Third hand support

larry merlau

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Location
Delton, Michigan
well we have heard the saying of "necessity is the beginning of inventions" or something along that line. well i ran into a situation where i needed a third hand, and i had called for support but wasnt ready to give up on my idea yet..:) so i looked in my scrap pile and grabbed some plywood and cut these out and screwed them together.. i havnt spread the glue yet but i am pretty sure i can do what i need to do easier this way than by doing one side at a time and clamping against the tenon to get them tight and square..i got two more of these to do so i figured the 15mins of cutting these out would be worth it if they worked..



third hand support 001.jpg
third hand support 002.jpg


so how would you go about making this glue up?
 
I usually use my parallel wood clamps to support pieces that need to stand up.

I would cut a couple of pieces of scrap to span the back side of the cabinet to help keep it square and to focus the clamp pressure on the joints.
 
I made a couple of those in a larger form when I was doing some work on some doors a while ago. Very handy. :thumb:
 
If you really want to go high tech you could make one side adjustable for different thicknesses of material. The ideas are rolling now in my noggin!
 
what are you referring to as parallel wood clamps alan? and as for making them adjustable that could be done but at the time i was just looking for the third hand:)
 
what are you referring to as parallel wood clamps alan? and as for making them adjustable that could be done but at the time i was just looking for the third hand:)

He's probably referring to handscrews. That's what I use for those applications. But, a set like you built that is adjustable is the best bet.
 
when I glue a cabinet together, I like to use the 12 inch jet clamps to hold the walls upright with the back side down.
then I use a piece of scrap same length as front,place it as a brace/spacer between back of side walls to keep cabinet square, slide an efficient size clamp under back, clamp up the top, then clamp up the bottom so its all square.
By using my small clamps, its the same height as the other wider clamps when I clamp it all together.
 
jim to answer your question i have already made the top and bottom cross members for the back and they will be put in place and clamped while i fit in the dust dividers,, once they are in as glenn showed us its no turning back and its solid. the back can go in and be anchored after that..but i do need to make his short fold up bench supports..
 
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