Thread: Torquata parallel clamps

Have not used them.

Bessey is fairly priced for what it is.

if you want quality clamp and made in Australia (if you are into this), have a look at clamps by Frontline Engineering. perfect for table top and you can extend it with adaptor.

when it comes to tools you pay what you get.

They look like Bessey copies. Less than half the price of Besseys. Even better in a 6 pack. I don't think you can go wrong. Let us know what you think if you get some.

Originally Posted by Albert

Have not used them.

Bessey is fairly priced for what it is.

if you want quality clamp and made in Australia (if you are into this), have a look at clamps by Frontline Engineering. perfect for table top and you can extend it with adaptor.

when it comes to tools you pay what you get.

Yes I do love the frontline clamps! Unfortunately for me it’s a “get by with the best I can afford until i sell some pieces to buy better stuff” kind of vibe.


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Originally Posted by NCArcher

They look like Bessey copies. Less than half the price of Besseys. Even better in a 6 pack. I don't think you can go wrong. Let us know what you think if you get some.

They might make a decent Xmas present considering nobody is keen to buy me a Harvey table saw I might put these on the wishlist.. I’ll keep you posted [emoji4]


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I should emphasise the notion of they "look like" Besseys.

They pale in comparison everything about them is inferior to Besseys and is a you get what you pay for.

The deal breaker for me was the largest size they come is like 900mm?? I needed something that was 1m+ so ended up with Besseys purely because i know if i need bigger I can get them knowing they'll all work together.

Parrallel clamps are great but depends on what you're making, they can be quite cumbersome and if you don't have the space to set them up properly eg you need a flat bench as long as the longest clamp you're using. they can be quite frustrating. Often times I'll use my F clamps in preference to parallels.

But if you're happy with the price having more clamps can't hurt, just don't expect them to be anywhere near as good as Besseys.

Originally Posted by tonzeyd

I should emphasise the notion of they "look like" Besseys.

They pale in comparison everything about them is inferior to Besseys and is a you get what you pay for.

The deal breaker for me was the largest size they come is like 900mm?? I needed something that was 1m+ so ended up with Besseys purely because i know if i need bigger I can get them knowing they'll all work together.

Parrallel clamps are great but depends on what you're making, they can be quite cumbersome and if you don't have the space to set them up properly eg you need a flat bench as long as the longest clamp you're using. they can be quite frustrating. Often times I'll use my F clamps in preference to parallels.

But if you're happy with the price having more clamps can't hurt, just don't expect them to be anywhere near as good as Besseys.

Cheers for that feedback... I’ve never used Besseys so I wouldn’t have anything to compare them to.. yeah it’s a bit of a bummer.. 1200 clamping capacity would have been ideal.. I guess the question i should be asking is would these be a step up from the pipe clamps? It’s funny you mention it, one of the most annoying parts is having the pipe clamps fall all over the place.. I have a large enough bench which I use for clamping on top of, but not having a “leg” on the far end is a PITA


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I have a couple of the Bessy clamps and bought a couple of the Torquata clamps when I was in Perth.

I have found them to be very good and good value.

Just a suggestion.

Buy one and then test it. Clamp something in it, perhaps a piece of 19mm Baltic birch at least 500mm wide.

Set the clamp on the bench and tighten it on the wood. Flip the clamp and wood over so that the clamp is holding the wood suspended off the bench. Go inside and have few beers for a relaxing evening. The next day come out to the shed and check the BB in the clamp. If the BB is still being held off the bench, the jaws are probably parallel and you have a good clamp.

If the jaws are not parallel, the BB will be laying on the bench.

The thing is that the clamps look very similar to the red ones that Jet sells. There are a lot of problems with the Jet ones that I bought.

The reason the Torquata parallel clamps only go up to 915mm length is because the bar is only half the size of 'proper full size' clamps. Have a look at these two listings on Amazon and you might be a little better placed to make a purchase decision without having to see them in store. The company on Amazon markets both these and a heavy duty version. There are listings for the different sizes. Have a look at the price difference between these and the heavy duty ones, the shipping weight tells the story.
https://www.amazon.com/Yost-K5024-24...X766QFGBN2ZQFG
https://www.amazon.com/Yost-Tools-K7...X766QFGBN2ZQFG

Yes, I know I have an interest, but these are only toys compared to full size parallel clamps.

Damon ,
I have purchased these clamps . They work quite well and so far I am satisfied with them .They keep edges parallel and hold pressure without slipping .I use them for general furniture and fine box making .

Originally Posted by aldav

The reason the Torquata parallel clamps only go up to 915mm length is because the bar is only half the size of 'proper full size' clamps. Have a look at these two listings on Amazon and you might be a little better placed to make a purchase decision without having to see them in store. The company on Amazon markets both these and a heavy duty version. There are listings for the different sizes. Have a look at the price difference between these and the heavy duty ones, the shipping weight tells the story.
https://www.amazon.com/Yost-K5024-24...X766QFGBN2ZQFG
https://www.amazon.com/Yost-Tools-K7...X766QFGBN2ZQFG

Yes, I know I have an interest, but these are only toys compared to full size parallel clamps.

Hi David,

Would you say that the clamps you sell are a more heavy duty option? And if so what price would a similarly sized clamp be? As mentioned earlier I have only ever used pipe clamps and crappy easily broken bunnings sash clamps, so I’m going on feedback only here.

Cheers,
Damon


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Hi Damon, I'll send you a PM. Too much risk of getting in to trouble with the Mod's if I post anything here.

Cheers,
David

you could also consider Urko clamp. they make Bessey look like toys.

They are F clamp but 1200kg capacity, not far from the 1500kg T bar Record clamp, the longest they come in is like 3m, so much easier to use than T bar clamp, deep throat too.

I have 10 of them and will not hesitate to buy more if 2nd hands are available.

https://mytools.co.nz/collections/vendors?q=urko

I thought some readers who look to your post on parallel clamps might also be interested in my experience of the Torquata brand parallel clamps sold by Timbercon. I bought them on special as a six pack. Overall I like these clamps they work smoothly and seem to be of good quality but they do need some modifications .

I have only had two issues with them and the first was to do with the little foot that sits on the end of the bar, unlike the jet and McJing that are positively retained with a thumb screw the Torquata foot just slides on with a plastic tube that locates in the hole in the end of the bar. The first time I used these clamps I suspect I spent more time picking these feet up from the floor and refitting them than I did clamping up the project.. In the end I gave up and located some low profile gal bolts I had and bolted the feet in place, problem solved.

My second issue was with the non marring pads on the face of the clamping surfaces, they do prevent dents in the wood but, and this is a big BUT, they have an oily material in the plastic, may be a plasticiser or the like. What ever it is it leaches into the surface of the wood and leaves an oily stain.(This happened after only two hours of clamping.)This stain was fortunately free of the bright green colour of the pads. I found that I could remove it with repeated treatments of methylated spirits on a white cloth and then clamping wads of paper towel over the stain. I spent around an hour on three consecutive days trying to elute the oily material out of the wood and at the end of each session I would clamp a wad of dry paper towel on the mark and that seemed to draw more of the stuff out over night.

I am now in the process of fitting plywood pads to the clamping surfaces so this will not be an issue in future. With these two modifications I would recommend these clamps to any one who is willing to make the mods and has only a hobby use in mind and is reluctant to spend the big dollars for the Bessy K-body variety of parallel clamp that seem to be regarded as the gold standard. All the best