Clamps Reviews

These are very handy. However if you plan to use them on visible surfaces, you will want to modify them first. The top part of the clamp leaves a small depression in the top surface becuase the screw bulges out the plastic cap, and the bottom part of the clamp will mark the bottom surface. Some superglue and felt solved the bottom part, and I think some of those orange clamp pads intended for bar clamps placed over the existing plastic cap will solve the top issue; both extremely easy and inexpensive modifications.

Clamps like these make assembling face frames, especially larege ones a snap. Rather that needing a pipe clamp the whole width of the frame, these just clamp on the rails and let you clamp down on it. Be a little careful with soft woods or they may get marred by the clamp though.

The Delta Mortiser kit was incompatible with my Hitachi DP. I do not think that there was anything wrong with the kit. I am confident that it would have worked satisfactorily with a Delta DP

Many people have expressed the same concern I have about the set. Will it fit my drill press?
Answer
Taken from Delta's website:
Model 17-924
...Also fits drill presses with quill diameters of 66 mm, 50.8 mm, 48 mm and 38 mm...

The Delta mortising attachment was fairly easy to asemble and attach to my drill press. The whole process took about 15 minutes. Subsequent use of the attachment will be faster since you don't have to take eveything apart to remove it from the drill press. The instructions were complete and accurate. All the components are beefy and well-made. The mortiser did a good job making clean, accurate mortises.

I ordered six of these in 1/2", not thinking about the clutch system. Well when I got them I was not too thrilled with the working end with the clutch but figured I'd give them a try. I think I used them a total of three times at work, what a pain! The head just spins because there is no threads to keep them from doing so. Gave them two stars because they are made well but just have a design flaw. Stick with the threaded, every home center sells threaded pipe, and if they don't its not too hard to have them threaded.

It seemed like a cool idea not to have to use threaded pipe for bar clamps and they have been working fine more or less, but I dont like the way the clamp head flops around while you're trying to line things up. Maybe I'm just used to the way the threaded type heads stay put while you're cranking on them.

Given the comments from other reviewers, I guess I should consider myself lucky Amazon did such a poor job packing the clamps I ordered! Others may have had some trouble opening the hard plastic packaging, but mine were so poorly packed that the wrapping was shattered by the time the clamps arrived! Amazon's carelessness with the packaging may have saved me some effort in opening the clamps, but I think I would have preferred clamps in the new condition that I paid for - mine were heavily scratched and one had the clamping surface broken off. Since I was in a rush to use these and didn't want to deal with a return - I was able to repair it by placing a new pin in to hold the clamping surface, but certainly not the new condition I was expecting. My advice to those considering the purchase of these clamps: look for them in the store, the packaging is obviously not up to withstanding the rigors of Amazon's packaging department. I've been a pretty happy customer of Amazon up until this - but now I'm starting to doubt.

Once repaired, the clamps work well. They are a good product if you can get them delivered in one piece.

I have used this saw for many diferent projects around the house from fine coping to 3/4" plywood. I even used it with a masonry blade and a makeshift rip fence to cut an imitation marble vanity top to size. I have beeen very pleaed with the performance and durability of the saw. The only problem I have had with the saw is when I am cutting low radius curves. The blade often slips out of the groove on the roller and bends to the side. This problem is diminished with a narrow coping blade but still doesn't go away. Overall, I would recommend this saw.

I have used this saw for many different projects around the house from fine coping to rough cutting 3/4" boards. I even used it with a masonry blade and makeshift rip fence to cut an imitation marble vanity top to fit into an opening. I have been extremely pleased with the performance of this saw and it seems to be holding up very well. The only problem that I seem to experience on a regular basis is when I am scrolling and I try to make a low radius cut, the blade slips from the channel on the roller and bends to the side. This causes a lot of problems with your cut. I can eleminate most of the problem by using a much narrower coping blade but it still happens from time to time.

I've been very pleased with the DW318 after only a few uses. I've not found the out of square problem that others have noted perhaps because I've only cut 1 1/2" RC Cedar which is very soft.

I am disappointed that the foot is prepared for a fence of some sort but none are listed in DW's accessory list. What's this all about? It would be nice if DW offered an adjustable radius cutting fence for repetitive accurate radius cuts.

I have tried several things for a solution to the "one person assembly problem" on casework. I bought a couple of these Bessey clamps to try to assist in keeping casework square while I dry-fitted parts during assembly. They work fine, and it's a real plus that they can deal with materials of different thicknesses being joined together. These are typical Bessey quality -- nice, precise. I compared them on the shelf to a similar product made by Columbian, but the Columbian was much heavier and had a cheap cast metal look about it. It didn't seem as precise as the Bessey.

