# A Cheap Ass Clamping and Veneer Press System



## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

I’m a cheap old b******. This system is almost foolproof, and costs far less than others. 
The green monsters are 1 5/8X1 5/8 perforated Unistrut sections. Buying them at my electrical wholesale house, each 36” clamp costs ten bucks, plus the bolts and washers. In a larger city, the cost may be even less. 
Pictured are clamps using 4” bolts and washers, used as cauls to insure flatness in the glue up. When face gluing, I use 5” or 6” bolts. 
Shorter lengths of Unistrut are used for veneer pressing. 
The maximum thickness of a glue up is limited only by the length of the bolts used.
Not as elegant as others, but, as I said…I’m Cheap!









This next picture shows the method Unistrut uses to accept the bolts. The "nut" is captured by the Unistrut lip. A spring under the "nut" holds it in place. since the bottom piece is perforated also, I laid in a strip of hardboard to keep the spring from entering the perforation.


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## mackem (May 20, 2007)

Good idea Gene :thumbsup:, I'm all for cheap too.:yes::laughing:


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Thanks Kevin.
Lotta ways to skin that cat, huh?


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## mackem (May 20, 2007)

Gene Howe said:


> Thanks Kevin.
> Lotta ways to skin that cat, huh?


:yes: I keep telling the wife that, when our(her) cat
dies, I'm gonna make a "Davy Crockett hat" :laughing:
p.s. I used to be a butcher many years ago.:shifty::laughing:


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## Brink (Nov 22, 2010)

Excellent idea!

Off to the electrical distributor.....


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Brink said:


> Excellent idea!
> 
> Off to the electrical distributor.....


Check out the 7/8 deep struts. They are lighter and the nut doesn't need a spring. Makes alignment and threading the bolts a little easier.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

That should work like a champ. Great idea, and inexpensive. It's the same principle as a handscrew clamp system that's used for small and large laminations. 












 







.


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

cabinetman said:


> That should work like a champ. Great idea, and inexpensive. It's the same principle as a handscrew clamp system that's used for small and large laminations.


Hey C-man, How's the jaw(s) today? Hope the pain has lessened a lot.
You typing with two hands, now?:yes:

Believe it or not, that screw press was what I originally intended to make with the Unistrut. A job came up for some 8" thick 18X18 laminations and I didn't have time to complete the clamps with the screws. So I took a chance and used them as I showed in the pics. It worked! Never did weld the nuts on for the screw clamps. Turned out for the better, because I do a lot more panels than laminations. 
BTW, don't need pocket screws with this set up.:thumbsup::laughing:


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## Chippin-in (Feb 4, 2010)

Excellent idea. I have been contemplating doing some cutting boards and was looking for a way to clamp acroos the top and bottom. I saw the post about the Woodcraft clamps, that incidentally I saw in my flyer from Woodcraft, and was goin to get. Now I think it might be more cost effective to go this route, even though the Woodcraft clamps are on sale for $20. 

I guess I also like the idea of metal staying straighter, longer, than a piece of wood in Houston weather.

Thanks
Robert


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## Longknife (Oct 25, 2010)

Now, that's a very clever idea! Hmm, I wonder what the equivalent to Unistrut would be called over here? Need to find an electrician and ask around.


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Longknife said:


> Now, that's a very clever idea! Hmm, I wonder what the equivalent to Unistrut would be called over here? Need to find an electrician and ask around.


They have a manufacturing plant in the UK. Maybe, they export to Sweden???


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## joek30296 (Dec 16, 2009)

Good idea. I like that. There's always "more than one way to remove the epidermis from a feline". :thumbsup:

Joe


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## jharris (Jan 8, 2011)

Clever indeed! The only thing I'd do different would be to use threaded knobs instead of nuts.

That'd bring the cost up a bit but might make these cauls easier to use.

I'm definately going to make some of these for myself.

Thanks for the tip.

Jeff


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