Homemade clamps with their own hands. Do-it-yourself clamp - how to make a quick-clamping device from metal and wood

Novice woodworking enthusiasts will find our instructions with a sequentially described process for the manufacture of carpentry clamps of several varieties will be useful. In it, we will tell you what materials to use for this and how to make a device that is exactly suitable for your own needs.

Materials for body, stop and jaws

In carpentry, clamps are used to securely and carefully hold several parts together while they are 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 to be joined. 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. Such a tree has a sufficiently 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 by heels made of leather, light rubber, felt or softer wood.

Both solid wood and rolled metal can be used as a frame for the clamp. Corners or profile pipes work well, but they need to be carefully cleaned, primed and painted so that there are no traces of rust on the finished product. To prevent accidental mechanical damage or punching of the parts to be joined, it is recommended to stick wooden planks over the metal elements of the clamp or pull on a loose silicone hose.

Which screw and flywheel to use

Despite not very high clamping force, conventional metric threaded studs will not be very suitable for use as a clamp screw, except for a very small one. A small thread pitch will make it tedious to choose a free stroke, among other things, a triangular profile is “eaten up” much faster.

It would be much more correct to purchase studs with a trapezoidal or rectangular thread, otherwise called a jack thread. The optimal step is about 2-2.5 turns per centimeter, so a good smoothness of adjustment and an optimal tightening force for wooden parts are achieved.

You can get studs, nuts and fittings of the right type either by contacting a turner directly or in a hardware store, including on the Internet. There is, however, one BUT: most factory products have a full thread, while a slightly different screw configuration is optimal for a clamp. Ideally, if there are smooth pillars at the ends of the stud: about 20 mm long for the bearing fit (slightly thicker than the thread) and about 30-40 mm for the handle (slightly thinner or the same diameter).

The handle or flywheel can be made either from a block of wood, or by drilling a hole in the side of the stud and inserting a steel bar into it as a toggle lever, like on a vice.

Straight screw clamp

For the manufacture of the simplest clamp, you will need a frame in the form 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, reinforcing it with glue and a pair of dowels. This option requires a fairly high qualification of the carpenter: hemming and fitting must be done with high accuracy, 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 out of 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 with external slopes for greater rigidity. The stop of the bracket and its opposite part, in which the clamping screw will be fixed, must be trapezoidal. In this case, the inclined sides should diverge outward at an angle of about 30º more than a straight one. Thickening in the middle of the frame is also highly desirable.

To fix the screw, it is recommended to use nuts or nuts of the appropriate diameter, which are fixed in one of the “horns” of the clamp frame from the inside and are additionally strengthened with 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 bushings can be replaced with nuts, which are glued into the cut of the central layer of plywood. Here it is important to monitor the direction of the axis of the screw and at the same time prevent glue from getting into the threaded connection - lubricate it well with grease.

At the point where the clamping heel is attached to the screw, some kind of swivel is necessary so that the parts do not move when clamped. It is best to press a bearing, selected according to the diameter of the inner race, onto the whole edge of the screw stud. For a secure stop, clamp the pin into the drill chuck, and then cut a groove under the retaining ring with a triangular file and a hacksaw. Next, in the bar serving as a support heel, you need to make a cylindrical groove with a core drill and press the bearing with the pin into it, strengthening the fit with varnish or epoxy.

Adjustable universal clamp

Clamps with a variable opening width are more versatile in application, they are most often used when rallying furniture panels. To make such a clamp, you will need a calibrated rail made of dry hardwood, ideally beech or ash. A constant profile size is required along the entire length and the complete absence of any defects. The clamping force that the clamp can withstand directly depends on the thickness and width of the rail.

So, manufacturing should begin with fixing a perpendicular stop at 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 fill it in the manner of a hammer. Thus, the workpiece for a clamp with a fixed stop acquires a T-shape, and the length of the stop on the working side should be no more than 3 times longer than the projection on the reverse side. The connection of the stop with the rail can be strengthened with furniture ties, it is also possible to connect on 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. At the end of the bar, thread should be cut 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 indentation from the edge should be sufficient so that the wood does not split. After installing the bowstring, it is necessary to mark a number of notches on the end of the bar facing the clamped part, in increments of 15-20 mm, make cuts up to 2 mm deep with a hacksaw using this marking, and cut the notches with a knife.

