Clamping and Boring Tools Unit 12 Clamping and Boring Tools Clamps • Use and Care of Clamping Tools • Vises • Use and Care of Vises • Boring Tools • Ratchet Braces • Hand Drills

Clamps are used to hold or secure pieces together to prevent movement or separation. A clamp is a fastening tool used to hold or secure pieces together to prevent movement or separation. Clamps hold and apply pressure to materials while they are being worked on while glue or other adhesives set. Some of the more commonly used clamps are shown in Figure 12-1.

Bar clamps should be selected based on the size of the workpieces being joined. C-clamps are general-purpose clamps used for a variety of carpentry and welding tasks. When using C-clamps to hold together finish materials, protective pieces such as wood scraps should be used to prevent indentation. Bar clamps consist of a solid bar (typically aluminum or steel) with a fixed head at one end and an adjustable tail stop. See Figure 12-2. The “fixed” heads may also have an adjusting screw to make minor adjustments to the clamp. Bar clamps are available in many sizes with the face-to-face opening ranging from 6″ to 6′-0″. Pipe clamps are similar to bar clamps, but the solid bar is replaced with a pipe. Rubber pad protectors are commonly installed on the jaws of bar and pipe clamps to protect the surface being clamped from being marred.

Specialty clamps may be employed to perform certain operations more easily. Specialty clamps, such as corner clamps and three-way edging clamps, are also available. See Figure 12-3. Corner clamps are lightweight clamps used for the assembly and glue-up of lightweight parts being joined at a 90° angle. Three-way edging clamps consist of three screws and are commonly used for securing countertop edging or edge veneer. Clam clamps are specialty clamps used to hold mitered pieces, such as door casing, in position until glue or other adhesive sets. Four pins along each side of the clamp engage the outer edges of the casing and exert pressure on the joint as the handle is turned. A perfect and tight 90° joint is formed. The pins leave small indentations in the casing edges, which can be filled. For stain-grade casing, two of the pins on each side can be removed, thus minimizing the indentations.

Vises are usually mounted on or attached to a solid base such as a workbench or sawhorse. Vises are used to hold or secure pieces together to prevent movement or separation, but they are typically attached to a solid base such as a workbench. Light-duty vises can be secured to the ends of sawhorses. Since a vise securely holds the workpiece, a worker can use both hands to perform the intended operation with hand or power tools. Vises typically have one fixed jaw and a movable parallel jaw that is adjusted using a screw mechanism. Common vises are shown in Figure 12-4.

A ratchet brace or hand drill can be used to manually drill holes. Hand boring tools, including ratchet braces and hand drills, may be used in interior finish work. See Figure 12-5. Although power tools and equipment have largely replaced manual boring tools on the job site, certain tasks may be better suited to hand tools.