Official Luthiers Forum!

I need to buy some Cam Clamps. They are quite pricey. Stew Mac sells them. It looks like they are also branded by them. On the other hand Grizzly sells them too. The Grizzly ones are brand, "Shop Fox". They're a bit cheaper. Are they just as good as the ones Stew Mac sells? Or should I spend the extra money?
-John

Don't know about the shop fox brand, but Highland Woodworking carries Klemmsia brand, which is the best. They have them on sale sometimes, that's when I'll buy a few more.

I have a dozen of the ones Stew Mac sells, and they are a poor substitute, but workable.
You want them made with steel bars, not aluminum.

_________________
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008907949110

IMO, even better that the Klem's are Miro-Moose:
http://www.usaclamp.com/CamClampPage.aspx\
-C

_________________
Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

Spend the extra money. I like Shop Fox tools, but their cam clamps are just bad.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

David, thanks for that. At $25 a pop they are quite expensive! Stew Mac has 'em in the $15+ range, while Grizzly has them even lower in the $12+ range. I don't know what to do because I don't want to buy junk just to feel like I got a deal. I'm sure the Klemmsia brand are excellent. But my dealings with Stew tell me they wouldn't sell garbage. Maybe buying from them is a good middle ground.

Also.... With enough of these Klemssia-style clamps around, will I even need to bother with C-Clamps? I've heard people say they use these Cams instead and they are perfectly happy. Thoughts?
-John

I agree here. I have a few of the Shop Fox cam clamps and these are not good at all. Sloppy and crooked. They do clamp, but I wouldn't use them on a geter. I do use them for some non critical applications around the shop.

Zach, I just saw your reply after I submitted mine. Should I spend the extra on the Stew Mac or the Klemssia brand at Highland?

Your Fox cam clamps are better than mine!

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

I'm not Zach, but I like my Klemssia better than the Stew Mac, although the stew mac are good. Both are way better than the Shop Fox versions.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Thanks Steve. I'm not getting the Fox.

Chas! I just checked out the ones from the USA Clamp Company. They look good and are priced right. You're 100% satisfied with those? I'm thinking of buying a box of the 8.5". Tell me your experience. What do you clamp down with them?
-John

....or just make your own.

_________________
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Thats what I was thinking, Jig it up and boom you can make as many as you like and customize them to suit your needs. And you could always put a little inlay in there, maybe some pearl, maybe some paduk, what do you guys think(p.s. I'm playing about the inlay!!)

I have the woodcraft cam clamps and like them.
I don't have anything to compare them to, but I do think they get the job done.

I don't remember the price on them, but I think it was around $15 give or take a few dollars.

_________________
Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

I have about 20 of the Shop Fox clamps and they are fine. I also have some Woodcraft and they are better. Try to buy all of the same brand though because it is convenient to use them flat on the bench for some operations.

_________________
Ken

I have the woodcraft cam clamps and like them.
I don't have anything to compare them to, but I do think they get the job done.

I don't remember the price on them, but I think it was around $15 give or take a few dollars.

_________________
Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Garrett Wade's IMO are better than Klemmsia. On sale now, too.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

-

European hornbeam softer than maple. I don't think so. Not that it matters for this type of clamp but hard maple is .56 to .63 sp and Euro hornbeam is .75 sp. Plus the Euro hornbeam is more resistant to splitting a good thing for this kind of clamp. Maple is not better for these clamps. Maple or hornbeam is really a moot point. Oak would work fine. I am more interested in how well they are made.
So far no one has qualified why they like either the Garret Wade or the Micro moose better than the Klemssia clamps.
(Well Tony said why. Tony is the wood the only reason?) I would be interested to know.
Link

_________________
Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

If you skimp on cam clamps, I think you'll really regret it. You don't want to be fiddling with clamps that don't perform well while your glue is setting. That's a recipe for and .

My Klemmsia's always work perfectly. Not so any others I've tried. I got a few made by a guitar maker who used to be on this forum a lot (who shall remain nameless), and they don't work nearly as well as my Klemmsia's. I would consider the cost of making them myself to be much higher than buying Klemmsias, and I don't know if they'd work as well. I don't know what makes Klemmsias work so well compared to others I've used that appear to be made well. They just have it nailed.

Some people use tons of cam clamps. With my go bar deck, as well as vacuum clamping for some things, and other clamps like small bar clamps and spring clamps and those long reach deep throat clamps from Stewmac, I don't need that many cam clamps.

_________________
Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

As Steve suggests , you can make these yourself , although they do take some time .
I bought some here in Australia which were made in China out of Chinese plantation grown Beech . They arrived in poor shape . I had to reset the holding pins to get the jaws lined up . Like the Klemsia , they also have a steel bar which I definatley don't like . Aluminium bars make the clamps a heap lighter and work very well.
I made a dozen or so of these in various sizes from Tasmanian Myrtle ( related to Euro Beech ).
Although they took me a while to make , they work perfectly , and I've become very fond of them .

_________________
CRAIG LAWRENCE of AUSTRALIA
_____________________________________________

May be discontinued. Too bad.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

I spent a total of about $8 on wood, and $3 on metal and made 5 clamps for myself. I have the materials to do about 3 more if I find some more wood.

I used Ash and Hickory for mine - They seem to both work well and as you make a couple, your design for them will improve - at least mine did But as I have not a lot of dinero, this was my only option. It seems, like all jig-making, to be good practice at the least. I really like my 4" reach clamps I made. My 6" and 8" ones are not quite the quality I would like, but I think I can tune them up a bit and my next couple will be better.

Yes, Stew mac gets them from USA- Buy them direct in quantity and you'll save. Super company to deal with. They're a small family owned business. Clamps are top quality, and as said stiffer than the Klem's
And also, yes you can make your own for $20 or so in materials...and in my case, $200 in time.
There are some things that are simply more efficient to buy.
-C

_________________
Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

Lee Valley also sells Klemmsia clamps (or at least did when I bought mine.) Their individual clamp price is about the same as Highland's (15.90 or so for the regular size), but they discount them down to 14.70 each if you buy at least 4).

_________________
Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

If you are really interested in making your own cam clamps, you might be interested in my article on constructing your own, in the fall Guitarmaker.

_________________
Bear Acker
Amherst, Massachusetts






"If you knew what you needed to know, you'd know, ya know"