My one complaint is that, as one other reviewer pointed out, they don't apply pressure to force the pieces to "meet." Imagine having another person holding your pieces but simply holding them perfectly square, not pressing them together. Of course, this "press" is easily accomplished with another clamp or two.

By the way, Jet makes some corner clamps of a completely different design, and this Bessey product blows that stuff away. The Bessey is easier to handle, doesn't mark the surface, and just generally better.

You won't go wrong with this well-made Bessey product!

Two things:
-Not suitable for contraceptive use
-When they say keep fingers and other extremities clear from clamp. THEY ARE NOT JOKING!

This clamp is great for corner clamping! It is strong and is obviously built to survive a lot of punishment. Great for clamping heavy-duty stock together. The only limitations that I found with it are:
* Limited capacity when dealing with T-joints.
* It is quite heavy (is that really a limitation?)

The sled is great but the holdowns are the problem, as they dont release fully and if you adjust they dont hold enough!!!! I went to tigthen one down ad the aluminumm frame broke!!! too bAD fro a poorly designed clamps. I think China has influxed into Delta and ruined what was our best line of tools. (sigh)

I saw Norm Abrams use this jig on TV. The New Yankee workshop on their web site refer you to Eagle America, which at the time of this posting has it for half again as much money as here at Amazon. Shopping mania steps in, only momentarily, thanks to Amazon reviews, you realize this is not a high-end piece of gear. I guess cheaply made is the word I am looking for.
Ok so here is the problem, how do you do coping cuts in the end of a rail, and not have the piece walk away from the bit? (The bit tends to push the piece away from the fence line.) A sled seems like a great idea, that way the piece is not sliding across a surface, but rather riding on top of the sled.
The problem in using this for routing is that it raises the work piece 3/8", and that forces you to adjust the bit in your router 3/8 inch out of the collar, to make up for the thickness of the sled. With shapers and their increased capacity for higher cuts it isn't much of a problem, but for routing, that is a major limitation. Net result is less safety, and more vibration.
So that takes me to what I really want to tell you about, and that is the Delta 34-928 Deluxe Miter Gauge, and the 34-568 Miter Gauge Clamp. The clamping presses down on the rail that fits in your miter slot, and the work slides along the table surface. That gives you the deepest setting for your bit. Additionally, if you needed to make a pass using the same bit on a piece that you didn't want to put in the sled, you wouldn't have to change settings.
Delta offers this miter gauge and clamping kit with their cheesy miter gauge. What is interesting, and not explained, (I had to do some digging) is that the top of the line, deluxe gauge 34-928 works with the 34-568 clamp as well. That way you are getting the best miter gauge, with stops at all of the popular settings, and according to Delta guaranteed accuracy. The real bonus is that if you buy the two pieces separately, it is cheaper, even with the Deluxe, than it is to buy the cheesy one in the combo kit. (Prices always change, so check it out to see what is current.)
I have to be honest with you, I ordered the gauge, and clamp over 8 weeks ago, and still have not received them. I keep updating the order because I still want it. Even though it has been stating that it "usually" ships within 24 hours. What will happen is that 10,000 of them will arrive by ship, then their will be a glut. At least I will get a fresh one. :-)
I will update this review once I get my hands on it. From what I see from the clamp kit review, it does a good job. I'm not complaining about Amazon, I think their service is tops, just thought I would shed some light on the subject. Hope this helps.

This was one tough item to get. Nobody had it in stock, possibly becuase they can't make them fast enough. When I finally got it, I needed to diassemble it to clean all the packing oil off of it, then I cleaned it with my table saw top conditioner to stop it from rusting. After reasembling it and checking it for square and put it to use, It is completely beyond me why this tool is not shipped with ALL shapers! I agree that I would have bought another manufactures before Delta, but not because of quality (I am a Powermatic fan). There is no safer way to shape small objects then this jig! If you are new to the world of woodworking and have a shaper, it should be without question that you need this jig! Not just so you will be able to count to ten in the morning but because quality and speed are also dramatically increased! It is a shame I can't give it 6 stars.

I purchaesd this so I could remove my Dewalt 735 Planer from my dust collection system and use a seperate trash can with a trash bag. I used a plastic trash can first with the brackets for the handles cut away so the bag would fit tighter to the can. The planer blows the sawdust out with so much force that it kept blowing the bag off the can. I next tried a steel trash can. Same problem. Contrary to all my other Dewalt tools, I'm very disappointed with this chip collector.

