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Woodworking is an amazing profession that allows you to create anything from basic materials and your imagination. But none of it is possible without the right tools! For instance, even a simple wooden frame involves four cutouts that need to be joined together. To glue them, you need something to hold all the pieces firmly in place while the adhesive dries – right? Its called a band clamp and it works like a charm!
Besides that oversimplified example, common applications include pulling together joints on chairs, cases, columns, or any project with slightly irregular angles. It is made up of rubberized corner blocks and nylon bands. This clamp is the most flexible for woodworking. These clamps are essential for both professionals and hobbyists alike. There are so many choices on the market that it is easy to spend too much on the wrong model. After extensive research, we have selected five of the best band clamps available for 2022. These are the clamps!
Band Clamp Buying Guide
A band clamp appears to be a pretty simple woodworking tool at first glance, but finding the right one for your needs is much more complicated. This section will help you to choose the right product.
Quality
The first thing you should consider in your band clamp before paying for it is its build quality. Unlike some polish or glue, tools are often one-time investments. Once youve invested in them, they should hopefully stick by you for years to come! But poor-quality clamps can break much earlier than that.
To make sure that doesnt happen, look for signs of a sturdy build quality such as materials like metal and steel rather than flimsy plastic, corrosion resistance on the spindle screw, and nylon webbing to strengthen the strap. The strap guide, located underneath the tension handle, should be made of metal or another resilient material. It can take on the most pressure when clamping onto large objects and can crack under high pressure.
Strap
The strap is an integral part of a band clamp. Its what wraps around your project to firmly hold it as you work on it or while the adhesive dries out. Make sure that you find a tool with a long enough length to cover all your clamping needs – whether youre working on a small photo frame or a large chair! Having more flexibility in terms of the straps maximum length allows you to hold onto larger workpieces with even weirder shapes and dimensions.
Nylon-strengthened straps are the best as they can withstand any stress or weight without breaking. It’s what cars use to lock you in place in case of an accident.
The Handle
Besides grip, the handle plays another key role in band clamps: tightening or loosening the straps grip on your workpiece by rotating clockwise or counter-clockwise!
Almost all of the physical interaction with your woodworking clamp happens at the handle – so it has to be comfortable, ergonomically designed, and big enough! Modern band clamps have an anti-skid finish which allows you to grip it better and improves your control of the clamped workpiece. So, thats definitely a feature to keep an eye out for!
Pressure Levers
The majority of band clamps have two pressure levers at either end of the strap. Theyre supposed to pressurize the strap when its tightened to ensure a secure grip on the workpiece thats clamped inside. You can press on these levers again to release the pressure and loosen your project out of the clamps grip! These are great for DIY or professional woodworkers.
Corner Grips
Four corner grips are usually included with a band clamp. These grips can be placed at the corners or corners of square workpieces to secure it in place. These should have a soft, scratch-resistant coating on the inside to ensure that your project doesn’t suffer from long hours of gripping. They should also be easily removable to make sure they dont get in the way when youre trying to clamp an irregular-shaped workpiece without any defined corners to speak of.
We Detail Our Favorite Band Clamp Of 2022
The SEDY clamp is our first choice due to its practical design and positive customer feedback. With its long nylon strap, the clamp can hold large objects such as boxes and picture frames. Irregular shapes like a drawer or a barrel are also easy to handle!
From a rust-proof spindle screw to an anti-skid grip handle, to quick-release levers for snappy adjustability, theres no advanced feature that this band clamp doesnt have. All that – paired with a maximum clamping circumference of up to four meters – makes it the best band clamp on this list!
Pros
- You can clamp almost anything
- High-strength nylon webbing with a durable strap
- User-friendly design
