blanks and join them together with wood glue and screws. Sand the ends, paying Special attention upper semicircle and lower rounded parts.
Take a half-inch tube, measure on it a segment as long as the thickness of the plywood bracket. Drill a hole in the center for the bolt and cut the bushing to size. Grind off metal burrs with a file and clean the surface with an emery cloth.
Assemble the clamp by placing washers under the nut.
The clamping bracket in the photo below is simpler and is made in a similar way. When using this design, it is necessary to put a lining of approximately the same thickness under the second arm of the lever, otherwise the bolt will be skewed, leading to deformation of the guide rail.
Increase the possibilities of the clamping system by making another T-shaped track from a profile pipe. By positioning the guide between the rails cut into the table, you can fasten parts anywhere on the carpentry workbench.
Such an additional bar is fixed along the edges with short bolts, and inside the profile there are small plywood liners with holes.
The considered fixtures for the carpentry workbench are easy to manufacture and are suitable for securing most workpieces. Further engagement in carpentry will require new stops or clamps, which ingenuity will help to come up with, and the experience that comes gradually will allow you to do it.
Experienced furniture makers, carpenters, plumbing masters rightly believe that a clamp is no less important tool than a handy workbench, a well-balanced planer, or a set of razor-sharp Swedish steel chisels. The device can be bought, rented, but it is best to make a clamp with your own hands. In this case, there will be confidence that a simple device will not let you down at the most crucial moment.
The essence of the clamp device
Structurally, a clamp is the simplest device that allows you to press a part, a workpiece, several components into one whole for installing fasteners - self-tapping screws, bolts with nuts, rivets, or while the glue dries.
To the device of the clamp, regardless of the design, material and size of the fixture, two basic requirements are imposed:
- The frame of the clamp must not deform under load, the rigidity of the frame of the fixture must be sufficient to keep the clamping jaws parallel to the plane;
- The design of the clamping screw should provide adjustable and smooth pressing of the movable clamp support on the fixed surface.
There are a fairly large number of various clamp schemes, and although the device of any clamp is essentially primitive, no one is trying to make a universal design that could be used in any situation. The device turns out to be very heavy, uncomfortable and difficult to use.
Therefore, the dimensions and scheme of the fixture are selected based on the dimensions of the parts to be joined and the required pressing force. Conventionally, clamps are divided into three large groups:
- Carpentry and furniture bar clamps, they are trying to be made from hardwood and metal;
- Mounting clamps of high rigidity;
- Locksmith resistant clamps.
In addition to classic ruler clamps, custom-made clamps of non-standard schemes are widely used, most of them are made for one or two operations of increased complexity.
For example, drilling in an array of several boards to a great depth, cutting or gluing a beam in a figured way at a right or non-standard angle, welding parts complex configuration. More than enough options The best way provide the most high quality connections - it's still to make a clamp right size and forms.
DIY wooden universal clamp
The easiest way is to make a clamp from a wooden plank and timber. Wood is a fairly democratic material, so if you mark up the parts correctly and use the proper tools, you can make a clamp of any level of complexity without much effort.
To make a wooden clamp you will need the following tools and fixtures:
- Desktop drilling machine power 400-500 W for drills from 1-15 mm. The vertical stroke of the drill chuck must be at least 120 mm;
- Electric grinding wheel. You can make it yourself, for this, on an electric grinder instead of abrasive stone a plywood circle is installed, 10 mm thick and 350 mm in diameter, on which sandpaper sheets are glued on both sides;
- Hand-held circular saw for wood with a blade diameter of at least 150 mm. You can use a grinder or a band saw.
All other operations can be done with a hand tool. Of course, you can also drill holes and cut grooves hand drill and a hacksaw, but it will be very difficult to achieve the required quality and accuracy of workmanship using hand tools.
Classic F Clamp
The design of the simplest wooden clamp looks like the Latin letter F. The vertical and upper horizontal bars are one piece - a fixed guide connected by an emphasis of one of the jaws. The central bridge of the letter F is the movable or reciprocal part of the jaws, which is driven by a lead screw. The third part of the clamp with a drive screw is made in a removable version. The clamp can be moved along the length of the guide bar, the distance between the jaws can be made smaller or larger, as far as the length of the base rail allows.
The general view of the clamp is shown in the photo.
First you need to make a guide rail. For these purposes, larch or spruce board is suitable. All other parts of the clamp can be made from any wood, except for soft varieties - poplar, linden, birch.
Important! For the manufacture of any fixtures and accessories, only defect-free wood is used. If there is none, then it is best to make a clamp from ordinary plywood 15-20 mm thick.
