The clamp is an auxiliary tool , which is used to fix the boards when they are connected in a given position. The clamp is also suitable for holding boards while sawing them, for setting up a hacksaw blade, for connecting various elements. Parts that require machining can be inserted into the tool. Then, using a movable element, they are clamped with jaws and begin to work. To securely hold parts in the desired position, it is recommended to use two or more clamps.
Homemade clamps are often made of metal or wood, and in terms of their characteristics they are not much inferior to purchased, factory-assembled ones. Since the design of the clamping device is simple, it will not be difficult to understand the principle of its operation in order to make it yourself.
Making a metal screw clamp
Before starting work you will need to prepare necessary materials. For the base of the structure, a steel sheet one centimeter thick, or any even trim of the same thickness, is suitable. The length of the workpiece is arbitrary, but they try to choose it taking into account the working distance of the clamp.
Main materials of manufacture:
- steel sheet;
- long bolts;
- nuts
A drawing is being drawn up. The future body of the tool is marked on the workpiece material, which in appearance resembles the letter “C”. Instead of a steel sheet, you can use a section of profiled pipe, bent in the shape of the letter “C”. There are no special requirements for the thickness of the workpiece, but the design must be reliable. The choice of length is made taking into account the dimensions working area, processed parts.
After marking is applied, the part is cut out of metal. At home preparations small sizes can be cut using a grinder. But when making clamps of large dimensions, it is recommended to use a gas cutter or an acetylene torch. The next stage is processing and polishing the workpiece. All sharp edges and sagging formed when working with gas welding equipment are knocked off with a file, and the surface is sanded with sandpaper. This must be done so that when clamping the workpieces, you do not cut yourself on sharp edges.
Having prepared long bolts M 8, M 10, proceed to fastening the moving element. Why are nuts welded on one side of the workpiece under the selected bolts? If there are no bolts, you can select hexagons or steel rods of the required length with pre-cut threads.
At the inner working end of the screw, a flat, even part is welded, on which the function of the jaws is assigned. On the back side of the screw, a lever is attached by welding from scraps of a stud. Its presence will speed up the process of clamping workpieces , further reducing the amount of effort applied. This completes the assembly of the clamp with your own hands.
Corner clamp device
When making corner tools for furniture assembly, it is important to accurately maintain a right angle of 90°. Main available materials are corners with steel strips. To work you will need:
- 40 mm steel angle 3-4 mm thick;
- steel plates 40-50 mm;
- threaded studs;
- rods for gates;
- nuts;
- welding machine;
- electric drill, taps.
The corner clamp is the most difficult to manufacture, but when carrying out some types of work you cannot do without it. At the initial stage, corners are welded to the steel plates at right angles, and nuts are welded to each corner, which will serve to create a worm-type structure. Another option is to drill a hole in the corner and cut it using a tap. internal thread. The width of the working gap is selected taking into account the size of potential workpieces, but too large a stroke of the clamping wheel reduces the strength of their fixation.
For processing parts various sizes It is recommended to prepare several clamps!
The stud is screwed into the welded nut. At its end, a stop is assembled from metal washers of various diameters, which should rotate freely when the pin rotates. WITH reverse side The driver drills a hole for a metal rod. Used as a lever, it will transmit more force, so it will hold workpieces more reliably.
Wooden clamp - we’ll make it from leftover boards
The most popular is a wooden quick-release clamp, but a tool of a similar design can also be made of metal. Despite the simplicity of the design, it is very convenient when performing various tasks.
The presence of two identical clamps expands the scope of their application!
For assembly you will need to prepare the following materials:
- pieces of boards;
- studs with pre-cut threads;
- nuts and wings corresponding to the threads of the studs;
- slats.
First, two studs of the same diameter with threaded threads are prepared. They must be 200 mm long. The nuts are matched to the threads of the studs. Two slats are prepared, preferably from hardwood. Best choice there will be oak, beech, birch, ash. The slats are adjusted to the same size. To do this, the excess length is sawed off and the cut is sanded. After this, two holes are drilled in each of the slats with a small tolerance. Moreover, the locations of the holes on each of the workpieces must match perfectly, and their diameter must correspond to the diameter of the studs.
Strips of plywood can be glued to the surface of the slats. They are adjusted to the size of the wooden blanks and holes are drilled. The studs are inserted into the holes obtained and securely fixed with nuts on one of the rails on both sides. To prevent material from pushing through, washers are placed under the nuts. This bar will always be stationary, but the other one will be able to move freely along the guides in the form of pins.