Next, you should make a movable clamp block. A through eyelet of rectangular section is made in it, the dimensions of which exactly correspond to the thickness and width of the longitudinal bar. Ideally, gouge a groove 2-3 mm smaller, and then bring it to the desired shape with a square rasp. The bar should sit snugly in the last, but at the same time allow relatively free movement along the clamp and its slope for locking on the notches. Under the bowstring, you also need to make a through hole so that the bar is located strictly perpendicular to the rail, and the block slides freely along it with a slight backlash.

On the reverse side of the hard stop, you need to fill another block, which will fasten the bar with the bowstring parallel to each other. To do this, you can use a small piece of the bar, in which a groove for the bar is made with a chisel and an incomplete hole for the bowstring is drilled. Dowels or bolts are used to fix the pads. As for the clamping screw and the heel, they are installed by analogy with a conventional clamp. It is enough to drill a through hole in the movable block not too close to the edge and paste a futorka or nut into it from the inside. So when the part is clamped, the nut of the screw mechanism will rest against the wood and sit even tighter.

Angle clamp

The most difficult to manufacture can be called a clamp, which ensures the fixation of two parts at a right angle. At the same time, it is the most useful and sought-after tool in the carpenter's workshop.

The basis for the corner clamp will be a piece of thick plywood. It is better to take a square plank of about 300x300 mm with a thickness of at least 14 mm. In the corner of the base, you need to fix two bars of hardwood, which for convenience we will call reference. These pads must converge at a right angle facing the center of the plywood board, the thickness of the bars is at least 25x25 mm. Their fastening should be as rigid as possible: it is recommended to first glue the bars, ensuring their perpendicularity with the help of a bench square, and then strengthen the connection with ties or bolts.

From the center of each block, you need to draw a perpendicular line, coaxial with which the screw studs will be located. It is necessary to retreat from the bars by a distance of 20-30 mm more than the maximum thickness of the parts to be tightened. After that, two more bars are rigidly attached to the base parallel to the previous ones. It is advisable to glue the nuts immediately, and then proceed with the stop bars in the same way as with the reference ones: first position them on the adhesive joint, and then strengthen them with ties. For greater convenience, you can immediately screw the screw studs into the nuts.

After fixing the thrust bars, it remains only to press on the bearings fixed in the movable blocks. The cross section, dimensions and material of the latter should be similar to the reference bars. Finally, you need to fill the handles or insert the toggle levers and cut off the excess base of the clamp, removing the protruding corners for free rotation by the screw handles

Individual clamps for specific operations

In any carpentry workshop, homemade clamps show themselves to be more adapted to local working conditions than purchased in a store. You can use a wide range of variations of the three designs described above.

For example, on one rail, you can fix not one, but two adjustable pads for positioning parts at a great distance. Such a tool will be very useful, for example, when assembling door blocks.

Instead of a handle, you can weld a regular hexagonal bolt cap onto the stud. This is true if, when assembling parts, several clamps need to be often clamped, released and rearranged. At the same time, it will be convenient to rotate the clamping screw using a ratchet socket head or even a screwdriver.

To assemble products of complex shape, you can make clamp stops and movable blocks of a more complex configuration, which are well suited for working with irregularly shaped parts.

Carrying out locksmith or carpentry work in places not equipped for this is inevitably associated with the problem of fixing workpieces. It is very difficult to prevent them from moving around the table or workbench during processing, unless they are equipped with special clamps, vices or other fixing devices. One of these devices, simple, affordable and versatile, are clamps. We will tell you what they are and how they are used, as well as give detailed instructions for making reliable clamps with your own hands.

