USA Made Hand Screw Clamps: Worth the Additional Cost?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ม.ค. 2022
- Hand Screw Clamps from 5 brands are compared; Harbor Freight Pittsburgh, Dubuque Micro-Moose, Jorgensen, Menards Tool Shop, Rockler.
ShopNotes Article: www.shopnotes.com/files/issues...
You can purchase the clamps shown in my video using the following links. (NOTE: These are NOT affiliate links.)
Menards Tool Shop - www.menards.com/main/search.h...
Harbor Freight Pittsburgh - www.harborfreight.com/search?...
Dubuque Mico-Moose - www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/...
Jorgensen - www.lowes.com/search?searchTe...
Rockler - www.rockler.com/wooden-handsc...
Please check my Community tab for answers to common questions and the latest information! - th-cam.com/users/woodshopnerderycommunity
I recently just learned Harbor Freight sold these clamps and am very grateful you did this comparison. I only wish someone nearby sold the US made clamps so I could do this comparison myself. So thank you for doing it for me! Very well done.
Excellent video. I have Dubuque clamps and they work great. Do you know of any USA made trigger clamps?
Exactly what I was looking for, thanks!
Tom. Thanks for this thoughtful and thorough review.
As you know, I am a wooden clamp fan. I often use them when a squeeze clamp, c-clamp or f-clamp would work just as well.
My attraction started with a pair of 12” Craftsman clamps that I bought new in about 1980. My reason for getting them was that I needed a deeper reach and thicker grip than I could find on c-clamps, pipe clamps or bar clamps.
My fear was that they wouldn’t be strong enough or durable enough to do the jobs I wanted to do. The answer is they were plenty stout and far more versatile than I dreamed. As for durable, they are just as mechanically sound and smooth in operation as the day I bought them.
About 10 years ago, i picked up a few more from a guy at a yard sale. He said his dad bought them back in the ‘60’s. They are all Jorgensen. Even at the exorbitant price if $0.50 each, I got my moneys worth! They are every bit as good as my Craftsman are!
There are a lot of mystery hardwoods coming in. The one most often used as a hard maple or oak alternative is Jarawood (Rubber wood). I have a bunch of it and it shows up in a lot of my projects. It’s appearance is somewhat like a white oak… but, once you see them side by side you won’t mistake the difference again. Those clamps looked like they were made of it!
Again, nice presentation… thanks.
Thanks for the compliments, Dave, and thanks for watching! Since I don't have room for a traditional woodworking bench, work piece holding is a challenge. My main motivation for these clamps is to hold the wood while I work on it. So far they have been a killer bench vice!
They certainly could be rubber wood. We have a coffee table end table set from Crate and Barrel that we bought 20 years ago that they call "rubber wood." I would guess my Home Depot bench top has some rubber wood in it. I've also seen some "tropical hardwood" labels out their. But I think these manufactures don't want to commit to a species so they can run production on lowest market price alternative in that moment. Sort of the hardwood equivalent to "SPF."
These companies who commit to "Hard Maple" are taking on a monetary and logistical cost that the others are not.
@@woodshopnerdery that’s exactly correct… my career in the furniture manufacturing world dealt with domestic and import hardwoods. The SPF comparison is apt.
Appreciate the review, like you I try to buy Made in the USA whenever I can, but also want value for my investment.
Glad you liked it, Dave, and thanks for watching! I agree its good to have a mix import and domestic. But it's just a shame that finding USA made goods takes a special effort.😟
Great video and information! I love hand screw clamps. They are amongst the most-used clamps in my shop. I have a fair amount of Harbor Freight clamps and a bunch of old Jorgensen clamps. I have broken and split HF hand screws in the past but still find that they are a good deal for their price.
Others have said HF will replace the broken clamps. Did you give that a try?
Interesting analysis.
Thanks, RT.
Great video. 👍🏻
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.
I have a bunch of the Harbor Freight clamps. They have never fail me. In the end all they need to do is work.
One thing the Harbor Freight clamps have is their Warrenty. It's an instore exchange. Yes, they will replace them if they break. I have done it. Compared to my experience trying to get defective Bessy clamps which left me feeling that I would never buy another Bessy clamp.
Thanks Robert. I agree it is really frustrating when you spend money on a tool that does not work.
Would like to see some sort of wood density test performed on each. Like clamping a half inch diameter rod with 50 pounds of torque to see which brand clamp dents the least. I'd put my money on Jorgensen.
Love my HF clamps. I was honestly thinking about going even cheaper and making some myself with some threaded rod and 2x4s. But I’m super cheap ha.
The HF clamps totally work and are a great value. The 12 incher at Menards is even cheap, unfortunately they are not nation wide. I like the idea of making these. But I shied away from it because the rods reverse thread direction in the middle. Taylor Tools sells a kit though, but I think the kit is almost as expensive as the HF clamp.
