Replies

1. 
   ASK | Feb 18, 2004 10:05pm | #1

   Scott,

   I used either these or something very similar, but instructions that came with mind did not include using the notched wood top and bottom. Mine suggested cauled wood pieces instead. The disastered result was the maple top I was making (24" X 60") didn't glue up flat. I had to use planer belts on the belt sander at 40, 60, etc grit to get the top flat.

   It looks to me that these might work better depending on the thickness of the wood and how many pieces you are trying to glue up. Also, depending on how flat the pieces are when you start and what kind of wood hard or soft, and thickness, the notches in the cauls have to be strong enough not to break under the pressure.

   The short answer is "It depends"

   ASK

2. 
   CajunDan | Feb 18, 2004 11:48pm | #2

   Hi, Scott

   How's the weather up there?

   I got a set of those for Christmas about six years ago and used them to glue up four or five small tabletops. i haven't used them since I gou pipe clamps a year ago.

   Why? They don't exert enough together pressure to keep boards aligned, and they are awkward to use. I find 3/4" pipe clamps just work better.

   Regards,

   Dan

1. 
   JohnH | Feb 19, 2004 12:55am | #3

   Dan, I hate to throw cold water on the other responders, but I bought a set of those from the Shopsmith people maybe 10 years ago and love them.  I've probably done close to a hundred glue-ups with them.  They can be a bit of a pain to use, but I've always had very good results.  Good luck.

1. 
   CajunDan | Feb 19, 2004 04:46am | #4

   Hi, John

   I'm glad you had good luck with them. I never really had any problems with mine, they just seemed a pain to set up.

   Do you own a Shopsmith? I inherited a 1947 model 10E (not ER) from my dad. It still works great.

   Regards,

   Dan

2. 
   ScottInMadtown | Feb 19, 2004 05:13pm | #5

   JohnH,

   Could you be a little more specific as to how they are a pain to use, and what would you change if you could change them to make them easier to use?

   Thanks,

   Scott

1. 
   Dan019 | Feb 19, 2004 07:05pm | #6

   I've had them about 8 yrs or so. They worked o.k. Just o.k. Like the other poster said they are a bother to setup. Since I bought the Bessey K body clamps I haven't even gotten them out of the shed, forgot I had them til you asked this question.

   Save your money and buy the K bodies, you'll be glad you did.

   Dan019

1. 
   ScottInMadtown | Feb 19, 2004 09:49pm | #7

   Dan,

   I guess I should come clean with you guys now.  I'm a mechanical engineer with a bad tinkering habit and also a woodworking habit.  Anyway, I was looking at this clamp and wondering if I couldn't make a better mousetrap.  If you could tell me what your likes and dislikes where in specifics, maybe you guys could have some prototypes when I get that far.

   Scott

2. 
   RoyinMD | Feb 20, 2004 01:21am | #9

   Scott,

   Likes and dislikes, OK, I like red, paint them red and I'll take 10 prototypes. :o)

   Seriously, I've seen them for years, never owned or used them. They look alittle unfriendly to me, pain in the a$$ to use. Not having the ability to put the wood in from the top, and the fact that they can only be used for panel glueups limits thier usefullness. I like to just quick grip a straight board on the glueup where ever/when ever needed.

   I'll stick to K-bodies and black pipes.

   Enjoy, Roy

3. 
   CajunDan | Feb 20, 2004 04:18pm | #10

   Scott,

   The biggest problem I've had is that the while I am setting the notch on one clamp, the other clamps tend to slide out of their notches. (Hmmm, maybe if they SNAPPED into the notches....) Too much time here, and the glue begins to set prematurely.

   The crowning idea came with the instructions for my clamps. It works best if you are joining 2 boards with their seams at the apex of the crown. If you are joining 3 or more, it doesn't work as well.

