Clamps are one of the most important tools in any workshop and there are many different types of clamp. They help to secure wood, metal and other materials while they are being worked on or cut down to size. Clamps come in all shapes and sizes, but not every clamp is suitable for every job. This list will give you an idea of the variety of clamps that are available so that you can find the clamp that best suits your needs!
Types of Clamp:
Angle Clamps
An angle clamp is similar to a corner clamp or a picture frame clamp in that it holds two pieces of wood together at 90 degrees to one another so that they can be secured or glued together more easily.
Band Clamps / Web Clamps
Band Clamps, otherwise called Web Clamps have a length of webbing that holds 4 corner sections which typically support a frame when you are glueing it up.
The main handle has a twist grip which is used to tighten the band around the workpiece to hold it in place whilst the glue dries.
Bar Clamp
A bar clamp has a long clamping head that is used to secure and clamp materials. The clamp can be adjusted so that the clamping pressure can range from very light to heavy pressures. Bar clamps are usually made of either aluminium or steel bars with threaded ends.
Bench Clamp
A bench clamp is used for clamping workpieces to the edge of a table or bench. These clamps are usually made from metal and sometimes have wooden handles that allow them to be pushed down with ease, clamping the materials securely in place. With this type of clamp, the bench itself forms the fixed jaw and the clamping jaw is clamped down to hold the workpiece.
Bench Vise
A bench vise is typically made from cast iron and is a heavy-duty clamp that is fixed to the top of a bench. The vise has a fixed jaw, formed by the base and a moving jaw that slides along a track, controlled by a threaded screw.
C-Clamp / G-Clamps
A C-Clamp, otherwise known as a G-Clamp is probably the most widely used type of clamp. It is a screw-type clamp with a swivel head that can clamp irregular shapes between its jaws. C clamps are usually made from metal and come in many different sizes.
Cable Clamp / Wire Clamp
A wire or cable clamp is used to fix a rope, cable or wire section to a fixed point. They clamp the wire tightly, preventing it from slipping.
Wire/Cable clamps are usually made of metal or ceramic material and have two screws to clamp down on the wire or cable to secure them firmly into place.
Cardellini Clamp
Cardellini clamps have jaws that are used to clamp onto the tubing. Because of their style, they can be used on square, round, or even rectangular tubing without any problem.
They can also be used to clamp flat options, grip equipment, or even to mount lights for a theatre. Although all clamps can be easily damaged if they are tightened too much, these clamps are very susceptible to this because of their design and the way that the edges of the jaws will actually press against each other when the clamp is being used.
This means that the user needs to be particularly careful when tightening and adjusting this type of clamp.
Clip Hangers
Clip Hangers look just like coat-hooks in that they are triangular in shape with a hook on the top. On the bottom, horizontal rail, two clips can be adjusted to clip onto your workpiece.
They are useful when you want to hang an item for painting or spraying so that it keeps the piece clear of anything that might ruin the finish.
Corner Clamp / Right Angle Clamps
Right Angle clamps are ideal for when you need to clamp two boards together at a right angle, for example, when fixing shelves into a cabinet or attaching a base to a chest.
This clamp will help to hold the two pieces together whilst you screw or fix them permanently or whilst the glue dries. They will ensure 100% accuracy and will free your hands up so you don’t have to hold the workpieces in place.
Drill Press Clamp
A drill vise or drill press clamp is used to hold workpieces into the correct position on a drill press table so that the drill can drill perfectly into the material in the right place and at the right angle.
F Clamp
These clamps, as the name suggests, look like an ‘F’ shape. They have two steel jaws, one of which is fixed at the end of a square bar and the second, which slides along the bar to meet the workpiece.
This clamp works on friction to ensure that as the clamping head is tightened, it bites into the bar at an increasing angle, which in turn increases the resistance and holds the clamp in place onto the workpiece.
Four Jaw Clamp / Lathe chuck
Four jaw clamps / chucks are typically used on lathes to hold a workpiece into place whilst it is spinning. The workpiece is held in place between the four jaws which are tightened around it.
Flooring Clamp
These clamps only really have one purpose. They are used when a carpenter is installing a floor as they help to hold tongue and groove boards in place so that they can be nailed down securely and won’t move around. They can generally clamp down up to 10 boards at a time and have to be used in conjunction with other flooring clamps or they will not work.
