Woodworking with very few clamps (maybe only 5).
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- How many clamps does it take to hold your woodwork? Turns out... not many.
More video and exclusive content: / rexkrueger
Get my Five Essential Clamps (Links Below)
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Pipe Clamp for ½” Pipe: amzn.to/3uCVwSy
Here’s the pipe just for reference: amzn.to/2PNZs4g
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Medium Bar Clamps: amzn.to/39YeWJJ
Twin Screw Clamp: amzn.to/2QbcVCU
(This one isn’t cheap, but it’s very good. I’ve also had good luck with cheaper ones, even Harbor Freight versions.)
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Table Of Contents
00:00 Intro
00:27 ` History: Long Island Dominys
01:31 ` Opening Cut Scene
01:43 Merits Of Old School Techniques
02:07 ` Dove Tail Joint
02:57 ` Draw-Bored Mortise & Tenon
04:34 ` Rabbet Joint
05:32 ` Battens Screwed On Work Bench With Wedges
06:16 ` Sprung Joint
07:02 ` ` Misc Commentary
See the description for links on where you can purchase these clamps. Buying them at the links will support Rex! :)
08:00 42" Long Pipe Clamp
09:17 2 Medium Sized Bar Clamps [a.k.a. F-Clamps]
10:29 Adjustable Twin Screw Clamp
11:55 Spring Clamps
13:08 Conclusion
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Steve Ramsey's video on clamps: • How many clamps do you...
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Hey Rex, thanks for the shout-out. Your comments about downsizing rang true with me. I used to be so impressed by large shops filled with tools, imaging all I could do with them. But now my shop has half the stuff it did a decade ago and I marvel at people who do more with less.
But you have twice the cats you did! Bubbles & Cobra *theme music playing*
I subscribed to Rex because you mentioned his video dissecting an old table. I enjoy both of your channels because you keep things realistically small and practical.
Steve: I've been following you for years and your new striped down shop with its clean and bright look is an inspiration! It's obvious that you've put a lot of thought into every part. Amazing where experience leads you. Thanks for your awesome videos!
I've often thought of the two of you as opposite sides of the same coin. Steve is more power tool oriented and Rex hand tool oriented, but you are both trying to help ordinary people without massive budgets do better woodworking. Its right their in your titles: "Woodworking for Mere Mortals" and "Woodwork for Humans" :) Thanks and keep up the good work, both your you.
@@davidtripp4221 Exactly!
A mostly overlooked cheap alternative to bigger clamps (especially when glueing together boards) is the ratchet tie down strap. It has incredible power that can be easily directed with some well-placed pieces of wood.
Good point!
Ratchet straps are a versatile option.
It's possible to make simple wedge clamps without screwing them to your bench top with lumber preferably drilled with multiple holes and a loop of rope with a twisting stick is possible, a Spanish windlass and so on, so there are some simple improvisations he doesn't show that aren't as involved as using threads you make or buy.
Another example is an F style clamp that uses a cam rather than threads.
This brings up that a cam can often be used in place of a wedge or opposing wedges or threads.
Many have used both for clamps with lumber, possibly drilled with holes for adjustment or in dog holes in their bench for big glue ups.
I feel he is too thread oriented in his dismissal of self made clamps and holding up a C clamp with threads made of wood doesn't represent what's been done or can be done very well. There is a lot out there on self made clamping and clamps that doesn't involve threads, bought or made.
Yayyyyy Steve Ramseyyyyyy. Steve is my first woodworking love. His humor and fun and open minded approach to woodworking is still the best 😍
Calm down, relax, get a gripper. :p
I think you described my situation perfectly when you discussed power tools. I have been preparing to prepare to do some fine woodworking for YEARS now. All I seem to do is buy, set up, improve, adjust, repair, refine, modify and otherwise tinker with my power tools, with no time left for actually using them to their full potential. My shop, although it is a fair size, never seems to be big enough. I think it's time for me to take a long and careful look at what I really NEED as opposed to what I think I want! Thank you Rex, I'm really enjoying your videos.
Lots of people are "preparing to prepare." I want to help with that.
I was born and raised on Long Island and this is the first I'm ever hearing of the Dominys. Guess I've got some research to do...
I grew up in CT and I didn't know that Stanley was based about 50 miles from my childhood home until I was in California. The world is weird.
@@RexKrueger Reminds me of a story my dad used to tell. A man drove up to the ticket booth for the grand canyon and started talking to the man in the booth. The man at the booth was local to the area, but he had never bothered to go see the canyon, while the man in the car was making his fifth trip. The man in the car said he was from New York City, but he had never seen the statue of liberty, while the man in the booth had been there six times.
@@RexKrueger I've lived in the same house for past 27 years. This area is now home for me. I just recently learned there used to be a hand saw manufacturer in this same county but I had never heard about them. They were in business, and subsequently out of business, before I was born. It's amazing the history that is out there that is forgotten or rarely talked about.
Nor have I but I grew up in Nassau County Long Island nearer the city, East Hampton was "way out on the island" with the 85 mile drive being a 2-3 hour drive. Guess I have research to do too!
I too grew up in Nassau County and hadn't heard of the Dominys.
One funny thing about us Long Islanders is we say we live on Long Island rather than in. Though you added rural to the beginning so I do think it sounded better using in.
Loved the hyperventilating into the bag bit. Great job Rex.
Rex you sentiment reminds me of something my pops told me when I was younger and I used to talk about all the guns I wanted to buy when I got older. He told me “a wise man once said beware the man with only one rifle because he probably knows how to use it”. The end of your video made me think of that.
So those spring clamps:
I got this idea from Mike Farrington, but I went down to my local REI and got a couple broken bicycle inner tubes for free from their repair shop, cut them up, and used those to turn my spring clamps into bandy clamps to put some home cut edge banding onto some cabinets. And if I can make perfectly functional bandy clamps for $1 each in Fairbanks, Alaska, you can make them super cheap ANYWHERE.
