Panel glue up

Al killian

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1,940
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Floydada, Tx
I am ready to glue up my sons bed and had a question about glue ups. How many clamps should I have on a panel 27"W x 80"L? I have never made a panel this big before and want to do it proper. It is looking like a trip to the BORG is going to be needed to get more clamps. Currently there are only five clamps over 27" in the shop, so this will be a good reason to spend more money.:D
 
Hi Al, I'm not sure my method is all that scientific but I have use a cabinet clamp (read: Bessey) clamp about every 8 inches. I think it would depend on what type of clamp you were using, etc. I am one that does believe in the old adage that you can never have enough clamps so any excuse to buy more is probably good cause. That said, you may want to take a look at some sort of caul that can be used for this purpose. Check out the Bowclamp that Craig Feuerzeig makes - he has a website by the same name as the product. I would post the link but not sure about the rules for that.

Anyway, I've had those bowclamps on my wishlist for awhile for much the same reason.
 
I am ready to glue up my sons bed and had a question about glue ups. How many clamps should I have on a panel 27"W x 80"L? I have never made a panel this big before and want to do it proper. It is looking like a trip to the BORG is going to be needed to get more clamps. Currently there are only five clamps over 27" in the shop, so this will be a good reason to spend more money.:D
The way I was taught is to imagine a line going 45 degrees in each direction from the clamp. You would need to space your clamps so that the 45 degree line meets the one coming from the next clamp in the middle of the panel. This is way less than what a lot of people use. And Steve is right, if the joint is loose, you will need to clamp the bejeebers out of it.

If you are looking for a reason to buy some more clamps, then opportunity is knocking. If you want to use those $$ on something else, use some short clamps to clamp down 2x4s close to the panel, and put pressure on the panel by using wedges from scrap or shims.

My 2 cents, YMMV;)
 
The clamps I have now arejust 3/4 pipe clamps. Onwe day I will buy some nicer clamps.

Jesse, I will use your advice for this glue up.

Steve the joints are perfectly. I had to make the table bigger so I could fit them on there. There is no light getting between the boards.
 
Steve the joints are perfectly. I had to make the table bigger so I could fit them on there. There is no light getting between the boards.

Hey Al, since the joints are nice and tight, you could always go back and put a bit of spring in them :D :D :D

I just glued up a couple 40" panels with two pipe clamps each and two 24" panels with one each. If you can clamp the middle tight with a hair of spring, the ends will be tighter.

Nothing wrong with pipe clamps, even if you buy some fancy ones, keep the pipes around, along with a few unions, never know when you'll need to make up a 12' clamp :eek:
 
The clamps I have now are just 3/4 pipe clamps. Onwe day I will buy some nicer clamps..

HEY! There isn't a think wrong with good pipe clamps!! Just because you don't have Bessy's doesn't mean you don't have good clamps. I don't own a single Bessy and unless someone gives me some I probably never will. But I do have a lot of off brand f-clamps and Jorgy pipe clamps.

Don't knock them! There might good bang for the buck. I would rather have 2 or pipe 4 clamps for the same money as the bragging rights on one Bessy. Unless someone else is paying :D

Jeff
 
Thanks for the link for the bow clamps. I will be ordering some when I get paid for the night stand I am refinishing.

For now I cut up a bunch of wedges and used them in the middle and the pipe clamps on the outer edges of the panels. I snaded them smooth and put some wax on them to help them slide better. The worked flawlessly.

Thanks again to everyone for your ideas and links. Now I need to repair the charger for the camera. There is a burnt resistor in it so that will be my next project.
 
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