Customer Reviews

Jorgensen 7236 36 I-Bar Clamp

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

 

 

Jorgensen I-bar clamps are the proverbial "be all and end all" when it comes to wood working clamps. They last forever and are extremely powerful. In comparison to Bessey (the other major manufacturer of woodworking clamps) I prefer Jorgensen for the following reasons:
1. Jorgensen's crank allows you to get more force on an object than Bessey's handl.
2. The I bar is smooth (as opposed to the Bessey which has raised bumps which are part of its locking mechanism). This makes it much easier to clean off glue which will inevitabley get on the clamp.
3. The Jorgensen clamp is much stronger than the the Bessey; I've seen numerous k -body clamps with cracked jaws.

It should be noted that one should take caution when gluing with the Jorgensen clamps; if the wood and glue come in contact with the bar, this will cause the wood to stain. Always keep the wood off of the bar. This is not a concern with the Bessey, which uses an aluminum bar. This is the only regard in which I believe that the Bessey clamps have it over the Jorgensens.

These clamps are the best in the business. They allow you to use as much force as you need for any application. Other bar clamps handles don't allow as much torque when tightening. This is good if you don't have as much strength in your arms as you need. The bar style clamp is superior over the pipe clamp as well, because the pipe will eventually start to bend and the clamping pressure won't be even. This style bar clamp is also superior because the bar can be readily cleaned of glue. The Bessie style clamp has ridges that are difficult at best ti clean he glue from. These clamps can be heavy, but they are heavy duty and will therefore last a lifetime.

I've been happy with these bar clamps for a long time. They provide a tremendous amount of pressure and I use them all the time for gluing up boards. The I-Bar limits the amount of flex that you get making these much better than the pipe clamps that are available. It's nice to see they still use acme threads on these. In high school, Wilton made a competitor to this that I liked better but I haven't been able to find them back. They had a nicer roller handle and notches in the bar that would lock the back of the clamp in place. The castings are a little sloppy and have some rough edges. The orange paint seems to chip off pretty easily, but neither affect the functionality of these clamps. Overall, I'm happy with these and will continue buying them unless the Wilton's show back up. It is also nice that they continue to be American made.

After being frustrated with the "screwdriver-handled clamps" I decided to give this one a tour of my shop. It is actually just as fast to set up and has a lot more clamping force. It is what you buy a clamp for in the first place, pressing two or more boards together. The acme-threaded screw does just that and the motion is much more natural.

Probable the best wood working clamp on the market. Easy to use and easy to clean the glue off of the I-Bar.

Strong and sturdy but the end is forged on an angle which has a tendency to make the piece you are clamping rise up instead of laying flat.