DIY quick-clamping clamp

Varieties and modifications

Here are a few more varieties of joinery clamps. All these clamps are easy to assemble with your own hands.

The question is - how expedient is the use of wood as a starting material? There are arguments for and against. But if a tree is chosen for the basis of a carpentry clamp, then it must meet certain criteria.

• The breed is only hard (pear, oak, walnut and similar). Otherwise, there is no need to talk about any clamping force. And the durability of the clamp of their "soft" wood raises certain doubts.
• Humidity is minimal. Only after the material has dried properly can it be used to make parts of the clamping fixture.

Basic recommendations and ideas are given. A good owner of this "information for thought" is enough to decide which model of carpentry clamp is more suitable for him. And how exactly to do it is easy to understand.

Good luck, reader, in making your own clamp. Do not be afraid to fantasize, and you will succeed!

Often in the process of performing any work, it becomes necessary to quickly compress or fix parts. To solve this problem, a clamp is used - a type of auxiliary tool with which, for example, gluing parts, performing welding and other work is performed.

Homemade clamps are usually made from either wood or metal. There are many varieties of this tool, and they also differ in the clamping mechanisms. Now this tool can be purchased without any problems in any specialized store or written out via the Internet, but you can also make the necessary clamp with your own hands, and in terms of its properties, this homemade tool will not be inferior to factory models.

Design features

The clamp can quickly fail, which is why it is so important to know how to make a homemade tool. The component parts of this metal structure are the lever part, the frame, the jaws of the clamp and the moving part.

What are the advantages of clamping tools:

• Reliability and quality. Hand vise parts and fasteners made of metal are strong and durable. Thus, it is possible to produce a tight screed of parts with different elasticity coefficients.

• A light weight. This unit, unlike ordinary vices, is mobile and transportable. The design can be made, if desired, and stationary.

• Secure grip. The metal parts of the tool allow for the most tight grip, excluding any twisting, sliding or falling out of the elements.

• Multifunctionality. Modern metal clamps are universal, they are used to work with various materials: parts made of metal, wood or plastic. In addition, the shapes of objects can be voluminous, smooth and even tubular, and the sizes can vary from a few centimeters to tens of centimeters.

The clamp can also be made of wood, but the metal structure is more practical and reliable. Its manufacture does not require special knowledge and skills, you only need the use of welding equipment, a hacksaw and a torch. The whole process with step-by-step instructions is shown in the video.

Clamping tool models are divided into the following classes according to mechanism operation and structural features:

1. Pipe. It is used to fix large-sized items, while the length of the pipe can be changed.Differs in a complex operating principle.
2. Angular. The most common type of clamping mechanism is used in order to bring wood blocks strictly at an angle of 90 degrees.
3. Tape. More often used in carpentry, the component is a floating flexible element, the tension of which can be adjusted.
4. Spring loaded. Such a clamp is more like a clothespin for fixing, the force is created due to the work of the spring inside the structure. The spring mechanism can be operated with one hand and is used with low compression forces.
5. Auto. This type can be attributed to quick-clamping structures, it has a simple and understandable principle of operation. Sometimes there are models with weak fixation, but most often this drawback applies only to inexpensive tools.
6. End. These models have a C-shape and three screws, more often used to fix the overlays on tabletops and other furniture.
7. G-shaped or quick-clamping. One of the most common types of clamps, often the budget vise option. In the process of work, the object is fixed to the edge of the countertop or other plane. Such a tool allows you to make a simple summary of elements for gluing or fixing parts for grinding or sharpening.
8. F-shaped or screw. It is characterized by great adjustment possibilities due to the location of the guide rail; as a rule, both hands are involved in working with such a tool. It is possible to change the working width by connecting objects of different thicknesses. Such a unit is shown in the photo.

We assemble a homemade clamp with our own hands

A clamp is an indispensable device for a welder, just like for a locksmith, carpenter and other specialists who need to weld, fasten, glue, etc., having previously fixed the structural elements statically relative to each other in a given position. The locksmith tools market offers a wide range of products that can satisfy the needs of the most picky buyers. But the prices for it are also appropriate. However, the size and configuration of the structures you have to work with can be very different. It is unlikely that you will get one clamp for all occasions. You need at least a dozen different sizes: small, medium large, etc. etc. Not to buy expensive equipment for a one-time job every time? It will cost you a pretty penny in the end! In this case, it would be advisable to make it practically for nothing from secondary materials: scrap metal, bolts, washers and nuts.

