ToolGuyd » Clamps

WoodRiver Parallel Clamp Set Super Sale

Stuart — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:30:01 +0000

Woodcraft has temporarily lowered the price on their WoodRiver parallel clamp set. Included in the set are two 24″ clamps, two 40″ clamps, and a set of 4 clamp blocks. The sale price on this set is $100 (previously $166), and the discount expires on June 26th or until supplies run out.

Here’s a relatively positive review by LumberJocks member Straightpiped.

WoodRiver Parallel Clamp Set via Woodcraft

Woodpeckers Tools Wishlist

Stuart — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:45:08 +0000

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Woodpeckers Woodworking Precision Tools. Many of their tools and accessories are novel designs, and are extremely well made (here in the USA). To help inspire last minute entries to our $50 gift card giveaway, following are the five tools at the top of my own Woodpeckers wishlist.

Woodpeckers Drill Press Table (or separate track kit) – one of the best fence designs I have seen.
Universal Track Clamp – a great looking clamp that looks to be much easier to clean than other large-capacity hold-downs.
T-Track Flip Stop – this could be handy with the story stick, drill press table, or other fences and jigs.
24″ T Square – well balanced and innovatively designed for precise layout and marking.
Shelf Pin Jig – as previously discussed, this jig looks great for drilling shelf pin holes and for creating small layout/clamping tables or jigs.

Don’t forget, you have two days left to enter our Woodpeckers Tools $50 Gift Card Giveaway. The response thus far has been great, and we wish everyone good luck.

Panavise 301 Standard Vise

Stuart — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:54 +0000

PanaVise vises are great for electronics, hobby work, or any delicate task that requires more finesse or precision than a large bulky iron vise allows. The 301 standard PanaVise is reasonably sized and features a split ball design that allows 180° tilt, 360° turn, and 360° rotate positioning adjustments.

PanaVise’s 301 vise is suitable for many “third hand” and work holding tasks, and is a great general purpose or starter choice. PanaVise also offers a selection of additional vise components and vises for specialized work, such as for holding PCBs, micrometers, even smaller workpieces, large workpieces, and so forth. For the most part, unless noted otherwise, PanaVise’s various work holding components are interchangeable.

We’ve been periodically checking the price on the 301 standard vise, and it looks like it is typical priced at $35-42. The vise has recently dropped in price to approximately $29 on Amazon, and if we hadn’t already spent our entire tool budget last week, we’d pick one up. If the price of the vise jumps back up, the 301′s head and base can be purchased separately from Amazon for ~35 or so.

PanaVise 301 Standard Vise via Amazon
All PanaVise Vises via Amazon (All PanaVise work holding products appear to be similarly discounted right now as well)
Product Info via PanaVise

Rockwell Jawhorse – 10% Off and Free Shipping

Stuart — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:14:24 +0000

We just noticed that the Rockwell Jawhorse is now (possibly only temporarily) priced at $161.99 on Amazon, which is 10% off the normal price of $180. The Jawhorse is eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping.

It is unclear as to whether this is a permanent or short-lived price drop, but we will post an update if we are able to find this out. Up to now, the lowest price we could find was $166 shipped from Woodcraft.

Rockwell Jawhorse via Amazon

Edit: As of ~9pm today, the price jumped back up to full price to $179.

Rockwell Jawhorse for $153! (+ $13 S/H)

Stuart — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:55:19 +0000

We have been waiting for a good price on the Rockwell Jawhorse for a few weeks now since seeing one in person, and are delighted to see that it is eligible for Woodcraft’s current 15%-off coupon. After the discount, the Sawhorse drops in price by $27 to $153. Shipping for our order comes up as $13, which brings the total price to $166.

While we would have enjoyed a free shipping offer as well, a net discount of $14 off the Jawhorse is $14 more than most other retailers have been offering.

if we do end up ordering the Jawhorse, we would likely add several other items to the order. You know that you’re a tool enthusiast when you buy more tools than originally intended to get the most out of shipping fees! We added half a dozen clamps to the order thus far and shipping only went up by $1. This does not bode well for our budget!

Buy the Rockwell Jawhorse via Woodcraft

HTC PortaMate MegaVise Portable Vise Workstand

Stuart — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:02:01 +0000

The PortaMate PM7050 MEGAVISE is a portable clamping station that looks like it may be a contender to the Rockwell Jawhorse. With a clamping force of 1500lbs, a 34.5″ capacity, and three sets of interchangeable clutch plates, the MegaVise looks to be higly capable.

The MegaVise’s jaws are set to the approximate workpiece size by sliding the fixed jaw along its rail and then securing it with a snap-pin stop. The snap-pin design looks to be quite sturdy, and should not wear down with use. Final clamping is done by closing the screw vise in a typical manner.

Included with the MegaVise are 2 log jaw clutch plates, 2 pipe grooved clutch plates, and 2 single groove clutch plates. The MegaVise collapses into a (relatively) compact and storable size.

PortaMate’s MegaVise is priced at about $170.

PortaMate MegaVise via Amazon
Product info (HTC PortaMate)

Awesome Clamp Deals – Bessey Set & Kreg Klamp

Stuart — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:00:14 +0000

There are quite a few decent deals going on at Woodcraft right now. First off, there’s a great looking 10-piece Bessey clamp set for $30, and the second hot deal is for a Kreg Bench Klamp with free Mini Jig for $20.

The Bessey clamp set includes a pair of pipe clamps, four mini 4″bar clamps, and four 4″ VarioClippix spring clamps. The Kreg ”Klamp” clamp set includes an aluminum mounting bracket, locking pliers, and a mini pocket hole jig that typically sells for ~$9-10 by itself.

