Make Board-Stretching Easier with Shop-Made Clamps

To conserve material—especially on projects I plan to paint—I'll sometimes end-glue short pieces together to make up longer boards. I don't have clamps long enough to span these glue-ups (some measure 7' long), so I made several sets of the clamp shown above. One set spans each finger joint.

To use, I position the crossbars about equidistant from the joint, then tighten the four bolts at the ends of the crossbars. Next, I tighten both carriage bolts connecting the crossbars—this enables me to draw the pieces together with precise pressure while ensuring their alignment.

Note: I drilled two sets of bolt holes through each crossbar to accommodate both wide and narrow boards. Also, gluing sandpaper to the inside faces of each crossbar helps reduce slippage on the boards.
—John Pugh, Haliborton, Ont.