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, large quantities of clamps are required. Especially if wooden crafts 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.
Clamp diagram: 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 saw boards evenly, to make routing for a hacksaw, to 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.
Such clamps consist of 2 elements - a “body” (frame) and a 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 (the 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 tightly fix a hacksaw, you should use 2 pcs., to fix wooden boards - 2 or 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.
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, prepare two pre-threaded studs 200 mm long and 2 studs 120 mm long. 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.
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 pin is riveted from the back side of one batten, and the other from the back side 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 metal screw 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.
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 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 required length. They must first be threaded. A flat flat part (on the working side) is welded to the end of the screw, which will serve as jaws. 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 sponges 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.
Angle clamp
In order to make a corner clamp, you need to accurately maintain an angle of 90°. To do this, you will need a square. Angles and steel strips can be used as materials.
To make such a clamp, you should install a square to which the corners are applied so that the legs of the resulting rectangle are equal. Next, the corners are fixed on the square using improvised materials. Metal strips are applied to them. The strips should be fixed and then welded.
Nuts for moving elements are welded to the corners. It is advisable to use 2-3 nuts for this. Their task is to provide better fixation. Long bolts or threaded metal rods should be used as fixing elements. A flat plate should be welded onto one end of them as jaws, and for more convenient operation, a welded lever should be used. At this point the work is completed.
The corner clamp is the most difficult to manufacture, however, for some jobs it is simply irreplaceable.
Experienced furniture makers, carpenters, and metalworkers rightly believe that a clamp is no less important a tool than a comfortable workbench, a well-balanced plane or a set of razor-sharp Swedish steel chisels. The device can be bought or rented, but it is best to make a clamp yourself. In this case, there will be confidence that a simple device will not fail at the most crucial moment.
The essence of the clamp device
Structurally, a clamp is the simplest device that allows you to press a part, a workpiece, several components in one piece for installing fasteners - self-tapping screws, bolts with nuts, rivets, or while the glue dries.
There are two main requirements for the design of a clamp, regardless of the design, material and size of the device:
- The clamp frame should not deform under load; the rigidity of the fixture frame should be sufficient to keep the planes of the clamping jaws parallel;
- The design of the clamping screw must provide adjustable and smooth pressing of the movable support of the clamp on the fixed surface.
There is enough a large number of all kinds of clamp schemes, and although the design of any clamp is primitive in essence, no one is trying to make universal design, which could be used in any situation. The device turns out to be very heavy, inconvenient and difficult to operate.
Therefore, the dimensions and design of the device are selected based on the dimensions of the parts to be connected and the required pressing force. Conventionally, clamps are divided into three large groups:
- Carpentry and furniture ruler clamps, they try to make them from hard wood and metal;
- High rigidity mounting clamps;
- Mechanic's persistent clamps.
In addition to classic ruler clamps, custom-made clamps of non-standard designs are widely used; most of them are manufactured to perform one or two operations of increased complexity.
For example, drilling into an array of several boards to great depth, cutting or gluing timber in a figurative way at right or non-standard angles, welding parts of complex configurations. There are more than enough options, the best way to ensure the highest quality connection is still to make a clamp the right size and shapes.
DIY wooden universal clamp
The easiest way is to make a clamp from a wooden plank and timber. Wood is a fairly affordable material, so if you mark the parts correctly and use the proper tools, you can make a clamp of any level of complexity without much effort.
To make a wooden clamp, you will need the following tools and accessories:
- Desktop drilling machine power 400-500 W for drills from 1-15 mm. The vertical stroke of the drill chuck must be at least 120 mm;
- Electric grinding wheel. You can do it yourself; to do this, instead of an abrasive stone, use an electric sharpener to install a circle of plywood, 10 mm thick and 350 mm in diameter, on which sandpaper sheets are glued on both sides;
- Manual Circular Saw on wood with a disc diameter of at least 150 mm. You can use a grinder or a band saw.