The base bar is cut along the length of the future fixture. The supporting fixed part of the jaws of the clamp bears the lion's share of the load, so it is best to make the guide from the strongest wood or use a little trick.
By side end the slats cut out a semicircular groove into which a steel bar with a diameter of 8-10 mm is placed. On the one hand, the end is bent around the end, at the other end, the rod is connected to a fixed sponge with a nut screwed onto a pre-cut thread.
The fixed part of the jaws is glued to the guide bar with carpentry glue, after the glue has dried, the supporting surface is carefully cut at an angle of 90 ° to the guide bar. This part can be made glued, or a mounting groove can be cut with a hand-held circular saw.
The reciprocal or movable part of the jaws is cut out together with the support for the screw from one bar. Next, in both blanks, you need to make U-shaped cuts, allowing you to put the parts on the guide bar. After removing the burr, the workpiece is installed in a package in a drilling machine and a hole is drilled for the lead screw.
If enough is expected intensive use clamps, then a brass tube must be pressed into the hole for the screw, and a plain bearing must be made. Otherwise, the lead screw will quickly break the hole by 2-5 mm, which will make the tool unsuitable for work.
Clamp assembled from wood and steel
It is convenient to work with a wooden clamp if you need to make a small pressure to fix a package of several planks or glue two parts together. If it is planned to process a beam or board with a carpentry tool, planer or grinder, then it is best to make a clamp for fixing the material with a metal guide.
The process of making a clamp from wood and steel is as follows:
It remains to assemble the clamp, the rearranged part is drilled under the fixing bolt, a bolt or stud is installed and tightened with a nut. At the end of the assembly, two or three idle runs should be made to upset the walls and facilitate the rotation of the screw.
Wooden clamp for fixing and screed sets
In 40% of cases, work in a carpentry or furniture shop requires the use of long clamps to tighten whole sets or packages of planks, form furniture panels, countertops and door leaf. The manufacturing process of clamps for the needs of the screed is practically no different from the usual wooden F-shaped fixture.
Unlike other fixture schemes, the screed clamp is made of massive timber, with a section of 50x50 mm and a length of at least 100 cm.
In addition, three blocks of oak or beech are required in order to make a fixed support with a lead screw and two parts of the jaws - rearranged and movable.
On the reciprocal rearranged support, an installation groove is cut and a hole is drilled into which a nut is pressed under the mounting bolt. The distance between the supports can be made larger or smaller if the sponge is moved to the next hole and fixed with a bolt.
Wooden clip from hanger parts
A small device, very reminiscent of a tightening type of clamps, can easily be made from ordinary suit hangers. wooden base hangers are made of two identical halves of a trapezoidal shape.
First of all, to make a clip from a hanger, you need to fold the two halves of the hangers into one bag and clamp it in the vice of a drilling machine.
Without opening the machine vise, you will need to make four holes with a diameter of 8 mm. Two blanks are obtained, each of which has a pair of through holes. It remains to make a clamp, for this it is necessary to cut off two studs with an M8 thread, each 25 cm long. Studs can be glued into one of the halves or make a symmetrical version, as in the photo.
From the clamp, you can make a fixing device for gluing boards, holding pipes, or pulling together a package of several planks.
Fast C-clamp for wood
Except classic options joinery clamps and clamps, when working with furniture and wood materials, you have to use small-sized clamps. One of these devices is a C-shaped clamp made of wood, photo.
Before making a clamp, you need to find suitable blank from wood. C-clamps require very strong wood, so acacia, elm or steppe oak are used for manufacturing. The U-shaped body is cut out with a grinder. At overall size case 100x100 mm, the width of the sidewalls must be at least 2.5 cm.
In one of the sidewalls, you need to make a through hole with a diameter of 12 mm, into which two steel nuts, M8 or M6, are pressed. The easiest way is to screw the nuts onto the threaded rod, grease with glue and insert into the hole. It is necessary to make several gentle blows with a mallet so that the nuts with a slight interference fit into the through hole. It remains to make a handle, and the C-shaped clamp is ready.
Do-it-yourself metal clamp
Most metalwork and carpentry clamps are made of metal, most often steel or aluminum alloys, there are only two reasons for such selectivity:
- High strength of metal parts;
- Long service life even under heavy load.
To make metal clamps, you will need welding equipment, a grinder and a regular electric drill and a jigsaw.
Long clamp
It would be most logical to make a clamp in which the guide rail or plank of wood is replaced by a square profile pipe. A meter clamp can be made from a 20x20 mm square, for a two-meter one you need a 30x30 mm profile. The use of tubular square profile allows you to make the structure very rigid without "toffees" and shrinkage, as is the case with lumber.