Another bar is installed. To do this, thread it through the studs and push it into place. The clamping is carried out using ordinary nuts and an open-end wrench, but for convenience and increased performance it is necessary to install wing nuts. Check the movement of the fastener; if it is difficult or additional adjustment of parts is required, or other defects are found, then they are eliminated. The work on assembling the wooden clamping device can be considered completed; all that remains is to test it in action.
Properly assembled clamping devices allow secure fastening wooden parts when carrying out carpentry work. The designs of the listed types of fasteners are popular and are so simple that they can be made independently from scrap materials using a minimum number of tools.
If the master decides to do some work from wood or metal, then he should process the part. But this can be done efficiently only if this part is fixed very firmly with a clamp.
Old models of such a tool allowed working with only one hand, but now new models of this tool are appearing, which serve as an integral assistant to any master, and they are not only quick-clamping. but also allowing you to work with the part with two hands.
There are several types of such clamps:
Let us briefly describe each type of clamp. The first type is lever. This means that the work of such an assistant tool is based not only on axial work, but also on the work of levers. Often people also call them clamps, which allow you to quickly fix parts intended for processing.
Lever clamps do not require much force from the master; in order to clamp something with them, you only need to apply a little force. And so that the parts are clamped tightly and can no longer move, it is necessary to use a lever, which will do all the work for a person.
The design of such a lever clamp is quite simple; you can even make it yourself. To do this, you will need a main frame and some element where the main clamp can be located. With the help of such an assistant tool, you can not only clamp parts and make them motionless, but also calculate the clamping force, which is important, for example, when gluing.
The remaining types of clamps differ from the first type and from each other in that they have different clamping mechanism. Many of these types of assistant tools can be made with your own hands.
How to choose the right clamp when purchasing
Choosing a tool such as a clamp is not difficult, you just need to know a few rules that will help you purchase such a tool - an assistant that will become indispensable for you when performing any type of work. First of all, you should pay attention to what the working stroke of your tool is.
In addition, it is worth paying attention to the fact that what is the distance between the elements - clamps. The higher the scores on these two points, the better this tool will be for you. This will allow you to use clamps for working with parts, both large and small.
Types of screw clamps
In such an assistant tool, the first place is no longer a lever, but a screw. This type of clamp is also popularly called a pipe clamp, since it is used for clamping pipes that are usually used for plumbing work.
Such a tool is considered very strong and reliable in the plumbing industry, as it is made of duralumin. By the way, such instruments are also used to make special holes for installation. so that it is convenient to fasten any part to the workbench when working. Making such a tool with your own hands and at home will be quite difficult.
Now a few words about the assembly clamp, which is most often used in the construction of various objects. The main purpose of such a tool is hold any construction materials. such as, reinforced concrete slabs so that they can be processed efficiently.
This clamp is considered the most reliable for work, but if you study its design, you can easily understand that it is simple. Looking at the drawing, which reflects its constituent elements, you can easily assemble it with your own hands.
The manual clamp has several options:
There are other options for this hand tools- assistant. Popularly, such a clamp is called a spring clamp. This is due to the simple design and the same easy to use. Therefore, you can easily make such an assistant tool with your own hands.
Instructions for making a tool - an assistant with your own hands
To make a clamp, you must correctly follow the step-by-step steps described in the instructions. First, we acquire the parts that are necessary to make a tool - an assistant with our own hands.
To make a clamp you will need the following items: n several studs with threads of different diameters, nuts. that are suitable in size, several boards made of plywood, and a couple of slats.
The second step for making a clamp is to create the base. You can also make it yourself. To do this, you should secure what you have already done on the table. Then we take the bars and, applying them to the clamp, drill holes where they are needed in order to press them more tightly to the base of the table.
The third step is to make the clamp yourself. This will require those plywood boards that you prepared in advance. You must press them against the bars that are already attached to the clamp, but so that they are movable.
You must understand that the role of these boards in the tool that you make with your own hands is to act as levers in the clamps. Now using studs and nuts, all that remains is to secure this entire structure that you made with your own hands.
But when using such a tool - an assistant that you made yourself, you should understand that it is not very durable and it is difficult to talk about its reliability. But it can be perfect for many household jobs, if they are not very complex.
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Simple making of a clamp with your own hands from scrap materials.
