UK alternative to pipe clamps?

[paulrbarnard]

I’ve got a few of the Pony version bought about 25 years ago in Canada. They all started out as 9 foot clamps but over the years I have shortened a few when I’ve needed a shorter clamp. I certainly wouldn’t take a hacksaw to my Bessy bar clamps. They still get a lot of use as they are lighter and easier to handle that the big Bessys. The Bessy clamps are a far better clamp though with the big parallel jaws.

 

[thetyreman]

I did think about possibly making some where you use wood instead of metal for the pipes, the bessey ones look like the best quality, but they aint cheap.

 

[mossym]

don't make the mistake i did and buy the 1/2 inch pipe clamps, i can find 3/4 pipe easily enough, but finding 1/2 inch pipe has been a nightmare in anything shorter than >6M, and then i would have to thread it myself

 

[HOJ]

I have quite a few Bessey K clamps that get regular outings (and a lot of other brands/styles) but when I need to joint up boards I go for my pipe clamps, they can squeeze the water out of wood! I think I bought the heads from Axminster but never paid what is being asked for now, £5 or £6 each springs to mind, I make big stuff so I have quite a few 8' ones with double threaded ends so unlimited capacity using threaded coupler's & as @clogs said, pipe was from BSS & the (treading machine is like this one but I had one anyway: pipe threader

Short and long:

 

[eribaMotters]

At this point I'd like to point out that 3/4" clamps actually take a bar a tad over 1" diameter, whilst the 1/2" clamps take a bar about 3/4" diameter The size relates to the bore of the pipe [the i/d = internal diameter]

Colin

 

[Bojam]

Threaded galvanized steel pipe available to order in the UK online here.

I just bought some recently for my 3/4” Bessey clamps. Only available in 6m lengths locally here in French Guiana but I found a metal shop that had some and cut it to required lengths. For the Bessey clamps you only need one end of each pipe to be threaded. The pipe is DN20 sold here as 27/20 (27mm being the external diameter, 20mm the internal).

 

[cmoops2]

This thread leaves me a bit baffled - I use pipe clamps (Axminster) and get my 3/4" black pipe from my local steel stockholder ...

https://www.axminstertools.com/axmi...5560?queryID=759f67bac99d53676555600ebb034308

 

[stuart little]

How long do you need them.? I started out buying cheap clamps but quickly realized that the thread quality on the Record 135 series is way superior to anything else. I would suggest you bite the bullet by buying some 36" or 48" clamps. If you need longer clamps then 3 foot extension bars are available . I have a lot of clamps including some Dakota bar clamps from Rutlands and they are all gathering dust. I finally hit on the Hatagane range of Japanese clamps carried by www.fine-tools.de and they are the bee's knees for box making and light joinery. Quality clamps cost ££ but the trick is to avoid buyer's remorse or you will end up with a lot of the cheapo cheapo stuff.

I'd guess that he wants to keep them!

 

[stuart little]

Pipe in various lengths & threaded 1 or both ends is readily available, also if you buy some barrel nipples, pipes can be joined to make longer clamps as required.

 

[Adam W.]

I just had a peep at the old heating system in this house, which I'm going to be taking out and there seems to be a free supply of 3/4 inch threaded pipe available.

I bought a section of 3/4 inch yesterday and it cost about £30, so I'll take that back and reclaim the pipe from the radiators later today.

 

[point5clue]

So would Deta Round Steel Galvanised Class 4 Conduit Tube 20mm x 3m - Screwfix 20mm steel conduit work with the eBay 3/4inch pipe clamp heads like
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4Pack-3-...3-90a9-4447-86c1-754d69075dd5&redirect=mobile

 

[Stevekane]

Conduit (for wiring) is much lighter than barrel for water, same threadform (BSP) but lighter and more flexable.
Steve.

 

[solexious]

Thanks everyone for all the replies, thats really useful, will have to make a spreadsheet to work out all the cost vs quality of all of them to know what to go for

 

[Inspector]

I just had a peep at the old heating system in this house, which I'm going to be taking out and there seems to be a free supply of 3/4 inch threaded pipe available.

I bought a section of 3/4 inch yesterday and it cost about £30, so I'll take that back and reclaim the pipe from the radiators later today.

Black iron pipe was used exclusively for natural gas piping in houses for many years which makes old houses a great source for the pipe. Now it is a mix of iron pipe and a stainless corrugated flexible pipe, easier to fit in complicated spaces.

Pete

 

[ChaiLatte]

...if you buy some barrel nipples, pipes can be joined

How would you join them with a barrel nipple?

A barrel nipple is a short piece of pipe with male threads both ends. In 3/4", it will be approx. 3" long.

Conduit (for wiring) is much lighter than barrel for water, same threadform (BSP)

Neither obsolete imperial conduit nor modern metric conduit has ever had BSP threads. Conduit is measured by the nominal outside diameter. Pipe is measured by the nominal bore (so its OD is considerably bigger than the nominal figure). Imperial conduit would have a 3/4-16 thread. Metric conduit would be M20 x 1.5

 

[benitod]

Mines are 1/2" galvanized pipes. I used two Unistru profiles to store them. With a threaded coupling I can get virtualy, any lenght.
A piece of foam or plywood at each end to avoid scratches in the job.

 

[Dave Moore]

How would you join them with a barrel nipple?

A barrel nipple is a short piece of pipe with male threads both ends. In 3/4", it will be approx. 3" long.



Neither obsolete imperial conduit nor modern metric conduit has ever had BSP threads. Conduit is measured by the nominal outside diameter. Pipe is measured by the nominal bore (so its OD is considerably bigger than the nominal figure). Imperial conduit would have a 3/4-16 thread. Metric conduit would be M20 x 1.5

No, you would need sockets. Use the steel varieties rather than the malleable iron as the malleable ones have a bead on them which protrudes although the malleable ones will be cheaper. Depends on if the protruding beads is a problem for you.

 

[ChaiLatte]

...Use the steel varieties rather than the malleable iron as the malleable ones have a bead on them which protrudes although the malleable ones will be cheaper. Depends on if the protruding beads is a problem for you.

That is a very good observation, thanks. It means that if you join two pipes, the thing you are clamping can never sit flat on the pipes (and you lose a small amount of the throat depth). Even the steel ones have some thickness.

IME, the steel ones have a more consistent relationship between ID and OD than the malleable ones - some of the malleable ones are very roughly made.

To mitigate the issue, I guess you could make some spacers of the same wall thickness as the socket joiner that slip over the pipe to bring the surface up to the same level (a bit like a slip coupler for copper).

 

[Stevekane]

How would you join them with a barrel nipple?

A barrel nipple is a short piece of pipe with male threads both ends. In 3/4", it will be approx. 3" long.



Neither obsolete imperial conduit nor modern metric conduit has ever had BSP threads. Conduit is measured by the nominal outside diameter. Pipe is measured by the nominal bore (so its OD is considerably bigger than the nominal figure). Imperial conduit would have a 3/4-16 thread. Metric conduit would be M20 x 1.5

Goodness you learn somthing every day, my experiance with conduit is very limited and I thought it was a BSP threadform, I stand corrected.

 

[Adam W.]

I did think about possibly making some where you use wood instead of metal for the pipes, the bessey ones look like the best quality, but they aint cheap.

The Bessey ones are made in China despite all the Made in Germany hype on their website, so it might be worth looking at the Aldi/Lidl version as they look identical.