Wood inserts in clamps…..
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Watching all of Paul’s videos, I noticed that all of his clamps have a wood insert in them. I have bought a few of the Harbor Freight clamps, and I must say, that if I try and clamp them down tight without those inserts, I think they will twist and bend rather easily. Has anyone here tried to add these inserts to their clamps, and if so, how much work did you have to do to get them the right size? I have been trying to find some wood that will fit, and I can’t find anything even close to the correct dimensions.
Jaime
https://paulsellers.com/2011/11/4473/ shows Paul cutting his wood to size.
My clamps might be different, but there is a slot on one side of my clamps and this side is a little narrower than the other side. I start with a 5/8″ thick piece (I forget how wide) and long enough to fill the clamp. Then I plane a bevel on both sides to get one side narrower so they will fit. It doesn’t take long and is a good exercise in planing. Good luck.
I bought several of those clamps when I built my Paul Sellers style bench a few years ago and did the modifications like Paul’s and have not had a problem. I have several of the Bessy’s clamp also but still reach for the HF more, they are lighter and once you get them modified you are good to go.
Steve