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| Author: | Map63 [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 7:09 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Cam clamps wood choice |
I'm going to build some cam clamps and thought oak would make a good choice but the last few times I've worked with oak, I've gotten skin and eye reactions. What's a good alternate to oak? Ash? Thanks in advance, Mike |
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| Author: | Colin North [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 7:25 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I think I would go for beech. |
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| Author: | doncaparker [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 7:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
Mine are made out of maple. |
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| Author: | SteveSmith [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 7:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
The ones I made I used maple too. |
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| Author: | Trevor Gore [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 8:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
The traditional timber to use is Hornbeam. Mine are made from Aus. blackwood (higher density stuff) and work fine with aluminium shanks. I didn't use pins on the sliding part and they still work perfectly some 15 years on. Attachment: DSCF6704cs.jpg
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| Author: | rbuddy [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 8:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
Just a vote for hickory. Made some I like, strength to weight is good. |
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| Author: | Darrel Friesen [ Fri Jan 26, 2024 9:51 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I've made quite a few and mostly from maple. I have few long reach ones from my early archtop, parallel brace days that have a 9" reach and are, without running down to measure, 1 1/2" by 1 1/2" wooden bars with 1 1/4" x 1/8" steel flatbar that can put some serious clamping pressure down compared to the average cam clamp. |
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| Author: | phavriluk [ Tue Jan 30, 2024 12:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I used oak (leftover flooring I glued up). Price was right - - - zero. Waste not, want not. And I figured the time spent was worth it, I didn't grudge the time. |
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| Author: | bftobin [ Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I've used several woods over the years. I'm not a fan of Ash. The best wood for me has been Birch and Hard Maple. In fact, I have some that I used Hard Maple for the bar instead of metal. Brent |
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| Author: | Jim Watts [ Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:57 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I made mine out of maple, they work great. |
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| Author: | Barry Daniels [ Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:00 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
I recently made about 50 clamps to go completely around a guitar body when gluing on the back or top. I went a different direction and made the clamps from 3 layers of 1/4" Baltic birch plywood so I didn’t have to cut mortises. They’re not super strong but are up to job they are intended for. |
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| Author: | Darrel Friesen [ Sun Feb 04, 2024 10:15 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
Barry Daniels wrote: I recently made about 50 clamps to go completely around a guitar body when gluing on the back or top. I went a different direction and made the clamps from 3 layers of 1/4" Baltic birch plywood so I didn’t have to cut mortises. They’re not super strong but are up to job they are intended for. Do you prefer cam clamps to a go bar deck Barry? |
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| Author: | Barry Daniels [ Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:19 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Cam clamps wood choice |
Yes I do, for this specific operation. Go bars work great for bracing but did not work that great for me when clamping tops or backs to the rim. I built a body for an old Martin 00-17 that has no body binding and I discovered that I was not getting a completely closed joint line due to the go bars not applying pressure in exactly the right spot along the outside of the joint. Cam clamps do a better job of closing the joint especially if you position them so that the flexible clamp pad can shift and follow the slightly tilted edge of the arched rims. |
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