Clamp Sloped Sides with Tapered Blocks

I always had a tough time clamping a tapered project until I devised these tapered clamping blocks. To make the blocks, I cut a few ³⁄₄ " scrapwood blocks 2" wide and about 1" longer than the height of the item to be clamped. (Sometimes I need one per side, although one for every other side works for the splined joints in the glue-up shown.)

I rip an angle on one edge of each block to match the slope on the side of my project. Next, I attach a stop of scrapwood or sheet metal to the narrow end of each block. After dry-fitting the clamping setup, I glue and clamp the project as shown above.
—Eugene Cockeram, Florence, Ore.