Thread: What is the best boxmakers clamp?

It's not the clamps ...

This is a jig from an Andrew Crawford workshop I attended. He knows a thing or two about making boxes



Used here to build a pencil box (below): http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...tingBoard.html



Regards from Perth

Derek

It shouldn't be too difficult to build a simple jig something along the lines of what Derek has posted above. all you need is an accurate right angle, high sided jig and you are well on your way to getting things nice and square.

Thanks very much Derek for sharing your box jig. I'll be making one of those today !. Also, your Besey clamps, where did you get those from ?. ( Great website too Derek, wonderfull work mate !! )

Hi Parris, Are you makingdovetailed boxes? you mentioned the giffkins jig. Dereks jig is ideal for mitred boxes, however for D/Ts the protruding horns are a problem tho you can place shims to compensate. I make both style boxes , after strugggling with clamps on the giffkins cut d/ts , which can lead to out of square results i just use couple of luggage/ roof rack straps to pull the tail ends into the pin sockets, pulling the pins in is not neccassary, they should be a perfect fit, andits easy to check for sq without clamps everywhere.for mitres i just got the L/V threaded rods with brassnuts , look on their website , they work great, in conjuction with Dereks square frame.picture framers straps, cords, webs, with 4 corners and tighteningdevice good too, regards ,Rossco

I always use band clamps, and ensure it's square by checking the diagonals. I have a set of diagonal gauges, but you can do it with a rule.
Don't do the band clamps up too tight. If, when you check, the box isn't square, you may be able to fix it by just by giving a slight squeeze along the long diagonal. If that doesn't work, use a light clamp along the long diagonalto bring it to square.
Glue up on a flat surface, and use some weights to keep the box flat if necessary.

Great simple jig, Derek, thanks for sharing. What timbers have you used on the pencil box, they look beautiful?

Masking tape is the best for boxes, and its cheap

Including drawers as well, I make a lot of boxes. In the main I make dovetailed boxes. That jig of Andrew Crawford (who is possibly the top boxmaker in the world) is as useful for dovetailed- as mitred constructions. What it does ensures is a square construction. You will never have to check the diagonals again!

Parris, the Bessey clamps are lighter versions of the heavy duty ones. I bought them at one of the Wood Shows just for this purpose (so available in Oz). Easy to use and very accurate.

Jill, I posted that box a few months ago. Here is the link on my website: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furnitu...tingBoard.html

The sides are Tiger Myrtle (from Tassie), the top is Olive (from Queensland), and the inside base is Kauri Pine (from New Zealand?).



Regards from Perth

Derek

Hey Pariss, you can get the Bessey K-body clamps from Sydney Tools here, or you can get the cheaper, lighter Bessey UniKlamps from Amazon here

While there are a dozen different ways to do it I have found Band Clamps with the corner fittings to be the most precise. All you have to do is snug them down, get the corners aligned just right and then tighten the clamp. I have the expensive corner clamps from Woodpeckers and Rockler I still prefer the less than $10.00 USD Band Clamps.

I agree with KenBee, Framing Jigs or bands are versatile, effective clamping devices. I have two brands Foxx & Redline both from Bunnings for under $8 a set. I have made jigs such as the Crawford and Gifkins but they gather dust in preference to using the band frame jigs......the important thing is to make sure that your mitres are accurate, if they are not it does not matter what type of jig you use as you will not achieve a quality result

Framing bands in action:

Originally Posted by JillB

Hey Pariss, you can get the Bessey K-body clamps from Sydney Tools here, or you can get the cheaper, lighter Bessey UniKlamps from Amazon here

Hey thanks for the info. I was going to buy them (UniKlamps) from Carba Tec, but ended up getting them from Amazon USA (set of 6, 2 small 2 medium & 2 large) for a saving of over $100 compared to Carba-Tec Brisbane prices for the same items, delivered from USA. I can't beleive the price difference !!

Hi PWJUPP,

I hope you get this since I'm a little late making a reply. From my reading of your post, you're asking about how to clamp up a lid with frame and panel construction. If I'm not mistaken, nobody has addressed this issue yet so I'll give it a try.

The first step I'd take is to make improvements to my angle cutting methods so that my corners are almost garanteed to be exactly 90 degrees.

My steps for assembly would be to use an assembly table that would allow you to simultaneously clamp two of the frame pieces to the dead flat assembly table and together in the corner. I hope you can visualize one piece being firmly clamped to the assembly table while the other is pulled into place with tape on the face and then clamped to the table.

After the two opposite corner assemblies are dry, I think you would then need to repeat the clamping of one piece to the table and then pulling the other into place before clamping it to the table.

The hardest part may be to pull the pieces together. With some thought, I bet you can come up with a few alternatives.

One other comment. Many people make their frame and panel top boxes in such a way that the top remains part of the box until all four corners are glued as well as the top and bottom panels put in place. After drying, the top is separated from the box by cutting it off on either the table saw or band saw. You may want to look at this method because it keeps the lid in alignment with the box no matter if it's square or not.

If you respond with the method you're using or any questions, I bet you can get more help if you still need it.

Best,
Jim