Made In USA Bar Clamp

[Brian Tymchak]

Im looking to have two series, an aluminum series for smaller duty work, ....

Just a rank amateur, but FWIW, I can't imagine buying a clamp made from aluminum. I have some 12" JET steel bar clamps that I use a lot and they bend under clamping pressure.

[Edwin Santos]

I'm not sure I understand why it makes any difference where a product is made. It seems to me that every product stands on its own in terms of price and quality.

The notion that all or most products from a given country are good or bad is kind of an antiquated idea that may have had some merit before we became a interlinked global economy.

Plus it's increasingly hard to associate a product with any one country when the raw materials may come from a handful of places, the assembly may happen in one place, the packaging in another, the distribution in yet another, the engineering in another, the capital financing from somewhere else, etc.

If you have a business plan where you believe you can produce a clamp (your definition of) Made in the USA and do so on a competitive basis, then my hat's off to you. My belief is that only a handful of dinosaurs would attribute anything to the Made in the USA differentiation when it really comes time to buy.

[glenn bradley]

Last Bessey I bought was a pipe clamp fixture...made in CHINA

There are Besseys made in different countries depending on product line. Home Depot Besseys around here are all China, Rockler Besseys are Germany, etc.

[Wade Lippman]

Just a rank amateur, but FWIW, I can't imagine buying a clamp made from aluminum. I have some 12" JET steel bar clamps that I use a lot and they bend under clamping pressure.

It is more the shape than the material.

[Jim Becker]

Just a rank amateur, but FWIW, I can't imagine buying a clamp made from aluminum. I have some 12" JET steel bar clamps that I use a lot and they bend under clamping pressure.

Aluminum is a very strong, but still light-weight material and if products made from it are designed well, they will perform just as well as products made from other materials...within the expected parameters that thickness and length attribute to the product.

[Colton Miller]

The Aluminum clamp will be utilizing all Aircraft Grade materials. There wont be any cast aluminum. The idea behind the aluminum series is that it'll be easier to move around and for someone who doesnt need a clamp capable of 2000-3000 lbs of force. Trying to position a long steel clamp can be a pain sometimes. Thank you for all of the replies and opinions thus far! I am more than happy to hear any constructive criticism.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I'm not sure I understand why it makes any difference where a product is made. It seems to me that every product stands on its own in terms of price and quality. .... My belief is that only a handful of dinosaurs would attribute anything to the Made in the USA differentiation when it really comes time to buy.

Well said.

Some folks associate "Made in the USA" with high-quality. Personally, my experience is that products which proudly proclaim "Made in the USA" are generally beefy, brutish, but lacking in refinement, human factors engineering, usability, etc. I have a pressure washer hose reel like this - completely unnecessarily oversized bearings, steel, and hardware, and something simple like the screw that locks the reel from rotating is so poorly designed as to be unusable. It's like they try to compensate for being poor designers/engineers with sheer brute strength.

Consider why brands like Festool succeed. While high-quality, it's not "drive over it with a truck" strong. It's exceedingly ergonomic, though. More "smarts" than "brawn" go into their products, and the price reflects how the market seems to value that.

Personally, it sounds like you have ideas for beefiness, but no ideas around how to make the clamp better, otherwise. Making things more massive (without adding complexity) is work ideally suited for being done in low-labor-cost markets...

[Peter Christensen]

Colton I wish you well in your endeavour but as a former aircraft mechanic and quality control inspector in an aerospace machining plant a statement of "Aircraft Grade" like "Military Grade" bugs the snot out of me. That specifies nothing because the same alloys can be used in aircraft, boat and commercial applications. It is just a marketing phrase. You'll do better, in my opinion, by stating the alloy and it's heat treat designation. 7075 -T6 or 2024-T3511 or 6061-T6 are all "aircraft grade" but 2024 T3511 is stronger than the 6061-T6 but weaker than 7075-T6. So to me knowing what the alloy is, is better than a marketing catch phrase. Anyone wanting to know more can then search the alloy. I would also bet you are not actually going to be using aircraft certified materials because of the much higher cost.

