# Easy to build shop made bar clamps



## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I've been toying with several designs and have made a few using towels and threaded rod, but what type of shop made bar clamps seem the easiest and most useful? 
The biggest problem I've run into so far is getting the correct angles so that the work piece doesn't pop up. 90° doesn't seem to work too well so I'm thinking of an offset angle of a few degrees, but any designs you like that don't take days on end to make?

Errr..dowels, not towels.. Towels don't make great bar clamps unless someone wants to enlightenment me..lol


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## woodciro (Aug 23, 2009)

allpurpose said:


> I've been toying with several designs and have made a few using towels and threaded rod...


I'm not sure you couldn't buy pipe clamps and pipe for about the same as threaded rod and dowels. Unless you're just interested in building your own, which I could understand, or you need some specialty clamp.

John


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*I use threaded rods for these*

I used 1/2 X 13 TPI threaded rods in various lengths to make these panel clamps:

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/woodnthings-7194/albums/bookmatch-clamps/


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## woodciro (Aug 23, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> I used 1/2 X 13 TPI threaded rods in various lengths to make these panel clamps...


OK, so you're making clamps for a specific purpose.

John


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*panels clamps are versatile*



woodciro said:


> I'm not sure you couldn't buy pipe clamps and pipe for about the same as threaded rod and dowels. Unless you're just interested in building your own, which I could understand, or you need some specialty clamp.
> 
> John





woodciro said:


> OK, so you're making clamps for a specific purpose.
> 
> John


There are many different panel clamps:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...=yhs-mozilla-006&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-006










Yes, for gluing different widths and lengths of panels 
you will need either a bunch of pipe clamps OR a panel clamp. The advantage is they keep the panel which may be made from several boards, flat while they are being glued. On mine the panel sits in the rabbet which locates the outside edges. The panel rests on thin strips on the threaded rods to level them out. It sure beats wrestling with a bunch of loose clamps and slippery glued edges. :smile3:


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

woodnthings said:


> I used 1/2 X 13 TPI threaded rods in various lengths to make these panel clamps:
> 
> http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/members/woodnthings-7194/albums/bookmatch-clamps/


Nice idea..It would seem to me you could place strips on top to be held down with thumb screws in slotted holes as well if'n you wanted to..just to prevent them from buckling upwards and stop potential of bending which is kind of saying the exact same thing twice now that I wrote it out..


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## woodciro (Aug 23, 2009)

woodnthings said:


> There are many different panel clamps:...


Oh, so you're making clamps for a specific purpose, panel gluing? When you said "bar clamps" in the thread title, I thought of bar clamps. As the kids say "my bad".

John


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

woodciro said:


> Oh, so you're making clamps for a specific purpose, panel gluing? When you said "bar clamps" in the thread title, I thought of bar clamps. As the kids say "my bad".
> 
> John


No, actually panel clamps just sort of popped up here, but I'm still obsessing over some ideas to make what's probably going to turn out to be the most expensive bar clamp in the history of bar clamps if I keep at it..but I get that way sometimes... I'm sure I'm not alone in this respect..
So anyway, I'm still toying with using acme threads and I'm stumped at what the name of the little swivel end piece on a c-clamp. Trust me..I have a perfectly useless reason for wanting to know. 
I'm sure there's a specific name for this part, but darned if I can find it on a google search. Knowing the way I go about it it's probably a $864 part I could just as easily chop off a $4 harbor freight c-clamp..

Maybe I ought to just go buy some cheapo bar clamps and call it a day then admit I'm getting OCD..


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*It's called a ....*

It's a ball swivel pad, find 'em on Ebay:









http://www.ebay.com/itm/10D573-Repl...In-C-Clamps-/391134168939?hash=item5b1169c76b


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

PAD! That's the term that kept escaping my lexicon! Geeez.it's those simple 3 letter words I can't seem to remember.. Thanks! I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life.. 
I have those 4 letter words down pat though..


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