Bessey clamps

[tgordon]

Have any of you looked at Bessey clamps?



Welcome to Bessey Tools North America

 

[Rebel Ram]

I have several sets. They are also sold under the brand name of Wilton. They are the best. Very easy to use and are very robust.

 

[p-Bar]

Would love to have a bunch of those , but I would go broke in the process. Still use the good ol' pipe clamps. Great for the hobbiest who only needs 2

 

[cap-n-cray]

One of the best clamp manufactures. I have too many to count. Both metal working and woodworking. Never had one fail.



Cary

 

[WWildbore]

Check out amazon.com, every now and then they have some killer deals on these clamps.



wayne

 

[Partyat33]

Bessy K body clamps are the best. I have at least 20. Worth the money.

 

[jwgary]

I love their Kant-Twist clamps. We use them for everything!

 

[BGlidewell]

sadly, I've found there is not one "best clamp". These are "OK" for certain types of jobs, but not suitable for others.

Regardless, you always need 5 more than you already have.

 

[rbattelle]

I was just watching Norm Abrams (New Yankee Workshop) and he was using Bessey clamps.

Ryan

 

[troll3193]

I have 4 long K-bodys... . They are incredible and worth every penny I paid with them.



Have used them in making curved pieces out of multiple thin strip of lumber and they provide strong even force along the entire face...



Bryan

 

[RyanB]

I to have the K-Bodys and love them. I only have 6 clamps but my use for them is in making doors (I am a cabinet maker and make all my own doors) I have two 48" clamps, and four 24" clamps. I also have the little plastic stands that you can set them up for gluing doors together. The nice thing about them is they make perfectly square doors every time. I glue the joints, lay the assembled door in the clamps (back facing up), tighten the clamps, take my 23 guage pin nailer loaded with 5/8" nails and pin each joint then unclamp and start the next door. I just finished doing a run of 50 doors and drawer fronts and it took me just under 2 hours to get them all together.



Again... Great Clamps!!!



RyanB

 

[DJW]

In 1955 working at a steel fabricating plant in New Jersey we used for general purposes, C-Clamps much like Vice-Grips, one would close the handles adjust the screw to desired tension then could release and reclamp without further adjustment, saved a lot of time, (and less Screwing around). In Britain every engineering plant I worked in, the heavy industrial vices had a metal curved stripe near the vice handle, squeeze it and one could open the vice jaw to it's full extent, then still holding or re-holding, one could close the vise on part needing to be held then final squeezing done with the sliding handle. One would not have to open or close the vice turn for turn, so a lot of time could be gained. When working in my own business, if found a need to use a regular C-Clamp (would use them though) would devise a quicker clamping method. The post for Bessey tools has a great variety and a quality product, I've always claimed good tools don't cost, they Pay.

 

[tgordon]

DJW, you would not happen to remember the name of that vice would you? I really hate the dang cranks on vices and the only other thing I have seen is a hydraulic on that is $$$$$$$$$.



I know what you are saying about good tools, another one dad has is an old come-along. We thought they had quit making them like that long ago, then I saw it in an off-roading magazine. Something like $200+ but that was the only one we could get to last on the farm. The frame out lasted the cable and we actually had to restring it, but they are nice ones made out of cast rather than the cheap little stamped steel ones you can get most everywhere else.



Troy

 

[DJW]

tgordon, I believe the British vice were Wilton, but the new Wilton vices I've seen made in England, for sale here, did not have that quick device, I thought that strange. For instance, every Drill Press I ever used in Britian at work or home workshop type were all SELF FEEDING, The handle you use to make the drill contact the workpiece, on contacting by moving handle in the direction of the drill press it would lock in the automatic feed. For the home hand crank stand drill press, there was a horizontal flywheel at the top of the spindle and that would feed the spindle thus drill bit progessivly through the part being drilled. The quick acting industrial vises were very heavy duty, one would clamp a piece of steel and use a 14 or 20 llb. sledge hammer to bend it, so there was no reason to suspect their design. For hand tools America lead the World, real works of Art, a quality tool for any job imaginable, plus may could last for several Lifetimes, if you could see the tools that British Royal Air Force mechanics had to use to service the Rolls Royce Aircraft engines you sure wouldn't want to fly one. No wonder the engines were called Merlin, the name of an Ancient Welsh Wizard.