# Pipe clamps



## cheese9988

Finally figured out what clamps I wanted. I did some shopping around, Sears, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc. Pipe clamps seem to be the best bet. I can make an infinite length clamp, just by changing the pipe. HF and HD had the best prices. The HD were a little higher quality, their clamps, made by Pony, use a clutch to grab the pipe. The tightening screw uses an ACME thread, the HF version uses a strait thread with what is probably a smaller major diameter. ACME threads are much stronger. The HF version uses a stop that digs into the pipe to prevent movement, I didn't care for that design as much, looked like it could break.

I bought two ten foot lengths of black pipe, HD cut them and threaded them for me. So I have four 5 foot clamps. I ended up waiting in line for ten minutes, the girl had to change the cash drawer. So for waiting I got ten percent off! All in all, $15 each including pipe for a 5 foot clamp, not a bad deal.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## Leo G

I have about 40 or so Pony pipe clamps. My standard size is 36" and 32". I get the 10' lengths and cut two 42" pc out of it and the remainder is 36" I have to have them cut threads on one of the pcs. I have a few 5'ers and some 78"ers and some 10'ers.

Do you use the 1/2" or the 3/4". All mine are 1/2"


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## rrich

Forget about the "Infinite" length theory. The pipes are too flexible to provide good clamping pressure much beyond 36". (Even black 3/4" pipe flexes beyond about 3 feet.)

What ever you do, avoid the clamps using 1/2" pipe. They will flex even more than the 3/4" pipes.

Avoid the 1/2" fittings that are sold at HF. They just don't work very well, period. DAMHIKT

I have some "Pony" brand that work well on a 36" length. I have another brand (???) that are as old as the hills that work rather well also but still limited to 36" length.


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## GeorgeC

All of my pipe clamps are 1/2" pipe. Some are 48" long.

I have no problems with any of them.

George


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## Leo G

Same here. You see the stuff I build. All 1/2". No real problems. If you have to clamp down that hard on something you need to improve your joinery techniques. Other wise you can do a clamp balance system. If you put one clamp on the bottom you need to put one clamp on the top.


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## Colt W. Knight

for what my local home depot sells pipe clamps for, if rather have parrallel clamps. However, I don't clamp much over 36". Mostly 13" stuff though.


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## ScottyB

If your 3/4" pipes are flexing at 3' how much clamping pressure are you using? I thought you were supposed to use just enough pressure to hold the joint in place.


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## ACP

I just picked up several on sale at Menards for $8 a clamp set, 3/4". I bought some length of pipe at HD. I love pipe clamps, though I do think the 1/2" are easier to use because of weight, but I use both diameters. I have not had any flex issues with mine.


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## cheese9988

The clamps I bought are 1/2 inch. I plan to join table tops with them. I'm thinking between 36 inch to 48 inch would be the typical clamping length. I also find it hard to believe that you need enough clamping strength to bend the pipe, then make them unusable.


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## cabinetman

Leo G said:


> Same here. You see the stuff I build. All 1/2". No real problems. If you have to clamp down that hard on something you need to improve your joinery techniques. Other wise you can do a clamp balance system. If you put one clamp on the bottom you need to put one clamp on the top.



I agree completely. Learn to do better joinery. Over tightening is easy to do, and it can create a weak joint. My first few years in business all I ever used was pipe clamps. For most glue ups 5' will work just fine. I've never counted my pipe clamps, but my 1/2" clamps I keep at a max of 5', and my 3/4" clamps I have up to 9'.

For some applications, pipe clamps may seem too heavy, especially if used on small items like boxes. For the bar clamps that have the round end pads, they can leave marks and may require a piece of wood as a shim barrier. 

You may want to consider your needs and applications with regards to clamps in general. There is usually a type that is the best choice. Here's a few you might want to get familiar with: 

Bar clamps
I beam clamps
F style clamps
Deep throat bar clamps
Handscrew clamps
Spring clamps
Band clamps
Miter clamps
Quick set clamps
Cam clamps (Klemmy type)
Edge clamps
Frame clamps
Parallel clamps
K body clamps


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## cheese9988

When you say using extra clamping force to make up for a poor joint. How poor do you mean? On short distances I can usually joint my wood between 0.010 inch to 0.015 inch and I add a little clamping force to make up for the small gap. A human hair is 0.004 inch for reference. How bad of a joint would that be, if your gluing edges?


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## Shamus

I use pipe clamps pretty often. Almost always one on top, one on the bottom. Have several 6', 8' and 10' ones. I can't ever say I've seen much flex on the longer pipes although I suppose it does happen. Just never was a problem on anything I've noticed. 

It might be because I don't like to torque them down that much. If the dry fit is right it does not take much to hold a joint together until the glue dries.
I do know of some that I've seen use both hands trying to pull a joint together with a clamp. If they work for me, I have them pull it apart, clean off the glue and re-fit the pieces. 

I've seen so much glue squeezed out of a joint they must have put it on with a ladle. And in my humble opinion, I prefer less glue in the joint over to to much glue.

Anyway, Pipe clamps are cheap, easy to use/adjust and your never upset if you lose one. They are just to cheap for anybody to want to steal.


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## rrich

If you hold five feet of 1/2" pipe by one end, you can see it bend w/o any clamping pressure. Add clamping pressure and it bends away from the clamping pressure.


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## hawglet

I use pipe/pony clamps at work and although most are 3/4 inch pipe some are 1/2. Either pipe does "bend" a bit but it's not enough to make a huge difference IMO. We have two clamps that are a full 22 feet long that are used to pull frames to square. This is 1/4" wall 4x8 tubing and it does the job thus I don't feel wood needs anything heavier. All of my pony clamps at home are 1/2" (4pr.) with the exception of 1 pair of 3/4", neither are used often.


