Comments on: Corner Clamps: Box-Building Made Simple

By: dave

dave — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:13:10 +0000

Harbor Freight specializes in cheap Asian knockoffs, legal or otherwise. If you know your tools, you can flip through their catalog picking out clones of name brand tools. Some are patent violations - I know because I know one inventor who has an ongoing issue with them over one of his patented hand tools.

By: Toolmonger » Blog Archive » The Week in Tools: Toolmonger’s Top 5

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:44:42 +0000

[...] Corner Clamps: Box-Building Made Simple Constructing boxes is a basic woodworking skill that takes a great deal of time to get right, if you don’t have a set of corner clamps handy. These clamps hold two pieces of wood together at a right angle, so you don’t have to nail or screw them together while the glue dries. [...]

By: Zathrus

Zathrus — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:22:13 +0000

HF also has a right angle clamp that looks awfully similar to the Rocker one (they’re rotated 180 degrees, so you can’t tell for sure) for $8.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=2712

Saw it in the most recent catalog actually.

By: Fred

Fred — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:58:00 +0000

In response to MikeP

Take a look at Universal Clamp Company’s line of clamps. Their Model 76-A is marketed as a shelf clamp. Their model 76 as a face-frame clamp. Bothe work on the sam principal. They are made out of aluminum and steel. You need to apply some painters tape to bearing surfaces to keep them from leaving grey/black marks on the wood.

Here is a link.

http://www.rockler.com/findit.cfm?page=5154

By: MikeP

MikeP — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:06:33 +0000

I’m reaching a bit here, but I’m a cabinet maker and as a consequence, build a LOT of boxes! I don’t have any corner clamps of my own, but I’ve been seriously wishing for some recently. The one that is pictured here is more for smaller pieces (like picture frames), but lots of larger ones exist, as Fred pointed out above.

What I am really looking for is a clamp that will go over a ‘T’-joint, like where the shelf comes into the side of the bookcase… If I can find something that does this nicely, I will marry it! (just don’t tell my girlfriend…)

By: Fred

Fred — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:33:45 +0000

There are many variants of this type of clamp around.
Woodcraft sells several - some under the Pinnacle Brand (woodcraft 14529) (see Woodpeckers for OEM versions) that are called box clamps.

Bessey Clamps - have corner clamps that come in varieties for both woodworking like their WS-6 and WS-9 and for welding - like their WSM-9.

I’m guessing that Gross Stabil and Adjustable Clamp Company (Pony-Jorgensen) also make someting.

If you do casing work like I do - take a look at the Chestnut Tools Clam Clamp - a very special purpose tool - but pulls up window and door casing in place - nothing that most other clamps do well.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:32:17 +0000

Here is a more sophisticated version (at 50% off)

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=18114&filter=jet%20clamp

But is it better?

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:38:36 +0000

I have a pair of these, and I have found them to be very useful when building boxes, particularly when working by myself. I can clamp 2 sides of the boxes together at a 90-degree angle, freeing my hands to grab a nail gun and/or drill and screwdriver to make a permanent joint. Once those 2 sides are together, I simply remove the clamps and go to the next corner of the box.