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Definitely get a set of Irwin quick clamps. Stores seem to be cheaper than online here. They're the easiest to use and you'll reach for them first. They also work one handed. Locking c clamp like vice grip or Kreg Jorgensen bar clamps or pipe clamps (though pipes arnt as cheap as you might hope). Variety pack of spring clamps (though consider whether you really want the small ones which they throw in the variety packs to boost the numbers, I rarely use them but use my biggest two all the time). Regular old C clamps are cheap but get the least use by me. Though they're useful for things like clamping the drill press vice down where I want it semi perminent and want a lot of force. Harbor freight is definitely a good option, though except for Irwin above, nothing I suggested is very expensive for name brand (Jorgensen, Bessy, Vice Grip). But for clamps variety definitely trumps quality.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:21
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asdf32 posted:Definitely get a set of Irwin quick clamps. Stores seem to be cheaper than online here. They're the easiest to use and you'll reach for them first. They also work one handed. I'm really glad I read this post before I thoughtlessly scrapped all the old gas pipe I just pulled.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:35
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You can make your own bar clamps with some wood, a bit of threaded rod and a bit of dowel. It's a useful project. I have a few of those Irwin clamps. They are useful and better quality than others I have bought.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:49
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I have a couple Narex mortise chisels and they are nice for the money. The small to medium length harbor freight clamps are not too bad, however the longer ones (ie 36"+) will bend and deflect quite a bit when tightening them up, which can be iffy in some applications. As stated above, spring clamps are super handy. I've got a bunch of the $.99 home depot 2" ones and they're great.
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Apr 1, 2014 15:51
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Hey, I think I asked before, but didn't see responses. If I wanted to buy a "pretty nice" hand-turned bowl online, does anyone have any recommendations?
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Apr 1, 2014 20:40
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I bought a bag of plastic spring clamps from Home Depot and 2 broke the first time I used them, 1 broke while setting on the bench (the plastic split under the tension of the spring on all 3). I brought the small ones to the house to use as bag clips, the rest are in a mesh bag under the bench collecting dust. Maybe I'm unlucky but I can't recommend them. I have cheap metal spring clamps from HF that are covered in rust and the plastic tips keep falling off but otherwise are performing; and some Jorgenson spring clamps that are much older, rust free, and really nice. I have no complaints about any of my Jorgenson clamps, all have been abused and held up well. I really want some Jorgenson Cabinet Master or Bessey K Body clamps but  are they expensive.edit; Cobalt60 posted:Hey, I think I asked before, but didn't see responses. If I wanted to buy a "pretty nice" hand-turned bowl online, does anyone have any recommendations? ChaoticSeven used to sell them, haven't seem him around much lately. http://forums.somethingawful.com/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=82696
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Apr 1, 2014 20:41
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A pair of wood handscrew clamps has come in very handy on my workbench build. I use them to clamp the wood stably on the bench top with edge I need to plane sticking up above, then quick clamping the woodscrew clamps to the bench top. There's all kind of ways you can use them like that once you start thinking about it.
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Apr 1, 2014 20:59
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wormil posted:
Lowes is clearing out the Bessey brand. So far the discount is 10%. Combine this with a 10% off coupon and an additional 6% if you buy using a giftcard from Cardpool= 26% off. http://www.lowes.com/Search=bessey+clamps?storeId=10151&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&Ntt=bessey+clamps#! the spyder fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Apr 1, 2014 |
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Apr 1, 2014 22:24
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I'd add to clampchat: you can NEVER have enough clamps. Not ever. You'll want some good quality ones, and a few specialist things like long reach or low-profile or hold down, but mostly they'll be solely for applying even pressure during glue-up; they don't need to be particularly good quality or particularly strong, just get lots of them as cheaply as you can for a quality that won't break instantly, and get your friends and family to buy you them as gifts! They're one of the few tools I'd advocate woodworkers asking for as gifts without specifying exact models.