What is the tool for, its device and types of tool

Clamp refers to additional carpentry and metalwork tools. The main purpose of the clamps is to fix the workpiece on the support surface or several workpieces for gluing them together, therefore, the design of the tool must include at least two elements: the support surface and a movable jaw equipped with a locking mechanism. The movement of the movable jaw is carried out, as a rule, with the help of a screw or a lever, which makes it possible to increase compression and prevent reverse movement during operation. Depending on the specialization and design features, the following types of clamps are distinguished:

1. Screw G-shaped - the most common, they are distinguished by their simplicity of design and relatively low cost. Represented by a metal bracket, on one side of which there is a supporting surface, and on the other, a threaded eye with an adjusting screw screwed into it. The inner part of the screw is equipped with a working sponge, the outer part is equipped with a handle. The tool is effective when working with heavy, large workpieces of a simple shape.

   Clamps of this type are suitable for working with large workpieces.

2. F-shaped - more versatile, their supporting surface is fixedly fixed on a long rod, along which the working block with a sponge slides. Movement and fixation of the block is provided by an auxiliary screw or a step-by-step pressing mechanism.

   Objects are fixed due to the auxiliary screw and step mechanism

3. Pipe - allow you to fix large-sized workpieces by varying the length of the pipe. They consist of two separate elements - a base plate with a screw clamp and a sponge sliding along the pipe.

   Clamp suitable for working with overall workpieces

4. Corner - designed to simplify the joining of workpieces at a right angle, for which they have two supporting and working surfaces. They are divided into two subspecies. The first involves the presence of two clamping screws located perpendicular to each other; the second is equipped with one screw with a double-sided angle block at the end. Very rarely there are specialized clamps that allow you to place workpieces at an acute or obtuse angle.

   Clamps of this type simplify the docking of workpieces at right angles.

   Angle clamp with double-sided angle block

5. Tape - equipped with a flexible element and several sponges floating on it. By fixing the jaws in certain places of the tape and adjusting its tension, it is possible to process workpieces of complex shape.

   The tape clamp is equipped with a tape element that allows you to fix the workpiece around the perimeter

6. Pincer - consist of two hinged parts and a spacer spring. In practice, they are rarely used due to the relatively low reliability of the joint, however, they provide the maximum speed of installation and removal of the workpiece.

   Such a clamp is rarely used due to the low reliability of the joint.

At home, clamps of the first three types are most often made, since they are not too demanding on materials and production technologies, and also allow you to solve most household tasks that require the use of auxiliary tools.

You will find more information about the types of clamps in our next material:

How to make a carpentry clamp with your own hands: step by step instructions with drawings

To make clamps at home, it is enough to have basic plumbing and carpentry skills. The materials used are wooden beams, rolled metal, pipes and fasteners, in particular, bolts, studs, nuts, pins. For joining the metal parts of the clamps, it is desirable to have an electric welding machine. When performing any work, the main thing is to follow the instructions and observe safety precautions.

Making a screw type tool

This type of clamp will help to fix wood workpieces well.

A clamp made according to this technique is perfect for fixing small wooden blanks - plywood, fiberboard, OSB and chipboard sheets, as well as boards and thin timber. We suggest that you choose the scale yourself, but otherwise it is better not to deviate from the following sequence of actions:

1. Transfer the templates of all wooden parts to thick paper or cardboard in accordance with the selected scale.
2. Using the template, transfer the image to a suitable board width. It is better to use not pine boards, but harder wood.
3. Using a jigsaw, cut out all the details. Correct the shape with a file, and sand the surface with sandpaper.
4. In the "jaws" mark and drill holes for the axle bolt. Lengthen the hole of the upper “jaw” with a round file so that its length is 1.5–2.5 of the bolt diameter.
5. In the handle, drill a hole for the nut, with a diameter corresponding to the number of the wrench. With a needle file, give it a hexagonal shape. Install the nut inward with epoxy or cyanoacrylate.
6. Assemble the clamp - fix the axial bolt in the lower “jaw” with glue, install the rear loop on the screws, put on the upper jaw and, placing the washer, install the handle. Stick soft pads on work surfaces.

An even simpler option is to make a screw clamp from a hacksaw.

A simple version of a hacksaw clamp

In this case, it is enough to weld a support platform at one end of its arc, and a nut at the other, into which an adjusting screw with a sponge and a handle will be installed.