That kind of turned into a mini rant.

[Mike Henderson]

I have a bunch of the older steel I-beam clamps but I seldom use them because it makes the glue-up too heavy. After I put some work in clamps, I usually want to set it aside, which means that I have to pick it up.

I use the Bessey clamps because they're lighter. The beams are aluminum but they don't flex excessively.

Mike

[Colton Miller]

Colton I wish you well in your endeavour but as a former aircraft mechanic and quality control inspector in an aerospace machining plant a statement of "Aircraft Grade" like "Military Grade" bugs the snot out of me. That specifies nothing because the same alloys can be used in aircraft, boat and commercial applications. It is just a marketing phrase. You'll do better, in my opinion, by stating the alloy and it's heat treat designation. 7075 -T6 or 2024-T3511 or 6061-T6 are all "aircraft grade" but 2024 T3511 is stronger than the 6061-T6 but weaker than 7075-T6. So to me knowing what the alloy is, is better than a marketing catch phrase. Anyone wanting to know more can then search the alloy. I would also bet you are not actually going to be using aircraft certified materials because of the much higher cost. That kind of turned into a mini rant.

Peter, I agree with your mini rant. As an ME it bugs me as well, I just used it since most people know the term generally refers to a higher grade of aluminum. I will be utilizing 6061-T6511. I wouldn’t mind bumping up to 2024-T3511 but there is added cost as well

[Peter Christensen]

Thanks for clearing that up. Are you willing to put up a few pictures of your clamps at this time?

[Colton Miller]

Well said. Some folks associate "Made in the USA" with high-quality. Personally, my experience is that products which proudly proclaim "Made in the USA" are generally beefy, brutish, but lacking in refinement, human factors engineering, usability, etc. I have a pressure washer hose reel like this - completely unnecessarily oversized bearings, steel, and hardware, and something simple like the screw that locks the reel from rotating is so poorly designed as to be unusable. It's like they try to compensate for being poor designers/engineers with sheer brute strength. Consider why brands like Festool succeed. While high-quality, it's not "drive over it with a truck" strong. It's exceedingly ergonomic, though. More "smarts" than "brawn" go into their products, and the price reflects how the market seems to value that. Personally, it sounds like you have ideas for beefiness, but no ideas around how to make the clamp better, otherwise. Making things more massive (without adding complexity) is work ideally suited for being done in low-labor-cost markets...

It really is a fine line between ergonomics and overkill on the hardware. I think 95% of the battle is simply using quality parts in the first place so you dont need to overkill it to make up for a lack somewhere. Festool products are amazing, they definitely put a lot of thought into their products and it shows through all of the little things. They do have a premium that comes with it but the market supports it like you said. I dont intend on making a massive clamp when in reality there is no need. I am about to entire the prototyping phase with my current design and I'm sure improvements will be made through that process.

[Colton Miller]

I am about to start making prototypes. I have the prints and models finished but I won't post anything until I have it all lined out and ready for a production run.

[Pat Barry]

I am about to start making prototypes. I have the prints and models finished but I won't post anything until I have it all lined out and ready for a production run.

Good luck. Hope it all works out well for you. Keep us posted.

[Bob Grier]

The "aircraft grade" bugs me too. I have read that labor intensive manufacturing is moving away from China to lower labor cost countries. I have also read that China manufacturing can furnish just about any quality that is specified. It seems to me that if the quantity of clamps you want to order for a run is large enough to employ robots, then you might be able to compete anywhere you can find the robot manufacturer including the US. If it will require hand labor, then the quality can be assured by specifications and quality assurance in a low labor cost country. So if the clamp is going to require hand labor then it might be to your advantage to look into low labor cost country. The product should stand on its own but don't overlook marketing. It is very important.