Pony clamps!!! I've been dying for someone on CZcams to drop that name. As a contractor Pony clamp's "cabinet claw" is essential. It's the one clamp that every kitchen installer needs to do a quality job with less than high end cabinets. Not so much a wood working tool but I havent installed a kitchen without them in 20 yrs. I prefer the older 90s version... but any awesome clamps. Lot of detail into ergonomics over aesthetics. It feels like the people who design them have worked in th field and have built them from real world knowledge.
I'm just getting into the thought of doing woodworking and I'm really enjoying your videos. I like how you keep it real, no fluff, and keep it to the point. Happy I found your channel, Rex.
Bro, you can pry my clamps from my cold dead hands. IM NEVER GIVING UP MY CLAMPS
"Really, you'd have to unscrew them from my cold dead hands... except in the case of the spring clamps. Those you'll have to pry."
Lol
czcams.com/video/T9BdI-jB8xc/video.html
@@henmich Nice reference. For people browsing this in future, _no_ this isn't some prayer video or spambot posting.
@@henmich That's exactly who I thought of when I read the above comment
This is Craftsmanship old ways. We need to bring them back before they cease to exist.
"you don't need a lot of tools, just learn how to use what you have." No truer words.
Rex - hope you are ok after your panic attack !! Paper bag scene - my favorite Rex comedy moment of all time !!!
I've had panic attacks.. I Remer one time I was taking seats out of a vehicle. I was also going through a divorce... I stood up from the car and suddenly...my heart started racing and pounding out of my chest. It took a good 25 mins to calm me down. I thought I was dying. These were in my younger years. Had atleast 2 similar situations. Very scary, very uncomfortable.
@@k3ith29 that's terrible, actual panic attacks are the worst. I've been on the supportive end of one and can kind of imagine what it's like.
I hope you could still appreciate the video intro for its comedic value.
I worry "sprung joints" may year themselves apart over some years, by will of the wood.
@@tomsenft7434 Actually less likely to have the boards come apart at the ends - have a read of this ... www.finewoodworking.com/2010/04/26/spring-joints-an-edge-glue-ups-best-friend Edit: I think spring joints are far easier to do by hand with a plane than with machines.
@@k3ith29 thanks for sharing. The real thing must be pretty scary.
I've found the "need less, do more" to be true in almost everything I do. My photography started off with me purchasing anything I could get my hands on. I ended up with 7 studio lights, a bunch of stands, light modifiers, and backgrounds, as well as just about every software for editing photos one could buy. Now, I use 4 lights at most (and usually just 1 light on almost everything I do, and that's usually a speedlight), three modifiers exclusively (1 huge silver umbrella, a 34" foldable beauty dish, and strip boxes), one background (18% gray, which is easy to replace with any other background I want), and one editing program (Affinity Photo). Drawing and painting is the same. I even started making my own charcoal for drawing. The one thing I'd recommend for artists to either buy or build is a very good desk ( I use a Mayline Ranger 60" desk). Having a proper surface is so nice to work on. My painting, I only need about 7 colors, including white and black. Everything else can be mixed. The brushes, maybe 10 different brushes. Keeping things simple allows me to focus on the creation I'm trying to make and less on the equipment.
Just found your channel today. I enjoyed the video. Keep up the good work. Subbed.
Hi Rex My grandfather was a cabinet maker. One of his products was a clock which was made from timber veneers. The veneers had to be pulled tightly against the curved jig until the glue dried. He did not use metal or timber clamps. Instead he got the inner tube from a car tyre and cut large "elastic bands" about 25 to 30mm wide. One band on each side of the jig pulling a small timber cross piece onto the work. One car tube made many bands. He also made all his woodworking machinery from timber - 8 and 6 feet belt sanders, spindle (similar to an inverted router), band saw etc. Also we call the metal clamps G clamps not F clamps. Cheers
Love that application of inner tube elastic! Thanks!
So he made his clamps. He didn't try to do without proper clamping.
@@yrralyou Hi Larry My grandfather had access to traditional metal clamps. He used to build boats as well. When making the curved body of a mantle piece timber clock at all odd angles the clamps had to be applied quickly in a restricted space. G-clamps would not work. Also there would have been the equivalent of 15 or so G-clamps required or 30 rubber bands. The bands could be applied in a few seconds. Also when doing a production run of say 6 clock bodies he would have required 60 or more clamps (if they could be applied). This time period was also early 1960's so his technique was developed post WW2 in a time where everything was scarce. All his wood working machinery he built using timber. He just needed an electric motor a few pulleys and belts and some shafting. I know as a very young boy I watched him in awe. It was all about making do with what was available. If I had to build the same clock bodies today I think I would still use the rubber band idea. Cheers.
@@johnspathonis1078 Individual projects are often built with methods used by fathers, grandfathers, etc.
I love Steve Ramsey's videos, not so much for the woodworking, more for his humor and movie recommendations! And his cats, of course 😃
Also, your video made me stop up and think about my coming clamp splurge for when I'm going to build my workbench (I need to glue a lot of long pieces together). This has led me to cut down from 14 to 8 F clamps. I have a good amount of quick clamps as well but want some proper F clamps (my largest F clamps are 20 cm). I could probably get along with less, but they are not that expensive. AND I WANT THEM! 😂
Wanting them is a whole different thing, isn't it?
@@RexKrueger It is :^) But I can also see from our friends on Discourse that gluing up construction lumber from the home center is easier with more clamps. And I'm buying them because I'm going to begin building my bench soon. I'm very excited!
I realise that I inadvertently dissed Steve: "... not so much for the woodworking ..." I discovered the channel because of his host of great advise, but I'm not a power tool user to the extent he is, so that's what it meant. (I hope I haven't called down the mighty wrath of Steve! He has tons of occult equipment in his shop!)
I have enough clamps to clamp up most things I want to build, but that’s usually not the problem: most people aren’t missing the clamps required for their project, most people run out of clamps when they’re glueing up several pieces at the same time. And that’s not just a problem for commercial shops, it also applies to hobbyists who don’t have an endless supply of spare time.