Homemade quick clamp made of wood

Making such a clamp will take more time

The use of F-shaped clamps significantly speeds up the workflow. But the manufacture of the clamp itself is somewhat more complicated than the creation of its screw counterpart. You will need to do the following:

1. Transfer the images to the lumber as described above. Accurately observe the specified dimensions of the parts and the location of the pin holes.
2. Cut out the details with a jigsaw, use it to make a narrow slot in the movable sponge and deep slots for the axle plate. Using chisels, select the groove for the cam lever.
3. Drill holes for the pins. Treat all external and internal surfaces of the parts with a file, and then with sandpaper.
4. From a metal strip with a grinder, cut the axial plate, grind it. Drill holes for the pins.
5. Assemble the tool by placing the jaws on the plate using the pins. Insert the cam into the movable jaw. Stick on work pads.
6. Check the function of the quick release clamp. If necessary, change the shape of the working part of the cam lever.

Rough fixation of the lower jaw on the axle plate can be done by wedging its guide pins, inserting an additional pin, screw clamp or in another way.

Video: making a quick clamp

Metal pipe

For the manufacture of such a clamp, a metal pipe is required.

For such a tool, you will need three metal rings, the inner diameter of which corresponds to the outer diameter of the pipe you have, instead of which, by the way, you can use a metal rod. In the presence of a welding machine, the process of manufacturing a clamp is reduced to the following algorithm:

1. Weld support pads to two rings, which can be made from a steel corner; install a nut on the third ring, and weld the ring itself to the end of the pipe.
2. Weld an impromptu handle made of a metal rod to the head of a long bolt, screw the bolt into a ring with a nut.
3. From the free end of the pipe, put the ring of the upper movable sponge on it. In the ring of the lower jaw, make holes for the fixing pins.
4. Install the lower ring on the pipe.

The pipe clamp is optimally suited for holding furniture elements during its assembly, it will be convenient in construction and installation work and other similar operations.

Video: homemade pipe clamp

corner

For the manufacture of this type of clamp, you can use wood, metal or duralumin. Between themselves, they differ not only in material, but also in clamping force and the size of the fixed workpiece. Our following material provides detailed instructions for making tools:

Both in everyday life and in professional activities related to the processing of wood and metal, clamps will become an indispensable assistant. By following the instructions and having a simple set of materials, you can make this tool with your own hands.

Each carpenter uses clamps during work, securely fixing the workpieces with their help. You can make such a device yourself, and there are several options for execution.

Clamps are simple, universal and specialized. Not so long ago, a new type of product appeared - quick-clamping. Such an element can compress up to 450 kg. It will be useful to study the instructions for creating do-it-yourself wood clamps.

corner option

Regardless of the type of clamp, it must firmly clamp the parts for their connection or processing. Corner joinery helps to fasten wood blanks at a certain angle (most often 90 °, but there are others). This is indispensable when assembling furniture and frames.

In order to make such a wooden clamp with your own hands, you will need the following materials:

• two wooden bars 25 mm thick hardwood;
• plywood 12 mm thick or more;
• self-tapping screws, studs;
• jigsaw or hacksaw;
• drill.

A square board with a side of 25 or 30 cm is cut out of plywood. Two bars are fixed on it at an angle of 90 °.

Important! The angle must be measured with high accuracy, since the correct fixation of the parts depends on it.

First, the bars are glued, then they are countersinked, holes are drilled with a drill and self-tapping screws or other fasteners are screwed in. Perpendiculars are drawn from the center of the bars - screw studs will pass here.

At a distance of 20 mm from the corner bars, persistent bars are fixed, maintaining a gap between them. It should be slightly larger than the width of the parts to be clamped with a homemade clamp. It is better to screw in the studs immediately, before fixing the stops. You will also need to cut out the movable pads that will be connected to the pin (when it is unscrewed, the workpiece will be pressed against the corner bar).

As a screw, it is best to take studs with a rectangular or trapezoidal thread. The thread pitch is 2 turns per cm. It is very good if on the stud on one side there is a pillar of a slightly smaller diameter than the thread. It can be used to fit the handle. On the other hand, a slightly larger diameter rear sight is desirable to fit the bearing.

So, in the simplest clamp, one end will be fixed, and the other will advance through a worm gear.

To release the workpiece, you need to move the bracket to the required distance and turn the knob a few turns. Thus, the element is fixed. After that, you can release the mechanism and the workpiece will be released.

