The Different Types of Hand Clamps

There are so many clamps available on the market; it’s hard to know if you should buy one or two in every style or a fairly universal one that will cover most of your clamping requirements. But your workshop probably has limited space so buying one of everything is probably not going to work. Look at the types of projects you most commonly do and find a few clamps that will cover most of the projects you do.

Spring Clamp

Also known as pinch clamps, the spring clamp is small in size but big on power. Spring clamps are good for small repairs and as a third hand for holding items you need to glue or paint. The spring clamp offers easy release and even clamping pressure.

3-Way Edge Clamps

The 3-Way clamp is the traditional spring clamp with an additional spring that applies a third direction of pressure. The clamp can give you more than 10 kg of clamping pressure, providing a far better bond than tape alone.

Band Clamp

If you need to clamp curves, closed contours and other tricky clamping jobs, then a band clamp may be your friend. A canvas band clamp can provide even pressure on mitre joints and can have adjusted angles from 60 to 180 degrees. Pressure is applied by placing the band around the workpiece and pulling tight to lock in place.

Face 90 Degree Corner Clamp

This clamp allows you to align joints to a 90-degree angle when compressed. A swivel head allows you to adjust for material thickness.

Face Frame Clamp

If you are doing any pocket hole joinery, project construction or general clamping, a face frame clamp may be what you need. Swivel pads ensure there is no marring of your work piece and even force clamping.

One Hand Clamp

When you don’t have enough hands to hold the project and fit the clamp, invest in a one hand clamp. A lightweight clamp allows you to exert plenty of clamping pressure while only using a couple of fingers to complete the job. A good one hand clamp will allow you to swap between flat or angled grip pads within seconds.

Parallel Clamp

As the name suggests, this clamp allows the jaws to remain parallel to each other and stay at 90 degrees keeping your work piece square. A Parallel-K clamp can be used on right angles, round and pointed work pieces.

Pipe Clamp

Often lighter and cheaper than the traditional T-bar sash clamp, choose a pipe clamp with taller feet and a cast crank handle for tensioning the work piece.

Toggle Clamp

If you have a lot of repetitive clamping to do, the toggle clamp can save you time on your wood or metalwork projects. The clamping thickness can be increased by mounting a spacer under the clamp base.

Throat Clamp

Also known as F-clamps, look for a throat clamp that has a soft grip handle and flexible cast-iron heads that won’t crack under pressure.

Miter Clamp

Used for gripping two mitred edge pieces together at right angles. There are internal (upper) and external (lower) types available.

Hand clamps for woodwork projects

Choosing the right hand clamps is crucial and you can't afford to go wrong. We highly recommend that you speak to an expert at Timbecon who can provide more information on the different types of hand clamps to make working on your woodwork projects easier.