home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
- Mark McLean
- Blackwood
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- Location: Sydney
home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
So you are gluing a soundboard or back to the rims - what is the best way to clamp it?
I know some like spool clamps. I have previously used the go-bar deck, but that is a bit fiddly to get around it on all sides and chase the glue squeeze-out.
I recently saw a post to a video on one of the forums (but I am buggered if I can find it again now) with a nifty trick. It showed the workers at a small Spanish classical guitar maker using clamps that were each made from a piece of wood bent into a circle. It wanted to spring closed, but you could prise it open to form a spring clamp.
It got me thinking.
A piece of 150mm PVC stormwater pipe, cut in slices about 30mm wide, and opened on one side. It makes a c-clamp with the right width to span the sides of a guitar, and with a good degree of spring-back to provide clamping force. You just need to put some padding on the ends. I bought a length of foam water-pipe insulation from the plumbing section at Bunnings ($1.50 per metre) and attached it to the clamps with cable ties. or elastic bands when I ran out of those (the elastic bands are probably better).
One metre of pipe ($30 if you buy it new, but I had some lying around), 2 metres of foam ($3) made 30 clamps, which is enough to clamp the whole perimeter of a guitar. Unit cost $1.10 The guitar is sitting on a block of wood to lift it free of the benchtop. You can apply the clamps with one hand, in a matter of seconds. And I like the way that they give you plenty of clearance to wipe up glue squeeze-out (unlike a spool clamp). And the guitar can stay in the mould - the clamps wrap around.
For a uke you could probably use 100mm or 90mm pipe, which is about $5 per metre
I know some like spool clamps. I have previously used the go-bar deck, but that is a bit fiddly to get around it on all sides and chase the glue squeeze-out.
I recently saw a post to a video on one of the forums (but I am buggered if I can find it again now) with a nifty trick. It showed the workers at a small Spanish classical guitar maker using clamps that were each made from a piece of wood bent into a circle. It wanted to spring closed, but you could prise it open to form a spring clamp.
It got me thinking.
A piece of 150mm PVC stormwater pipe, cut in slices about 30mm wide, and opened on one side. It makes a c-clamp with the right width to span the sides of a guitar, and with a good degree of spring-back to provide clamping force. You just need to put some padding on the ends. I bought a length of foam water-pipe insulation from the plumbing section at Bunnings ($1.50 per metre) and attached it to the clamps with cable ties. or elastic bands when I ran out of those (the elastic bands are probably better).
One metre of pipe ($30 if you buy it new, but I had some lying around), 2 metres of foam ($3) made 30 clamps, which is enough to clamp the whole perimeter of a guitar. Unit cost $1.10 The guitar is sitting on a block of wood to lift it free of the benchtop. You can apply the clamps with one hand, in a matter of seconds. And I like the way that they give you plenty of clearance to wipe up glue squeeze-out (unlike a spool clamp). And the guitar can stay in the mould - the clamps wrap around.
For a uke you could probably use 100mm or 90mm pipe, which is about $5 per metre
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Geez ! looks like another banning
Simple and effective . Great work Mark![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
![whip :wh](./images/smilies/whip.gif)
Simple and effective . Great work Mark
![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
Craig Lawrence
- martintaylor
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Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
And this is why I love this forum. Creative solutions to common problems. Love it.
Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au
- charangohabsburg
- Blackwood
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Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
That's a great alternative to the good old bed springs! ![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
(Only probable downside I can see: there will be a little problem when trying to re-heat hot hide glue with the heat gun).
![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
(Only probable downside I can see: there will be a little problem when trying to re-heat hot hide glue with the heat gun).
Markus
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
To be stupid is like to be dead. Oneself will not be aware of it.
It's only the others who suffer.
- Mark McLean
- Blackwood
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- Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:03 pm
- Location: Sydney
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
I am glad you like it. They are not in the Craig Lawrence school of luthier jig artistry - but cheap, simple and effective. You are right Markus - it could get messy with the heat gun.
If anyone is going to make some, I suggest that you try a few different thicknesses when you slice off the first few. If you make them too thin they have less spring. I wasn't happy with them at 20-25mm, but they seem good at 30mm. If you want really stiff ones, go to 50. Your brand of pipe might have different wall thickness or a different plastic - so your mileage might vary.
If anyone is going to make some, I suggest that you try a few different thicknesses when you slice off the first few. If you make them too thin they have less spring. I wasn't happy with them at 20-25mm, but they seem good at 30mm. If you want really stiff ones, go to 50. Your brand of pipe might have different wall thickness or a different plastic - so your mileage might vary.
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Those clamps would be really handy in the operating theatre
Martin
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- Beefwood
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Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Elegantly simple, compact, available free at most construction sites or very cheap. What's not to like! ![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
![clapping :cl](./images/smilies/yelclap.gif)
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Great idea. Thanks.
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
great concept however just need to clarify something
there are two types of PVC at Bunnings.
I can get 1M $30.00 which is DWV which is slightly different to Stormwater which is $79 for 6m (can’t get any smaller)
they're both PVC but the stormwater is made to handle more pressure as in gas and water pressure where as the DWV is just virtually for non pressurised tasks like a drain where gravity does the work
will that impact the effectiveness, quality or even durability of the clamp or is PVC just PVC in this situation cause obviously I’m not plumbing anytime soon
there are two types of PVC at Bunnings.
I can get 1M $30.00 which is DWV which is slightly different to Stormwater which is $79 for 6m (can’t get any smaller)
they're both PVC but the stormwater is made to handle more pressure as in gas and water pressure where as the DWV is just virtually for non pressurised tasks like a drain where gravity does the work
will that impact the effectiveness, quality or even durability of the clamp or is PVC just PVC in this situation cause obviously I’m not plumbing anytime soon
- Mark McLean
- Blackwood
- Posts: 1088
- Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:03 pm
- Location: Sydney
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Hi Jules. I was not aware of the different grades. My clamps would be made from the cheap stuff. If the other one has thicker walls it would likely be stiffer. it would still do the job but you would want to cut it in thinner slices to get about the same clamping pressure. You don't need a vice-like pressure for this application - it is more about getting light-moderate pressure spread all around the rim.
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
Nice work, just thought I'd add that if you ever want more pressure it is easy to stack two or more together.
They are common in timber surfboard construction, used to glue small bead and cove strips to build up the curved rails, I've got a bucket of all sorts of sizes, certainly a cheap method.
They are common in timber surfboard construction, used to glue small bead and cove strips to build up the curved rails, I've got a bucket of all sorts of sizes, certainly a cheap method.
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- Mark McLean
- Blackwood
- Posts: 1088
- Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:03 pm
- Location: Sydney
Re: home made c-clamps for gluing plates to rims
That is cool. I knew I would not have been the first to think if it.
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