The simplest version of this model is equipped with a rail structure. The guides, which are arranged in parallel, have cut grooves at an equal distance. Fixed stops are fixed with metal rods. They can move exactly along the width of the blanks. At the end of the beams, fixed stops should be installed, which have a worm gear. In the usual way, clamping is done with a stud and a furniture nut.

Self-clamping option

For gluing parts, it is better to choose the simplest clamp model, which has an F-shape. The stores sell various models, which consist not only of wood, but also of metal. The cost of such tools is high. Therefore, many craftsmen prefer to make them with their own hands.

For small operations, a cam-type clamping clamp is perfect. For example, if you need to glue small parts or fix workpieces. Such a model works in the same way as the f-shaped element. The tool includes 2 jaws and guide rails. Sponges: mobile and motionless. For reliable clamping, it is necessary to fix the workpiece well and turn the cam 90 degrees.

You can make such a tool yourself with a minimum set of tools and materials. Before starting, you should draw a drawing of the product. You can use any material for manufacturing, as well as change the standard sizes as you wish.

The tire is made of wood or metal. Small bolts and rivets can be used instead of metal pins. It is recommended to make movable and fixed jaws at the same time, as they mirror each other. Their width and length can be changed to increase the grip of the product.

For gluing boards (shield)

Clamping clamps are needed to fix the plots, which, after the glue has dried, are used for furniture panels. Such products differ from simple ones in their length. In other words, they have a large jaw span. If you buy such material in a store, you will have to pay a decent amount. Therefore, craftsmen prefer to make clamping mechanisms on their own.

Materials and assembly steps

In order to make wood clips, you will need the following items:

• beech or birch bar;
• drill bit;
• pipe 2.5 cm;
• mortise nuts of suitable diameter;
• a nut that has a rounded knob (used for decoration);
• cutter with a diameter of 2.5 cm and a long hairpin.

The basis of the material is a pipe, from which a piece of the required length is cut. Depending on the size of the sponges, it is necessary to saw the bar. The pieces should be from 15 to 20 cm. For the free movement of the timber through the pipe, make a hole with a diameter of 2.5 cm at a distance of 2.5 cm from the edge. Parallel to the hole, cut from the same end. To fix the sponge on the pipe, connect the hole to the end.

For the drive nut, an additional hole must be drilled to the side of the cut. It is necessary to hammer a nut into it and tighten it from the back with a bolt. To fix the sponge, clamp the pipe in the hole. To move the pipe, unscrew the bolt, then move the element and repeat all the steps again.

There are 2 jaws in the lower clamping part, it is slightly larger than the upper one and has an additional nut. In terms of structure, both parts are the same. An additional driving nut is located at the opposite end of the pipe, into which a stud with a wing nut is inserted.

In the second collapsible movable part, there are no clamping parts such as cuts and nuts. The size of such an element is also rather big. In this part, it is necessary to make a recess for the stud device.

Operating principle

The principle of operation of the clamp is very simple. It is necessary to dilute the extremely sponges so that they are at a distance of 3 cm more from each other than the width of the shield to be installed. Next, you need to fix them on the pipe. To do this, clamp the nuts that are located along the edges. The blanks must be put on the tubes and sealed with glue. Then they need to be pulled together with the help of the “lamb” rotation.

With the ability to use a grinder and a welding machine, you can make the same clamp for gluing wood from metal.

To maintain the plane of the plot with tubes, it is recommended to arrange the clamps in a checkerboard pattern. The main advantage of such a tool is the ease of manufacture and operation.

Special clamp designs

Having mastered the skills of making clamps of a simple form, you can improve them and make devices for connecting complex parts.

There are homemade clamps made from a wooden hanger, which is sawn into pieces. They combine wood and steel, make more comfortable handles that allow you to quickly tighten the screw. This is especially important if you need to frequently change position or use several clamps at the same time. In the case of complex blanks, you can first cut them out of paper, and then transfer them to plywood.

Although welded metal products are more reliable, wooden structures are also used not only for carpentry, but also for turning and carpentry. You do not need to have special skills to create a clamp. You can make such a product from wood in unlimited quantities with your own hands. It will only take a certain amount of time for the manufacturing process.

