Woodworking Cauls

[cchm1]

Looking for a few opinions please....

I am contemplating investing in some woodworking cauls. I specifically have my eyes on some made by Woodpeckers.  They are make of phenolic resin and come in 24", 36" and 48"  lengths.  They seem to greatly ease the process of gluing up panels, edging and carcass glue ups. I know that it reduces the number of clamps needed for the overall glue up process.   I also know that Bow clamp makes cauls, but because they are made of wood there is always a possibility of gluing them to the final product.  

Do any of you guys have these or have any experiences with woodworking cauls.  I am interested in any opinions.  Are they worth the investment and do they make glue ups easier?

Thanks for your opinions.

[Bope]

Theseare easy and cheap to make.  A strip of packing tape keeps glue from sticking.

[kb10103]

I use Cauls and they make it much easier to produce flat panels. I built mine similar to the woodsmith cuals. i'm going to say this and i know that everyone differs on this so heads up it might cause a disagreement ha!

i don't have any radius to mine and don't feel i need it, with the way mine are built they are like little beams and it would take alot to flex them! so when you take the curve out of the equation they are much easier to build.

with this said $220 for 6 cauls is a lot in my opinion. you could build many many times this number for $220 and it doesn't take long to do either.

now if your set on buying them and like having the radius then these will work just fine as will the "bow clamp" version.

so YES they will help you produce flat panels and whether they are worth the investment is up to you. for around $220 i might buy 4-5 parallel clamps and build 6 cauls
just an idea.

i would also recommend looking into panel clamps as this price, lee valley sells some good ones as does peachtree and other places. these are 4 way pressure so no other clamps are needed. for $220 you could get 6 of these as well or close to it.

my response is based on panel glue ups as i would never use something like this for carcass glue ups, not that there is anything wrong with this, i'm just set in my ways.

Brian

[Phil S.]

This ^^^^^

Made some to glue edging to plywood.  a 3/4" square stick with packaging tape stuck to the face was right for my application.  Planed a curve on the face of the stick.  A little trial and error to get the right amount of curve, but I don't think it took 10 minutes to make them.

[cpolubin]

Another set you might want to look at is the Bowclamp cauls. I have 4 of each size and they do a good job and the customer service is really good as well.

Something to consider about the Woodpeckers are that I believe they are part of their One Time Tool series, so if you decide you want more later you're out of luck.

Whichever you choose I think you'l find them very handy to have around.

Cliff

[AgGEM]

I have Bowclamps and homemade cauls. Both work well for me. It depends on what I am doing, which type of caul I choose. I use wax paper with the Bowclamps, and have packaging tape on my homemade cauls to prevent glue stick. Both ways work.

I THINK the bowclamps factory finish is supposed to prevent sticking, but I have never tried to prove that.
The 2 footers get used often. 3 footers now and then. Never have had need for the 4 footers. But I guess it depends on what you do....
Bowclamps are a high quality product, in my view.
Ag

[Robert Adams]

I have made them out of yellow  pine from the depot scrap pile. Rip the 2x6 in half and plane a bow in it then cover in tape. Then when they get in the way because you have too many they can be burned in the fire pit and if you need more in the future you can make a pair again for about 50 cents and 10 minutes work. 

      Oh i used allthread or long bolts in the ends instead of clamps.

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

I also have the Bowclamps. Fantastic cauls. They have the inlet rails for the f-style clamp heads to ride in, making for a secure hold, although they work perfectly well with pipe clamps or cabinet clamps (Bessy's, Jorgy's etc...). They do have a finish on them and glue drops pop right off, which is a great feature.

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed using them. You chould check out the YouTube videos that were made by the owner, who is a member here.

[Steve N]

Asa from Fine Woodworking says make your own. For quick, or uncomplicated glue ups I use these, and they get the work done. Cheap too






If I am gluing up panels though I swap and make the clamp a caul too.


I've been using these for a long time, really like them

Recently there have been many newer versions of the same theme, Damstons, all of the different wall hung panel clamps. Many many different ideas. All of them designed to not only squeeze the wood pieces together, but to push them down flat too.

[ken in fallbrook]

For that kind of $$$$ you could have Rosewood Cauls, or Cuban Mahogany cauls.  Wouldn't that be cool!  Mine are Birch I think, left over stock from a shop furniture build.  I took a few plane swipes from the center out both ways then covered one edge with Cello type tape.  I think I made them twelve years ago. I have four 36" long and four 48".  I use them all the time and they work beautifully although I still need the occasional deep throat to save the day.