Alright Rex, that opener was probably the funniest one yet. And the follow up after the intro was a great touch.
My grandpa grew up in the depression, he used bailing twine and a stick. I've used this method to repair furniture. (Stools, table legs, and wood chests)
Rubbing joints, rope and wedges, nails works like a dream
Rex
I recalled my grandfather used rope or twine to make a tourniquet to squeeze chair legs, instead of using clamps.
An important part of why in the past people didn't use as much clamps is the glue itself. Bone/hide glue "tightens" up while it dries. Additionally it dries super quickly to a state where no pressing is needed anymore and it needs only a couple of hours to really harden up for real use. Glueing up boards in the past was done vertically and the weight of a board was enough pressure for a hide glue up.
my father used to restore antique furniture quite often and the dovetails in those usually didn't even have any glue in them, so many of his jobs revolved around pieces that came apart when the owners brought them into modern heated rooms, the pieces got too dry, causing the joints to loosen.
my father explained to me that, what they did, was to have the pieces way drier than normal during assembly, this causes the wood to contract, once dried, they'd put the pieces together and then let the wood absorb moisture from the air, this causes the wood to expand, creating an extremely tight friction fit.
as for mortise and tenon joints, the trick is to only dry the tenon piece, hammer it into the mortise and then the same thing happens, the tenon absorbs moisture from the mortise, expands inside and causes a friction fit.
That's a very good point! Hide glue was the clamp itself. Never thought about that. I still use hide glue for my canvases and canvas panels while painting because of its archival properties and that's a characteristic of its behavior.
Does fish glue do this, as well? I just can't bring myself to get a gluepot and baby my glue, and my shop is very cold in the winter which would make for a very short open time. So, I use fish glue on stuff I want to be able to be taken apart if needed someday (stringed instruments). I like the long open time and high tack.
Panels would also be assembled using rubbed joints...put hot hide glue on the jointed edges and rub the edges together until the glue “grabs”. The panel can then be set aside (on edge) until fully set. It does also work with modern glues, though I haven’t done it myself.
@@georgenewlands9760 I often rub joint with pva and it's great if you are clamping as well because it prevents the timber sliding when you tighten the clamps
I actually have used C clamps quite a lot. I love them because they take up little storage space and are great for face-to-face glue-ups.
Also, if you think clamping stuff to your joists is neat... observe that a standard milk crate fits between joists very neatly. Get about 24" x 4" of thin sheet metal (computer case and metal 2x4s work) and bend it up at both ends with about 14" in the center, then drill some holes in the ends and screw it to the joists with enough vertical clearance to slip the crate up there. It makes for awesome long-term storage for stuff you might go years without touching again.
Now make it swing up and down, and latch in place.
@@leehaelters6182 you say that like I didn't already do it with two crates and cantilevers, fishing-box style. :D
But I actually don't find the gadgetry as useful.
And PS. I love your minimalist less-is-more philosophy! I'm the same way. I'm hesitant to get into new things if I think it will require getting a bunch of crap. I look to do something, and the first thing I ask myself is "How can I do this with the fewest tools/supplies? How did they used to do it? How would a farmer/hillbilly do it? How can I improvise or use something else rather than buying more crap?". The less you have...the better life is. Grew up poor, and never tried to compensate, like a lot of my peers did...who are now all mired in debt and still not happy.
The draw bored mortice and tennon is such a good joint! A ratcheting strap is great for the really long stuff with shims to protect the work piece. Thanks Rex.
I too use a ratchet strap and also a set of tourniquet cauls for larger pieces. It's not ideal, but it's a dirt-cheap solution for when I just really need to fix a chair or table
Yup bike lifts, tow straps, clamps, winches, oh and I think they may also help in attaching cargo to vehicle attachments. Truly awesome little gadgets
Fun fact: Timber framed houses here in germany use the very same technique of offset holes - at least back then, when they used hand tools. Today they usualyl don't cut them by hand so they usually fit together so well that they don't need it.
I grew up in my dad’s cabinet shop… he was a craftsman for sure. Once a man was wanting him to build something for him and dad wasn’t jumping on the job… the man made the mistake of walking in dad’s shop and making the comment… “well! Anyone could build the stuff you do if they had the tools you do.” Dad politely told him where he could go and purchase the tools. Your comment about knowing how to use the tools reminded me of that.
I couldn't agree more about the fact that owning a lot of things (including tools) soon become an hassle more than an opportunity. As someone once said: "'The things you own end up owning you".
Also, being efficient and getting the job done with less, is very satisfying per se.
I'd rather have tools I don't need than need tools I don't have.
@@1pcfred Sure. But the point is that if you can get the job done without, you don't "need" the extra tool.
@@WhyDontYouBuildit depending on the task I am often better off using power tools. They hold accuracy better than I can. Then there's the power aspect of the equation. My table saw will kick your ass ripping boards by hand. I'll run a thousand feet through it before you get up to 100.
@@1pcfred That's for sure!
@@WhyDontYouBuildit horses for courses. I have plenty of hand tools in my stable too. Still love me some power tools though. I am in the process of adding a new machine.
sometimes its funny how downsizing makes things so much easier . my first acoustic guitar took around 150 hrs. now after 47 guitars I am down to 450 to 500 hrs.
hahaha, that's funny. I kind of regonize that. I think it depends on what kind of person you are; The older I get the more a japanese person I become. ( I'm dutch but I love the urge for perfection the japanese seem to have.). Perfection takes time. I make ships and furniture, but it doesn't matter what you make, You want to make something good, functional, and beautiful.
You inspired me over the last couple years. Thanks to you my animals have much nicer "cages" that look like real furniture. Im in the process of making a huge Chinchilla cabinet with just a hand saw, drill and couple of clamps in my apartment. Thanks so much!
How did you do it in your apartment? is your room big? what about the mess?
