That’s exactly what I did years ago. I wanted different length clamps so I bought had them cut 10 footers, got 8’s & 2’s, 4’s & 3’s. Also if you need longer you can get couplers for in between multiple pieces. I have Home Depot thread both ends after they cut them. Great tip on the cork and double sided tape. A lot less than the pads you can buy. Plus the Harbor freight ones just fall off.
Never seen any of these tips before and they were all fantastic and really useful. That TNT rack is nothing short of brilliant! Thanks for the link. BTW - I also like Andy's cork rubber, but it is pricey. A cost effective alternative is to use a Baler Belt and cut it into smaller pieces. I have Tractor Supply Co near me, and you can pick these up off the shelf and they are good grippy protection for all things vise related.
I LOVE these ideas! I need more clamps (I mean, who doesn't). I will take your tips and tricks into account for sure. The add-on to the work bench is a GREAT idea! It also means I dont' need to buy a bunch of dog-hole tools. Great ideas... keep 'em coming!!
And hear I thought I'd seen it all. lol...I love the first idea clamping a clamp right to the bench. Just subscribed, looking forward to the rest of your videos. Just leaving now to go and install a bench clamp! 👍🇨🇦
Your old leather belts that just don't fit anymore also make great durable pads for your clamps! And, us large guys know all too well about belts (and pants) not fitting any more!
Thank you for sharing new/old great ideas for using Pipe clamps. I love them and I use stainless steel pipes: A little bit less grip but the clamps themselves don´t leave pressure marks on the pipe after a time, because the material of the clamp is weaker than the stainless steel pipe. But the biggest problem on pipe clamps are the springs in the inside of the clamps. If they are weak, nothing works anymore and even Bessey doesn´t offer them as sparepart... at least not in Germany. :-( I didn´t find any solution to refit or get tension back on these springs.
Great video, great tips sir! As another screw falls thru a dog hole in my workbench......... It matters cause all my wood chips go to the chickens and they don't need the screws etc.
How to make head & tail clamps taller ? Sometimes need to clamp much thicker pieces, need more "reach" for the jaws. A green one from Woodcraft had like an 8" reach - but expensive.
Thanks for the great idea now I have to take the two 3 ft galvanized pipes back to Home Depot and get a 10-ft and get it threaded. This will save me some money
This was the push I needed to finally try some pipe clamps. I have a few parallel clamps but quickly realized I'm going to go broke if I keep it up. Two questions: 1) do you prefer the black pipes purely to save money? 2) Do you strictly use 3/4" pipes, or do 1/2" have a place in the shop as well?
It would be really cool if you picked a sub to be an intern for a day..like making challenges or doing a cool project that your sub gets to keep..it would just be fun for the average woodworker to hang out for a day..
Good day,Mr swan how are you well i hope. i have been a true member of your channel from the begining. Is it posible to bring back the first vidioor is there some where the i can see the colection. I trully enjoy youe channel. God Bless. Sincerely, Felix.
Dude. I love your vids and your persona. I do have to say though that you are NOT a woodworker. Nope. You are an Engineer/Artist that uses wood as a medium. Kinda like a Warrior/Poet. But you make stuff. 😁
For sanding the pipes, why couldn't you take that idea? Drill a 1" hole or maybe 1-1/4" and cut the block of wood in half, glue some sand paper to the faces, put a dowel or 2 thru one part of the block to keep everything aligned. Now slip that over the pipe, and sand away.
In a pinch, if you don’t have a threaded pipe, you could drill out the threads in the head and slide it over the pipe and run a bolt through the whole thing. I wonder if anyone has ever made pipe clamps without the threads?
I have a bunch of pipe clamps and they are very cheap indeed, is chocking to hear the prices of the pipes over there, here in my country a half inch 6 meters long black pipe cost just $10.25, is enough to make 6 40" pieces.
I feel sorry for those of you without a Menards nearby. A 10ft stick of 3/4 blackpipe is $22 and 3ft is $12! Home Depot and Lowes are insane with their prices!!
I get mine from a local hardware and supply store. They are cheaper and will cut to any length and thread for you, call you when its ready and help you load up. Buy local when you can.
