Using Clamps Outside the Box
They're not just for gluing up: Clamps can serve as handles and locks, or as helpers that never file for unemployment.
Synopsis: An illustrated guide to using different kinds of clamps in alternative ways around the job site, focusing on how a solo tradesperson can use them to help handle and store material, lay masonry, and aid in framing and finish carpentry.
Have you ever needed an extra hand for just a few minutes to hold the opposite end of a long board? Maybe you’ve used rope, wire or even a nail to hold the other end of that teetering fascia board. Or maybe you’ve resorted to temporary labor, but that turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Working as a self-employed builder for 25 years — most of that time alone — has led me to develop a few techniques that make the work go a little more smoothly. Some of those techniques involve using clamps, which have a variety of uses outside the cabinet shop, as you’ll see in the following illustrations.
Materials handling with clamps
Because of great clamping pressure, C-clamps work well as applied handles or as a way of securing materials to a truck rack.
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