While I love my Bessey K-Body parallel-jaw clamps, my hands aren’t getting any younger, and I find the narrow wooden handles difficult to grip tightly. When doing some electrical work recently, it occurred to me that heat-shrink tubing might be the perfect solution. I found 1-1/2-in.-dia. tubing in 4-ft. lengths for a little over $10 on Amazon. I cut pieces to length, slipped them over the handles, applied heat, and presto—larger handles with a rubber surface that makes them a cinch to tighten! The heat-shrink tubing has heat-activated adhesive on the inside, so it bonds firmly to the handles. To add the same powerful grip to other types of clamps, just buy appropriately sized tubing.

—HANK PRICE, French Camp, Miss.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #287

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