@@yiduoqian5046 lol it could have been a huge mess in a small space! I used my kitchen, which has a small island counter top as the work table. Its about 2'x2' and with some clamps and creativity did just fine. I also swept after every few major cuts and sanded outside. Tedious but worth it.
Hey Rex I’m just getting in to woodworking accumulating my tools and stuff this video was very informational. Going down the rabbit hole CZcams can be overwhelming I just happened to stumble upon your video the information you’re sharing and the flag of Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹 in your background made me subscribe.
Being from Trinidad spend money on some tools is a lot harder where shipping and handling is concerned so seeing ways to do the same stuff by just being a little more innovative helps a lot
I enjoyed your rant about clamps . Ingenuity is the key to efficiently.you forgot to mention good ole weights, rub joints , and my favourite for small pieces,paint masking tape.
Rex thanks so much for this video. I literally have the amount of clamps you described and am feeling better about it.
You really might be all set!
Nailed it
actually, he clamped it...
@@dickwright7702, double entendre, I think.
A hobby of mine is fixing old furniture. My mom asked me to fix an old round chair that she got from her grandmother years ago. I needed 3 clamps just to hold 1 clamp in position, while simultaneously clamping 4 sections together on the chair. It all had to be glued together at the same time, quite a pain.
The old saying is that every woodworker has too many clamps till he needs them.
Fundamentals!!!! Yes!!!! Back in the day there was the 'rub joint' which joined boards side by side for panels, the glue dried QUICK so they literally rubbed the boards together until they stopped moving, done. Hundreds of years later and some are still true!
One of my favorites is called a 'fox-wedged tenon' THIS IS COOL!!! Also heavily involved ☹️
A normal mortise and tenon joint, the mortise has a bit removed at the two shoulder sides, the tenon has a slice or even two in the end! When you put the two together, the bottom of the mortise pushes wedges into the tenon, this spreads it out of course, keeping it from coming apart, basically ever again if done correctly!!! There are 600 year old Windsor chairs made like that and guess what? They're still FLAWLESS today!!!! I love it all!! I've got "lifetime guarantee" furniture I've built out in the world that is nearing 30 years old now, never once have I ever had a single call back for my promise of as close to perfect as possible!!!!
That 'sprung joint' he showed, I do everything I can to avoid that!!!! Sure, it works like he said, the moment you remove the clamp the wood begins returning to the tight ends and a gap in the middle. It may crack the joint in an hour, or a year or even a hundred years, but the certainty here is that it will win. Period. Wood has nothing but time. The glue will fail. FACT!!! I've found that if your joints are perfect, it takes very little to glue them, then they aren't trying to tear themselves apart after it's dry. You want ZERO forces working against what you are trying to accomplish.
As for the rest of his video...... I'll admit it, I have a severe problem. My clamp addiction is far worse than any drug addiction will ever be. 😭
I'm powerless in the face of buying clamps!!! New, used, handmade, machined, garage/estate sale, AAHHHHHH!!!!! I have.....I'm guessing, more than 400? I have no clue how many, it's an actual problem similar to unchecked drug abuse!!!! I can't help it!!!!!!
Ppsssssstttttt!!!!!! Anyone got any for sale?
Rex, five clamp manufacturers just voted this down. 🙂🙂
🤣🤣🤣
Rex: does not say You can never have enough clamps
Clamp manufacturers and other woodworkers: BLASPHEMY
@@oliverdelica2289 🤣🤣🤣
@@oliverdelica2289 ⁷ìiiiiiiiiiiī
An interesting "woodwork for humans" build would be the "viking clamps" that were featured in an issue of Mortise and Tennon. Two wooden jaws pivot on a stick, and you drive a wedge between them at the back to make them pinch shut in the front. They were used to hold boards in place when building longships, so they must have some holding power.
I was just looking at an article on Pinterest about these! Very cool and interesting! Weird coincidence...
Jeweler’s ring vise.
Getting by with less - a while ago two carpenters put on a demo at a street fair and built a kitchen table that day using 18th (i think) century tools. Fine tooth buck saws, chisels, mallets, draw knives, that's all. It had angled apron with dovetailed drawer and slightly splayed legs. No glue or nails, just joints and pegs. Of course they were skilled, I think it took less time than power saws because there was no setup time. Beautiful to watch.
@ 3:57 you answered a 15 year old question I had. I saw furniture back in south Asia that had these mortise and tenon joints but always had these dowels. I never understood why. But I remember that wood workers there used to rarely use glue because quality was poor and supplies were not adequate. I never saw Why they drove in those dowels or that they made those slightly misaligned holes; however, now it just clicked. As far as traditional wood working techniques go, I think no one on youtube is more researched and more practical than you.
Nail boards for edge joining, rope and stick clamping were also traditional types of clamping before mass produced clamps
Can you describe the rope and stick? Do you mean twisting the rope like a tourniquet? I know of another method using string, a batten or caul for straightness, and a wedge to tighten. Used by luthiers for thin stock. Works great.
@@leehaelters6182 exactly like a tourniquet, but you can wrap the rope a couple times to get wider clamping pressure then the stick is tid off in place to hold the pressure
At a door and cabinet shop we use parallel clamps and pipe clamps by the hundreds. You don't need more than that.
glad i watched this video. as a retired custom furniture maker i worked from a 1 1/2 car long single garage. i was able to make some very large pieces in there with a bit of a squeeze. the reason was i have very few tools. most of the amateurs i see here on you tube have more gear than i do. my thought was every dollar you put into tools collecting dust on shelves, was a dollar you took off the table. and i really don't have a lot of clamps. all my edge joints over two foot are sprung. was trained to work that way.
Best advice I didn't listen to starting out, was "only buy tools as you need them". Didn't work that way for me in my younger days, now I have less tools and don't want tools unless I need them. Small shop is much less hassle.
07:55 Rex: you only need a handful of clamps ....
... ... don't count the 34 hanging on the rack behind me !!
First video after signing up for the Patreon. Been watching your stuff for ages and thought it was about time to show some support. Keep it up Rex- you're doing a lot of good work out there.