The easiest way is to make a long clamp along classical scheme. Stationary, movable and adjustable parts are made of thick plywood.
Each part consists of two halves, which are cut with a jigsaw and tightened with bolts on a long square tube. The lead screw can be made from two parts of a threaded stud and a regular piece of reinforcement.
Homemade welded rebar clamp
Instead of wood, you can use a regular reinforcing bar with a cross section of 8-10 mm. To make a clamp body from reinforcement, you will need to cut two blanks 65 and 55 cm long. The bars are heated for blowtorch and bent on a steel mandrel at a right angle according to the drawing.
The bent blanks are welded into one L-shaped structure, the spout and the linear sections of the reinforcement are necessarily connected by a welding seam.
The next step is to make a stand for the lead screw from a segment of 20 cm, to which a nut is welded. If the clamping force on the clamp is more than 50 kg, then the rack can be made bent or strengthened with an additional brace.
Homemade G-Clamp
The G-hull design is also called screw press behind great effort, which can be obtained using a lead screw. Making a G-shaped clamp is quite simple. To do this, it is necessary to cut the workpiece of the body of thick metal with a grinder, at least 7-8 mm thick.
The body is welded with the letter P. On the top shelf, you need to make a hole for the nut, then screw it onto the lead screw and install it in place of welding. A small piece of metal is placed on the bottom shelf - a table, which is pressed with an unscrewed screw. You only need to make a few welding points or seams to weld the table and nut, and the clamp is ready.
Wooden spacer for metal clamp support
An important part of any clamp is the lining that is installed under the supporting surfaces of the clamp. This is done to achieve two goals:
- Prevent damage to the part clamped by the clamp, since in metal fixtures the clamping pressure can easily reach several hundred kilograms;
- Evenly transfer and distribute the force from the lead screw to the surface furniture board or fixed part.
It is best to make a gasket from ordinary birch plywood or softwood with a rough surface.
Clamp for winding the wire on the mandrel
A very difficult task is considered to be a reliable fixation of steel wire on a round workpiece, for example, rubber pipe or fitting head. Structurally, such a device consists of a double body and a winding pin.
The wire is wrapped around the pipe and hooked on a pin with a bolt head. For 2-3 turns with a key, the wound one-and-a-half loop is pulled to the desired state. It remains to twist the wire on the hose into several turns by turning the body and cut off its ends.
Do-it-yourself angle clamps
The use of specialized clamps today remains the only possible way to assemble any rectangular or square designs made of wood and metal with a perfectly set right angle.
For example, a system of ready-made triangles that cover the planes of the joining sides and firmly hold them in the desired position until the fasteners are installed or welding is completed.
Clamp universal for any angle
A right angle, as a rule, is not a particular problem when working with clamps, it is much more difficult to make an angle of arbitrary size. To solve such problems, you need to make a fixture for the clamp, as in the photo.
At the core additional device an ordinary pine block is used with a sector cut out in the center right angle. The second part is the usual right triangle, which can be made from spruce or pine slats.
A through hole is drilled at the top of the corner of the sector, with a diameter of 5-6 mm. It is the hole that allows the triangle to swing and change the angle of inclination of the clamp by 3-7 o.
Angle Steel Assembly Clamp
Connecting two parts at a right angle is much easier if you fix them in an angled clamp. In the simplest case, the device consists of two guides made of a cut profile pipe or a steel corner.
The guides must be set using a square at an angle of 90 ° and connected with additional sheet metal overlays.
To ensure that the workpieces do not fall out of the fixture during operation, two G-shaped clamps are additionally installed on each of the guides.
Do-it-yourself quick-clamp clamp
Sometimes when working with wood, clamps are required, with which you can fix or tack the part to the desktop or place in just a few seconds.
In order to make a quick clamp, you will need wooden planks or plywood 16-18 mm thick. Initially, the tracing paper of the details is transferred to the tree and cut out using an electric jigsaw. In the driven parts, it will be necessary to make cuts for the entry of the counterpart.
At the marked points of the axes, you need to make holes with a diameter of 20 mm.
Hinge axles are cut out of a round billet, ground and pressed into holes. It turns out the design of the clamp, somewhat reminiscent of scissors. The drive uses a standard lead screw with a diameter of 6 mm.
Clip for holding and fixing small parts
In a similar way, you can make a clamp for fixing especially small parts. You will first need to mark and cut out two halves of a device similar to tweezers or a medical clip from OSB or plywood.
The crescent-shaped blanks are interconnected using a wooden axis, so a hole of the appropriate diameter must be made in each of the parts of the clamp. For the body of the clamp, you can use ash or spruce, the axis must be made of a harder material - oak or beech.