Do-it-yourself clamp is made according to a pre-prepared scheme. The tool is presented in the form of a clamp, which is used to fix various parts. Joiner's clamps are used for sawing, breeding saw teeth or sharpening it.

A quick-clamp clamp is a kind of manual vice, which is used to firmly fix workpieces or workpieces.

Principle of operation

A quick-clamp clamp is a kind of manual vice, which is used to firmly fix workpieces or workpieces. The main elements of the device include a frame, a moving part, lips, a valve. Experts recommend making tools from iron.

The quick-release tool can be fixed with one hand. The object is inserted between the jaws, pressing it down with a movable system. Then the product is fixed with a valve. The advantages of the considered design experts include:

• light weight;
• the ability to capture large parts;
• high strength;
• transportation;
• fast work.

The quick release clamp is used for unclamping. To do this, you will need to dismantle the limiters and lips by turning the last elements over. With this tool you can process glass.

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Elements

Do-it-yourself clamps made of light metal quickly fail. The parameters of such units do not exceed 2 m. To press the overall sheets of plywood, you will need to make a sliding home-made clamp.

The components of the design include:

• frame;
• jaws for clamping;
• moving part;
• lever component.

The mobile design with the help of a thread changes the pitch between the jaws. From a constructive point of view, the lever device consists of levers and eccentrics. This tool is difficult to make at home.

To make a wooden clamp, the scheme and the following tools are used:

• threaded studs;
• slats;
• nuts;
• plywood.

The length of the studs should be 120 and 200 mm, and the diameter should be 5 mm. The size of plywood boards is 15x150x200 mm, and the parameters of 2 rails are 20x40x240 mm.

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Step-by-step instruction

The production of a homemade clamp consists in the use of wooden bars made of oak, beech, birch or ash. Such tools are fixed to the work surface. In the bars with which the clamping part is attached, 2 holes are made. This technology provides a tight fixation of the nut with the stud.

To obtain a stable and reliable structure, it is recommended to place the bottom bar flat.

The next step is to install plywood boards. A bar is attached to them. The bottom edge of the plywood must be placed 3 cm below the bar. The blanks are drilled. Studs are inserted into the holes obtained.

Plywood is used as a clamping element. Such clamps capture parts with a moving strip. The tool is fixed to the surface of the countertop with short pins. Long analogues determine the working stroke of the clamp. Nuts are a lever that fixes a moving element by adjusting the clamping force.

A homemade clamp for welding can be made from a hacksaw, 2 threaded studs and a nut. The last elements are inserted into the clamp connectors. The nuts are put on from the inside of the device. The resulting tool has 2 sizes. To prevent the body from breaking into 2 parts, the folding element is wrapped with electrical tape. The versatility of the resulting device lies in the possibility of its reverse transformation into a hacksaw. To fasten the sliding structure of the tool, steel fasteners are used. A homemade clamp is not recommended to be used to the limit of its capabilities. Otherwise, it will quickly fail. The universal clamp is made from a channel.

Its length depends on the maximum dimensions of the processed material. The thickness of the channel is selected taking into account the frequency of use of the future tool. Places for holes for bolts are placed along the axis of the channel. The last fasteners are welded to the thrust structure. Holes are cut with a welding machine. To achieve a tight stop fit, the nest is made in the form of a drop. A bolt is welded to the channel. The size of its head should correspond to the diameter of the nest.

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, in the manufacture of furniture or wooden products, clamps are required in large quantities. Especially if wooden products are made professionally. To make clamps on your own, you will need primitive improvised materials that everyone has available. 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 - ledge, 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 it yourself?

A clamp is an auxiliary tool that is used to fix the boards when they are connected (using glue, fasteners, etc.) or, if necessary, to compress them. Usually clamps are made of metal or wood. A clamp is also used to cut boards evenly, to make wiring 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 movable element and the frame, and for better fixation, the movable element is equipped with a lever. Sometimes there are lever clamps, but they are rare due to their complexity in production, both in industrial enterprises and at home.

The operation of the clamps is simple: parts (or material) that require processing are inserted into the body of the tool, then the working material is clamped with a moving element (clamping occurs with sponges), after which you can start processing or working with parts or material.