All other operations can be done using hand tools. Of course, you can also drill holes and cut grooves using hand drill and a hacksaw, but achieving the required quality and precision of manufacturing using hand tools will be very difficult.
Classic F-shaped clamp
The design of the simplest wooden clamp looks like the Latin letter F. The vertical and upper horizontal strips are one whole - a fixed guide connected by a stop of one of the jaws. The central bridge of the letter F is the movable or mating part of the jaws, which is driven by the lead screw. The third part of the clamp with the drive screw is manufactured in a removable version. The clamp can be rearranged along the length of the guide bar; the distance between the jaws can be made smaller or larger, as long as the length of the base rail allows.
The general view of the clamp is shown in the photo.
First you need to make a guide rail. Larch or spruce board is suitable for these purposes. All other parts of the clamp can be made from any wood, except soft varieties - poplar, linden, birch.
Important! For the manufacture of any fixtures and auxiliary equipment, only defect-free wood is used. If there is none, then it is best to make a clamp from ordinary plywood with a thickness of 15-20 mm.
The base strip is cut to the length of the future fixture. The supporting stationary part of the clamp jaws bears the lion's share of the load, so it is best to make the guide from the strongest wood or use a little trick.
A semicircular groove is cut out along the side end of the slats, into which a steel rod with a diameter of 8-10 mm is placed. On one side, the end is bent around the end; on the other end, the rod is connected to a fixed jaw with a nut screwed onto a pre-cut thread.
The fixed part of the jaws is glued to the guide bar with wood glue; after the glue has dried, the supporting surface is carefully cut at an angle of 90° to the guide bar. This part can be made glued, or the mounting groove can be cut using a hand-held circular saw.
The mating or movable part of the jaws is cut out together with the support for the screw from one block. Next, you need to make U-shaped cuts in both blanks, allowing you to fit the parts onto the guide bar. After removing the burr, the workpiece is placed in a package in a drilling machine and a hole is drilled for the lead screw.
If you plan to use the clamp quite intensively, then you need to press a brass tube into the hole for the screw and make a sliding bearing. Otherwise, the lead screw will quickly break the hole by 2-5 mm, which will make the tool unsuitable for work.
Clamp assembled from wood and steel
A wooden clamp is convenient to use if you need to apply a little pressure to secure a package of several planks or glue two parts. If you plan to process timber or boards with carpentry tools, a plane or a grinder, then it is best to make a clamp for fixing the material with a metal guide.
The process of making a clamp from wood and steel is as follows:
All that remains is to assemble the clamp, the rearranged part is drilled under the fixing bolt, the bolt or pin is installed and tightened with a nut. At the end of the assembly, you need to make two or three idle runs to settle the walls and facilitate the rotation of the screw.
Wooden clamp for fixing and tightening sets
In 40% of cases, work in a carpentry or furniture workshop requires the use of long clamps to tighten entire sets or packages of planks, form furniture panels, countertops and door leaf. The process of making clamps for screeding needs is practically no different from a conventional wooden F-shaped device.
Unlike other device designs, the clamp for the screed is made of solid timber, with a cross-section of 50x50 mm and a length of at least 100 cm. A series of holes are drilled in the guide bar from the timber on a machine to rearrange the mating part of the jaws.
In addition, you will need three blocks of oak or beech to make a fixed support with a lead screw and two parts of the jaws - rearrangeable and movable.
An installation groove is cut on the reciprocal adjustable support and a hole is drilled into which a nut is pressed under the mounting bolt. The distance between the supports can be made larger or smaller if the sponge is moved to the next hole and secured with a bolt.
Wooden clip from hanger parts
A small device, very reminiscent of a tightening type of clamp, can easily be made from ordinary suit hangers. The wooden base of the hanger is made of two identical halves of a trapezoidal shape.
The first step to making a clip from a hanger is to fold the two halves of the hanger into one bag and clamp it in the vise of a drilling machine.
Without opening the machine vice, you will need to make four holes with a diameter of 8 mm. You get two blanks, each of which has a pair of through holes. All that remains is to make a clamp; to do this, you need to cut off two studs with M8 threads, each 25 cm long. The studs can be glued into one of the halves or a symmetrical version can be made, as in the photo.