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## cheese9988

I can definitely see the pipes bend over five feet. I am not sure as to how much of a difference that makes, since I shove pine blocks between there anyway. So far I like the pipe clamps. I ended up buying another one, a 3/4 inch version this time.


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## mdntrdr

If your bending pipes to clamp joints your definitely using too much pressure,


You will squeeze out all the glue and weaken your joint. :hammer:


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## winsmash

*Why not ?*

When ever this becomes a problem, (the bending) why don't you just use a caul ?


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## Lola Ranch

*1/2" pipe clamps are too whimpy sometimes*

I do a lot of curved laminations using thin resawn strips pressed in a cruved form. It takes a lot of clamp pressure to make the tighter radius and "s" curved glue-ups.

I've always liked my Jorgenson "I" beam clamps for serious pressure.

I did just aquire a few K style Bessy clamps that are showing some promise.

My 1/2" Pony clamps are the least used clamps in my shop.


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## BWSmith

3/4" Pony brand here.Overtorque'ing just ain't a problem.Think of clamps as a convenience moreso than any sort of pressure application.Which is almost universally better applied in different forms,IOWs air pressure,Hyd. pressure ect...........Clamps are for simply holding sumthin you're too lazy(or smart)to stand and hold yourself.BW


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## rrbrown

cheese9988 said:


> I can definitely see the pipes bend over five feet. I am not sure as to how much of a difference that makes, since I shove pine blocks between there anyway. So far I like the pipe clamps. I ended up buying another one, a 3/4 inch version this time.


I use HF 3/4" pipe clamps and they are all 5' other then that I use HF F style 36" and 12" clamps. I get the pipe from Home Depot or Lowes, As for the F style clamps I have matched the one from HF with Home Depot or Lowes and they are identical except for color. Same exact clamps markings and all, but HF was allot cheaper. I even use the light weight Quick grip clamps, I agree if your bending the 1/2" pipe clamp then you really need to work on your joinery.


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## del schisler

cheese9988 said:


> Finally figured out what clamps I wanted. I did some shopping around, Sears, Home Depot, Harbor Freight, etc. Pipe clamps seem to be the best bet. I can make an infinite length clamp, just by changing the pipe. HF and HD had the best prices. The HD were a little higher quality, their clamps, made by Pony, use a clutch to grab the pipe. The tightening screw uses an ACME thread, the HF version uses a strait thread with what is probably a smaller major diameter. ACME threads are much stronger. The HF version uses a stop that digs into the pipe to prevent movement, I didn't care for that design as much, looked like it could break.
> 
> I bought two ten foot lengths of black pipe, HD cut them and threaded them for me. So I have four 5 foot clamps. I ended up waiting in line for ten minutes, the girl had to change the cash drawer. So for waiting I got ten percent off! All in all, $15 each including pipe for a 5 foot clamp, not a bad deal.
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


I belive the galvanize pipe would have been better. I have heard that the black will come off on the wood ? Try them and see. good luck


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## mdntrdr

del schisler said:


> I belive the galvanize pipe would have been better. I have heard that the black will come off on the wood ? Try them and see. good luck


 
In my experience the black pipe is much better.
The galvanized seems much softer and the clutches tend to dig into it leaving burs up and down the pipe and can even push the bur out and slip. I have never had a problem with the black on wood.


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## cheese9988

rrbrown said:


> I use HF 3/4" pipe clamps and they are all 5' other then that I use HF F style 36" and 12" clamps. I get the pipe from Home Depot or Lowes, As for the F style clamps I have matched the one from HF with Home Depot or Lowes and they are identical except for color. Same exact clamps markings and all, but HF was allot cheaper. I even use the light weight Quick grip clamps, I agree if your bending the 1/2" pipe clamp then you really need to work on your joinery.


I made a 4 x 8 foot dining table. The boards were strait to begin with, I used a 96 inch strait edge, which I calibrated myself at work, and checked each board with feeler gages. So either I used to much force, and the table came out good anyway, or it didn't take much for the pipes to bend.


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## jeffreythree

I read this a while back, might clear up some of the clamping pressure, pipe bending discussion. You need a lot more pressure than you think. I read the whole article a while back, but this is just a synopsis on the blog: http://www.finewoodworking.com/item...ferent-woods-need-different-clamping-pressure


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## Bob156235

*Pipe Clamps*



mdntrdr said:


> In my experience the black pipe is much better.
> The galvanized seems much softer and the clutches tend to dig into it leaving burs up and down the pipe and can even push the bur out and slip. I have never had a problem with the black on wood.


Same for me. Although the galv doesn't stain, the clamp often "slips" a bit. When I see it, I grab the clutch and "assist" it to bite in.

After reading this post, I just may buy some 1/2"-ers since all mine are 3/4".


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## MariahHolt

*HF clamps on Ebay*

If you dig around on ebay you can find those same HF clamps for a few bucks cheaper than in the store. Order them in bulk save some money.


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## jack warner

you generaly dont want to go ever 100-150 psi for soft wood, and 175-200 on hard woods. i always use a shim on both side of the clamp, it does two things. 1 protects the wood and 2 helps even out the pressure


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## Lola Ranch

*Bessy pipe clamps*

I recently aquired some Bessy BPC-H34 3/4"pipe clamps.

I didn't used to like pipe clamps. I like these and recommend them.

Bret


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