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Apr 1, 2014 23:57
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Thanks everyone! I'm going to go clean out HF tomorrow and order a few nicer clamps as soon as I figure out what budget will allow.
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Apr 2, 2014 00:35
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Double post
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Apr 2, 2014 00:38
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wormil posted:I bought a bag of plastic spring clamps from Home Depot and 2 broke the first time I used them, 1 broke while setting on the bench (the plastic split under the tension of the spring on all 3). I brought the small ones to the house to use as bag clips, the rest are in a mesh bag under the bench collecting dust. Maybe I'm unlucky but I can't recommend them. Yeah, those plastic bulk packs are not so great. These are the ones I've had good luck with: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-2-in-Spring-Clamp-80002/100027346
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Apr 2, 2014 03:07
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Halx posted:Yeah, those plastic bulk packs are not so great. These are the ones I've had good luck with: http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-2-in-Spring-Clamp-80002/100027346 I have broken so many of those plastic ones youd think id buy better but they are cheap enoughi dont care when they do break. also get a couple of truck ratchet tie downs. They work great for large or odd shaped stuff.
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Apr 2, 2014 04:47
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JEEVES420 posted:I have broken so many of those plastic ones youd think id buy better but they are cheap enoughi dont care when they do break. And here I thought I was being all smart and original earlier this year when I used tiedowns to hold my entertainment unit together while I was gluing it up.
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Apr 2, 2014 06:06
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Walked posted:Thanks everyone! I'm going to go clean out HF tomorrow and order a few nicer clamps as soon as I figure out what budget will allow. Some(all?) of those ratcheting HF bar clamps don't actually clamp for poo poo, they will slip under the slightest pressure. Just a heads up.
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Apr 2, 2014 07:07
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Cpt.Wacky posted:A pair of wood handscrew clamps has come in very handy on my workbench build. I use them to clamp the wood stably on the bench top with edge I need to plane sticking up above, then quick clamping the woodscrew clamps to the bench top. There's all kind of ways you can use them like that once you start thinking about it. Wood handscrew clamps are the best IMO
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Apr 2, 2014 09:41
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I started building a workbench today. Holy poo poo you guys were right about clamps. That said I'm enjoying myself immensely so that's awesome. More questions sure to follow.
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Apr 2, 2014 21:33
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asdf32 posted:I'm eyeing this (like new on craigslist for $430) I have this one and really like it. Being able to fold it up and store it has been a real space saver in my garage. Change the blade asap, the one it comes with sucks. Also change the blade insert also. I went with these ones ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077LMMHE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )and it's worked great. The OEM one that is in there had a huge opening which was causing issues on narrow cuts. The only actual gripe I have is the fence. It works great once you have it tuned but there is a weirdness with the clamping out of the box. It will clamp the front rail just before the back one which can cause a very slight torque to it. I followed some guide online for tweaking it which I can't find right now but if I find it I will post back the location. Before I had it working reliably I just had to do some extra "nudging" as I clamped it down to make sure it was parallel to the blade.
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Apr 2, 2014 22:57
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Tindjin posted:I have this one and really like it. Being able to fold it up and store it has been a real space saver in my garage. Change the blade asap, the one it comes with sucks. Also change the blade insert also. I went with these ones ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077LMMHE/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )and it's worked great. The OEM one that is in there had a huge opening which was causing issues on narrow cuts. I missed the craigslist post that I had seen which left me thinking about this more. I like the Dewalt offering quite a bit, though I think I'd still have to give the nod to Bosch because it's well known and there are lots of accessories readily available. One nice thing about the Dewalt is the rack and pinion fence adjustment. The Dewalt:  Oh, another type of clamp that's nice to have: 
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Apr 3, 2014 02:02
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asdf32 posted:The Dewalt: We have this saw as my school. The kids and I loath it. It's crazy loud. Dumps sawdust in your crotch if you are pulling work through. Table top is tiny. It's 99% plastic. The stand is flimsy as hell The fence can "hop a tooth" if you bump it just right and get out of alignment. Underpowered when ripping 2x4's or hardwood. If you're using it on a finished cement floor, you'll be pushing it all around the shop. Extension cord is too short. Off switch is not as conveniently located as it appears (table top hangs over it a fair bit). Blade angle guide is really more of a suggestion. Then again this is probably true of every portable jobsite saw out there.
