Good deal on parallel clamps from Woodpeckers

[jteneyck]

John I'm glad you got the deal!! Mine were waiting for me on the porch this afternoon too! What'd they do overnight them??

Yeah the rigid jaw isn't perfectly square but when I tightened the clamp it straightened and stayed straight no matter how hard I tightened it.  They must know their stuff with the design and engineering! I also noticed that the "grippy" notches in the bar are more coarsely spaced compared to a Bessey or Gross-Stabil  clamp bar. But the Bora doesn't slide so loosely on the bar that it can smash your fingers like the Bessey can! I really really like that!

Glen you're right these seem well built and should last a long time. True the clamping force shouldn't need to be a half ton like they claim they can produce, but ain't it nice to have the extra horsepower anyway! 
  lol your honey-do list will probably never end but she sounds like she's worth it!

Yep, that's exactly how they look.  They do straighten out when you load them up, but why not design them straight to begin with like Bessey did?  I actually took one of the fixed jaws apart on the Bora.  They are nearly an identical copy to the Bessey design, imagine that, but they used bolts to hold it to the bar where Bessey used rivets.  I'm not sure if there is slop there or the jaw itself is flexing.  I tend to think the later.  Anyway, they are plenty serviceable just not as nice as the Besseys, which is no surprise considering the lower price.

I for one like all the HP I can get when gluing up panels.  If you believe the psi recommendations the glue manufacturers recommend (200 psi) for typical PVAc glues, you need around 1000 lbs every 10" when gluing up panels made with 1" thick stock, less with thinner stock, and more with thicker.  

John

[alanealane]

Wow John I didn't know that. That's some serious poundage!!

[jteneyck]

Wow John I didn't know that. That's some serious poundage!!

That's the mid-point value Titebond gives for bonding hardwoods, and the required clamping force just follows from that.  I know people argue about perfectly fitted joints, and you don't need much clamping force.  My response is yes, of course you need well fitted joints, and then you need to apply 200 psi on them if you want a seamless bond.  I'm talking about edge to edge joints here like gluing up table top, not edge to end grain as in a stile/rail joint.  On those, you need very little clamping force.  Not looking to pick a fight with anyone, just pointing out that there is a reason some clamps are designed to be able to apply pretty high forces.  

John

[alanealane]

Makes sense to me. Glad you shared that! Thanks

[jteneyck]

I got a chance to really use these clamps over the past couple of days and there is a lot to like about them.  As someone pointed out, the moveable jaw ratchets so it doesn't slide to the back end like the K-body clamps can.  The ratcheting mechanism also keeps the moveable jaw in a constant position unless intentionally moved, also something the K-Body has problems with.  Most importantly the handle is larger and rubber coated than the K-Body which makes it much easier to tighten.  I don't remember what force K-Body clamps are rated at but I had an extra tight finger joint that I couldn't close with a K-Body that the Bora did with no problem.  

I'm impressed.  

John

[alanealane]

Wow that's fantastic! I look forward to using mine