   Finally, because of the way the leverage works, there is a lot more x-axis pressure than z-axis pressure. This causes the boards to be pushed together without enough up-and-down pressure to correct alignment. You would need the alignment pressure to kick in first, somehow.

   I hope this helps. If you come up with something, I would love to try it out...

   Regards,

   Dan

4. 
   Dan019 | Feb 20, 2004 04:20pm | #11

   Basically, they were time comsuming to set up and the big thing was the sprong loaded jaws were made to close, so when you got ready to place the upper bar in place they needed to be held open with whatever was at hand, sometimes snapping back at in inoppertune moment, so a simple onboard locking mechanism would be an improvement. As I'm sure you have discovered by now when working with yellow glue you only have so much time to align and clamp your boards together and with the clock running the last thing you need are a bunch of unknown variables thrown in to the mix.

   Dan019

3. 
   Steinmetz | Feb 20, 2004 12:10am | #8

   Scott, looks like a nice approach to clamp up flat work, but I think the top bar should be slightly 'Crowned' at the bottom and the bottom crowned at it's top. 

   When tightly clamped, the crowns will exert pressure at the center, then as you continue to clamp the two opposing bars will flatten and exert more evenly distributed pressure. 

   I'm assuming you'll use splines/t&g's/bisquits  ?   Stein.

4. 
   rslatm | Feb 20, 2004 09:57pm | #12

   Don't waste the money. Glue-ups with the curved caul method uses regular clamps and even the most bent pipe clamps will achieve perfect glue-up registration. I can single handedly  glue panels 4' x 8' with no problem.
1. 
   chills1994 | Feb 26, 2004 08:27am | #13

   I haven't tried those panel clamps, but I am contemplating making my own.  I plan on using threaded rod, commonly available steel stock and good 2X4's ripped down to 2X2's.

   Take a look at http://www.larrysclamp.com  .

1. 
   rslatm | Feb 26, 2004 05:52pm | #14

   I've been using the curved caul method for years. I can glue up a 4' x 8' panel myself with perfect registration using regular clamps.  For panel glue-up eliminate part A as those are MDF panels for doing glue-ups of veneer. The system also doubles as a veneer press system.  Space the pair of cauls every 12 to 18" and use pipe or bar clamps in between to glue the panel. The cauls keep all the boards of the panel from shifting. Just wax or put plastic wrap on the surface of the caul to keep the glue from sticking to it. Basically it's a poor mans Plano system. Actually it works better than the Plano or the clamps initially mentioned in the start of the thread.

   
1. 
   Robbie | Feb 26, 2004 06:23pm | #15

   Rick:  How wide do you make each caul - 2"?  And how much curve over the surface, say, of an 18" caul?   Last, I am lazy and don't yet own a bandsaw, where can I buy such cauls?  Am in Chicago.

   Robbie

1. 
   rslatm | Feb 26, 2004 06:52pm | #16

   You make them.  About a 1/8" crown on maple works nice.  Start with 1" x 2" x 36" stock and crown one. You can use a pattern router bit to crown the rest. The key is they must must consistent to work properly. The material and size can vary. Softer wood I would make a bit thicker for the cauls. There's no set formula but the system works well and uses clamps and materials you already have.  You could use a belt sander to crown the first on. Use a trammel or large compass to scribe a nice gentle curve. It's not rocket science.

2. 
   Napie | Feb 26, 2004 07:17pm | #17

   I build most of my stand alone case work with ¼” ply on each side of ½” MDF, say maple on the inside and cherry or walnut outside, (nice heavy, stable 1” panels).  To glue up the panels I also use cauls, but a lot of them made from scrap ¾” plywood about 2” wide and as long as the panel is wide plus a little.  I’m not picky about the curve, you just want the pressure to start in the center and work out to the edge.  I grind them down with 40 grit on the hand held belt sander four or five at times. This works great with regular yellow glue spread with a 12” drywall knife.  This is also a great reason to buy more 12” tradesman type bar clamps that can be used for many other applications.