Customer Reviews

Bessey K3.512 K-Body 12-Inch Parallel Jaw Bar Clamp

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a novice woodworker, and I'm just starting up my first few projects. I was online, prepared to buy some Pony Clamp sets to make some pipe clamps. After reading the reveiews on the Bessey Clamps, I decided to bite the bullet on the price. What a great move this was.

I doubt I'll ever buy another brand of clamp. These things are great. Certainly the best clamps I've ever used, or heard about. The are 100% positively worth the price.

As a home woodworker I have always chafed at the price of high quality clamps such as these because I was under the delusion that something this expensive should either have a motor on it or be a tool pretty enough to show off in a display case when not in use. Thus, I have a considerable collection of pipe clamps, cheap/thin bar clamps, and all sorts of fad clamping products. Recently, when Bessey finally decided to lower their prices I took the plunge (we probably have the new Jet clamps to thank for that).

As for these clamps, they are absolutely a joy to use. The clamp faces are wonderfully non-marring and resistant to glue sticking. They also will stand up by themselves and don't easily rack and fall over as I slide boards across them. Once a panel is in the clamps, the whole piece can be stood on the end of the clamps in a corner while the glue dries.

And beyond all of these features lies the best of all - clamp jaw parallelism. You can always rest easy knowing that these clamps are not bowing the panel or whatever it is that you are clamping, because the jaws always always stay parallel to each other.

I cannot say that I am yet ready to sink hundreds of dollars into new clamps, nor will I throw away my trusty Pony pipe clamps, but my starter set of these Besseys will get A LOT of use around my shop in the years to come. I highly recommend that you try these for yourself!

They are a little pricey compared to say the clamps at Harbor Freight, but once you use them you will know why. They are superior in every way. When you clamp with them the wood does not move around since the jaws are parallel. And you can get tons of clamping force out of them. Very nice tools.

The recent purchase of the 12" K body clamp was an addition to approx 30 Bessey K body clamps I have in my workshop. After many years of using the traditional pipe clamp, the Bessey clamp makes the pipe clamp almost obsolete. Needless to say, I am totally pleased with the flexibility and performance of the Bessey clamp. Truly the best clamp on the market in my mind.

These are a handy and convenient size to own - I have also bought the comparable Jet and Jorgie parallel clamps - both of which have larger clamp surface areas and some innovative features. They all seem to get the job done well though-

These Bessey clamps take top honors in strength, weight, and ease of use. Definitely a top quality product. Every show including Norm, Woodworks, etc. all sport Bessey clamps. They are the best! Now let's get into the Nitty Gritty.
Even though I like these best out of all of the bar clamps, there is a limitation in bar clamps, in that the bar will bend when under pressure. Under normal gluing pressure, which is slight enough to mate the two surfaces firmly, but not enough so as to squeeze the glue out, their isn't a problem. Even if you need to exert more pressure to mate the surfaces, your final pressure should be slight. Why am I concerned about this? Well I first bought these clamps thinking they would create a perfectly flat bed to lay your project in. If you are using the longer version, this becomes especially apparent. When under more pressure, the bar of the clamp is no longer straight. They all do that, it is inherent in the design of a bar clamp. An I beam shape would solve it, but is impractical, even on a tiny scale.
Some ways back, when I was just getting back into woodworking, I bought a boatload of clamps that were so cheap, and made in China. The clamping mechanism is sometimes a hassle to deal with, which is not what you want, when glue is setting up. These Bessey's are hassle free and reliable. The cheap clamps are made with a square tube the clamp rides along. Consequently they take a great deal of pressure without showing any signs of bending. The limitation to them is that they only have a 1 3/4" throat depth, whereas the Bessey's have 3 1/2".
Then I looked at the Jorgensen's. They have their Cabinet Master Parallel steel line, which is aimed at competing with the Bessey K-Clamps. They have a wider face on them, so you can lay a clamp on its side, and get a longer clamping surface. With the Bessey's that is possible, albeit a slightly narrower surface. Myself, I choose to use a couple of inch thick straight oak piece as a wedge, giving me all the clamping surface I need.
I like Jorgensen clamps, I have several sets of their bar clamps, and their lighter standard clamps as well. All in all, the Bessey's are made out of more steel, and are more heavy duty. The Jorgensen?s you have a third bracket-clip that enables you to convert it into a spreader, and acts as a support, to prevent it from tipping, when using the clamp for a far smaller piece of material than the clamp was designed for. A great idea, but the Bessey's can easily solve the tilting problem, with a small piece of stock to support them. Better yet, having the proper size clamp eliminates the problem altogether. Pertaining to the spreader capacity, that is great, but I do have several of the Tru-Grip quick clamps, which have the spreader capability, which I rarely if ever have to use.
I guess I am getting wordy. Bessey's rock. They are stronger, (heard a crunching sound when I tightened one up against the edge of some fresh glued melamine, so go gently) heavier duty, precise (unless you over tighten and temporarily warp the bar, which causes a miniscule off angle. I know I am getting critical here.) And they look cool sitting on the rack.
I bought the Incra TSIII-32 table saw fence, installed it on my 10" old, circa 1950's cast iron table saw, and was amazed at getting instant accuracy to .002". A whole new world opened up to me, and I was amazed at how easy it was to automatically measure and cut without any slight off angles binding the wood. Put the first project together using this system, then I came to the glue up, and the cheap clamps did not do the job. All that perfection, so easily, and while under the gun of set up time, the clamps failed me, and I have a less than perfect edge. The dry fitted pieces fitted perfectly. Now I have to go back with a sander, and true up the pieces. That is what drove me to buy a bunch of these Bessey clamps. Smooth, easy mechanicals, great surface area that is flat, and if you get the knack of clamping them at the right pressure, they create a flat platform on the base of your project. All in all definitely 5 stars, I know I will be adding more to the collection. Highly recommended. Bite the bullet, and start or add onto your collection. They are worth it.

These clamps are great. I have several sizes of Bessey K clamps. Don't over look the small ones, they are great for small items. I use the small ones on little boxes and narrow cabinet doors.

The Bessey K clamp ends stay parallel and the plastic covers don't mar your work.

I ordered 4 of these clamps 3 days ago and they arrived in 4 large separate boxes filled with pillows. One clamp had the small plastic tail piece broken. The clamps are great but the way Amazon ships is ludicrous. I think every one in the shipping department needs to see "An Inconveinent Truth". What a waste of resources! I could have received all the clamps in one box with the same result. I have ordered my last clamp from Amazon.