Hand screw clamp storage?

[jack duren]

I was looking to buy some HF 12”or Menards for a little depth and control. I wasn’t happy with the ones they had on the shelf so I made a bunch of 6” cam clamps..

[Bob Jones 5443]

I have one hand screw and seldom use it. I keep it clamped to a wood-rack support.

For other clamps I made some hangers like George has. I got the idea from Lee Valley. Mine have a little lip at the front to discourage slipoffs.

[Derek Kessler]

Just installed a wooden board on the wall, spaced it nicely, and used some DIY wooden blocks with drilled holes. The clamps hang by their handles, and it's surprisingly tidy and convenient.

[Dave Fitzgerald]

Here's mine - cabinet under the drill press.
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[David Carroll]

I have 2 pairs of hand screws, little ones and big ones. I use them both frequently. I don't have a specific spot for them. They usually live clamped to the side of the Dutch tool chest that I never got around to making a lid for.

I am surprised about the number of folks that say they have them but rarely or never use them. I have a clear memory of my high school woodshop class teacher taking most of a class period going over the numerous ways to clamp things with them. I use them quite a bit to hold small pieces of wood that I need to do something with. The clamp itself can be clamped in a vise or with a hold-down, and one of the screws tightened and loosened to fix and then release small parts repeatedly. Over the years I have found more than a few "off book" uses. One current one is holding a lamp with a flexible neck that is designed to be mounted permanently to a vertical surface. I clamp the mounting bracket in the jaws of a hand screw and it both holds the lamp in the correct orientation and acts as a weighted base.

I wonder if the predominance of "squeezy-clamps" in recent decades have taken over many of the mundane uses for clamps, where once hand screws were used.

DC

[jack duren]

There are a lot of options out these days, but hand screws are mainly for furniture. I needed many and went to Menards and HF and wasnt happy with what was on the shelf. I ended up making many Cam clamps, but find myself looking at them again and there better …

[Cameron Wood]

I got a cheap one recently to hold boards on edge at the jobsite. It's performing poorly so far...

[jack duren]

I got a cheap one recently to hold boards on edge at the jobsite. It's performing poorly so far...

The off brand?

[Cameron Wood]

The off brand?

Harbor Freight.

[jack duren]

I thought the threads ran a bit wobbly, but figured it needed breaking in

Menards had new ones and thought they were okay..

[David Carroll]

Here's an example of how I use hand screws (this is likely how I use them the most). Sorry to hijack the thread. Clicking on the sideways picture shows it correctly...

Handscrew.jpg

I have the hand screw held in the tail vise (this wouldn't work with a wagon vise). I did this enough that I finally made the hand screw jaw in front about 1/32-inch thinner, so it would move in the tail vise freely, the rear jaw was left full thickness and is bound tightly in the tail vise. The work piece is butt up against the dog, but the dog is just acting like a planing stop. The workpiece is held fast in the hand screw.

What's nice about this method is that a quarter turn of the screw and the piece can be removed. Then dropped back into place, butt up against the dog, and a quarter turn of the screw and it's back in position, very accurately. Works well for jointing the edge of narrow workpieces.

This also works for face planing small pieces.

I am building a Gerstner-style tool chest for my carving tools, entirely by hand, but starting with some antique chestnut (well, I guess all chestnut is antique chestnut). The wood was part of an old set of shelves built by my Grandfather, so the story goes, but wound up in a damp cellar and my Sister was going to toss it. I salvaged what sound wood was left and it's just enough for the primary wood of the chest. I may actually post a build-along as I remembered to take pictures of some of the early processes. As they (well, Steve) says, stay tuned.

DC

[Paul Saffold]

french cleets. used off cuts from stairs.
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(I've given up on getting photos right side up. I've tried all the tricks listed in the help section. Apple phone and laptop).