looking for clamp ideas!

[maxxxpower1000]

I've been using the clamps that came with my shark pro hd, plus a couple more I bought from rockler. They are ok, but I'm thinking............ Is there a better way out there? What do you guys think?

[BillK]

While I could discuss various clamp scenarios with you, I think you are much better off typing "clamps" in the upper right hand search box to see the full knowledge and experience of the experts.

Enjoy!

[maxxxpower1000]

Thanks for the suggestion, I tried that but 90% of the results were no help. If anyone is interested, I found clamps made by 4dthinker and karenw that are really nice and seem like they would work well. They are under "shark file sharing" and the name of the post is "wood clamps. my design."

[rsetina]

Thanks for the suggestion, I tried that but 90% of the results were no help. If anyone is interested, I found clamps made by 4dthinker and karenw that are really nice and seem like they would work well. They are under "shark file sharing" and the name of the post is "wood clamps. my design."

That's a great post and the clamps look quite nice. I just downloaded the file myself and I'll make some for my Shark HD.

[jimsworkshop]

You might want to at least investigate vacuum clamping. It won't work in every case, but for me and the type of projects I make, it works really well. It also solves the "table-level" problem. This quote is from another post I made:

"I replaced the MDF board with a 12 by 24 inch piece of HDPE. I leveled it just like I did the MDF but limited the cut to about .007. I drilled a 1/8 inch hole in the long edge 6 inches deep, and then a 1/8 hole in the top to intersect the other drilled passage. I now can use my vacuum pump to hold the work being routed. I simply position gasket material (PSA material) to the HDPE at the appropriate size for the work piece. So far it works great! I'm really happy with this setup because I can route all the way to the edges to the work piece without worry about clamps getting in the way. The HDPE seems (so far anyway) pretty impervious to moisture changes. Today in San Diego we are at 79% humidity. A few weeks ago it was 38%. No warping noted in the 2 months I've been using this set up. www.joewoodworker.com has the gasket material. Amazon has the HDPE and it comes in larger sizes for those who may need a bigger piece."

[maxxxpower1000]

Thanks, I'll look into it. I do a bunch of small and mid sized projects, so it might work well. Today, I picked up some 1x6" vinyl and a 12"x12" piece of marble to experiment with and both would work well with vacuum clamps.