Shop-Tested Clamping Tips
Handscrew clamp stands in for vise
I occasionally need an extra bench vise to gain more holding power. For a quick and easy solution, I position and clamp a handscrew clamp along the edge of my bench-top, then drill two 5/16" countersunk holes through the clamp and the benchtop.
Then, I install T-nuts on the underside of the benchtop. Flathead machine screws hold my new "vise" in place. By countersinking the holes on both sides of the clamp, I can flip it over so the jaws open in the opposite direction. With a pair of them mounted, I can clamp long workpieces.
-- Mike Reed, Woodbury, Tenn.
Woodworking Vises
It's much easier to just put a F-clamp over the wooden clamp. Quicker, easy to adjust and no holes in the bench or wooden clamp.
4/22/2011 04:40:37 AM Report AbuseGood Point!!
4/21/2011 02:04:08 PM Report AbuseIt looks like it would be hard to turn the handle over the bench without busting a knuckle. How about unscrewing the handle and moving it to the same side of the clamp as the other handle?
4/29/2010 06:58:55 PM Report Abuse