Rex, I'm an "instant fan." I've only watched a couple of your videos so far, but everything about them resonates with me. I'll be gobbling them up. Thanks for sharing your craft!
Excellent video Rex! With a crew I restored an old timber frame tobacco barn owned by one of the signers of Constitution. Almost all joints were draw bored mortise and tenon. , I didn't know what the joints were called until now. There were also scarf joints in the rafter plates, these were held together with two wedge shaped pieces of wood driven one on each side of the timber. The pegs we used on the mortices were called treenails. I don't know what the wedges were called. We had no power equipment on the job site. I still have the barn drill, hewing axe and hatchet left over from the restoration. Thanks for the video.
rex
Great opportunity!
1868: "Did you hear ol' Felix Dominy passed away? His son should be arriving on the train tomorrow." "Indeed? I think I might sneak over there after dark. Ol' Felix had a bunch of clamps, and you can never have too many!"
2021: "The Dominys didn't use very many clamps."
I am still kicking myself and ruing the day I spotted a Craig’s listing by Wally Kunkel, Mr. Sawdust himself. He was letting go of all his clamps, bar and deep reach types, the old industrial ones like Hartford and Wetzler and such. A fair price, no gouging attempted. And an invaluable opportunity to meet the man himself, and maybe chew the fat a little. Was only a week too late.
Actually, fun fact: Felix as was common at the time, made his own coffin. Indeed, it was during the final glue-up that he realized he had too few clamps to really exert the pressure he felt he needed for a box that is ostensibly air and watertight (and intended to keep him from being consumed by bugs and worms). T'was the stress of that very realization that _caused_ the fatal heart attack that did him in.
Upon his arrival, the coroner found two things of significance:
1. Felix's stiffening corpse still lying where his horror at discovering his clamp inadequacy had dropped him, and
2. Felix used hide glue (of course; it would be some 42 years before modern PVA glue would be invented), and while its open time is brief enough, it's final set time (and its resistance to water intrusion) takes DAYS.
Yes, the sad truth of the matter was Felix was _buried with_ his clamps... t'was the only thing holding his coffin together.
At least he can be grateful there, though.... can you imagine how awful, how much darker things might have turned out if the poor craftsman had only had a few? Like maybe a half dozen? Especially if like half of those were like spring clamps? *shudder*
That's no way for a man to live. Damn crying shame.
😂😂😂
Rex, you might go back in time to the Vikings...they had some interesting and clever clamps and wedges they used in shipbuilding.
You are right. I spent a few days in Roskilde Denmark at the Viking Ship building museum 25 years ago. I got an amazing education in building with Axes, rope and pitch. Not that building Ling boats translates to nice furniture..
This is exactly why I love Japanese joinery so much. They almost never use any glue. They just use very efficient joinery methods.
Built all of my kitchen cabinets with solid wood and I get tons of complements. With no clamps and a circular saw. Used wooden wedges. Jointed boards with a sanding block. Can be done but it's alot more enjoyable with a shop full of clamps and stationary tools I have now.
Rex, I’ve been a viewer of this channel for a very long time, I just want to compliment you on the production value of the videos these days. Great work
Thanks for noticing! It's taken a lot of work.
Love it👍 I have always appreciated the older craftsman who could do things with minimal tools. I believe we have gotten away from the basics and need to look closer at older techniques.
I did that process of tapping the wedges against the wall and other side additional woods to make a panel for table top joining three boards. Its because i couldn't afford a clamp during my free lancing. I believe the lack of resources and the need of together with the desire to work brings forth innovation when we understand the science of working there can be numerous ways to make a work done ! Thankyou for the video😊😊🙏
I just love it when an expert describes exactly what I've kinda ended up with myself! I have two pipe clamps - which started out with very long pipes - at some point, I couldn't fit them where I needed them - so I cut the pipes and ended up with two medium and two short pipes - then I needed long ones again, so I bought more pipes. Now I have two clamps and a bunch of pipes of various lengths. I do have six bar clamps - two of each in three sizes. But I literally never use the middle sized ones - so those *could* go. My large collection of G-clamps are VERY rarely used. And those sprung scissor things - I do need and use in large numbers when doing something like gluing thin plywood to a frame or something like that - I could nail them - but that might spoil a finish or result in a lot of filling of nail holes. But yeah - I could definitely downsize my clamps. But this weekend I'm tossing out my pegboard wall and going with french cleats - so I'll have a TON more space - and quite honestly, I'll probably hang on to those G-clamps "just in case"!
I enjoy the videos talking about traditional techniques. It can be hard to sift through the books to find the useful stuff for a beginner, but it really does seem like traditional forms and techniques are the way to go for people using hand tools primarily.
Really nice thing about pipe clamps, when you work construction and get along with the pipe fitters, if they have left over pipe they'll usually give you it cause it will just be thrown out otherwise.
I have so many different lengths because of this now.
"...all that stuff is a distraction from doing the work..." Best line on youtube. Thanks Rex.
I'm jealous of your array of previous-gen Harbor Freight clamps on your rack.
Maybe they used apprentices as clamps "here, hold this!" :-p
I was recently working on a very small "arts & crafts" type project for my wife. I had to glue a less-than-quarter-inch triangular wedge for a corner reinforcement. My wife came out to the shop and saw me just sitting on my stool holding and staring at the work piece. She asked if I was ok, and I responded sagely "When you don't *have* the clamp, you *are* the clamp." First the 3, 2, 1, light bulb moment, then she's laughing hysterically back into the house. 😁
@@Timri3681 LOL
I generally just use masking tape for that kind of thing. It has just enough stretch to put a slight pressure on.
cant drag my kids into holding things for me. i was using a saran box the other day to hold something
Hey Rex. Just wanna say that I really appreciate all that you do for us by making these videos. All the tips, research, and just all-around great content!
I enjoy your philosophical chats, and I love your sense of humor.