@@dougw9239 I would if the local places near me didn't act like I was inconveniencing them every time I step foot inside. And I like to just go in, grab the stuff I need and leave. Not go in, wait at the counter for someone, describe what I want, they have to check inventory, tell me they have 2 of the 4 things I want, then order the stuff, then go grab the other things.... it's a 45-60 minute process (for a 5 minute Menards trip) on top of their arrogance because I'm not a $10million/year customer. I only go to them now when I absolutely have to. Oh, and they are typically twice the price or more for the exact same stuff. F'em
I mostly use 3/4" aluminum conduit for all of my clamps. The upside is obviously much lighter weight. The clamps also bite on the aluminum really well. The biggest downside is that aluminum conduit is meant to be bent. So if you really crank down on it the pipe will bend right at the clamp. But in reality, if you're just doing glue-ups you don't need to tighten your clamps as tight as possible.
You always have really cool tips. Another thing you can do with pipe clamps is join 2 pipes together with a threaded coupler to make a really long clamp. I made a king size bed for my daughter. I put the pipes together to make clamps long enough to glue up the head and foot boards.
I always have to remember to remove the tailpiece before coupling. It'll be snug up to the head and then won't slide past. This is less embarrassing if no one else is around, but only slightly...
I've used couplers with my 3/4" pipe clamps for many decades. I cut the 10' pipe into three pieces and thread both ends. I prefer the 3/4" pipe to the 1/2" pipe, it is more ridgid. Not having to store long clamps makes storage so much easier. Hint, get the pipe clamp fixtures that you can screw in and out on the bench top, not the ones that you have to shim up or hang over the edge of the bench. Both will work but one makes the task much simpler.
Another good reason for black pipe, it allows a better no slip grip by the clamp mechanism. The galvanized coating, being zinc, is soft, it gouges and slips, pushes up ridges of the zinc if you really tighten the clamp. then you have an even bigger job smoothing it out. Great tips, Izzy.
I bought a black pipe to replace a galvanized pipe and the clamps kept slipping. The clamps are somewhat old so that may be the issue, but I wondered if you had any other ideas.
Uncle Henry's hack/jig is so freaking clever!! Definitely adding that to the clamping tool kit! The oxylic acid tip is definitely one of those OH CRAP, save your butt tips! Great video as always Izzy/Maggie!!
Great tips. I find that liquid Goof Off on a rag takes the black coating of well. And If I'm super worried about the finish, I'll size the clamps close (within a couple of inches of the final panel size, and put blue painter's tape on the pipe. That also means any glue squeeze out just gets stripped off with the tape.
I’m always surprised by the wealth of knowledge in each video. I’m stoked to start using pipe clamps as a vices. Friggen brilliant. Thanks for the shout out brother!
@@izzyswanhey there! Can I ask what brand pipe clamps you use. I went out and bought an Irwin clamp and one of the collars cracked on its first use. Now I just have pipe. I really appreciate the advice on upkeep with the pipe too... When I bought the pipe it was already surface rusted. Sanding and washing makes a lot of sense. Thank you!
One additional idea for the clamp protection would be to use some cheap rubber "workshop" mat flooring -- ca. 10 bucks for (4) 25"x25" @ Harbor Freight ("Anti-Fatigue Foam Mat Set, 4 Pack"). Cut them to fit and glue or double-tape them on. Great for making vise clamp protectors, too, and even use them with pliers, etc., as needed.
Thank you for another video full of great ideas, Izzy! The TNT system (and JLT) look fantastic. I like that they're modular/expandable. I may whip up a few of them with a few tweaks of my own. All the best, Andrew Thiessen
Thank you for this one. Well needed information. Last year I stopped at a yard sale and was looking at a couple black iron pipe clamps. A guy stopped and looked at them and pointed out one of the pipes was bent a little, which I had already noticed. Then he gave every reason why these are worthless and he'd never waste his money on them. After he finally shut up and walked away, I grabbed the two pipe clamps, and paid the $5.00 each and left. One pipe needed to be replaced. Still using them.
