Are all those clamps necessary?

[dedee]

Anyone else noticed the Bowclamp review on Woodshop Demos?

http://www.woodshopdemos.com/nprod-21.htm

There is a link to a Sawmill Creek forum with lots of good feedback.

Looks like a simple shaped piece of wood, but there has to more to it than that or everyone would be making their own.

Andy

 

[George_N]

As the name suggests, these things are bowed not just simple shaped pieces of wood. The crown of the bowed section goes against the centre of the assembly being glued and the clamps at the ends. Because of the bowed shape this distributes the clamping pressure evenly along the whole length of the bowclamp. That said, it shouldn't be too difficult to make something similar, although I don't know how you work out the optimum curve. You could maybe laminate something on a former to get the shape.

George

 

[LyNx]

it does look like a timber with a slight curve machined into it. Must be more than that

Andy

 

[Scrit]

That's all it is! Traditionally they were made by planing down the ends of some straight stuff by a few millimetres at each end to get a "crowned" shape. I'm amazed that somebody would try to market it to woodworkers, though :shock: After all they take only a few minutes to make with a hand plane or a belt sander - no real accuracy required as long as the edges/faces are square.

Scrit

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Most of the wood I buy seems to have that bow shape already. :roll:

 

[Scrit]

Yes. I should have suggested PAR from B&Q or Home Depot :lol:

 

[mailee]

Hey guys don't knock B&Q's timber, it makes great propellors! :lol:

 

[Sean the amateur]

The guy who wrote the piece about the Bowclamp on that website managed to get a piece of paper into the edges he was joining and then pull it out with normal clamping.

Clearly his joint is out by at least 4 thou, and that is just not good enough. that is why he needs the bowclamp.

Sean