Alternatives to band clamps?

[Phil Thien]

I've seen people use rope/heavy twine as an alternative to band clamps. Any tips on how to do this? Like knots that are easy to tighten and stay tight?

[Keith Westfall]

Get yourself about 5 - 10 feet of rubber surgical tubing - pull it tight - tuck it under itself at the end and your done. Plus glue doesn't stick to it...

[ian maybury]

I'd be wary of rope - quite a high risk of damaging corners.....

The classic stick through a loop and twist as on a bow saw is one method you see used to tighten ropes in that sort of situation.

ian

[HANK METZ]

The French have a name for it: tourniquet.

It is a very effective, simple, low cost method to pull together assemblies, especially asymmetrical ones like chair legs. I used to collect the cordage from lumber yards and hoard them for just that purpose; they tended to be made of Sisal, and would not stretch like the synthetic stuff so it was good to do some chair repairs and set the lot off in a corner to dry overnight. A scrap of wood, a few twists, and done.


- Beachside Hank

[Chris Fournier]

I've seen people use rope/heavy twine as an alternative to band clamps. Any tips on how to do this? Like knots that are easy to tighten and stay tight?

The best alternative I can think of is also free. Find yourself some old car/trailer or even motorcycle inner tubes and cut out the valve stem neatly. From this point begin to cut the tube into a strip width of your choice radially until the tube is one long strip. The inner tube strip has enough elasticity that you can really tune the pressure that you apply with it. I just lap the first loop and then move along. A spring clamp or knot will hold the other end.

I've used this technique for years on guitars, large coopered glue ups etc.. Very effective!

[Kenneth Speed]

The advice about being careful not to dent what you're building is important.

I've used rope and a knot which is sometimes called a trucker's knot and sometimes called a Swede to clamp chairs that I've re-glued. The knot is easy and is basically a crude block and tackle that gives you a lot of mechanical advantage which makes it easy to damage the wood you're working on. I strongly recommend using cauls ( even thicknesses of rags or towels for turnings) to cushion the piece from the rope. The rope becomes functionally as hard as steel when enough tension is put on it. I avoid nylon rope for this because it stretches too much.

It is much easier to use this method when yo have an assistant.

[Larry Edgerton]

I use cheap ratchet straps, slipping a little neopreme pad behind the ratchet just before tightening. I am gluing up 10' fiberglass columns on the job right now with them. Nice wide straps do not hurt corners.

I have found that the rope and stick methood is a pain in the *** [Neck]

Band clamps cost too much.

Larry

[HANK METZ]

Salvage plastic strapping from the home centers, use wire buckles to tighten- no tools needed.

strapping_directions.jpg

- Beachside Hank
Do not use remaining fingers as push sticks.

[Mike Cutler]

Truckers hitch finished with a trailer hitch, or panic knot, for the release.
Kenneth is correct about the mechanical advantage of a truckers hitch. I used to routinely deform 5 gallon steel cans full of Crisco, coffee, sugar and flour when "stowing items for sea" in the Navy.
The "panic knot" is a knot used to tie a horses' lead line inside a trailer, and be able to release it without getting into the trailer.
For woodworking though, the surgical and rubber tubing is more than sufficient,and you don't have to learn to tie knots.

[Jim Andrew]

When I worked in a cabinet shop, found that they used duct tape there. A couple wraps of duct tape gets very tight, and it seems to keep the joint from sliding.

[Phil Thien]

The trucker's hitch does seem to work quite well. I made some corner blocks to protect the corners of my project, and used some clothes line, and was able to apply quite a bit of force.

Thank you everyone!

[Keith Westfall]

Black electrial tape works really well also. You can stretch it pretty tight...

[Jim Matthews]

The Spanish luthier's clamp, perhaps?

Wedges driven under the rope act as both tensioners and cauls.

[ray hampton]

if you use inner tubes strips for a band-aid, why not use short pieces of the tire placed on the chair so that it will prevent the strip from damage the finish

[Alan Schwabacher]

One nice thing about surgical rubber tubing is that you can wind it on and have it press gently to hold cauls in place, and then continue winding it on to gradually apply more and more pressure with each wrap. This is particularly useful when you don't want to pull things out of place.

For cord or rope, corner blocks notched on the bandsaw are helpful. A trucker's hitch works, but the easiest in my opinion is to simply tie a loop of cord with some slack, put in a perpendicular stick and twist until it's as tight as you want, just as for a traditional bow saw. This twisted clamp is called a spanish windlass, and it can be made to apply a phenomenal amount of force.