What can a homemade self-made clamp look like? We offer you several options.

# 1 The easiest option

The clamp consists of two thick steel plates with holes drilled for the bolts. The structure is assembled, respectively, on nuts. It can be used to clamp two workpieces, for example, during their gluing or spot tack welding, or for other purposes.

No. 2 G-shaped clamp

For such a "fit", you will need to cut out a C-shaped "piece of metal" in any convenient way (preferably with a gas or plasma cutter), pick up a long bolt with a heel (the latter should rotate) and a hole for a screwdriver or a pin.

You can do even easier and use as a "basis", for example, two corners. welded together or part of the channel. Such clamps of different sizes will always be useful in the household.

No. 3 F-shaped clamp

It can be made from a profile pipe with holes so that you can move the bar and increase the gripping area. The clamp is assembled according to the same principle as in the previous versions.

№4

Almost everyone on the farm has an unnecessary old Soviet meat grinder. As a last resort, you can use its clamp as a clamp. If the extra part gets in the way, you can trim it off.

Other options are also possible.Suggest, we will discuss here or in the VK group.

Clamp with automatic fixing: how to make

The benefits of a tool such as a clamp are known to all craftsmen. An irreplaceable thing for carpentry and locksmith work. Also, clamps are often used by welders, builders, car mechanics and home craftsmen.
There are a variety of designs and sizes of clamps, but basically all of them are similar in that they must be tightened by hand - tighten the tightening screw, after which the objects on which the clamp is installed are securely fixed. screw the clamp to fix or release the object. I found a version of the automatic clamp on the Internet. Such a clamp does not need to be tightened by hand on the object to be fixed. It is enough to press the upper movable support of the clamp and the object is reliably pulled to the edge of the workbench, for example, a wooden block.

It will not be difficult to free the bar either, for this you need to press the upper stop again and the clamp's “grip” will immediately weaken, the bar will be freed from the clamp.

How to make such a clamp?

It's not difficult to do. You will need a metal strip and a size 20 profile pipe.

The clamp consists of two stops, the lower fixed and the upper movable.

Lower stop

We weld a profile pipe vertically to a piece of metal strip from one edge. We weld a strip made from an old flat file onto the strip. This completes the manufacture of the lower stop.

Top stop

It will be a little more difficult with its manufacture. Cut off a strip of the same length as at the bottom stop. With a mini drill, we cut a square hole from one edge of the strip. The size of the hole should be slightly larger than the size of the profile pipe along which this segment will move (upper stop).

A segment with a square slot must be clamped in a vice and slightly bent from the side of the square hole. This is the design feature of the clamp, thanks to which the upper movable stop is fixed on the vertical profile pipe.

Further, according to the size of the overlay (an overlay from an old file welded to the lower stop), cut off the plate and another overlay from the file (for the upper stop).

We weld the plate across to a segment with a square hole, drill ordinary round holes for bolts along the edges of the plate.

Apply the file cover to the plate with round holes. We make marks on the plate along the holes of the plate.

We weld the bolts to the marks (the caps of the bolts should be cut off so that only the thread remains).

The blanks of the upper stop are made, we connect them together. We install springs on the welded bolts, insert the bolts into the holes of the plate, screw on the wing nuts.

The upper stop is assembled.

We connect the lower and upper stop - insert the profile pipe into the square hole of the upper stop.

The homemade product is ready to use!

How to use it is described at the beginning of the article. This is how the emphasis looks on a clamped bar. Holds quite tightly, do not shake hands.

The springs squeeze the top plate with a square hole from one edge, the plate becomes skewed, and stops on the vertical profile pipe. When pressed again, the plate becomes straight and can again be moved along the pipe.

DIY manufacturing methods

Plywood construction

Regardless of the design, the main purpose of the devices is to rigidly clamp the workpieces for their subsequent welding or surface fusion. Corner clips made of plywood allow you to connect both metal parts and wood blanks.