@@woodshopnerdery hmm. I wonder if you could just cut it in half, flip one side around, and weld the rod back together? Do you think that would work Tom?
@@FridayWorkshop Are you familiar with Eric Sorensen's channel? Unfortunately he passed away about 7 months ago. He did a diy build/review that I think is pretty good.
th-cam.com/video/kGn2S7YwrpA/w-d-xo.html
Here is one where the guy tapped his own barrell nuts, one set left threaded and the other right to get the reversing action.
th-cam.com/video/7IKDaTQqRRY/w-d-xo.html
I tell you what though, I have never seen a hand screw clamp build where some one made their own reversible rod! So, maybe an interesting video topic?
That was a great review. So far, I only have 2 handscrew clamps. A Jorgensen and a Pittsburgh from Horror Fright. The Jorgensen clamp I've had longer, and it's always performed flawlessly. My Pittsburgh is a warranty replacement. The first time I tightened the original one I purchased, it stripped the threads completely and wouldn't tighten. They do have a great warranty, and the second one has performed well so far, but I don't think I'll buy another Pittsburgh handscrew. I'm just not a gambler, and getting a good one seems to be a crap shoot. I love their F style clamps and aluminum bar clamps. Those are two of the best products I've bought from HF.
Thanks for the compliment Danny. What you describe about HF is why I shop there less and less. Don't get me wrong I do still shop HF, they have a few gems there. But I used to shop there quite a bit, but for about 50% of the purchases it actually cost me more than buying a bit better quality. For one, it takes time and gas money to run something back for replacement.
I am with you, sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of a quality for staying on a budget. But if you can - go for better ones!
It's great to have options, right!
@@woodshopnerdery definitely!
Good points! My hand screws are old Jorgensen before they moved and are still like day 1. To be honest I bet the lower quality clamps would have served at least 99 percent of my uses.
Very true, the lower quality clamps do the job. That's part of why I wring my hands over spending the extra money. In the end I am glad to have some of each.
Nice review. I am a harbor freight budget woodworker, so....
Now, wonder if you could talk about bench and tail vices. Have to build a workbench downstairs, and can't afford the hardware for one, so thinking about doing a homemade job.
Seriously, though, love your video's.
Wow thanks for the compliments. At one time, I was a frequent Harbor Freight shopper to save a lot of money. Although I still shop there, but I started buying less from them because many times the tools didn't work for me. Nothing more expensive than buying something you don't use.
I don't have much experience with bench vises. My bench can't really accommodate one. Part of the reason I got these hand screws is to use as impromptu vise. TH-cam is loaded with DIY vise videos. The ones made from pipe clamps look interesting to me.
What do you think of HF Windsor Designs bench? It has a vise built in. Seems like the cost of it would be about the same as the lumber. There are some nice TH-cam videos on that bench too.
@@woodshopnerdery I've built a workbench last year, basic plywood and fidgeting with clamps, and there is another basic bench in the basement of this house... but, after watching a few videos covering cabinet and jointer benches, I think that will be my next project and move up from the basic bench, but looking at putting both a face vise and end vise in the design
I purchased the cheap clamps years ago, but here’s the rub, I RARELY use them! So, for the odd times I’ve ever needed them, cheap was adequate. Now if I were the kind of woodworker who needed them day in and day out I doubt they would have ever held up. So yeah, if you’ve got the dough and can get your moneys worth out of them buy USA, if you don’t use them you can always will them to your kids cuz they’ll outlast you!
Great point. I'm glad I got a mix of cheaper and more expensive. Sort of get the best of both worlds.
I STILL!! rue the day I did not buy the USA twist grip clamps. The Bessy are - - - - we’ll, way beyond the HarborFright clamp. Knowing that I concur. Buy quality, it does make a difference.
I hear you. At least these cheap hand screws actually work. I think the cheap Harbor Freight F-Style clamps are a different story. The short ones work great. But I had a couple longer ones that I threw away. That cheap bar so bad I had to run the whole screw in just to take the flex out of the bar and get to clamping pressure.
@@woodshopnerdery my locking pawl stripped out about the third time I used it… they offered me a free replacement… which I declined!
@@sassafrasvalley1939 You bring up an aspect of quality that I did not mention, which is consistency. As rough as the HF clamp is I showed in the video, it was the best looking one in the bin of 6 or at the store.
Not sure why I’m just now seeing this, but we’re you aware that Shopsmith’s old hand screw clamps were made by Dubuque Clamp?
You did make a similar comment at the time the video was released. Maybe on another video. I recall you mentioning Scott Phillips was the one who walked you through the product. But no, prior to you telling back then I had no clue. I’ve kept an eye out for used shopsmith clamps but no luck. I use them all the time.
No, you did not waste your money on USA made handscrew clamps.