The clamp can be used to make a fixing device for gluing boards, holding pipes, or tightening a package of several planks.
Quick C clamp for wood
Except classic options carpentry clamps and clamps; when working with furniture and wood materials, it is necessary to use small-sized clamps. One of these devices is WITH- shaped clamp, made of wood, photo.
Before making a clamp, you need to find a suitable piece of wood. C-shaped clamps require very strong wood, so acacia, elm or steppe oak are used for their manufacture. The U-shaped body is cut out with a grinder. With a total case size of 100x100 mm, the width of the sides should be at least 2.5 cm.
In one of the sidewalls you need to make through hole with a diameter of 12 mm, into which two steel nuts, M8 or M6, are pressed. The easiest way is to screw the nuts onto the threaded rod, coat them with glue and insert them into the hole. You need to make a few gentle blows with a mallet so that the nuts fit into the through hole with a slight tension. All that remains is to make the handle, and the C-shaped clamp is ready.
DIY metal clamp
Most plumbing and carpentry clamps are made of metal, most often steel or aluminum alloys, there are only two reasons for such selectivity:
- High strength of metal parts;
- Long service life even under heavy load.
To make metal clamps you will need welding equipment, grinder and regular electric drill and jigsaw.
Long tension clamp
The most logical thing would be to make a clamp in which the guide beam or wooden strip is replaced with a square profile pipe. A meter clamp can be made from a 20x20 mm square, for a two-meter clamp you will need a 30x30 mm profile. The use of a tubular square profile makes it possible to make the structure very rigid without “stretch” and shrinkage, as is the case with lumber.
The easiest way is to make a long clamp according to classic scheme. The stationary, movable and adjustable parts are made of thick plywood.
Each piece consists of two halves, which are cut with a jigsaw and bolted together on a long square tube. The lead screw can be made from two parts of a threaded rod and a regular piece of reinforcement.
Homemade welded clamp from rebar
Instead of wood, you can use a regular reinforcing bar with a cross-section of 8-10 mm. To make a clamp body from reinforcement, you will need to cut two blanks 65 and 55 cm long. The rods are heated at blowtorch and bent on a steel mandrel at a right angle according to the drawing.
The bent workpieces are welded into one L-shaped structure; the spout and linear sections of the reinforcement are necessarily connected by welding.
The next step is to make a stand for the lead screw from a 20 cm piece, to which a nut is welded. If the clamping force on the clamp is more than 50 kg, then the stand can be made bent or reinforced with an additional strut.
Homemade G-clamp
The G-hull design is also called screw press for the enormous force that can be obtained using a lead screw. Making a G-clamp is quite simple. To do this, you need to cut body blanks from thick metal with a grinder, at least 7-8 mm thick.
The body is welded using the letter P. On the top shelf you need to make a hole for the nut, then screw it onto the lead screw and install it in place of the weld. A small piece of metal is placed on the bottom shelf - a table, which is pressed with an unscrewed screw. You just need to make a few welding points or seams to weld the table and nut, and the clamp is ready.
Wooden spacer to support a metal clamp
An important part of any clamp is the lining installed under the supporting surfaces of the clamp. This is done to achieve two goals:
- Avoid damaging the part being clamped with a clamp, since in metal devices the clamping pressure can easily reach several hundred kilograms;
- Evenly transfer and distribute the force from the lead screw onto the surface of the furniture panel or fixed part.
It is best to make the gasket from ordinary birch plywood or soft wood with an unsanded surface.
Clamp for wrapping wire onto a mandrel
Reliably fixing a steel wire on a round piece, such as a rubber pipe or the head of a fitting, is considered a very difficult task. Structurally, such a device consists of a double body and a winding pin.
The wire is wrapped around the pipe and hooked onto a pin with a bolt head. In 2-3 turns with the key, the wound one-and-a-half loop is tensioned to the desired state. All that remains is to turn the housing to twist the wire on the hose into several turns and cut off its ends.
