Clamps

"clamp cart" with racks on the side and a box for smaller clamps at the bottom

Clamps are accessory tools to hold workpieces together, e.g. for pressing a wood glue joint, or in a fixed position, e.g. on top of a workbench. They usually consist of two jaws, of which one may be fixed and at least one is adjustable. Vises can be very similar (depending on your use case).

You can never have enough clamps! Whenever you need more or bigger ones for a project, buy some...

The CoMakingSpace's clamp selection can be found on the clamp cart in the wood workshop.

F-Clamps

ToolInfoBox F-Clamps
Synonyms:	bar clamps, speed clamps; DE: Schraubzwingen, Schraubknechte
Type:	fastening tool
Material:	e.g. wood, metal
Used with:	corner clamping jigs
Location:	clamp cart (wood workshop)
Access Requirements:	read this section
Similar (More or Less):	cam clamps

F-clamps consist of a fixed jaw at the end of a steel bar and an slideable jaw with a pressure point that is adjusted by means of a large screw.

We have several malleable iron (Temperguss) F-clamps spanning up to 2.1 m in the wood workshop.

Clamps are a temporary solution by design and are not made to withstand weather, for instance.

One-Handed Clamps

ToolInfoBox One-Handed Clamps
Synonyms:	DE: Einhandzwingen, "Pumpzwingen"
Type:	fastening tool
Material:	e.g. wood, metal
Location:	clamp cart (wood workshop)
Access Requirements:	read this section

These black one-handed clamps work in a similar fashion to a caulking gun where you "pump" to get the desired pressure.

• 70 × 100 mm (5)
• 40 × 50 mm (4)

Spring Clamps

ToolInfoBox Spring Clamps
Synonyms:	A-clamps, "flexible clamps", muslin clamps; DE: Leimzwingen, Federzwingen, Musselin-Klemmen
Type:	fastening tool
Material:	e.g. wood, cardboard
Location:	clamp cart (wood workshop)
Access Requirements:	read this section

We have a few small plastic or metal spring clamps. These are commonly used for thin glue-ups, hence their German name "Leimzwingen".

Cam Clamps

ToolInfoBox Cam Clamps
Synonyms:	luthier clamps; DE: Klemmzwingen, Holzzwingen, Klemmsia-Zwingen
Type:	fastening tool
Material:	wood
Used with:	masking tape
Location:	clamp cart (wood workshop)
Access Requirements:	read this section
Similar (More or Less):	F-clamps

To avoid gluing your workpiece to a cam clamp, stick a bit of masking tape over the clamp jaws!

Wooden cam clamps exert less pressure than metal F-clamps, but enough for most glue jobs. Due to this property and their ease of placement they are often used on delicate workpieces, such as instruments or fine furniture.

They are tightened by turning a cam lever in the sliding jaw. The jaws are lined with cork pads to avoid damaging the workpiece. Caution: wood glue sticks to cork and the wooden clamp jaws!

There are currently four cam clamps (approx. 40 cm) on the clamp cart. If you need more, it's not too difficult to make some cam clamps yourself.

Further reading: e.g. Wikipedia (DE). There are also bench hooks based on this clamp design now.

Corner Clamps

ToolInfoBox Corner Clamps
Synonyms:	right angle clamps, right angle vise, picture-frame clamps; DE: Winkelspanner, Eckzwingen, "Winkelzwingen"
Type:	fastening tool
Material:	e.g. wood, cardboard
Location:	clamp cart (wood workshop)
Access Requirements:	read this section
Similar (More or Less):	corner clamping jigs

These 3D printed corner clamps are based on a Thingiverse design and are especially useful for gluing boxes. Making these is a good use for some short M8 threaded rods you may have lying around!

Parts you want to clamp with these must be oriented at a right angle, but can be of different thicknesses as the inside corner is slidable.

We've made two 30 × 40 mm clamps - for bigger pieces, you may want to try corner clamping jigs.

Besides these small self-made ones, we also got some (3?) medium-sized Bessey WS3 from a friendly carpenter.

two of the Bessey clamps in use to assemble a simple cabinet