• a pair of hardwood bars 25 mm thick;
• plywood sheet with a thickness of at least 12 mm;
• fasteners: pins, self-tapping screws;
• hacksaw or jigsaw;
• drill.

A square with a side size of 250 or 300 mm is cut out of a plywood sheet, to which bars are attached at right angles.

First, the bars should be glued, wait for the glue to set and siphon with a drill. Self-tapping screws or other fasteners are screwed into the holes obtained. From the center of the pads, it is necessary to draw perpendicular lines along which the screw pins will move.

It is also required to prepare movable bars that are connected to the hairpin. When screwing in, its part will move towards the corner block.

When making an angle clamp from a massive material, such as chipboard, a thicker material should be selected for the bars.

Metal construction

For the manufacture of the base, sheet material with a thickness of 8-10 mm is required. For fastening, you can use a corner of the appropriate size. It is convenient to connect the elements by electric welding.

1. For a screw clamping mechanism, two nuts are welded together. The bracket with a threaded hole located in the central part is manufactured with a height of 30–40 mm. For fastening, it is recommended to use a bolted connection, which can be easily replaced when the thread is stripped.
2. The mutual placement of the pressure jaws requires special attention. It is necessary to ideally set a right angle, since it will be impossible to achieve acceptable quality when performing welding work. First, one corner is welded to the clamp, another is superimposed on it. The resulting structure is compressed tightly and welded onto the bracket.
3. Guides are attached to the lateral planes of the retainer, ensuring the movement of the base. A groove of 8-10 mm is cut along the bisector line of the hold-down device.
4. A bolt is screwed into the upper base of the clamp. Its thread should not reach the head, which will ensure free movement of the bases relative to each other.

Joiner's clamp

Such constructions used in joinery are of the following types:

• The standard clamp, which is the most popular or simpler;
• In the form of a caliper for small parts and quick fixation;
• Self-clamping clamp for milling processes and work with different workpiece heights.

The first type is made from two pine blocks, lock nuts, rods, threaded wing nuts and thrust washers. The manufacturing process is very simple:

1. We cut out working pliers from the bars, we drill holes for the studs, taking into account a slight backlash;
2. We screw in the studs and counter them in the appropriate ways;
3. We provide convergence with nuts, made either in the form of lambs, or standard nuts for improved tension.

The second option is used in the case when it is necessary to quickly fix small parts. Manufacturing is carried out from small blocks and thin-sheet plywood. The worm system is furniture nuts and studs. One stop is fixed, we fix it at the end of the guide rail, in which we cut out recesses to fix the moving mechanism.

There are both portable and stationary versions of this design, where grooves are cut for movement with fixed stops. A furniture nut, a hairpin and a knob act as a clamp. Due to this, you can work with workpieces of any size.

The self-clamping design has a lever with an eccentric at the pivot end. We turn it at a certain angle, a quick clamp is automatically obtained. The height is adjusted with a pin on the workbench. It is made individually for each matrix, depending on its purpose and the purpose of the work being done.

Let's sum up

In the process of woodworking, in most cases, you cannot do without a joinery clamp. Whether it is necessary to glue wooden blanks, fix a sheet, board, plate during cutting - a clamp is definitely needed.There are similar products on sale, but, according to experienced craftsmen, they are characterized by two significant drawbacks - a limitation in size and low strength, since soft metals (alloys) are mainly used for their production, in order to reduce the cost.

Those who have to work with wood quite often prefer homemade carpentry clamps.

How to make such a device with your own hands, what to look for and take into account - this is described in the article

The author considers it expedient to dwell only on those that are most often used by "home craftsmen". If the principle of their functioning becomes clear, then you will be able to make any kind of carpentry clamp with your own hands, according to your own requests. If, of course, you "turn on" your imagination and think carefully.

The author deliberately does not indicate the linear dimensions of the clamps. One of the advantages of their independent manufacture is the possibility of arbitrary choice of the shape and dimensions of the joinery clamps. There is no standard for such devices. And it is hardly advisable to "chew" elementary things for a person who is accustomed (and knows how) to do everything with his own hands. The main thing is to give an idea, "give a thought", and everything else is at its own discretion.