I work with pro audio and reached the same conclusion for my studio. Few versatile high quality handpicketed tools that I know inside out. And inspiration from professionals from the past that did amazing work with fewer tools.
I think Steve Ramsey is just the power tool version of you, your polar opposites but both have them same message of woodworking shouldn't be expensive
Steve's an inspiration.
I's say Matthias Wandel is his opposite, instead of using "as few tools as possible, to concentrate on the work" he spends all his time making tools. LMAO!
Lol that's true, I'm not sure I've seen a matthias wandle video where he uses his tools to build something other than tools 😂
@@merrickallard8488 There's the better mousetrap ones. Those are fun too.
Another awesome video Rex! Love the anti-(clamp)establishment devil’s advocate viewpoint, and entertaining delivery as always. The marketers and money men really have their hooks into woodworkers when it comes to clamps, so this pragmatic (and historically accurate) perspective is refreshing. Hey another option for edge jointing without clamps: nail dogs (a la Paul sellers)!
Rex, you're a gift to the community.
I use clamps a lot. Thing is, I use them for so many different things besides just pressing glue joints together.
Holding stuff in place, fixing a workpiece to a bench, to gain leverage when bending wood, or just to tap something when the mallet is out of reach.
I have rarely spent large sums on clamps, but I have always, always, bought them when I've found them on yard sales and flea markets. I have bins full of them, all the way from little paperclips to 10kg c-clamps from a shipyard.
I use ropes and straps too, and I always keep a bucket full of wooden wedges around.
But I love my clamps.
God I totally relate to the "BIGGAR!" fantasy. Trying to do more with less is my goal, now; the fantasy is still there and it requires some self control, but I'm getting older and thinking about my son having to liquidate stuff after I'm gone, and MY experience with MY dad when he passed (he was a proto-hoarder; I may be too) gives me some pause.
I'm that son right now. Throwing away ridiculous amounts of hardware etc etc. So from Australia, thanks for be considerate to your future generations.
Wood is to expensive all I can afford is Clamps now!!
Thank you for posting this. The timing is remarkably good for me as I was just dealing with an issue of making my own wedges for the LRB but was having issues with holding them in a way that let me file them down to size. The twin screw clamp looks like exactly what I need based on the example you gave of clamping the screw clamp to the bench
This was very gratifying to read. I have never used many clamps because my grandfather never used them. He served a seven year apprenticeship in the Napier and Miller shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland and later was a joiner in a yacht building company. He made everything using "old-style" joints and hide glue and taught me the "right" way to do things.
That panic-attack joke was hilarious. Well done!
He doesn't want to get canceled from refusing to say "You can never have enough clamps"
I remember the moment that I realised bigger/more was not better.
It was just after I got my first good table saw, a beautiful Laguna Fusion. A fortnight's pay, in cast iron and sheet metal.
But I also needed dust collector. So i started reading about dust collectors. A week later I was researching the best value ducting, and how to modify my tools to take 6 inch dust hose... and how am.I going to build a router table into the wing of my new saw?
Then Chris Schwarz and Richard Maguire got into my brain... with plane, saw and hammer, they were getting it done.
The one item of workhold you forgot to mention that joinersof old used twine in a spainish windless to clamp things up , todays version would be a ratchet strap, and do not forget PINCH DOGS, often self made out of old iron straps heat treated and with two sharp points to dig into more often end grain , 1 wack with a hammer there are set, and a couple taps to get out.
Nice video Rex, wish I could agree to the 5 or 9 clamp workshop, but I lost count of the clamps I have in my shop, from a crate of different sized spring clamps, a crate of the small model makers 6" clamps, 10 15" F style besseys, and a wall of 3/4" pipe clamps from 2' up to 12' long.
All the best from over here, Karl W
#6 you missed one of the most important clamping I know: Tourniquet Clamp (rope and stick). I had the luck and pleasure to work with an elderly Italian antique restorer and he used this in most his projects. Incredibly cheap, reliable, easy and uniform. All you need is rope (I believe he used natural fiber so it doesn't dent or mark the wood; not nylon, , etc) and scrap sticks.
This is aimed at the author 'Rex Krueger'. I'm a craftsman cabinet maker, I've stopped now as I'm 59 and I'm done.
'Sprung joints' are universally known as 'butt joints' and taking out the centre while making them, as you did, is de rigueur, although I'd use a trying plane instead of a jack plane for this. Normally you'd have two sash cramps on the bench and one over the top to prevent warping. Then you can move the board and do another one, or easier just do it on the floor. Using weights, as you did, means that your bench is out of operation until the glue grabs.
Pegged tenon joints work but are unsightly. You said that in the 17th century everything was done like this. I disagree. I spent decades restoring antique furniture and never came across one. The normal trick with chairs was to not chop the ends of the mortice square but rather leave them angled, it's less work. The tenon is likewise angled but not enough to fit. The shoulders were cut by hand and quite often pretty crude. They they made the whole joint hot and wet and forced them together which would have necessitated a pretty powerful cramp. I believe that they assembled the whole chair at once like this to guarantee squareness and lack of wind. The effect was to deform the legs and 'print' the shoulders into them, it also deformed the tenons into the mortice for an interference fit. I don't know if they used one operation, which might be possible with animal glue, or took it apart when dry and added the glue later. Either way they were glued and some form of cramping was used.
Another form of 'cramp' which I used all day, every day was bicycle inner tube. You can do so much with these that it's amazing. They are also free. Ask the bicycle shop for the old ones and they'll just give them to you. If you get one for a lorry then you can make one 25mm wide and about 20m long. You have to be careful as they can develop enough force to crush pine, not the hardwoods though.
Lastly, low pressure veneering. Normally you need 4 bar for this. Imagine you have a table, lets 900X1.4 (I'm typing this message on one of exactly this size). Try calculating the force you'd need to exert over such an area, then you'll see the problem. I know how to do it using only small workshop equipment, and no I don't mean hammering with animal glue, I'm talking about modern waterproof chemi-sets. You will need cramps, 8 small sash cramps and all the G cramps in your shop, but you can do it error free every time. That's another story though. If interested, ask.