Best of all, there’s a FREE SHIPPING promotion going on now, as well as a $10 off $20 coupon (code 12249).

Shop Woodcraft
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Note: We purchased and received the above Bessey set last week and are pretty happy with it. For the price we paid ($30), we figured that we were buying the pipe clamps and were getting the other pieces for free. We’re kicking ourselves a bit, though, because it’s now $20 after coupon and with free shipping. At that price we expect Woodcraft will sell out quickly.

Grip-on Self Leveling Jaw Locking Pliers

Stuart — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:00:19 +0000

These Grip-on 233-10 self leveling jaw locking pliers can be used on materials up to 1-3/4″ thick. Because of their pivoting jaw pads, these pliers can be used to clamp flat or tapered surfaces.

These pliers are intended to be used in workspaces too small for C clamps, spring clamps, quick bar clamps, and even Vise-Grip C clamps. While jaw capacity is sacrificed to allow for the tool’s low profile, 1-3/4″ should still be enough for many quick clamping tasks.

As of this morning, these 10″ pliers seem to be on sale for $12.47 each, which we think is a fantastic deal. These 10″ locking pliers are currently $30 at MSC, and the 12″ version is $27.99 via Amazon. Edit: The price has jumped back up to $26.

Grip-on’s 10″ self leveling jaw locking pliers are available for about $25 – $30.

Grip-on Self Leveling Jaw Locking Pliers via Amazon
Product Info via Grip-on

Rockwell Jawhorse Impressions

Stuart — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:39:14 +0000

Since the Rockwell Jawhorse it is now being actively promoted at Lowes stores, we decided to take a closer look at it. With its wide jaws and 600-lb holding capacity, the Jawhorse looks like it would make an excellent work-holding clamp.

Over the weekend, we spotted a Jawhorse in action at Lowes, where two associates were explaining its features to a few customers. Then, earlier this morning, we spotted a display unit at another Lowes store. Hopefully the timing suggests that Lowes will offer it at a decent discount during this upcoming holiday shopping season.

The clamping workstation seemed sturdy enough, but the price is a bit steep at $180. The Jawhorse appears to be well built, and we can definitely see its utility. We recently had a difficult time securing sheet goods for cutting and imagine that the Jawhorse would have made that project go a lot quicker and easier. We are seriously considering ordering a Jawhorse in time for our next major cabinet project.

If you’re interested in a Jawhorse but are on the fence about it as we were, head on over to Lowes and you may be able to demo it firsthand. In the above photo, you can see a stack of Jawhorses and accessories, which suggests that Lowes may soon start aggressively promoting this product.

You can order a Jawhorse from Amazon or Rockwell directly, or via any of the other online distributors.

Rockwell Jawhorse via Amazon
Rockwell Jawhorse via Rockwell Direct

Bora Pistol Grip Bar Clamp Sale

Stuart — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:05 +0000

For a limited time, Woodcraft is having a sale on Bora pistol grip bar clamps. The sale is for 25%-off, and ends on November 25th. Even better, coupon code 11230 gets you free shipping as well, until November 30th.

These look like decent clamps, and the price is pretty decent – $10.49 for the 6″ clamp, $11.99 for the 12″ one.

Bora Pistol Grip Bar Clamps via Woodcraft

Rockler 8″ Handscrew Clamp Sale

Stuart — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:16:41 +0000

Rockler’s 8″ Handscrew Clamps are currently on sale for $4.99 plus shipping. This is a pretty decent deal considering that the clamps’ normal price is $10.99.

A few months ago we picked up Rockler’s 10″ handscrew clamps during a similar sale, and have since been pleased with them. These clamps are made in China.

To get the most out of the shipping fees, you might want to browse Rockler’s Outlet Store for other sale items you may interested in. Whenever we do this, though, our orders typically balloon from $10-$15 to $50 or more. As a matter of fact, after looking at the sale selection just now, we realized that we need a few 4″ C-clamps that are on sale for a mere $3 each. (DOH!)

Rockler 8″ Handscrew Clamps
Rockler 8″ Handscrew Clamps via Amazon

Rockler Outlet

Rockwell Jawhorse Clamping Workstation

Stuart — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:02 +0000

Rockwell’s Jawhorse is a portable clamping workstation that can be used for a variety of tasks. We’re not quite sure what to think about the Jawhorse, but we’ve seen nothing but positive reviews.

The Jawhorse has a wide three-legged base for stability, and has an all-steel construction. With its 1-ton clamping force, the Jawhorse can clamp large objects (up to 37° wide), serve as a second set of hands, and can be used to hold odd shaped objects.

Right from the start, the Jawhorse can be used as a portable workbench, sawhorse, or 1-ton vise. There are also numerous attachments and accessories available that increase the versatility of the workstation.

Additional specs: 300 lbs maximum load, 39x39x34″ footprint, 29x14x13 compact folded footprint, 43 lbs total weight. Lastly, the Jawhorse is available for ~$180.

Rockwell Jawhorse via Amazon
Jawhorse Accessories via Amazon
Product Info via Rockwell

Grip-on Locking Pliers – Muy Dulce!

Stuart — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:00:26 +0000

Grip-on locking pliers are the bee’s knees. Seriously. Grip-on offers a wide selection of locking pliers styles, their prices are fair, and their tools are of superb quality and feel.

Grip-on’s pliers are available with an enamel coating as shown above, or uncoated. The ones we have are uncoated, and are spectacular to use. Grip-on at least to our knowledge, manufactures all of their tools in Spain.

We source our Grip-on tools from Amazon and MSC, but they’re also available via many other distributors and are sometimes rebranded as well.

Grip-on Locking Pliers via Amazon
Grip-on Home Page

Note that ”muy dulce” means “very sweet.” Yep, we’re quite fond of Grip-on.