Hello to all DIY lovers! And in this article, I want to show one of the options for making a simple clamp from scrap materials. It will take very little time to make this homemade product, but this thing will be very useful on the farm! I think everyone knows where to use a clamp, especially if you like to do everything with your own hands!
So, to make this homemade product I used:
- a wooden block (a piece of the block remained from my previous homemade homemade wall ladder);
— hairpin 8 (make the length at your discretion, I took 20 cm);
— working tools (screwdriver, jigsaw, MFP, keys, crowns, etc.).
First of all, mark the template of the future clamp on the block.
Then, using a jigsaw, we cut out the blanks.
These are the bars you should get.
Now, using an MFP (by the way, a very convenient thing for processing small workpieces) and a special attachment with sandpaper (who doesn’t have such a tool, you can just get by with sandpaper), we process the workpieces.
This is how beautiful it turned out, but to complete it I also treated the future clamp with dark varnish.
Using a crown, I made holes to hide the nuts in the block and drilled through holes.
Now let's just put it all together
And now I have such a wonderful assistant!
How to make a clamp with your own hands?
Buying clamps is very expensive. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary expenses, it would be useful to know how to make a clamp with your own hands. Quite often, when making furniture or wooden products, clamps in large quantities. Especially if wooden products are produced professionally. To make clamps yourself, you will need primitive materials at hand, which everyone has in stock. In addition, the work process itself is not complicated and does not require professional skills, which will allow you to quickly create the necessary auxiliary tool.
Diagram of the clamp: a - parts, b - assembled, 1 - rectangular hole, 2 - pusher, 3 - body wall, 4 - protrusion, 5 - hole in the body, 6 - clamping screw, 7 - movable jaw, 8 - lever, 9 – protrusion, 10 – threaded holes, 11 – screws.
What is a clamp, and is there any point in making one yourself?
A clamp is an auxiliary tool that is used to secure boards when connecting them (using glue, fastening hardware, etc.) or if it is necessary to compress them. Typically clamps are made from metal or wood. The clamp is also used to cut boards smoothly, make routing for a hacksaw, connect various parts and elements, etc. At the same time, homemade clamps are in no way inferior to purchased ones. To understand the principle of making a clamp with your own hands, you should understand its design.
Assembly diagram corner clamps.
Such clamps consist of 2 elements - the “body” (frame) and the fixing element (movable clamp). There are clamping jaws on the moving element and the frame, and for better fixation the moving element is equipped with a lever. Lever clamps are sometimes found, but they are rare due to their complexity in production, as in industrial enterprises, and at home.
The way clamps work is simple: parts (or material) that require processing are inserted into the body of the tool, then the working material is clamped with a moving element (clamping occurs with jaws), after which you can begin processing or working with the parts or material.
In most cases, the number of clamps required for a particular operation is not limited to 1 piece. To secure the hacksaw tightly, use 2 pcs. wooden planks– from 2 and more (depending on their length). In addition, if you need to connect parts, it is recommended to use a pair of clamps. Many people forget to remove them after completing work, which often leads to the loss of the tool. And primitive factory-made metal clamps are not cheap, which makes it economically profitable to manufacture such tools yourself. Below we will look at how to make carpentry clamps from wood and metal, and how to make a corner clamp with your own hands.
Making a wooden clamp
A wooden clamp is much easier to make than all other types of such tools. Such clamps are very convenient when performing various carpentry works.
Basic materials required for making a clamp.
To make them you will need:
- pieces of boards (or plywood);
- studs (which should be pre-threaded);
- nuts (for threaded studs);
- slats.
To make the clamp, you should prepare two 200 mm long studs with pre-cut threads and 2 120 mm long studs. It is important that all 4 studs have the same diameter. Next, nuts are selected for the threads of the studs, and two slats are prepared. The slats should be made from hardwood. Oak would be ideal, but beech, birch or ash slats are also suitable.
Then the slats need to be made the same size. To do this, cut off all excess and grind it. Then 2 holes are drilled in each rail. The holes should be at the same points on each rail. The diameter of the holes must match the diameter of the studs.
The next stage is gluing plywood (as sponges) onto the surface of the slats. When the plywood is glued, all protruding parts are cut to fit the slats, and the plywood jaws themselves are drilled through the holes in the slats.
A hacksaw for metal before modification and clamps obtained from it after modification.
Then long slats are inserted into the resulting holes. They will act as guides.
After the guides are installed, they are secured with nuts to the rails. 2 nuts are screwed onto each guide.
