What is this..any ideas

Mark E Smith

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Arkansas
OK been cleaning out the woodshop and found these. I have NO IDEA what they are, but my dad evidently felt the need to have three of them, he passed back in 2005, loved shopsmith, so I inherited a ShopSmith Mark V. I have spent a great deal of time drinking beer and looking, playing with these, and still have no idea WHAT they are, HOW to use them or even WHAT they may be used for, I searched every SS manual he had, and still don't know. Any one know what these are, I assume they are some type of clamp, but for the life of me, have no idea how to use them.
 

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They are very useful clamps for gluing up panels. You put the panel pieces between the wood legs of the clamps and adjust the metal end pieces of the clamps against the edges of the panel, then tighten the screw to force the panel pieces together, while at the same time keeping the panel flat.

I haven't seen them for sale recently (I think they still are, though) but a few years ago, the metal hardware for making them (using your own wood) was selling for about $25.00 per clamp.
 
I have 4 of them from my ShopSmith days. Would not part with them and would welcome a fifth one. Indeed, they are panel clamps. If you want to part with yours, PM me.
 
Thank you all that absolutely makes sense...I completely understand how they work now. Sorry Carol but now that I know what they are and how they work, think I'll hang onto them...lol...man wish I had checked on these earlier, just got done gluing up some 1x6 strips about a month ago to make a bigger panel, and used bar clamps, two up one down, panel still came out cupped, like to worn myself out hand planing that thing down, don't have a thickness planner yet. Bet these things would have glued these up much better.

However just wondering, since these are made of wood, wouldn't the squeeze out from the panel stick to the clamps, do you need to put some wax paper or something at the glue joints.
 
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