MAKE YOUR OWN WEDGE-BASED BAR CLAMPS

YOU’LL NEVER hear a woodworker say that they have enough clamps in their workshop. Such a scenario just doesn’t exist. Clamps are essential, coming in many diverse sizes and configurations for everything we build. From creating large table tops to chairs, cabinets, small boxes and cutting boards, clamps are key to top-quality outcomes. I confess to owning 120 clamps, including sash, parallel-jaw, spring, quick-release and wooden hand-screws – I use them all and I still don’t have enough.

Far too many woodworkers still don’t grasp the concept, that it’s not about how much pressure you apply with a few clamps placed far apart, but rather about applying a reasonable amount pressure with many clamps spaced closely together. The idea is not to force joints together with crushing pressure, but rather to first create a properly fitting joint and then firmly hold it in the correct position until the glue dries fully. It annoys me when manufacturers state that their ‘clamp x’, for example, produces 745 kg of force (that’s ¾ of a metric