These clamps ensure a tight fit when laying planks. Suitable for glued or nailed wood flooring.
Gripe Clamp
Gripe clamps are an old boat builder’s clamp used to hold planks in place in traditionally built hulls. The name Gripe comes from the shape of the handle which is a hook-shape.
Hand Screw Clamp
Hand screw clamps are very simply made. They consist of two parallel pieces of wood to form jaws, fixed together with two threaded rods, with handles that can force the wooden jaws closer or further apart as they are tightened.
Hold down clamp
Hold down clamps work in a similar way to bench clamps, in that they sit in a track on the bench. With a hold-down clamp, the clamp is tightened with a screw knob rather than a toggle.
Hose Clamp
Hose clamps are metal straps that are formed into a circle and then tightened or loosened with a set screw. As the screw is turned clockwise, the strap tightens and as it is screwed counter-clockwise it is loosened.
This type of clamp is ideal for joining rubber hose onto tubing to create a semi-permanent and water-tight fit. They come in screw, spring, ear, and wire varieties with each variety having its own pros and cons and when the best time to be used.
Kant-Twist Clamp
Kant-Twist Cantilever Clamps offer several advantages over standard C-Clamps – they’re lighter, stronger and won’t ‘walk-off centre’, which means that the workpiece stays where it is when being clamped.
These are perfect for spot welding, drilling, bolting – or anywhere you need to hold two pieces firmly together. Available with Round or T-handles.
Locking Chain Clamps
With this type of clamp, which works similarly to mole grips, a chain holds and locks around any shape or size of material, so it is ideal for awkwardly shaped pieces.
You can turn the screw to adjust the pressure and fit the workpiece and the handle locks this in place. It also stays adjusted for repetitive use to prevent having to readjust the pressure each time.
Locking Clamps
Locking clamps are similar to mole grips but they have a much wider aperture between the jaws. Therefore, they can be used for clamping much larger workpieces together.
With several different jaw styles available they can be used for clamping workpieces together when securing work using pocket holes for example or as welding pliers.
Long Reach Clamp
These clamps are essentially a similar design to C-clamps or G-clamps, but they have longer jaws, thus giving you the ability to clamp further into or over a workpiece rather than being limited to the edges.
Marman Clamp / Jubilee Clip
A Marman clamp is a type of heavy-duty band clamp in that it allows for two cylindrical objects to be clamped together end to end with a ring clamp.
The Marman clamp is named after the company that originally designed and manufactured these clamps. The company was owned by Zeppo Marx of the Marx brothers.
In the UK, we typically call this type of clamp, Jubilee clips / clamps.
Mitre Clamp
Mitre clamps help you to cut material at set angles, typically 45 or 90 degrees. This clamp has pre-defined slots for your saw to fit into, plus it has the clamps that hold down the workpiece to stop it slipping or sliding out of position.
Mole grips
Mole grips (otherwise known as Vise grips or locking pliers) are pliers that can be locked onto a workpiece using an over-centre toggle action which forces the grips onto the workpiece with pressure that can be adjusted with a set screw.
Parallel clamps
A pair of clamps placed near each other to apply pressure to two workpieces that are next to one another and cannot be easily gripped with one hand, often used in woodworking or metal fabrication operations
Picture Frame Clamp
Picture frame clamps allow the edges of a picture frame to be glued or secured together at perfect right angles to each other, giving perfect 90-degree mitre joints.
Pinch Dog
This is a smaller clamp that is shaped similarly to a staple and used to straddle joints. They work by pulling the joint together and holding it in position while it is drying after being glued.
Simply tap a pinch dog into the end grain across the joint while the glue sets. The taper pulls the wood tight as you tap it in.
Pipe Clamp
Pipe clamps are similar to bar clamps in that they work on friction to produce the clamping pressure, but they are instead made using metal pipes instead of a metal bar to hold the jaws together.
Pipe clamps come in all different lengths meaning that you can clamp longer boards and can be cheaper than similarly sized bar clamps.
Power Clamp
A Power Clamp is typically used by Electrical engineers and Auto-Electricians. It is a device, similar to a multi-meter that detects current, voltage, resistance and capacitance of a live electric cable without direct contact. The clamp is positioned so that the cable being measured is within the jaws and the meter shows the relevant readings.
