Look in any serious woodworker's workshop and you will likely find a
stash of parallel bar clamps. Some pro woodworkers still
use common pipe and sash clamps, although there is a growing trend of woodies buying up the parallel variety.
In this review we will look at clamp manufacturer, Adjustable Clamp Co., and their
new Jorgensen Cabinet Master parallel bar clamps. Let's get going!
Cabinet Master Features
The Jorgensen Cabinet Master looks somewhat similar to Bessey
K-Body clamps, however, there are numerous differences. Firstly, a parallel bar clamp, such as the Cabinet Master,
are called this because the clamping 'jaws' will always clamp directly
parallel to each other. This is not to be confused with the relationship
between the clamp's metal bar and the jaws themselves, which will clamp at
a 90 degree angle to each other. So what does this mean exactly? Well, the
idea is that if both your jaws clamp exactly parallel to each other, and
the angle between the clamp bar and jaws are at 90 degrees, the clamping
pressure, when applied, should be equal over the entire clamp surface
engaged with the wood. This square clamping pressure helps eliminate
problems with panels warping, bowing or carcass glue-ups 'racking' as the
glue dries which can be a problem with other, cheaper types of clamps.
Essentially, the Cabinet Master clamps are designed for use with cabinet
construction, but they can be used for any other clamping, and spreading
applications.
The Jaws and Bar Features
These don't have teeth, unlike the Peter Benchley novel/movie version,
but rather, are nice smooth surfaces that will apply equal pressure to
your wooden surfaces for clamping tasks. The reinforced steel / casting
construction certainly affords the Cabinet Master a good amount of
durability, but also adds a little weight. Wrapping these components are
the bright orange, hardened plastic covers which give the Cabinet Master
that 'unique' look. Some may shy away from this orange color, but to me,
the color makes absolutely no difference to how the clamp functions, so I
don't even give it a second thought. Some woodworkers like to color-match
their workshop machinery and tools, which appeals to them, but I don't
really see the point myself. Each to their own I guess. The bright orange
is certainly an mood-uplifting color, if nothing else.
Taking out my trusty square (with ruler) I measured the distance from the
top of the steel bar to the top of the jaws. This measurement was just shy
of four inches (10cm). This measurement represents the throat depth or how
far in from the edge of a workpiece the clamp can reach and apply
pressure. Four inches is quite a decent throat depth and certainly makes
it useful for "cross clamping" (what I call using the most jaw
surface area as possible) of panel glue-ups when you only have a few
clamps to work with. My my square still in my hands, I checked the end jaw
(which cannot be moved) was indeed set at ninety degrees to the bar...
and on the two clamps I checked, it was virtually square. The distance
from the edge of the bar to the outer edge of the jaw is a full 3/4", so
if using the clamps on their side, you can effectively clamp 3/4"
material will full face contact. This feature is something not found on
competing models.
Looking at the adjustable 'head' jaw now, this features the same steel
casting and plastic covers but, naturally, this jaw adjusts to allow you
to clamp items/projects of varying lengths. The capacity of the clamp
depends of the length of clamp you have purchased. Cabinet Master clamps
are available in a variety of lengths which include; 12", 18", 24", 30",
36", 48", 60", 72" and a healthy 96" version for those large cabinets or
wide panel glue-ups. No matter what length you buy, the jaws and jaw
construction are exactly the same in size and build quality, only the
length of the bar changes. Getting back to the adjustable jaw... this
rides along the bar very smoothly via four guide rods at the base of the
jaw. If you lift the screw handle upward, the slide action is even
smoother as it helps to disengage the clutch discs from the bar. The
method by which the Cabinet Master grasps and secures to the bar is via
these very clutch discs. They are constructed of hardened, plated,
high-carbon steel. They look similar to the clutch discs you might find on
a regular pipe clamp fixture, and they clamp in a somewhat similar way,
although on the Cabinet Master jaw, they are not readily visible unless
you remove the jaw from the bar itself. I have had issues in the past with
normal pipe clamps 'slipping' when applying clamp pressure, but so far,
there has been no sign of this with the Cabinet Master clamps.
The bar itself is 1-3/16" x 3/8" steel with concave faces. These
concave faces supposedly
adds strength to the bar and reduces any occurrence of twisting or bending
when clamp pressure is applied to your project. I'm no engineer, so I
won't try to give an in-depth explanation as to why or how a concave face
adds more strength over a flat face. Perhaps a reader in the know can
enlighten us?
