Originally Posted by
jack duren
Yes...this thread is about "rolling your own"...cutting the curve.
Originally Posted by
Joe Wood
That makes sense! You'd need a flexible piece of wood not too thick?
Glenn's explanation is spot on...the "bow clamp" (commercial or home-made) distributes pressure across a long space with only two clamps required; one at each end. This is very convenience for wider glue-ups where the wood has it's own ideas and doesn't want to stay level at the individual joints across the workpiece. The commercial version that I own have a cross section of about 2+" x 2+", give or take and are made from hardwood. You don't need or want something "super flexible" because you want the clamping action to do the work and you always want them to spring back completely when the clamps are released.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...