Should be tools for woodworking that just happen to be very useful for the carpenter.

I found out about these clamps watching a video from Gary Katz.  Glad I caught the movie as these clamps were just what the doctor ordered one day after delivery!

Commonly used as bench clamps or for hold downs when using a table or mitresaw, routing,  perhaps to hold a stop, whenever you need to hold something in position.  Some glue ups.  I’m sure I’ll keep filling in the blanks.

And I find out now, they’re not really NEW, but certainly new to me.  As I was hunting to find info about them I came upon some reviews from last fall.

STC-HH50 and the STC-HH70

Here’s a link to them at Bessey:   http://www.besseytools.com/en/subcategory.php?ASIMOID_SC=00000001000232e800020023&ASIMOID_MC=000000000001f07600030023

Unlike others,  they automatically adjust to different thicknesses in what you are clamping

    the 50 has a 2″ thick max

    the 70 has a 2-3/4″ max.

There is an adjustible clamping pressure screw (from 25 to 550 lbs).  Easily moved with either a #2 phillps or your fingertips as the screw side is knurled. 

The clamping pad is removable for replacement-also, the clamping pad mechanism can be moved back and forth from the body of clamp about an inch and a half  (threaded adj with nut).

The key to these clamps will be evident to those who have used similar hold down clamps.  They are similar only in their function.  The ability to automatically adjust to different work pc. thickness is what sets them apart.  Now, one clamp can do the job of several other individual thickness clamps or fiddling with adjustment screws!

20  to 22 dollars each from Rockler

a little more at Woodcraft

Pretty new, not on the shelves everywhere.  If Bessey’s sales reps are smart, they’ll get a couple on display at where we shop for tools.  They can’t be fully appreciated until you see what they can do.

Now you don’t need different hold down clamps nor do you need to shim  or adjust in order to work with different thicknesses.

Also offered is an inline clamp-STC-IHH25  This has a thrust straight out,  of an inch.

Now, if you don’t limit these to bench use, only your imagination will keep you back from what you can come up with as far as uses.  Those of us that work out in the field and specifically in the remodeling trade, we are constantly coming up against a way to hold or press or clamp something down in order to do the job.  As long as these are in the van, I’ve got a chance at increasing my ability to come up with an answer.

Back to the doctor ordering part:

Change a 2-1/8″ recessed pucklight to a 3″ hole for a small can, in a finished , mounted, nice and expensive dining room buffet.

No room to use a jigsaw to enlarge the hole from above or below.  Hole has to be accurate as the trim around that can is narrow.

Cannot easily install a block above the old hole to be able to use a hole saw’s pilot bit-the thin lid wouldn’t allow screwing the block from above, can’t fasten from below.

When I looked at it, there’s some 3/4″ mat. up there, in sort of a curved area, flat around that puck hole.  With some blocks and a wider pc above I could do it.   However-screw the clamp to that thicker surround, use it to clamp down my filler block and drill away.    Not saying it couldn’t be done with a couple blocks, but what the heck-might as well expand it’s use like what’s been done with the multimaster.