Lots of people take up little home woodworking tasks. Very soon into that project most also realize that they need to get some extra help to hold down the wood panels or such to the task done. But there is a replacement for that help and that is clamps. There are more benefits to using clamps in your woodworking jobs. But before we proceed, we need to know how to use a few of them:
How can one use Clamps?
Know that different kinds of woodworking projects need different kinds of clamps. Some examples of those are:
- Wood Clamps: Before beginning, you will have to make sure that your clamp is fully clean. This is because of the excess of wood glue, dust or cobwebs even could interfere majorly with the clamp’s performance. Now attach up the wood pieces using a very thin layer of glue. Now, slide up the large handle present in the clamp so as to extend it about three inches longer than that of the joined pieces of wood. Now place the fixed head along with the tail stop fully against that of the edge of the two ends of the wood. Now just squeeze it shut.
- Open Clamp: Open up the clamp first by twisting the whole handle counterclockwise. Keep doing this process until the clamp is wider than that of the wood pieces which you are joining together. Now position the wood in squares so that the pieces meet at the perfect right angle. Then proceed to secure it using a very thin layer of blue. Now place the clamp right on any one side of the right angle. Then go on to twist the clamp’s handle so as to tighten the clamp well. Keep it for a minimum time of two hours at least.
Uses of clamps in woodworking
- Hold things together: There are a lot of things which comes to people’s mind when talking about the benefits of clamps in woodworking. But the one thing which comes first and foremost is that they help in holding two woodworking pieces tightly together till the glue sets. Apart from this, clamps can be used for holding parts in the right place when work is being done on them or when the dry fitting has to be done.
- Dry-fitting Parts Before their Assembly: If you have to hold on four sides of something like a blanket chest with each other while you are making and later drilling screw holes then clamps are the answer to it. Using clamps will also save you from hiring extra hands on deck to get the job done.
- Pipe clamps: Pipe clamp shares with it a lot of the similar uses in carpentry and woodworking. But pipe clamps can also be used in plumbing works as well. This is because generally, big plumbing jobs do require overhead work. There are plenty of awkward positions to reach which are hidden under the toilet, sink and more. To get it to work, all you have to do is fix up the clamp on the ceiling or a wall and then do your job.
- Specialty clamps: There are many times when a commonly used clamp won’t get the job done. This kind of conditions require specialty clamps so whether you are trimming, securing your things to a workbench or repairing molding, it will be useful. Specialty clamps are made to be durable so that you can use it for specific uses for a long time.
- Holding Parts together When Machining is being done: There are many times when a woodworker has to carefully hold various parts when carrying out jobs like sanding, drilling and more. Some clamps are made for jobs like this and they work well when it comes to holding a piece of wood together. It’s way safer as well to have a clamp hold a piece of wood in place rather than have it spin in someone’s hand when the drill work is going on.
- C clamps: C clamps are one of the most versatile clamps. They can be used for a variety of jobs ranging from carpentry, household work to heavy-duty commercial works as well. It is a very versatile clamp and is a must in every workshop
Clamps get a lot of work done without using extra manpower and as such their uses are multiple. But before buying one, check the work for which you are getting it and buy according to that.