Clamp made of rebar and wood
Using a reinforcing bar with a length of 50-60 cm and a diameter of 8 mm, you can make a very strong and at the same time lightweight frame for universal use.
The design is based on the support wooden block from hardwoods. The dimensions of the block are 150x50x30mm. Dimensions may vary depending on the thickness and bending radius of the reinforcing bar. A hook from a piece of reinforcement can be bent with a heavy hammer to steel pipe. The bend must be made so that the bent reinforcement is flat.
Tape universal clamp
One of the most interesting unusual clamp designs uses a thick polyester fabric belt as a strength element. A band clamp is used where it is necessary to evenly tighten several parts.
To make a band clamp, you need to do corner elements and a polyester belt tensioner. Three corners are cut out of ordinary pine on a printed tracing paper. The fourth element is stretching device It is made of two blocks and a tension screw.
The tape is passed around the block, if you unscrew the screw with a wrench, the distance between the blocks increases, and the belt of the device is tightened, pressing all four blocks to the part.
Cam fast clamps
Often, a part or workpiece in a clamp must be fixed quickly, and the clamp must be made without unnecessary movements. For example, when drying or painting a batch of panels or frames. For these purposes, it is best to make a specialized device with cam clamps, photo.
The difference of this device lies in the fact that instead of the traditional lead screw, plywood eccentrics are installed on the vertical jaws of the clamp.
To do this, on wooden racks, you must first make a cut along the thickness of the eccentric.
Telescopic folding clamp
The idea of a telescopic clamping device is based on a set of pipes that fit into each other with a minimum gap, like a folding fishing rod, and a set of ring clamps with a screw lock.
A ring is cut off from each pipe, to which a piece of metal with threaded threads is welded. A wrapped screw or bolt fixes the pipe located inside, which allows the entire structure to be clamped into one extended rod.
Mounting universal clamps
In addition to clamps, two-shelf universal clamps are widely used to fix glued parts of complex configuration, photo.
The idea of a clamp is borrowed from a bookbinding press, the dimensions and number of clamps are selected depending on the size of the part.
4-Way Poly Clamps for Wooden Panels
The lack of reliable fixation remains one of the problems that one has to face when assembling and gluing a shield from several wide and flat strips. It will not work to make an assembly even from five or six glued planks and pull the material with ordinary long clamps; with the slightest increase in effort, the shield arches.
The solution to the problem will be a fixture with four clamps, photo.
The panel is fixed with two pairs of clips. At the ends of each pair, you need to make a cross-shaped clamp from a nut and metal plates. At the opposite end of the mount, a height-adjustable hinge is installed. The lead screw of each clamp rests against a wooden lining. It is enough to make a few turns of the screw so that a pair of bars firmly compress the parts to be glued.
Clamping box for workbench mounting
If there is no special mounting cradle, parts of a complex configuration are not so easy to fix on flat surface workbench. In this case, to process wood detail complex spatial design, it is best to make a clamping box.
Making the design is quite simple:
- A box-shaped frame is assembled from plywood;
- Two beams are sewn along the long sides of the box, best made from pine, with a section of 50x50 mm;
- A number of mounting crossbars of the same material are stuffed.
The box allows, with the help of clamps, to ensure the retention of any, the most complex part. If it is planned to use powerful power tools for its processing, a clamp or clamp must also be made for the box-shaped base, fixing the fixture on the table.
Homemade coffee table clamp
A serious problem for everyone wooden tables magazine type was and remains a low transverse rigidity of the frame, even without a load, the tabletop often has a small, but extremely unpleasant backlash.
You can fix the problem by installing a homemade clamp or a tightening spring. Two planks or blocks of wood are connected to each other with a long metal bracket.
The fixture can be made with a screw clamp or self-clamping. In any case, the bars will strengthen and fix the frame with legs, thereby eliminating the existing backlash.
Inexpensive simple clip from a PVC pipe ring
Sometimes you have to look for improvised means to hold when carrying, but more often when drilling or processing parts and objects round section. The simplest version of the clamp can be made from a PVC pipe ring.
Enough to drill two through holes, insert a couple of pieces of reinforcement and cut the wall of the ring in one place. The device is designed for a certain diameter of the part, so you will have to make a whole set of clamps to work.
Racks for a set of clamps
Work tools and clamps should first of all be stored in a specially designated place. Instead of a pile of tools that are difficult to find and select the necessary device, it is best to make several split racks or shelves. In this case, it will take only a couple of minutes to quickly select a few of the most suitable clamps in terms of size and design, and not half a day, as before.