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Apr 3, 2014 03:11
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I visited one of two local hardwood dealers today I have been wanting to check out and holy crap. Instant overload. They have the largest selection I have seen and this was the smaller of the two stores I'm told. It got me thinking though, what are you folks paying per board foot? 1" Maple, Red Oak, and Black Walnut was $4.50/bf 1" White Oak and Poplar was $3.50/bf (Faces were planned, and the edges were roughtsawn) They had standard 4/4, 5/4, 8/4, and 12/4 with various prices. All I know is this is going to turn in to a very, very expensive hobby.
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Apr 3, 2014 03:52
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Walked posted:I started building a workbench today. Holy poo poo you guys were right about clamps. post a pic to show it off when its done 
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Apr 3, 2014 10:39
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justincredible posted:post a pic to show it off when its done Will do. Question time: Once the bench is done, I have a serious interest in building a tabletop from reclaimed boards (We have a shop here that sells used goods from homes in DC, where all buildings are super old). And they have some really nice old oak boards that are rather cheap and look like they'd make a nice table top. How would I go about joining these for a tabletop? Theyre all roughsawn on the sides, but the wide surfaces are decent. I'm not too pressed with making the table perfectly level (e.g. I am up for keeping the texture of the boards), but I do want to have them boards at least joined as decently as possible to minimize gaps. Any tips? On hand: table saw, plunge/fixed router, circular saw. Willing to pick up reasonably priced additional items. (Just researching this one for now; while I have some downtime at work)
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Apr 3, 2014 14:28
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Blistex posted:We have this saw as my school. The kids and I loath it. Oh, angle guide is totally off. By like two full degrees. Slugworth fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 14:58
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Walked posted:Will do. You will need to make some accommodation for the movement of wood between the seasons and moisture levels of where you are. Floating bread board does this fairly well. You can clean up the surfaces fairly well with a hand plane. Most places won't let you run recycled wood through a thicknesser cos of the chance of a nail or some gravel screwing up the blades.
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Apr 3, 2014 15:45
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Walked posted:How would I go about joining these for a tabletop? Theyre all roughsawn on the sides, but the wide surfaces are decent. I'm not too pressed with making the table perfectly level (e.g. I am up for keeping the texture of the boards), but I do want to have them boards at least joined as decently as possible to minimize gaps. A jointer (or a hand plane) is the normal tool for cleaning up board edges. I don't know anything about table construction or what Frogmanv2 said about board movement though.
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Apr 3, 2014 16:27
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:A jointer (or a hand plane) is the normal tool for cleaning up board edges. I don't know anything about table construction or what Frogmanv2 said about board movement though.  A jointer might be out of the immediate budget. Maybe I'll see about faking it with a router and a flush-trim bit. Thanks guys.
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Apr 3, 2014 17:03
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Walked posted:
A $50 handplane will do it too.
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Apr 3, 2014 17:56
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Walked posted:And they have some really nice old oak boards that are rather cheap and look like they'd make a nice table top. Are you just building a top?
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Apr 3, 2014 17:59
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wormil posted:Are you just building a top? Nope; that's just the part I'm reading up on now. Still havent figured out an approach for the rest. Slow going. Thinking a handplane may be a good buy.
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Apr 3, 2014 18:06
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ImplicitAssembler posted:A $50 handplane will do it too. On that note, how do you tell the difference between a good handplane and a bad one? I'm working on building a handrail for my staircase, which means I'm trying to manipulate this 12'-long piece of wood, making power tools somewhat hazardous (if not to me, then at least to the piece I'm working on). I need to flatten out the top a bit, y'see.
