Clamps

Woodworking clamps are the tool you never have enough of, and the wrong clamp for a glue-up means a joint that opens as it dries. This collection covers Bessey F-clamps, Pony Jorgensen parallel, bar, pipe, spring and handscrew clamps, Kreg face and corner clamps, MilesCraft clamp squares and track clamps, MicroJig Matchfit dovetail clamps, Festool, Makita, Bosch and Axminster guide rail clamps, UJK cam clamps and Aftool sash clamps.

Choosing woodworking clamps

• Parallel clamps for panels and carcasses. Jorgensen Cabinet Master parallel jaw clamps pull square and hold flat across wide glue-ups. Support blocks keep them level on the bench.
• Bar clamps and sash clamps for length. Jorgensen medium and heavy duty steel bar clamps, drop forged bar clamps, I-bar clamps and Aftool sash clamps cover tabletops and doors. The Bessey F clutch clamp set is the everyday workhorse.
• Pipe clamps for the longest work. Pony 3/4" and 1/2" pipe clamp fixtures fit on standard pipe. We stock 1000mm and 2000mm pipe lengths with connectors, so a clamp can be as long as the job.
• One-handed and spring clamps. Jorgensen E-Z Hold trigger clamps in light, medium and heavy duty convert to spreaders. Pony spring clamps and handscrews grip odd shapes.
• Corner and face clamps. Kreg Automaxx corner and right-angle clamps, MilesCraft clamp squares and Kreg face clamps hold pocket-hole joints and boxes square while you drive the screws.
• Track and bench clamps. Festool, Makita, Bosch and Axminster rail clamps lock a guide rail. MicroJig Matchfit, UJK cam clamps and MilesCraft holddowns work in T-track and dog holes.

F clamps, bar clamps and pipe clamps compared

F-clamps are quick, cheap and good up to about a metre. Bar clamps are stiffer and hold more pressure across tabletops. Pipe clamps are the cheapest way to clamp over two metres, because the pipe is the expensive part and it is sold by the length. Most workshops end up with all three. Browse Pony Jorgensen and Bessey by brand, pick a wood glue with the open time to match the clamp count, and see guide rails for the rail clamps.

Clamps are in stock in Cape Town with nationwide delivery, free on orders over R2000. For advice, call 021 674 2119.