Next, you should insert short pins. To make them motionless, the studs are riveted on one side. It is important that one stud is riveted with back side one rail and the other on the back of the other. Nuts are used as clamps. To make it easier to tighten them, wing nuts are used. In this case, it is important to cut the threads on the fixing studs along their entire length.
This completes the production of the wooden clamp.
How to make a screw metal clamp
To make such a clamp, you first need to prepare the materials. For the clamp body, you can use a sheet of steel approximately 1 cm thick or even and straight metal scraps of the same thickness. The length of the workpiece depends on the working distance of the clamp. For manufacturing you will need long screws or bolts M8 or M10.
Clamp assembly diagram.
At the beginning of the manufacturing process, markings of the future body of the tool are applied to the workpiece material. Often the body of the instrument looks like the letter "C". In this case, the thickness of the workpiece can be different. It depends only on the required length of the working area. When the markings are applied, the part is cut out. For this purpose at home use gas cutters, acetylene torches or grinder. The grinder is used for workpieces of small thickness; it is problematic to use when cutting out small shaped elements.
When the workpiece is cut, it is polished using files and sandpaper. Grinding is an important process; if you do not grind the part, there is a possibility of cutting yourself on sharp edges when working with the tool.
Then fasteners for the moving element are made on one of the sides. To do this, M8 or M10 nuts are welded to one side of the clamp body. If there are no bolts or screws of sufficient length, you can use hexagons or reinforcement rods of the required length. They must first be threaded. A flat piece is welded onto the end of the screw flat part(on the working side), which will serve as sponges. A lever is welded to the opposite side (studs can be used as a lever), which should simplify the clamping process. This completes the production of the clamp.
Another option is to make a clamp like a caliper. For this purpose, a sliding frame made of steel strip is used. The end of the strip is flattened and jaws are welded to it. Next, a movable element is made from the same strip, to which nuts are welded and a screw is screwed in for fixation.
Such a clamp is more difficult to manufacture, but it has a longer stroke and, accordingly, a larger working area.
DIY clamp. How to make a clamp with your own hands?
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A DIY clamp makes the craftsman’s work easier and saves him money.
No master can do without a clamp. Whether you are a carpenter or a metalworker, there is always a need to use it.
This device is available in different options, from universal to specialized. Relatively recently, a new modification has appeared: a quick-release clamp. Develops compression force up to 450 kg.
The task for all types is common - to fix the workpieces for processing or connecting to each other.
Like any other tool, clamps can be purchased at the store or made yourself. The second option is often chosen by professionals. It’s easier to come up with your own design than to look for an option for individual tasks.
Homemade clamp - varieties and manufacturing technologies
Such devices are used to fix two objects (not necessarily the same size) at right angles, to connect them together in any way. These can be wooden blanks when gluing, or assembling using corners and confirmat.
However, most often, an angle clamp is used as a welding conductor metal parts at right angles.
For production you will need:
- steel corner 40 mm, thickness 3-4 mm;
- steel plates 40-50 mm wide;
- threaded studs, preferably hardened;
- rods for gates;
- nuts for the worm gear;
- welding machine;
- drill, taps.
We weld the corners to the steel plates at a strictly 90° angle.
We attach a worm structure to each side by welding. This is the same corner with a welded-on thrust nut or thickening, in which a thread is cut in accordance with the collar pin. The width of the working gap is selected according to the potential workpiece.
IMPORTANT! If the range of sizes of the parts being processed is too wide, it is better to make several clamps. Too much movement of the knob does not contribute to a strong fixation.
A collar pin is screwed into the working nut, after which a stop is assembled at its end. As a rule, this is a design of two metal washers different sizes. The stop should rotate freely on the pin.
On the back side of the knob we drill a hole into which we insert a metal rod as a lever.
A properly assembled metal clamp allows you to securely fasten steel parts when welding work, or wooden for carpentry. The design is so simple to make - that it has become a real staple among home-made craftsmen.
Joinery option 1
The simplest wooden clamp used in carpentry is made from the following materials:
- Two wooden blocks and not solid, but durable material. Pine will do. Wood that is too hard will leave marks on the workpiece when clamped tightly;
- Furniture nuts with wood-look lock;
Working pliers are cut out of the bars. Holes for the studs are drilled in them strictly parallel, with a slight backlash.
The studs are screwed into furniture nuts and locked. Toe-in is ensured by wings, or ordinary nuts with an open-end wrench (if a particularly strong grip is required).