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Apr 3, 2014 18:12
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:On that note, how do you tell the difference between a good handplane and a bad one? I'm working on building a handrail for my staircase, which means I'm trying to manipulate this 12'-long piece of wood, making power tools somewhat hazardous (if not to me, then at least to the piece I'm working on). I need to flatten out the top a bit, y'see. Usually by the price  . As much as I like handplanes, I just couldn't justify the $200+ pricetag for nicer ones and ended up just buying a $50 one from Homedepot. The key point is checking that the base is flat. The sharpening of the blade was non-existant, so I had to redo that. It needed a lot of work and while I didn't completely finish it, it was certainly enough for basic planing operations.
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Apr 3, 2014 18:34
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Walked posted:Nope; that's just the part I'm reading up on now. Still havent figured out an approach for the rest. Slow going. I've built a number of tables, both apron and trestle, so let me know if you have any questions. I've been mulling a primer on table building since it gets asked a lot. There are good and bad ways to do it. The easiest way is find a good plan and follow it, that's what I did in the beginning and it helped me understand why tables are the way they are. Most people get in trouble by trying to be different without understanding the basics or assuming it can't be that hard then end up with a wobbly table. TooMuchAbstraction posted:On that note, how do you tell the difference between a good handplane and a bad one? There's a question that can lead down a rabbit hole ... if buying new then yeah, price is a good indicator. If buying used then most people stick to vintage Stanleys because figuring out what's good and what's not is a hobby unto itself.
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Apr 3, 2014 19:27
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wormil posted:I've built a number of tables, both apron and trestle, so let me know if you have any questions. I've been mulling a primer on table building since it gets asked a lot. There are good and bad ways to do it. The easiest way is find a good plan and follow it, that's what I did in the beginning and it helped me understand why tables are the way they are. Most people get in trouble by trying to be different without understanding the basics or assuming it can't be that hard then end up with a wobbly table. A primer would be astounding. Even if pretty short - that way I at least know what I dont know and what to search for! Walked fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Apr 3, 2014 |
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Apr 3, 2014 19:30
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wormil posted:I've been mulling a primer on table building since it gets asked a lot. There are good and bad ways to do it. The easiest way is find a good plan and follow it, that's what I did in the beginning and it helped me understand why tables are the way they are. Most people get in trouble by trying to be different without understanding the basics or assuming it can't be that hard then end up with a wobbly table. Please do! I'll be building a large trestle table at some point in the next two months or so and would love a reference guide.
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Apr 3, 2014 19:31
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I'll start working on it, probably do it in parts.
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Apr 3, 2014 22:32
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So I am wrapping up my first project (workbench) tomorrow. I'm gathering a reclaimed wood table may be a stretch for #2 (especially lacking a jointer/planer). Any suggestions for a second project (possibly plans to go with it)? Im prepped to buy more tools that I'm sure I'll need, but a jointer and planer may be more than I can swing this month. Edit: cutting board doesn't really interest me, but maybe a simple chair or side table? I'm open
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Apr 4, 2014 01:19
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Make a box? Or a bread cutting board (like this, not just a flat piece of wood). I mean, furniture's all well and good, but it's also fairly expensive materials-wise if you screw something up. And basic woodworking skills will transfer regardless of the size of the project.
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Apr 4, 2014 01:27
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Ana-white is a really good place for basic woodworking projects.
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Apr 4, 2014 01:32
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Walked posted:Any suggestions for a second project (possibly plans to go with it)? There is quite possibly something that you can build in Steves big list of projects he has plans for. Jays Custom Creations has plans for most of his projects too, a lot are using pocket holes or half lap joints. Both of which are easy as pie. Woodgears has a lot of furniture projects to check out and get some ideas from.
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Apr 4, 2014 01:52
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