DIY corner clamps
The use of specialized clamps remains the only option today possible way assemble any rectangular or square structures made of wood and metal with a perfectly aligned right angle.
For example, a system of ready-made triangles that cover the planes of the joining sides and firmly hold them in the desired position until the fasteners are installed or welding is completed.
Universal clamp for any angle
A right angle, as a rule, does not pose a particular problem when working with clamps; it is much more difficult to make an angle of any size. To solve such problems, you need to make an adaptation to the clamp, as in the photo.
The additional device is based on a conventional pine block with a sector cut out in the center right angle. The second piece is a regular right-angled triangle, which can be made from spruce or pine slats.
A through hole with a diameter of 5-6 mm is drilled at the top of the sector corner. It is the hole that allows the triangle to swing and change the angle of inclination of the clamp by 3-7 degrees.
Angle steel clamp for assembly
It is much easier to connect two parts at right angles if you secure them in a corner clamp. In the simplest case, the device consists of two guides made from a cut profile pipe or a steel angle.
The guides must be set using a square at an angle of 90° and connected with additional sheet metal overlays.
To ensure that the workpieces do not fall out of the device during operation, two G-shaped clamps are additionally installed on each of the guides.
DIY quick-release clamp
Sometimes when working with wood, clamps are required, with which you can fix or hold a part to a work table or place within just a few seconds.
In order to make a quick clamp, you will need wooden boards or plywood 16-18 mm thick. Initially, the tracing paper of the parts is transferred to wood and cut out using a jigsaw. In the driven parts, you will need to make cuts to fit the mating part.
At the marked points of the axes you need to make holes with a diameter of 20 mm.
From round blank The hinge pins are cut out, ground and pressed into the holes. The result is a clamp design that is somewhat reminiscent of scissors. The drive uses a standard lead screw with a diameter of 6 mm.
Clamp for holding and securing small parts
In a similar way, you can make a clamp for fixing especially small parts. You will first need to mark and cut out two halves of a device similar to tweezers or a medical clamp from OSB or plywood.
The crescent-shaped blanks are connected to each other using a wooden axis, so a hole of the appropriate diameter must be made in each of the parts of the clamp. For the clamp body, you can use ash or spruce; the axis must be made of a harder material - oak or beech.
Clamp made from rebar and wood
Using a reinforcing rod 50-60 cm long and 8 mm in diameter, you can make a very strong and at the same time lightweight frame for universal use.
The design is based on a support wood block from hard wood. Block dimensions 150x50x30mm. Dimensions may vary depending on the thickness and bending radius of the reinforcing bar. A hook made from a piece of reinforcement can be bent with a heavy hammer to steel pipe. The bend must be done so that the bent reinforcement is flat.
Universal tape clamp
One of the most interesting unusual designs The clamp uses a thick belt made of polyester fabric as a strength element. A band clamp is used where it is necessary to tighten several parts evenly.
To make a tape clamp, you need to make corner elements and a device for tensioning the polyester belt. Three corners are cut out of ordinary pine using printed tracing paper. The fourth element, the tension device, is made of two blocks and a tension screw.
The tape is passed around the block; if you unscrew the screw with a wrench, the distance between the blocks increases, and the belt of the device is tensioned, pressing all four blocks to the part.
Cam quick clamps
Often, a part or workpiece in a clamp needs to be fixed quickly, and the clamp must be made without unnecessary movements. For example, when drying or painting a batch of panels or frames. For these purposes, it is best to make a specialized device with cam clamps, photo.
The difference between this device is that instead of a traditional lead screw, plywood eccentrics are installed on the vertical jaws of the clamp.
To do this on wooden racks You must first make a cut along the thickness of the eccentric.
Telescopic folding clamp
The idea of a telescopic clamp is based on a set of pipes that fit into each other with minimal clearance, like a folding fishing rod, and a set of ring clamps with a screw lock.
