• Home
  • Blog
    • Audio Podcast Archive
    • Joinery
    • News & Ramblings
    • Projects
    • Q & A
    • Shop Tips
    • Tools
  • Free Videos
  • Online Courses
  • Traditional Classes
    • Foundations of Traditional Woodworking
RegisterLogin
Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking
  • Home
  • Blog
    • Audio Podcast Archive
    • Joinery
    • News & Ramblings
    • Projects
    • Q & A
    • Shop Tips
    • Tools
  • Free Videos
  • Online Courses
  • Traditional Classes
    • Foundations of Traditional Woodworking

Shop Tips

Clamping Assemblies That Are Longer Than Your Clamps

  • Posted by Bob Rozaieski
  • Categories Shop Tips, Videos
  • Date July 2, 2020
  • Comments 2 comments
Clamping Long Assemblies

For the last few weeks, I’ve been working on a new bed for each of my two daughters.  When we moved into our new cabin back in December, we decided that the girls really needed new mattresses.  They had pretty much worn out the cheap, buying club, coil spring mattresses that we bought as their first “big girl” beds when they outgrew their cribs, about 11 and 13 years ago, respectively.  We could have just purchased platforms for each of their new mattresses, but our goal in the new cabin is to not buy any furniture or cabinetry that we can build as good or better ourselves (so pretty much everything but upholstered work, and we’re even contemplating trying our hand at that).

So after looking for inspiration online, the girls each found a design that they liked (the same design surprisingly), we drew up a plan, chose the lumber (they wanted leftover white pine from the cabin build), and started building.  I’ll get into the construction methods in another post, but as the build got to the point of being ready for assembly, it became apparent that there were going to be challenges when it came to clamping things up.

The head boards and foot boards are each roughly 5′ wide, and the longest clamps that I own have a clamping capacity of only 4′.  Were I to have built these pieces using traditional drawbored mortise and tenon joinery, there wouldn’t be any problem as the drawbore eliminates the need for clamps.  However, I did not use drawbored mortise and tenon joinery in this case (again, I’ll discuss the construction methods in another post). This poses quite the dilemma.

Of course I could have used this as an excuse to go out and buy a half dozen 60″ clamps – that is if I had an extra $250 to $400 laying around.  If I had pipe clamps (I don’t), I could just buy some longer pipe, or couplings and extensions, but even that would cost $20-30 per clamp.  However, there are alternative solutions, and I will discuss several that I used for this project.

Extending Clamps
You can join two shorter clamps together to make a longer clamp either by hooking their heads against each other (bottom) or by clamping their heads together (top).

One way to extend the reach of the clamps that you already have is to simply hook two clamps together.  You can do this with just about any clamp, but a clamp with a head that can be reversed (like most parallel jaw clamps) or rotated (like most pipe clamps) works best for this.  If you can reverse the heads, like in the photo above, it makes it easier to get a good purchase with the opposite end of the clamp.  If you can’t hook the two clamps together, you can also try clamping them together with a smaller clamp or two.  You can use this method by yourself, but it helps tremendously if you have a second set of hands.

Ratchet Strap Band Clamps
You can purchase a specially made band clamp, but a standard ratchet strap, like you might already have in your truck, works just as well.

Another of my favorite techniques for clamping up assemblies that are longer than my clamps is to use a few ratchet straps.  In many cases, a single strap is all you need, but you can also hook multiple straps together for even longer clamping capacity.  Put a sacrificial clamping block under the strap to prevent the strap from damaging the work when you tighten them up, and you’re good to go.  You will likely require a second set of hands to help with this arrangement as well.

Clamping Long Assemblies
Using multiple smaller clamps makes it easy to assemble large items by yourself.

One of my favorite methods for clamping up large assemblies, especially when there’s no one around that can lend a hand, is to use multiple small, but easily manageable clamps to create a smaller clamping distance.  By clamping some scrap blocks to the long pieces (the rails in this case), you can use a shorter clamp (or two) to pull on the scrap blocks and draw the joint up tight.  Here, I was able to clamp up a 5′ long assembly using nothing but 6″ and 12″ long clamps.  Of course this method requires that you have enough smaller clamps, but these are the most used clamps in the shop anyway, so most people will have enough, even if the assembly has to be done one joint at a time.

Clamping Long Assemblies
It’s easy to make a clamp of just about any length using a couple of long boards.

Of course there are other solutions as well.  You can make wooden clamp extenders, like those pictured in Roubo.  A Spanish windlass is also a possible solution, depending upon the nature of the assembly (is there room to twist the ropes?).  You can also make your own clamps.  While I didn’t do so for these beds, only because I had alternate options, it would have been easy enough to make some long clamps by drilling some holes in a couple of long boards, inserting some dowels in the holes, and using wedges to tighten up the joints.  The example above uses square pegs and holes, but using round holes and dowels would make the construction even easier.

Or you can just use a drawbored mortise and tenon and avoid this situation altogether.

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Tag:Clamps & Vises

author avatar
Bob Rozaieski

I'm a passionate woodworking enthusiast of over 30 years, with an interest in the methods of pre-industrial joiners and cabinetmakers. I'm a furniture maker, teacher, and author, and I share my thoughts and experiences with the goal of educating and inspiring others who are pursuing the craft of traditional woodworking. In addition to writing about and teaching traditional woodworking, I also build commission pieces for customers, and speak at woodworking shows and seminars.

Previous post

HTT056 - Taking Your Woodworking to the Next Level
July 2, 2020

Next post

HTT057 - Non-traditional Woodworking Projects
July 7, 2020

    2 Comments

  1. ikustwood
    July 2, 2020
    Reply

    Always, always splendide information. Thank you Bob!

    • Bob Rozaieski
      July 2, 2020
      Reply

      Thank you!

Join the Discussion Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe!Get Notified Whenever We Publish New Content

Would you like to receive notifications when new content is added to the site? Just enter your email address below and click "Subscribe" to get on the notification list. Don't worry, we'll never share your email with anyone. It'll be our little secret!

Search

Categories

  • Audio
  • Joinery
  • News & Ramblings
  • Projects
  • Q & A
  • Shop Tips
  • Tools
  • Videos

Latest Online Courses

Hand Plane Foundations

Hand Plane Foundations

Coming soon
Hand Saw Foundations

Hand Saw Foundations

$ 50.00
Colonial Wall Cupboard

Colonial Wall Cupboard

Coming soon

About

  • About
  • Testimonials

Links

  • Email
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS Feed

Information

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Support

  • FAQs
  • Contact

Copyright © 2015-2021 Bob Rozaieski Fine Woodworking

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Login with your site account

Lost your password?

Not a member yet? Register now

Register a new account

Are you a member? Login now

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.