I see you use black iron pipe. They work while galvanized pipe does not work very well, it's too slick for the fixed end to grip. Please don't ask how I know. Something I do when I need a really long clamp is put two shorter pipes together with a coupler. Just don't get unions too tight or you'll have to use pipe wrenches to get them apart. You would need to have both ends threaded to do this. Keep the good stuff coming
I just love my pipe clamps, and use them often. I learned a couple of new tricks today, and for that I thank you. 👍 I use Bessey 1/2" clamps. I like them because they have real crank handles, as opposed to the whimpy bars you often see in the lesser versions and they have 'extenders' on the bottom side that keep you from racking your knuckles as you crank down tension on the handles. Pipe clamps are designed to be used with BLACK pipe. Never forget this. Galvanized pipe is slightly larger in diameter than black pipe, making the tailstock harder to adjust and the galvanized zinc coating is quite soft, which can cause the tailstock to slip, losing your clamping pressure. Black pipe can be a pain in the tukus, but taking a moment once or twice a year to maintain the pipes themselves will insure proper...and happy... experiences. I use Izzy's method of buying pipe...slightly. If I need 12" clamps for gluing up stock for ... hmm, let's say legs, I will buy 24" pipes and cut them in half. I do keep at least a half dozen of each length (on the foot...like one foot, two foot, etc) up to 5' long and change the pipes out depending upon my needs. Don't pay too much attention to the pipe clamps haters. They just don't know how to use and/or care for a tool that dates back to Gramps time. Care for your headstock (the actual clamping pieces) and care for your black pipe, and you'll be a happy 'clamper'!
Excelentes tips para facilitar el trabajo en el taller, muchas gracias por compartir...👍 y me permito sugerir un tip extra, en el minuto 7:12 se le hace cuerda al tubo, acá en México usamos manteca de cerdo como lubricante, no hay nada mejor para esa labor, prueba y verás 😉 recibe cordiales desde Aguascalientes México...!!
Great tips, gives me some other ideas to try myself. I always used the black pipe, but never thought about waxing the pipe. I’ll have to give that a try too! Just goes to show you can never stop learning better ideas from others! Provided your open minded enough to realize you don’t know everything and others just might have a better way to make your life easier and/or quicker if you’ll just take the time to listen to what someone else figured out you never did yourself! Sometimes ideas are so simple, you wonder why you never thought of it yourself too?
I use Bessey's for the threaded ends of a 10 ft pipe and Irwin's that don't require thread for the middle section. The Irwin's are a bit more fussy to use. No free cutting/ threading near me and it appears that pipe from a dedicated plumbing supply has a thicker wall than at a big box store so less flex under pressure.
Great tips. You mentioned that if you get black marks on the wood from the clamps you use some kind of acid? What acid is it and how do you use it? I have some stains on Red Oak that I need to get off. Thanks
Very cool rack. I think I'll save the $600 and make my own. You can always glue up and remove them from the rack to glue more. This will work better then my wall mounted hanging rack system.
Great tips, Maggie! When I took a class recently from Alex, he told us to get the 10' sections of black pipe and get the threading kit from Harbour Freight. Sure wish Izzy would talk.
If you want to have a piece of pie cut down, make sure you know the store policy. At HD, I had a 10' piece cut by an employee, when than said I had to pay the 4' price, and the 6' price, not the single 10', or even a cut fee. It makes sense to stop by customer service first, and get an official answer before you have someone cut stuff.
“…throwing their really sharp Lie Nielsens at me. “ 😆 I have and use some of those, but they’re too expensive to waste by throwing at Izzy. You do your workbench thing, man. No offense taken. 😁
I got a lot of my 3/4 pipe by stopping at a few plumbing shops and asked them if they had any used 3/4 gas line, that they are interested in selling. You be surprised how much pipe $20 will get you. They just sell it for scrap.
Just ordered 4 bessey clamps + black pipes and some female couplers so I can put two pipes together (surprised you didnt show this one.. extend pipes for longer stuff with couplers). These seem so much stronger, longer lasting and largely better than the 2x to 3x clamps and so much more versatile.
My local Lowes no longer cuts and threads pipe. I used to get a 10' stick of 1/2" black iron pipe for $12 and have them cut it to 3-3-2-2' lengths until they complained that I should just be buying their pre-cut stuff. Their policy changed to not cut shortly after that. Blessing in disguise though, as a local-ish bulk metal supplier sells it way cheaper than Lowes and they will cut to any length. You have to thread it yourself though. Shop around!