A ring is cut from each pipe, to which a metal block with a thread is welded. A wrapped screw or bolt secures the pipe located inside, allowing the entire structure to be clamped into one extended rod.
Universal mounting clamps
In addition to clamps, two-shelf clamps are widely used for fixing glued parts of complex configurations. universal clamps, photo.
The idea of a clamp - a clamp - is borrowed from a bookbinding press; the dimensions and number of clamps are selected depending on the size of the part.
4-way poly clamps for wood panels
The lack of reliable fixation remains one of the problems that one has to face when assembling and gluing a shield from several wide and flat strips. It will not be possible to make an assembly even from five or six glued strips and tighten the material with ordinary long clamps; with the slightest increase in force, the shield bends in an arc.
The solution to the problem is a device with four clamps, photo.
The panel is fixed with two pairs of clamps. At the ends of each pair you need to make a cross-shaped clamp from a nut and metal plates. A height-adjustable hinge is installed at the opposite end of the fastening. The lead screw of each clamp rests against a wooden plate. It is enough to make a few turns of the screw so that a pair of bars firmly compresses the parts to be glued.
Clamping box for installation on a workbench
If there is no special mounting cradle, parts of complex configurations are not so easy to attach to flat surface workbench. In this case, to process a wooden part of a complex spatial structure, it is best to make a clamping box.
The design is quite simple to make:
- A box-shaped frame is assembled from plywood;
- Along the long sides of the box, two beams are sewn, best made of pine, with a cross-section of 50x50 mm;
- A series of mounting crossbars are made of the same material.
The box allows you to use clamps to hold any, even the most complex part. If you plan to use powerful power tools to process it, you also need to make a clamp or clamp for the box-shaped base to secure the device to the table.
Homemade coffee table clamp
Serious problem for everyone wooden tables The magazine type has and still has low lateral rigidity of the frame; even without load, the table top often has a small but extremely unpleasant play.
You can fix the problem by installing homemade clamp or garter spring. Two planks or blocks of wood are connected to each other by a long metal bracket.
The device can be made with a screw clamp or self-clamping. In any case, the bars will strengthen and fix the frame with the legs, thereby eliminating the existing play.
Inexpensive simple clamp made from a PVC pipe ring
Sometimes you have to look for improvised means to hold it when carrying, but more often when drilling or processing parts and objects with a round cross-section. The simplest version of the clamp can be made from a ring of PVC pipe.
It is enough to drill two through holes, insert a couple of pieces of reinforcement and cut the wall of the ring in one place. The device is designed for a certain diameter of the part, so you will have to make a whole set of clamps to work.
Racks for a set of clamps
Working tools and clamps should first of all be stored in a specially designated place. Instead of a pile of tools, from which it is difficult to find and select the necessary device, it is best to make several split racks or shelves. In this case, it will take only a couple of minutes, and not half a day, as before, to quickly select several clamps that are most suitable in size and design.
Improvised clamps
Often in carpentry or assembly wooden structures There is not enough time to make full-fledged clamps and clamps. Then ingenuity and experience come to the rescue.
For example, a round workpiece can be fixed using several rings stuffed onto the frame.
Reinforcing rod or water pipe can be clamped using an improvised clamp made from several bars and tape.
A regular trunk locking cord will help you tighten a set of a dozen wooden slats like a band clamp.
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 hardwood. 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 to glue wooden strips over the metal elements of the clamp or pull 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 step is about 2-2.5 turns per centimeter, this ensures good smoothness of adjustment and optimal tightening force for wooden parts.
Get studs, nuts and fittings the right type You can either contact the 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 a fairly 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 in 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 prevent glue from getting into threaded connection- 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 joining furniture panels. To make such a clamp, you will need a calibrated strip of dry hardwood, ideally beech or ash. A constant profile size along the entire length and the complete absence of any defects are required. 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 acquires T-shape, and the length of the stop on the working side should be greater than the reach from reverse side no more than 3 times. 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 of rectangular cross-section is made in it, the dimensions of which exactly correspond to the thickness and width of the longitudinal strip. It is ideal to hollow out a groove with dimensions 2-3 mm smaller, and then bring it to the desired shape 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 make a through hole under the bowstring so that the rod is positioned strictly perpendicular to the rail, and the block slides freely along it with a slight play.
