Tip #11
Everything You Need To Know About Clamping
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version of Tip - Pg 1-3, Pg. 4-6, Pg. 7-9

There is an unwritten woodworking law that says, “You never have enough clamps.” Just when you think you have all the clamps you could possibly need to tackle any project, along comes one requiring just two or three more than you have on hand. And when is this most likely to happen ? More often than not, AFTER you've slathered glue all over your mating project components and have started to put everything together. PANIC TIME!

Experienced woodworkers know all about this. In fact, it's one of the first lessons we learn as we move into more complex projects. That's why clamping tools are one area of the shop where any investment you make is sure to be worth its weight in gold. No, you won't have to buy thousands of dollars worth of specialized clamps to be sure you'll have what you need...when you need it. But you should equip your shop with a good selection of multi-purpose clamps that can be used in different ways. If you choose your clamping tools carefully, you can get a lot of versatility out of relatively few clamps...and, since they have no motors and few moving parts, if you take care of them, they'll never wear out. Let's take a look at some of the most common types of clamps:

Continue to Types of Clamps