ADVICE! If you make two sets of identical clamps, the scope of application will expand. Then you can use the device like a carpenter's vice.
Joinery option 2
For quick fixation of small parts, a clamp made in the form of a caliper is used.
The device is made of bars and thin plywood. The worm system is familiar - furniture nuts and a pin-turn. The fixed stop is firmly attached to one end of the guide rail. Recesses are cut out on the rail itself to secure the moving mechanism.
Having moved the bracket to the required distance, all that remains is to turn the knob a few turns, and the part is fixed. After releasing the stop mechanism, the carriage moves easily, releasing the workpiece.
The stationary version of this clamp has a rail design. On two guides installed in parallel, grooves are cut at the same distance. Fixed stops are attached to them using metal rods. They can be moved to required distance, according to the width of the workpieces. Fixed stops with a worm mechanism are installed at the end of the bars.
The clamp is carried out in the usual way - a furniture nut, a hairpin, a knob.
Joinery option 3
Sometimes it is necessary to simply press the workpiece against the table for processing. There is a self-clamping clamp for this purpose. The illustration shows how to make metal or wooden brackets.
The principle of operation is simple - you need a lever with an eccentric at the rotating end. By turning it to a certain angle, we get an automatic quick clamp. The overall height is adjusted with a pin attached to the workbench.
You can attach two clamps of this type to a movable template for mass milling of identical workpieces.
This type of quick-release clamps is made individually for each matrix, or is rearranged onto a new substrate for cutting out the next shape.
Pipe clamp
Welding metal pipes end to end is enough difficult task, requiring precise orientation of the workpieces in space. If you weld a piece of pipe to a finished system fixed indoors, the task is simplified. And welding freely lying sections requires an assistant or a special device.
Simple and functional f-shaped clamps, made by yourself, will become indispensable assistants in your workshop and will allow you to save considerable sums on expensive clamps, of which, as you know, there are never too many. Quick clamp cam type is optimal for situations where large clamping forces are not required: gluing narrow or small parts, edges, fixing workpieces, etc.
The cam clamp works on the principle of a classic f-shaped clamp. It consists of a guide rail and two jaws: movable and fixed. By fixing the workpiece in the jaws and turning the cam 90°, the tool will provide a strong and reliable clamp. It is not difficult to make a homemade clamp with your own hands at home, with a minimum of tools and consumables.
The proposed clamp drawing and detailing are a basic guide. The design of the product is such that you don’t have to worry about materials and dimensions, changing them to suit your needs. The tire can be made of either metal or wood. You can also vary the length and width of the jaws to increase the gripping depth of the clamp. Rivets or small bolts may be used instead of metal pins. The movable and fixed jaws are mirror images of each other, so it is convenient to produce these parts in series, several pieces at a time.
By making your own set of clamps and simple wooden stops, shown in the photo, you will get an effective corner clamp that will become an indispensable assistant when gluing together perfect frames.
Reading time ≈ 5 minutes
A clamp is a tool that resembles a hand vice, which is used to securely fix or glue two elements together. For example, in carpentry it is used to connect two planes while drying. adhesive solution. However, this tool is not always at hand, so you can resort to making a quick-clamping design yourself. To properly make a metal clamp with your own hands, you need to follow step-by-step instructions with photos and video master classes.
Design Features
A clamp can quickly fail, which is why it is so important to know how to make homemade instrument. Components This metal structure consists of a lever part, a frame, clamp lips and a moving part.
What are the advantages of clamping tools:
The clamp can also be made from wood, however metal structure more practical and reliable. Its production 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 shown in the video.
Models of clamping tools are divided into the following classes based on the operation of mechanisms and structural features:
Manufacturing technology
A do-it-yourself metal clamp is much more reliable and practical. wooden structure. To manufacture homemade units, you will need welding equipment and plumbing units.
Tools for making any type of clamp
1 option
Following the instructions, you can make a homemade clamp from metal reinforcement. 
Option 2
To do it yourself angle tool for clamping, we will need the following materials: steel scraps from corners 40*40, 50*50 and 30*50, 200 mm each, 2 F-shaped clamps and a strip 10*50 to 250 mm long. 
