Thread: Can anyone identify these clamps? They seem very specialised

They look like panel glue up clamps to me. ie for gluing together specific thickness narrow width boards.
I have no idea of pricing but if I was going to buy I'd say say $25 ea for the small ones and $40 for the bigger ones.

Thanks for that.

I thought they might be panel clamps but panel clamps apply pressure in four directions these only two. The other thing is that the two big nuts at the end [left hand side pic 1] get in the way of clamping panels. Further what is the purpose of the star knob about 20 % along from the left? I may be wrong but I think these features [the nuts and the star knob] are features for some specific purpose and not bad design.

cheers

Originally Posted by D-Type

Thanks for that.

I thought they might be panel clamps but panel clamps apply pressure in four directions these only two. The other thing is that the two big nuts at the end [left hand side pic 1] get in the way of clamping panels. Further what is the purpose of the star knob about 20 % along from the left? I may be wrong but I think these features [the nuts and the star knob] are features for some specific purpose and not bad design.

Just guessing here.

The nuts are replaceable with different length nuts to make up for the fact that the screw thread of the clamp does not reach all the way down the clamp so that narrower panels can be clamped.

The star knob is used to apply pressure downwards onto a board inserted underneath the star knob that runs the the full length of the panel to align panels that are thinner than the gaps in the sides of the clamps.

I tend to agree with you, D-type. They look like they're designed for something specific.

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The star knob does look like it's designed to hold something down, but I don't know about panels. If it were for clamping narrow boards you would expect there to be multiple cross pieces with knobs and it isn't in a convenient spot for panels with wider boards - the middle would make more sense. I guess it could work for edging.

The nuts you mentioned look like they would have something resting against them. The hole in the frame at that end, does it look like it might be used to mount it? Also at the other end there is a steel piece (below the bit mounting the screw thread to the frame) that in the first two pictures is pointing down - it looks like it can fold up? Does it move otherwise?

I'm curious.

The pics first had me thinking they looked like they came off a paint can shaking machine .

Originally Posted by auscab

The pics first had me thinking they looked like they came off a paint can shaking machine .

And those machines have changed in recent years to more of a gyroscopic spinning affair so something that has been salvaged from a machine along the lines that auscab has suggested is a definite possibility.