Improvised clamps
Often, in carpentry work or when assembling wooden structures, there is not enough time to make full-fledged clamps and clamps. That's when wit and experience come to the rescue.
For example, a round workpiece can be fixed with several rings stuffed onto the frame.
Reinforcing bar or water pipe can be clamped with an impromptu clamp from several bars and adhesive tape.
An ordinary trunk tie-down cord will help pull off a set of a dozen wooden planks like a tape clip.
In the process of woodworking, in most cases, a carpenter's clamp is indispensable. Whether it is necessary to glue wooden blanks, fix a sheet, board, slab during cutting - a clamp will definitely be needed. There are similar products on sale, but, according to experienced craftsmen, they are characterized by two significant drawbacks - limited size and low strength, since soft metals (alloys) are mainly used for their production in order to reduce costs.
Those who have to work with wood quite often prefer homemade carpentry clamps. How to make such a device with your own hands, what to pay attention to and take into account - this is described in the article.
There are many modifications of carpentry clamps - angular, G-shaped, edge, universal. Some are used for permanent job with various blanks (by area, thickness), others are made for a specific technological operation(for single use).
The author considers it appropriate to dwell only on those that are most often used by "home craftsmen". If the principle of their functioning becomes clear, then with your own hands you will be able to make any kind of carpentry clamp, according to your own requests. Unless, of course, "turn on" the fantasy and think carefully.
The author deliberately does not indicate the linear dimensions of the clamps. One of the advantages of their self-manufacturing consists in the possibility of an arbitrary choice of the shape and dimensions of carpentry clamps. There is no standard for such devices. And it is hardly advisable for a person who is accustomed (and knows how) to do everything with his own hands to “chew” elementary things. The main thing is to give an idea, to “suggest an idea”, and everything else is at your own discretion.
Option number 1
The simplest modification of the clamp. It is done quite quickly, but the use of such a joiner's clamp is somewhat limited. Although in most cases, when working with small-sized samples, it is quite enough.
The frame of a hacksaw for metal is taken as the basis of the device. The fastening elements of the canvas are replaced by long threaded rods, at one end of which there is an iron "penny" (as an option - a nut), at the other - or removable handle, or a cap for an open-end wrench.
Since the frame can be adjusted in length, such a clamp will allow you to fix workpieces of various thicknesses. It is mainly used when gluing parts (), since the body of the fixture itself cannot be fixed on any surface. The only thing to consider is that if the frame is collapsible (the old modification of the “hacksaw”), then you will have to put a “tire” at the bend (for example, wrap it with adhesive tape). In operation, such a clamp is not entirely convenient, but in the absence of something more suitable, it is a good solution to the problem.
Option number 2
Also a fairly simple clamp model. It is done by hand relatively quickly. The device of the device is clear from the figure. All you need is a metal corner and a couple of long screws or threaded rods.
If you make several of these clamps, then with their help it will be possible to perform various carpentry work. For example, glue long workpieces. To do this, it is enough to set the clamps at a certain interval, and lay metal strips or slats of hardwood between the stops and the workpiece. Alternatively, fix the assembly on a workbench. The same applies to cutting blanks.
Before sawing, they are fixed on the tabletop, and their immobility will be guaranteed. This design can be modified by welding metal plates to the corners. This significantly increases the clamping area.
In fact, for domestic use, such a modification of a joiner's clamp is one of the best. Experienced craftsmen always have a ready-made set of several devices with different dimensions at hand. Depending on the specifics of the work, you may need a clamping device from a corner either 25 or 45.
The versatility of such a modification is that it is made of metal, therefore, it is characterized by sufficient strength. Unlike wooden clamps, here you can adjust the clamping force in a wide range, and work not only with wood, but also with other materials - glass, plastics, and iron. What in everyday life and often have to do.
This design can be somewhat modified. For example, when processing logs at a mini-sawmill (cutting into boards, sawing), they must also be fixed. In this case, an improved modification of such a carpentry clamp is suitable. It is enough to take strip iron as its basis, at the ends of which to weld the same corners.
Varieties and modifications
Here are a few more types of carpentry clamps. All these clamps are easy to assemble with your own hands.
The question is different - how expedient is it to use wood as a starting material? There are arguments both for and against. But if a tree is chosen for the base of a joiner's clamp, then it must meet certain criteria.
- The breed is only hard (pear, oak, walnut and the like). Otherwise, there is no need to talk about any clamping force. And the durability of the clamp of their “soft” wood raises certain doubts.
- Humidity is minimal. Only after high-quality drying of the material can it be used for the manufacture of clamping parts.
Good luck, reader, in making your own clamp. Do not be afraid to fantasize, and everything will work out for you!