In most cases, the number of clamps required for a particular operation is not limited to 1 pc. For a tight fixation of a hacksaw, 2 pieces should be used, for fixing wooden boards - from 2 or more (depending on their length). In addition, if you want to connect parts, it is recommended to use a pair of clamps. Many people forget to take them off after work is done, which often leads to the loss of the tool. And primitive factory-made metal clips are not cheap, which makes it cost-effective to make such tools yourself. Below we will consider how to make carpentry clamps from wood and metal, and how an angle clamp is made by hand.

Making a wooden clamp

It is much easier to make a wooden clamp than all other types of such a tool. Such clips are very convenient when performing various carpentry work.

To make them you will need:

• pieces of boards (you can plywood);
• studs (which should be pre-threaded);
• nuts (for threaded studs);
• slats.

For the manufacture of the clamp, two studs 200 mm long with pre-threaded threads and 2 studs 120 mm long should be prepared. It is important that all 4 studs have the same diameter. Next, nuts are selected under the thread of the studs, two rails are prepared. Reiki should be prepared from hardwood. Oak is ideal, but beech, birch or ash slats are also suitable.

Then the slats need to be made the same in size. To do this, saw off all the excess and produce grinding. Then 2 holes are drilled in each rail. The holes must be at the same points on each rail. The diameter of the holes must match the diameter of the studs.

The next step is to stick plywood (as sponges) on the surface of the slats. When the plywood is glued, all the protruding parts are cut to the size of the battens, and the plywood sponges themselves are drilled through the holes in the battens.

Then long slats are inserted into the resulting holes. They will act as guides.

After the guides are installed, they are fixed with nuts to the rails. 2 nuts are screwed onto each guide.

Next, insert short studs. To make them immovable, the studs are riveted on one side. It is important that one stud is riveted from the back of one rail, and the other from the back of the other. Nuts are used as clamps. In order to make it more convenient to tighten them, lamb nuts are used. In this case, it is important to cut the threads on the fixing studs along their entire length.

This completes the manufacture of the wooden clamp.

How to make a screw metal clamp

To make such a clamp, you first need to prepare the materials. For the body of the clamp, you can use a sheet of steel about 1 cm thick or even and straight metal cuttings of the same thickness. The length of the workpiece depends on what working distance the clamp will have. For manufacturing, you will need long screws or bolts M8 or M10.

At the beginning of the manufacturing process, markings of the future tool body are applied to the workpiece material. Often the body of the instrument looks like the letter "C". In this case, the thickness of the workpiece can be different. It depends only on the required length of the working area. When the markup is applied, the part is cut out. To do this, at home use gas cutters, acetylene torches or a grinder. The grinder is used for workpieces of small thickness, it is problematic to use it when cutting out small curly elements.

When the workpiece is cut, it is polished with files and sandpaper. Grinding is an important process, if you do not grind the part, then there is a chance of cutting yourself on sharp edges when working with a tool.

Then, on one side, fasteners are made for the movable element. To do this, M8 or M10 nuts are welded to one of the sides of the clamp body. If there are no bolts or screws of sufficient length, hexagons or rebar of the desired length can be used. They should be threaded first. A flat flat part (on the working side) is welded to the end of the screw, which will act as sponges. A lever is welded on the opposite side (studs can be used as a lever), which should simplify the clamping process. This completes the manufacture of the clamp.

Another option is to make a clamp like a caliper. For this, a sliding frame made of steel strip is used. The end of the strip is flattened, and sponges are welded to it. Further, a movable element is made from the same strip, to which nuts are welded and a screw is screwed in for fixation.

It is more difficult to make such a clamp, but it has a longer stroke and, accordingly, a larger working area.

Angle clamp

In order to make an angle clamp, you need to accurately maintain an angle of 90 °. To do this, you need a square. Corners 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 with 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 the best fixation. As fixing elements, you need to use long bolts or metal rods with threaded threads. At one end they should be welded on a flat plate as sponges, and for more convenient operation, a welded lever is used. This work is completed.

Angle clamp is the most difficult to manufacture, however, for some jobs it is simply irreplaceable.