Quick Action Clamp
A quick action clamp is a one-handed pistol grip clamp that is very easy to use. There are many types of quick acting clamp on the market. The clamp works on a metal bar, which holds the fixed jaw at one end. The pistol grip moves the moving jaw along the bar, in a similar way to a sealant gun.
The moving jaw can be removed and replaced in the opposite orientation to create a spreading action as opposed to a gripping action.
Quick-Grip / Quick Release Clamps
These clamps are designed to be used when speed is a priority as they allow the user to quickly grip the project or item using just one hand. They usually incorporate a fixed jaw and a sliding jaw made from carbon steel, plus a locking pawl to prevent accidental opening of the clamp.
They are easy to use, versatile and feature a mechanism that allows the jaws to be opened and closed swiftly in a single movement, using just one hand to lock and release. They are ideal for woodworking projects like glueing wood panels or woodworking joints.
Sash Clamp
This clamp is used when working on large projects such as tabletops, doors, cabinets, or (as the name suggests) sash windows.
Generally, more than one has to be used at a time to ensure that there is a strong grip on the project and to ensure that the workpiece is held square.
They have a long flat bar that is very heavy and a fixed jaw attached to it. You can adjust this fixed jaw with a screw. Additionally, they have a sliding jaw that can be moved along the length of the clamp and then locked into position to hold the materials in place. They’re great for clamping together large projects whilst allowing the glue to dry tight. They are a longer, more specialised form of bar clamp.
Scaffolding Clamp
These are the types of clamp in scaffolding industries as they are used to hold together the scaffold poles that form the framework of the scaffold which holds the scaffold planks that are walked on.
Screw Clamp
A screw clamp is a general name given to a group of clamps that use a screw mechanism to adjust the clamping jaws to clamp a workpiece in place. There are many different types of screw clamp available on the market, but they all have a screw handle in common, whether that is wooden, rubber or plastic.
Sliding Clamp
Sliding clamp is a general term given to a group of clamps that use a long metal bar to hold the clamping jaws in a line and from which the mechanism uses friction to put pressure onto the workpiece with the clamping jaws.
Speed Clamp
Speed clamp is the general term used to describe clamps that use a pistol type grip to simply and with one hand, tighten the clamping jaws around a workpiece.
Spring Clamp
Spring clamps are small clamps that can be easily opened using one hand. Suitable for a wide range of smaller tasks such as holding timber in place during carpentry projects. They are sprung with small springs which offer resistance when you squeeze the two sides apart, meaning that they will naturally put pressure on whatever is in between the two clamping jaws.
Step Clamp
Characterised by their serrated edges, step clamps are used with step blocks to hold workpieces for machining and milling.
Toggle Clamp
Toggle Clamps enable you to apply a low input force to create a high output clamping force. The over-centre locking mechanism prevents the clamp from opening whilst it is clamped down and holding the workpiece.
This feature makes Toggle Clamps ideal for repetitive holding, whilst allowing a wide clearance for loading and unloading workpieces.
There are various types of toggle clamps including: vertical toggle clamps, horizontal toggle clamps, push-pull toggle clamps, latch and hook toggle clamps, toggle clamps with safety locks and stainless steel toggle clamps to suit a wide range of applications and uses.
Trigger Clamp
A trigger clamps are the same types of clamp as a quick-grip or quick release clamp.
Wire Rope Clamp
These clamps are also known as wire clips and are used to fix a loose end of a wire rope loop to the rope itself. It has two nuts, a saddle, and a u-shaped bolt that work together to grip the rope into place.
Because of the limited application of this type of clamp, they are not typically used in general workshops and are used only for this type of application.
Workbench / Workmate
Workmate is the brand name for a Black and Decker workbench, but the name is now synonymous with other brands of folding workbench. This type of workbench was designed to be very portable and stable. The worktop itself forms the clamp as it is split into a static, fixed side with the opposing side being adjustable on two screw handles. This made the Workmate unique and flexible in its uses. Many manufacturers have copied this design but rarely improve upon it!
Conclusion
Clamps are a versatile tool in any workshop, and there is no shortage of varying types of clamp for every different job. Whether you’re clamping together two pieces to hold them at the perfect angle or clamping down some wood panels so they don’t shift while drying, clamps can help out with just about anything.
They also come in many shapes and sizes so it’s easy to find one that meets your specific needs. In this article, we’ve covered 40 different types of clamps ranging from pipe clams to quick release clamps -all useful for something!