Wood Clamps: Types and How to Choose

Clamps hold work together while glue dries, joints are cut, and assemblies are squared. The right clamps make woodworking easier; the wrong ones—or too few—create frustration.

Clamp Types

Bar Clamps and Pipe Clamps

These handle long glue-ups like tabletops and panels. Bar clamps use an aluminum or steel beam. Pipe clamps use standard pipe, making them cheaper but heavier. Both provide the reach and pressure needed for wide assemblies.

Parallel Clamps

Bessey and Jet make jaw-style clamps that stay parallel under pressure. They apply more even force than traditional clamps and won’t twist panels during glue-up. The premium price reflects the improved results.

F-Style Clamps

Light-duty clamps for holding parts during layout and machining. Quick to adjust and inexpensive enough to own many. The jaws don’t stay perfectly parallel under heavy pressure, limiting their use for critical glue-ups.

C-Clamps

Maximum pressure in minimum space. Use them where other clamps won’t fit. The screw adjustment is slow compared to quick-release alternatives, but the holding power is hard to beat.

Spring Clamps

One-handed operation for light holding tasks. Keep a dozen around the shop for positioning parts, holding templates, and other quick jobs. They lack the pressure for serious glue-ups.

How Many Clamps

The standard advice—you can never have too many clamps—contains truth. A simple box requires eight clamps minimum. A dining table needs a dozen or more. Clamps accumulate gradually as projects demand them.

Start with a dozen F-style clamps in mixed sizes and four or six bar clamps. Add specialty clamps as specific needs arise.

Using Clamps Well

Cauls—straight boards placed between clamps and work—distribute pressure evenly. Without cauls, clamp pressure concentrates directly under the clamp, potentially starving the joint between clamps.

Waxed paper or plastic prevents glue squeeze-out from bonding work to clamps or cauls. Cleaning hardened glue off clamps wastes time.

Check for square immediately after clamping. Measure diagonals or use a framing square. Adjusting diagonal clamp pressure can rack an assembly square before glue sets.