Let's get started:
Purchasing clamps in hardware stores is quite expensive. Everyone wants to rid themselves of extra costs, if there is alternative options. You may need several such tools at once, this is especially true when assembling, manufacturing or repairing furniture. Homemade clamps will replace your hand vice, as you can choose the model, type and size of the tool. By following the instructions in the photo and video, you can quickly understand the manufacturing mechanism and quickly make a manual clamp from scrap materials.
Beginners who love woodworking will find our instructions useful, with a consistently described process for making carpentry clamps of several varieties. In it we will tell you what materials should be used for this and how to make a device that exactly suits your own needs.
Materials for body, stop and jaws
In carpentry, clamps are used to securely and carefully hold together several parts while they are being mechanically connected or while the glue dries. The pressing force should not be colossal; it is much more important not to damage the surface of the parts being connected. At the same time, the clamp must maintain high strength and be durable.
For the manufacture of clamp parts that are in direct contact with the workpiece, it is better to use wood hard rocks. Ideally, these are bars and planks made of larch, beech, hornbeam or birch. This tree has a fairly high strength and at the same time is elastic, restoring its shape well. The hardness of such wood is usually higher than that of the processed parts, which can be compensated for by heels made of leather, light rubber, felt or softer wood.
Both hard wood and rolled metal can be used as a frame for the clamp. Corners or profile pipes fit well, but they need to be thoroughly cleaned, primed and painted in order to finished product there were no traces of rust left. To exclude accidental mechanical damage or pushing through the parts being connected, it is recommended over metal elements clamps, glue wooden strips or pull on a loose silicone hose.
Which screw and flywheel to use
Despite the not very high clamping force, ordinary studs with metric threads will not be very convenient for use as a clamp screw, unless very small. A small thread pitch will make the choice of free play tedious; among other things, the triangular profile is “eaten up” much faster.
It would be much more correct to purchase studs with trapezoidal or rectangular profile threads, otherwise called jack threads. The optimal pitch is about 2-2.5 turns per centimeter, this ensures good smoothness of adjustment and optimal tightening force for wooden parts.
You can get studs, nuts and fittings of the required type, either by contacting a turner directly, or in a hardware store, including on the Internet. There is, however, one BUT: most factory products have a full thread, while a slightly different screw configuration is optimal for a clamp. Ideally, there are smooth pillars at the ends of the stud: about 20 mm long for the bearing (slightly thicker than the thread) and about 30-40 mm for the handle (slightly thinner or the same diameter).
The handle or handwheel can be made from either wooden block, or by drilling a hole in the side of the stud and inserting a steel rod into it as a shift lever, like on a vice.
Straight screw clamp
To make a simple clamp, you will need a frame in the shape of a U-shaped bracket. It can be made in two ways. The first is to connect three bars at right angles on a tongue-and-groove joint, strengthening it with glue and a pair of dowels. This option requires enough highly qualified carpenter: hemming and fitting must be done with high precision, because the load in these nodes is very significant.
The second option is somewhat simpler, but more expensive in terms of material consumption. You can cut the bracket from thick birch plywood by gluing 3-4 blanks 12-16 mm thick with Titebond wood glue.
When choosing the shape of the parts, keep in mind that the most reliable design will be one with external bevels for greater rigidity. The bracket stop and its opposite part, in which the clamping screw will be fixed, must be trapezoidal shape. In this case, the inclined sides should diverge outward at an angle of approximately 30º greater than the straight line. Thickening in the middle part of the frame is also highly desirable.
To secure the screw, it is recommended to use fittings or nuts of the appropriate diameter, which are fixed in one of the “horns” of the clamp frame with inside and are further strengthened epoxy resin. If the bracket was assembled from bars, then you need to insert a screw into one of them before final assembly. If the frame structure is multi-layered, then the footers can be replaced with nuts that are glued into the cut of the central layer of plywood. Here it is important to monitor the direction of the screw axis and at the same time not allow glue to get into the threaded joint - lubricate it well with grease.
At the point where the clamping heel is attached to the screw, some kind of swivel is needed so that the parts do not move when clamped. It is best to press a bearing matched to the diameter of the inner race onto the solid edge of the screw stud. For a reliable stop, clamp the pin into the drill chuck, and then use a triangular file and a hacksaw to cut a groove for the retaining ring. Next, in the block that serves as the supporting heel, you need to use a core drill to make a cylindrical groove and press a bearing with a pin into it, strengthening the fit with varnish or epoxy resin.
