Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-2, страница 39

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Of little use to a furniture maker, in the author's opinion, spring clamps are nonetheless essential for a musical instrument or model maker. You can store them in a drawer or bin.

Expanding Clamp Varieties

"While I still have my C-clamps, I have in practice replaced them with fast-acting bar clamps, a product not available in my youth. And that is a good example of "new" clamp styles that are being developed all the time, although it is reasonable to question if a new design actually brings any advantages to the tasks at hand. These newer styles of clamps, some of which are piled together in the photo at right, do bring with them a whole new set of storage challenges.

As they migrate into your shop, I suggest that you take the time to figure out their place and put them there. Remember the old maxim ... it will serve vou well.

Ian Kirby is a master woodworker, designer and author. His work is a regular feature of the Woodworker's Journal.

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An essential tool for furniture makers is the fast-acting bar clamp. Store them in a similar fashion to other bar clamps.

Bar or pipe clamps are essential for anyone wishing to make furniture. Store them on a wall rack or rolling shop cart system like the one shown.

No two clamps are alike in this pile o' clamps. Compare the choice that confronts today's starting woodworker with the absence of choice the author had at that stage of his career, shown in the photo on page 35.

Building Materials

Sheet material makes as effective a tower as a frame, and I happened to have some I/a" thick MDF. Had it been 5/8 CDX plywood, the outcome would have been the ;ame. Matt had some Record bar clamps and, since the :ompany is no longer in business, he won't be buying any more.To extend his range of bar-type clamps, he had "■ested in some Rockier pipe clamp heads.They are resigned so that the screw handle clears the bench as it :_"ns.The casting that keeps it off the bench is thickened at the foot. I don't know if it was intentional from a storage Doint of view, but a carrier with a rabbet on the inside Drovides for easy hanging.

The Record bar clamps and fast-acting bar clamps hang on four crossbeams.The beams were cut to length and "tted with 1/2" x 3" x 5" plywood pads screwed to each end.The beams were positioned by placing one of each damp on the MDF at the desired hanging angle. Once the

beams were screwed to one side, the assembly was set up on the second side.The two sides were aligned using a purpose-made wooden try square, simply two pieces of wood clamped together at right angles.The blade went from the top side to overlap the bottom MDF by 1/2". Once in position, the pads were screwed in place. The carrier for the Rockier pipe clamps was screwed to one side and the carrier for the quick grip clamps on the other.

The wheel supports were drilled to accept the casters, one pair swiveling, one pair not, and attached with nuts and bolts.

Rather then screw the wheel supports into the edge of the MDF, I opted for a more secure connection by gluing and nailing a softwood gusset across the bottom edge and screwed the supports into that.

—Ian Kirby

MORE ON THE WEB

1 Visit our homepage to find step-by-step instructions, photos and a detailed drawing to help you build Matt's clamp cart.

Woodworker's Journal April 2008

39