This was a little disappointment. I hope to figure out a way to keep the sawdust from blowing out of the sides. It doesn't seal well, but it does catch most of the sawdust. Maybe 3/4 of it.

Works great. Bag is large and will fit a 55 gallon drum. It's great to not have the mess and cleanup.

Of course, you get what you pay for, but the Bessey version of this clamp (at about $3 more) has a much larger bar and can apply a great deal more pressure. The bar on this clamp bends considerably, but if you are doing primarily light clamping it should not be a problem. I've used this clamp (among others) for several years without permanently bending the bar.

I disagree with...negative review on this product. These clamps are strong enough for most lightweight to medium duty work. Use pipe clamp if you need heavy duty work. This is a lightweight clamp and is much easier to use compared to heavy pipe clamps. Every tool has its limitation. I am happy with my purchase....

These clamps can be used for almost anything and they are my favorite for edge gluing just lay them on their side and alternate them one above and one below tightening them up two at a time. I can get some really nice glue ups with them. The 24 being my favorite size. Their less money than the others so it's easier to buy a lot of them. But I also like bessy tradesmen and have found the 4 by 8 to be very handy. My pipe clamps now are collecting dust and I only use them when I need a really long clamp.

I wish I could post pics of this thing.

Basically you have 2 ladder type units that get bolted together at the top and are spread apart at the bottom with an X brace. The 2 ladder units were welded so far out of square I had to grind off both top bars and reweld them clamped square to my bench top. After wire brushing, sanding, and painting them I was able to bolt them together. Krylon gloss black looks better than the original paint, anyways.

The hardware bag consists of 4 casters, 3 bolts, and 3 nuts. I tried to assemble the cross brace with the supplied bolt, but the bolt head goes right thru the hole in the brace. Time to dig out some washers. The top holes didn't line up correctly, but I fixed that with a round file. The bolts were barely long enough to get a nut on, but I had to replace them so I had room for 4 of my washers.

This is my first review after shopping at Amazon for years, so usually I let little things slide. I got the unit free when I ordered clamps, otherwise Amazon would have gotten it's first return from me.

P.S. The Bessey sticker on the top was about 20 degrees off level!

Nice rack And I would agree with one of the reviews about the wasted back space. I took a 5/16" drill bit and drilled holes throught the back bars and slid in 5/16" steel rod which doubled the use and didn't effect the rolling action.

I received my rack in conjunction with purchasing the Bessey 30 clamp set. The deal was advertised that you get the rack for free. But the 30 clamp set doesn't qualify for free shipping, so I had to pay shipping for the rack, just under $10.

The rack was shipped from Phoenix to my Bay Area home via FedEx ground. When the box arrived, the box was in two pieces, and the FedEx person told my wife that all the parts were there. But there were only three pieces: the front, the back, and a bag of hardware. I knew that I was missing at least the bottom and the instructions. So I went through the forms on the Amazon web site and requested the missing parts. They sent a whole new one, and it turns out that there were no more parts than what I knew were missing. Now for the really strange part --- when FedEx delivered the second package, the driver left the missing bottom pieces on top of the second box. So when I returned the first box, I was able to include a complete set of parts, including the assembly instructions, which I had finished reading.

Now for more weird stuff --- the rack was black, not orange as in the picture. And the back was as high as the front, not shorter as in the picture. And the wheels were mounted further from the corner than were they in the picture. And there was no card on top, which I wasn't really expecting. So most of the changes had neutral value, except for the longer back (better) and the narrower wheel base (worse).

After putting the clamps on the rack, I've discovered that it is difficult to hang clamps from the very top, unless you swing the clamp body toward the rear of the rack along its side. This allows the handle to be inserted in the narrow top opening between the frame and the top rack bar. This also means that only those clamps on either edge of the top opening are accessible. The shortest 6 inch clamps also can have problems --- their body is so short that they become top heavy and don't hang like their longer brethren. You can see this in the picture if you look closely.

The assembly was straight forward, although I did substitute my own 3/8 inch bolt for their 1/4 inch bolt in the bottom "X" because the center holes were the same size as the end holes, the end holes being sized for the 3/8 inch wheel studs.

All in all, it was worth the ten bucks. And with the full back frame, I'm entertaining the idea of adding cross bars to the back frame giving me even more rack space.

Note to Amazon: use better plastic straps that don't break when you try lift the box via the straps. This was the likely root cause of the initial shipment failure.