Adjustable universal clamp
Clamps with variable opening widths are more versatile in use; they are most often used when rallying furniture panels. To make such a clamp, you will need a calibrated strip of dry hardwood, ideally beech or ash. A constant profile size is required along the entire length and complete absence any vices. The pressing force that the clamp can withstand directly depends on the thickness and width of the slats.
So, manufacturing should begin by attaching a perpendicular stop to one end of the longitudinal rail. It is better to make it from two bars that fold and clamp the rail in two symmetrical grooves, or hammer it like a hammer. Thus, the blank for the clamp with a fixed stop takes on a T-shape, and the length of the stop on the working side should be no more than 3 times greater than the reach on the reverse side. The connection between the stop and the rail can be strengthened with furniture ties; it is also possible to connect it with 2-3 dowels and PVA glue.
The reverse part of the stop is designed to secure the bowstring. A straight steel bar with a diameter of 10-12 mm is ideal for it. The end of the rod should be threaded and spread between the end stops with nuts from the inside. Holes for the bowstring should be drilled as close as possible to the back edge of the stop. In this case, the distance from the edge should be sufficient so that the wood does not split. After installing the bowstring, it is necessary to mark a series of notches in increments of 15-20 mm on the end of the bar facing the clamped part, make slots up to 2 mm deep using a fitting hacksaw according to these markings and trim the notches with a knife.
Next, you should make a movable block of the clamp. A through eye is made in it rectangular section, the dimensions of which exactly correspond to the thickness and width of the longitudinal strip. It is ideal to hollow out a groove 2-3 mm smaller, and then bring it to the desired shape with a square rasp. The bar should sit tightly in the block, but at the same time allow relatively free movement along the clamp and its tilt for locking on the notches. You also need to do this under the string through hole so that the rod is positioned strictly perpendicular to the rail, and the block slides freely along it with a slight backlash.
On the reverse side of the hard stop you need to fill another block, which will fasten the bar with the bowstring parallel to each other. To do this, you can use a small piece of a block in which a groove for the bar is made with a chisel and an incomplete hole is drilled for the bowstring. Dowels or bolts are used to secure the block. As for the clamping screw and heel, they are installed by analogy with a conventional clamp. It is enough to drill a through hole in the movable block not too close to the edge and glue a sleeve or nut into it from the inside. This way, when you clamp the part, the nut of the screw mechanism will rest against the wood and fit even tighter.
Angle clamp
The most difficult to manufacture can be called a clamp, which provides fixation of two parts at right angles. At the same time, it is the most useful and sought-after tool in a carpenter's workshop.
The basis for the corner clamp will be a piece of thick plywood. It is better to take a square board approximately 300x300 mm with a thickness of at least 14 mm. In the corner of the base you need to fix two blocks of hardwood, which for convenience we will call standard. These blocks must meet at right angles facing the center of the plywood board; the thickness of the blocks is at least 25x25 mm. Their fastening should be as rigid as possible: it is recommended to first glue the bars, ensuring their perpendicularity using a plumber's square, and then strengthen the connection with ties or bolts.
From the center of each block you need to draw a perpendicular line, coaxially with which the screw studs will be located. It is necessary to retreat from the bars a distance of 20-30 mm greater than the maximum thickness of the parts being pulled together. After this, two more bars are rigidly attached to the base parallel to the previous ones. It is advisable to glue the nuts in immediately, and then proceed with the thrust bars in the same way as with the reference ones: first position them on the adhesive joint, and then strengthen them with ties. For greater convenience, you can immediately screw the screw studs into the nuts.
After securing the thrust bars, all that remains is to press on the bearings secured in the movable blocks. The cross-section, dimensions and material of the latter must be similar to the standard bars. Finally, you need to fill the handles or insert the flip levers and trim off the excess base of the clamp, removing the protruding corners for free rotation by the screw handles
Custom clamps for specific applications
In any carpentry workshop homemade clamps show themselves to be more adapted to local working conditions than those purchased in a store. A wide range of variations of the three designs described above can be used.
For example, on one rail you can attach not one, but two adjustable blocks for positioning parts at a large distance. Such a tool will be very useful, for example, when assembling door blocks.
Instead of a handle, you can weld a regular hex head from a bolt onto the stud. This is relevant if, when assembling parts, several clamps need to be frequently clamped, released and rearranged. In this case, it will be convenient to rotate the clamping screw using a socket with a ratchet mechanism or even a screwdriver.
To assemble products of complex shapes, you can make clamp stops and movable blocks of a more complex configuration, which are well suited for working with irregularly shaped parts.