Hey, In what seems another lifetime, I also restored genuine antique furniture such as you describe and can echo several of your observations. The joint examples you described I can only remember seeing in ‘Primitive’ American (pre-Civil War mostly) & only even earlier pieces originally from more rural areas Western Europe.
In both cases, as I’m sure you know but readers may not, these pieces were most often built by farmers /rural residents from necessity, lacking the money to purchase them, and for personal familial gifts.
Thank you for resurrecting some good memories.
Go well, Rick J.
Hey Rex I didn't find the link for the news letter or the you tube channel you mentioned. Did I miss it?
The last few sentences are pure gold. Thank you Rex!
I've seen those adjustable wooden twin screw clamps before many years ago. I might have used one in woodshop at school many moons ago. Now I know how you are supposed to use them. All these years later I now know how to use one properly. :)
[Rex, I suggest that you put the time stamps in the description. Each clamp time stamp could go in front of the coresponding list item.]
Table Of Contents
00:00 Intro
00:27 ` History: Long Island Dominys
01:31 ` Opening Cut Scene
01:43 Merits Of Old School Techniques
02:07 ` Dove Tail Joint
02:57 ` Draw-Bored Mortise & Tenon
04:34 ` Rabbet Joint
05:32 ` Battens Screwed On Work Bench With Wedges
06:16 ` Sprung Joint
07:02 ` ` Misc Commentary
See the description for links on where you can purchase these clamps. Buying them at the links will support Rex! :)
08:00 42" Long Pipe Clamp
09:17 2 Medium Sized Bar Clamps [a.k.a. F-Clamps]
10:29 Adjustable Twin Screw Clamp
11:55 Spring Clamps
13:08 Conclusion
Consider it done!
@@RexKrueger I just saw an interesting use of the same thing.
czcams.com/video/s6T4644ybpQ/video.html
They used "title cards" [or whatever; don't know what they are called], to show the people which were in each section. In your case, you might show each tool or technique being used.
I'd be glad to volunteer to come up with the time stamps again, if you'd like.
You're a hero! 👍👍
@@oliverdelica2289 thanks!
First :P But in all serious That was a interesting subject thanks for a lovely video. I hope there will be no more panic attacks.
its super nerdy but thank you SO much for saying “fewer clamps” and not “less clamps” it drives me crazy when presenters don’t know the difference.
Have you tried rubbed joints to join flat boards?
Plane square edge on two boards, apply glue to joint edges, rub the one board over the other to spread the glue and drive out air bubbles, finish rubbing the joint when it feels tight and the boards are aligned.
Air pressure and surface tension will hold the joint tight and the boards can then be left on edge leaning against a wall.
Works well with animal glues, and other glues with a short open time.
I use it a lot with jointing flat boards as I often can't be arsed with having heavy clamps getting in the way of a small workshop.
I get philosophical about things all the time only to get those weird looks from people, but oh well.. I can live with weird looks.
Start with a humorous example, then elaborate. Give pause for feed back or engage them with a follow up question. But sometimes it's just bad timing, they're just surprised 😐
@@craftpaint1644 There seems to be a lack of a sense of humor among those I try to inject humor in my philosophical notions or perhaps my jokes just suck, but I like em, so as to quote my old man , 'Wait'll you get to be my age.' Then it doesn't matter if they think it's funny or not. I'm still gonna tell my old jokes.
Power tools allow many mistakes to be created quickly...
Manually, you plan to do it right there 1st time
Or for some of us, make many mistakes to be created slowly. ;)
These days I am building a new main workbench. BUilding it with joints for long lasting strengh.
I put glue, clamp up. Nail the joints and remove the clamps as I need to rotate them but I wont stop working on it ofc. The nail helps to keep the joints tight as I clamp them and this works specially well because I have 0 need to move the pieces anyway.
Couple of days later, the bench structure is solid as a rock.
Great video Rex. I know that the clamps that you showed are the more traditional clamps but the ones that I find myself reaching for most often in my shop if I need a one is one of those quick grip trigger type clamps.
One of the most inspiring woodworking videos I have ever watched... and i watched aloooot
not only the many ideas your brought up,,, but also the philosophical ideas of doing more with less
Thank you
Great talk. Same in my kitchen, over time I’ve let all the fancy, specialist gadgets go. I do 95% of everything with one good fry pan, two SS pots, two knives. All the power mixers etc went, the only one I’ve kept is a hand held stick whisk. As the gadget inventory went down, my cooking skills went up. The electric knife sharpener got dumped in favour of the stones I already had in the workshop for chisels. The special slicers got replaced with better knife skills. Most times you don’t need another gadget, just another skill.
Facts.
Spot on ! Moved to a bigger house with huge garage . Once I started setting up I realized that I never use the machines that much so I left them in the truck. That left me with just one wall of hand tools and plenty of space for 2 cars and maybe even the mower! My wife was excited. Thank god I built enough work benches over the years to take up that empty space! That’s my space! Not for cars! so the mower goes in the shed , and my wife will just have to get up a little earlier to scrape the wind shield and warm up her car, and I have five free benches to cover with antique woodworking tools I’ve grown so fond of and perhaps addicted to and are costing me money and time that could be spent with my kids, and maybe causing me to and go just a smidge into debt and putting a teeny tiny rift in my marriage that got worse when I told her there was no room in the 2.5 car garage even though I’m selling my machine tools to make up for my antique addiction which is “ mildly unattractive “ according to my increasingly estranged wife and maybe just maybe I should probably my get professional help? Has that ever happened to you?
Couldn’t agree more. So many woodworking videos consist of a guy running wood through a machine. Often you can do something by hand in less time than it takes to set up a machine for a cut, and there’s less dust, noise and safety concerns.
I have a lot of clamps, because I've inherited most of them, from various sources. Most of them, I have never actually used.