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 in the same way as 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.
Basis for corner clamps A piece of thick plywood will serve. 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 secure two wooden blocks hard rock, which for convenience we will call reference. 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 bars: first position them on adhesive connection, and then strengthen 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 head with 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.
It is very important that during processing the part is correctly and permanently fixed. Therefore, tools are so often required that in such situations will be assistants and will be able to solve this problem in such a way that during any thermal or mechanical treatment it remains in one motionless position, as the master needs.
By the way, an angular clamp is just such a clamp that is perfect both for fixing a part during processing and for compressing several parts into a single whole so that a strong bond is obtained.
The principle of operation of the clamp
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 allow you to work with the part with two hands.
There are several types of such clamps:
- Lever.
- Screw.
- Assembly.
- Corner.
- Manual.
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 a master great strength, 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:
- Cam.
- Wedges.
- Angular.
There are other options for such a hand tool - an assistant. Popularly, such a clamp is called a spring clamp. This is due to its simple design and equally simple application. 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, which 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.
Every craftsman who makes products and parts made of metal or wood cannot do without homemade clamps. Previously, such a tool was produced in various modifications, from specialized to universal. The main task is to fix the workpiece for processing and joining operations. Let's look at how to make a quick-release clamp with your own hands in various variations.
Angle clamp
This type of do-it-yourself metal clamp is designed for fixing two objects at right angles and connecting them to each other using any methods, however, the main purpose is as a jig for welding metal parts at the angle required for work. To make it properly , you will need the following components:
Corners should be welded at 90 degrees to metal or steel plates. We attach the worm-type structure by welding, and screw a pin-driver into the working nut in order to assemble a stop at the end. The stop must turn freely. Then we need to drill a hole on the back side where we insert a metal rod as a lever. Incredible simple design and practicality of use have become the key to the popularity of such a clamp among everyone who works with metal and products made from it.
Carpenter's clamp
Such designs, used in carpentry, there are the following types:
- Standard clamp, which is the most popular or simple;
- In the form of a caliper for parts small size and operational fixation;
- Self-clamping clamp for milling processes and working with workpieces of various heights.
The first type is made from two pine blocks, a locking nut, rods, threaded wing nuts and thrust washers. The manufacturing process is very simple:
- We cut out the working pliers from the bars, drill holes for the studs, taking into account a small amount of play;
- We screw in the studs and lock them using appropriate methods;
- We ensure alignment with nuts, made either in the form of wings or standard nuts for improved tension.
The second option is used when prompt fixation of small parts is necessary. Production is carried out from small bars and thin-sheet plywood. Furniture nuts and collar pins act as a worm system. One stop is stationary; we attach it to 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 the fastening of fixed stops. The clamp is a furniture nut, a hairpin and a knob. Due to this, you can work with workpieces of any size.
The self-clamping design has a lever with an eccentric at the rotating 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 carried out.
Pipe clamp
Welding metal pipes end to end is a complex operation. It is considered simpler to weld the pipe to the finished system. The design for such cases is made of a metal angle and steel plates. The halves of such a device should be fixed using the traditional method, namely with threaded rods. As a result, you can get a fairly simple and effective design, which will greatly facilitate the work when welding pipes with various designs.
There are other types of designs, including cam mechanisms, tape and wire clamps, which can be useful for working with specific structures, including particularly fragile and thin ones. However, their production is the subject of separate master classes and articles on specialized resources.
Homemade clamps are indispensable assistants for any craftsman working with metal and wooden parts and products. Making them is quite simple and very exciting. Here it is important to follow the manufacturing technology, find the best instructions and videos. You can buy clamps, but they may ultimately not be suitable due to the specificity of the workpiece or work. This is why you should make your own clamps. Good luck working with various blanks and making homemade ones quick clamps!