The main screw handle up top of the adjustable jaw is turned from solid
maple and is quite a large handle in itself. This is good as it provides a
better grip and is more ergonomic in my opinion. The screw itself is
cold-drawn steel with acme threads and measures 5/8" in diameter. This
newer model Cabinet Master, which is the Style No. 8000, has a 10% longer
screw travel than its nearest competitor. While this is great, and I'm not
arguing about an improvement, I find I rarely require the full screw
length to apply sufficient pressure to a joint, but I think having more is
better than having less in this case... I can't imagine running out of
screw travel in any situation with these clamps.
When you set your Cabinet Master up to clamp a joint(s), you make sure the
fixed jaw is butted up snugly against one end of your joint, and then, making sure
your screw is backed up for maximum travel, slide the adjustable jaw to
the other end of the joint or face you wish to apply clamping pressure
to. Then start turning that screw. The Cabinet Master will initially
work to clamp itself to the bar, then it slowly advances the jaw to apply
pressure to your work. The clamp is rated up to 1,000lbs of clamp
pressure. If you are applying that much pressure to a wooden project, then
you would most certainly be applying far too much pressure and squeezing
all your glue out of the joint, but I guess
there may be other non-woodworking applications where more pressure would
be required. If you only use them for woodworking, then 1,000lbs is
certainly going to be more than enough. I don't think I'd even be apply to
apply that much pressure via the screw by hand. In short, I doubt you
could rarely 'break' these clamps during 'normal' use. As the pressure is
applied to your joint or project, because of the Cabinet Master's parallel
clamp design, the pressure is applied evenly and squarely to the joint
face. This will help in preventing bending, bowing and twisting of a joint
while the glue sets. We have been using these clamps in the shop for
around 6 weeks now, and we can find little evidence that uneven clamp
pressure has been the cause of any glue-up problem.
At the end of the clamp bar is a black plastic stopper/support which prevents the
adjustable jaw from sliding right off the end of the bar and damaging it.
Secondly, this same stopper also acts as a support for the end of the bar,
so the bar remains at the same height when placed on a table, right across
its entire length. This means the bar cannot rock forward/back, and it assists somewhat in providing lateral stability as well. A spring loaded
pin in the stopper can be released and the stop can slide anywhere along
the bar to support it if you are using the clamp on a narrow surface, for
example. The ringlet on the end to pull the pin out also acts as a
hanger to store your clamps hanging if required. Additionally, the stopper
can be removed completely and you can slide the adjustable jaw off the
bar, turn it around, slide it back on the bar and your clamp now becomes a
spreader! This is great if you wish to use your clamps to disassemble test
dry fit pieces safely, like with dovetail test fits for example. While a
spreader-type 'clamp' does not get used often in my shop, there are the
odd occasions when the need for one does arise, usually at the request of SWMBO for some household task :-) so having that ability is certainly an
added bonus.
Opinion of the Cabinet Master in everyday shop use
Ok, I have outlined the basic features of the Cabinet Master clamp
above, and given some brief opinions and uses of various features. Let me
just add one more paragraph citing our general opinion of the clamps in
everyday use. Firstly, the clamps performed very well overall. They are
slightly heavier than other similar model clamps available, which can
sometimes add a little extra weight and effort when applying them anywhere
but sitting on a workbench etc, but we do not feel this is a major
technical issue, more of a user-consideration. Manueverability of the
clamp along the bar was very easy and the glide is quite smooth. The maple
screw handles were very comfortable to grip and use. The ability to slide
the stopper support anywhere along the bar is a very nifty feature. I
found I was able to give the clamp adequate support and clearance from the
workbench to allow clamp pressure to be applied without having to life the
clamp off a surface. The larger size of the jaws in comparison to other
models is useful for some types of clamping situations, and for these, it
is great to have that extra depth and width in the jaw.
Overall
I have to say that the Jorgensen Cabinet Master clamp is a well
designed clamp that addressed some of the 'issues' inherent in other
branded models. We experienced no occurrence of jaw slipping at all, and
the clamps met every expectation we placed on them during our testing
period in the workshop. Are they better than the K-Body clamp? In some
ways yes, certainly. They seem to travel smoother and the adjustable
stopper/support is extremely handy, in my workshop at least. In terms of
performing the task the clamps are designed for, I don't see much of a
difference between the two. Both the K-Body and the Cabinet Master do the
job they are intended to do equally well, the Cabinet master just seems to
be a little more user-friendly. Perhaps a deciding factor is the price
point. The Cabinet Master clamps are generally slightly cheaper than the
K-Body, and if you are buying clamps in bulk to set up your shop, then
that small difference can add up to a reasonable amount. When it comes to
my next clamping task, I'll probably reach for the Cabinet Master if I am
clamping up on my workbench. If I'm clamping on the floor, then I'd grab
either.
The Jorgensen Cabinet Master is a solid parallel bar clamp that is well
worth the asking price. I'll probably rarely use a pipe clamp again,
unless I need a clamp with 96" capacity or more in length.