As to the wooden bench screws, or, as you call them here, adjustable twin screw, I've seen example where people have cut transverse v-grooves in both jaws, to hold pipe, etd. They can easily be modified for very specific tasks, making them one of the more versatile options. The other thing about them, on a personal note, when I first encountered them, they were marked "Jorgenson", so I calked them "Jorgenson clamps", for years, pronouncing the "J" as a "Y". I STILL sometimes call them "Yorgensons".
The paper sack was golden! Loved it man!!
Good video Rex. These are my go-tos on clamps. (With one exception.)
My notes:
The cheapest clamps that you might have overlooked are simply twine/rope and a stick (see your turning saw video). This may have been a method the Dominys used. Since the clamp is basically just a rope and a sturdy key, there would have been no noticeable artifact remaining as the rope can be used for other projects and the key was probably a piece of wood. I used this clamping method all the time as a kid and still use it today when I need one more clamp (Including this February on a bar top made out of 2x12s). Just remember to slip some cardboard or angle iron over any corners to prevent the rope from digging into the wood. It is also a great clamp for wilderness work since you don't have to haul heavy iron castings in your tool backpack.
Pony-Jorgeson clamps are good. I recommend the F-clamps and their pipe clamps. That being said, I have had problems with their cast iron holdfasts and (avoid at all costs) the Jorgenson miter saws.
Finally I love my adjustable twin screws. I saved up my allowance as a kid to buy a pair, and yes! I have done the basement floor joist storage trick. I do use them for glue ups because you can fine tune the pressure across the work. Then again, I grew up with them. To me they are a musical instrument of clamps.
Agreed about how great those hand screws are, and how to tune the pressure. Once you have used some, you will always miss them if you are without!
Ohh yeah. I've seen Chinese woodworkers, specifically Grandpa Amu, utilize it in their low benches
Having watched more than one Japanese carpentry video, I am happy to see more Americans appreciate fewer 'things' to do the job with.
You can also use string for clamping. I recently saw an ingenious method used by guitar makers for edge-joining two very thin boards.
The pieces were laid perpendicularly across three stretchers, then string was wound around the ends of each stretcher, in such a way as to form an X on top of the boards (one X per stretcher). Clamping force was applied by driving long wedges between the string and the boards, parallel with the stretchers. The string pulled the boards together, and the wedges and stretchers together formed a full width clamp across the joint to prevent bowing.
By my reckoning. you'd need 6 small clamps and three big ones to get a similar setup, and I'm still not sure that it would be as effective,
Super, Chris, thanks! That is the precise description I did not imagine I could make, or nearly as well! I think that this technique is very elegant. I have wondered how to scale it up to tabletop size efficiently, all that string winding. Time and glue wait for no man, y’know. Maybe a single web strap, with a quickly tightening cinch buckle?
@@leehaelters6182 I think the key concern is to make sure that the force that pulls the stretchers into the boards is decoupled from the force that draws the boards together. What I'd try is cutting the stretchers roughly to the width of the table top, and putting a 45 degree mitre at each end so that you end up with a long trapezium. Then put a little block between the strap and the edge of the table, making sure it doesn't foul the stretcher.
Ideally the strap should leave the edge of the little block at an appropriate angle, and then travel through thin air until it reaches the top of the stretcher. Adding a little shim between the strap and the stretcher halfway along its length might also be a good idea, to make doubly sure that the stretcher isn't bowing outwards.
The obvious drawback of this method is that it doesn't have a lot of adjustability for width of table top if you want to reuse the stretchers for a different project.
@@chris_wicksteed, thanks for your interesting reply. I cannot make out why you would separate the application of pressure in both directions simultaneously, though. It seems to me to be an elegant virtue of this technique; squeezing the boards edge-wise while acting to flush them up and keep the whole affair flat. I imagine it this way: webbing strap fashioned into a loop with a buckle that may shorten it with a pull, sized just loosely enough to slip over the remaining end of the bar, or “stretcher”, once glue has been applied and the boards laid together edge to edge. A pull on the strap snugs the assembly ready to receive its long thin wedge under the crossing belts. All this is to overcome my objection to the need for leaning over the glue-up to wind cord many times for each bar and wedge combo. What goes quickly for a guitar sized assembly, hand held and with a single joint, may require too much time in scaled up fashion.
@@leehaelters6182 Half the time I'm guilty of overthinking things, the rest of the time I'm guilty of underthinking things! I was probably overthinking here.
I've only ever used webbing straps in nice straight lines for securing boats, so I was thinking of one strap per set of stretchers, going round the circumference without any crossing.
I guess the main thing to do would be to do a dry run first!
@@chris_wicksteed, aye aye!
Always love the comedy,humor and wit in your videos!
Great video man as usual. I'm glad you mentioned the whole shop size and the getting bigger and bigger tools bit. Since I started woodworking I've had this mindset that I need more space and bigger/more tools. Right now my workshop is the back porch and a 4'x10' shed for my tools. I never really gave it much thought but what you said has a lot of truth in it. I do so much more and better work when I use fewer, less complex tools and I also get more work done. Thank you for speaking the words to help me realize this. Also, almost all of my tools are either refurbished or from harbor freight and they work pretty well because I've taken time to set them up well and maintain them but I suppose I've been sucked into the idea that I need super expensive big tools by what I can only guess is my ego. To see that old cabinet makers shop you showed in the first of this video humbled me a bit. I know personally I aspire to be as good as the great woodworkers of old and no matter what trade you look at, old workshops were small and had far fewer things in them focusing more on craft than crap. I'm going to change my outlook on this and go with exactly what you said, fewer tools of higher quality coupled with me learning to effectively use them. I'm so glad I've stubbled onto your videos. You are so informative as well as entertaining and inspiring. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos. Thank you so much.
Hey Rex
I am a Cabinet maker from Germany and just stumbled on this video of yours.
At my workplace, where i don't have to pay for the tools i obviously enjoy to have a lot of clamps, but for my own small space at home i dont wont to pay this much. So thanks for the good advice.