Pony Jorgensen Jorgensen 7248 48-Inch Heavy-Duty Steel I-Bar Clamp

I'm relatively new to woodworking and made the mistake at first of getting relatively inexpensive traditional bar clamps both here at Amazon and at a well-known discount tool chain. My first project, a spa bench, taught me immediately that quality is in fact more important than quantity in clamps. Inexpensive steel or aluminum bar clamps all bow the more you tighten them. The more the clamp bows the more likely it becomes to slip off the wood and to apply uneven pressure. These Jorgensen clamps are incredibly strong. They are, as others have noted, quite heavy and you could probably crush smaller projects if you tightened them too much. However, I've been using them on some bookcases and they make all the difference in the world when you're using biscuits or dowels to join shelves. One thing that's not obvious from the pictures is that the clamps will rest on the ground and support your project, which is a helpful feature. The one thing I didn't anticpate with these clamps is how quickly they will rust if you leave them in a humid environment (like my basement). The rust doesn't affect the way the clamps work, but it will leave marks on the wood. I also bought one of the 36" aluminum bar clamps thats Jorgensen makes and they are simply not as a sturdy as these and do bow. Though I've only had these clamps a short period of time, I can't imagine how they could ever break. I'm suspecting that these clamps will last me a lifetime and even if they are a little more expensive and much heavier than aluminum clamps or standard steel clamps, they're worth every penny and pound.

I started a Dinning table project using 13 4"x4"x8ft lumber as my table top, obviously with this size of material heavy duty clamps are a must. I already have 5 48" pipe-clamps so I figured I'd be good to go! Wrong!! Even after squaring all the wood with the planer I still was unable to get a tight enough clamping, little gaps everywhere! So I searched for the old style sash cramps which we always used in our wood-shop class in school but of course I cant find them for sale in the US, However after only a little blogging the Jorgensen I-Bar clamps came highly recommended. So I purchased 5 of them and said lets give it a try, "WOW" is all I can say, shipping was super fast, these things are rock solid, got some nice weight to them, super easy to use even as heavy as they are, NO MORE GAPS they just pulled everything together and I could not be any happier, you will not be disappointed buying these and they will last a life time, one of the best if not THE best tools I will ever purchase.

This is a heavy duty clamp. Unlike the smaller versions of the heavy duty clamp it does not come with the rubber guards that many have complained leave stains on wood. This is a very strong clamp, and though it isn't clear from the picture, is free standing. It's heavy and bulky and would be overkill for many smaller projects and is definitely not for delicate work. The 7248 is a great clamp, and can be had for a very reasonable. It is worth noting that the clamp advertised here is the Jorgensen 7248 clamp (there is no such things as a 7280) that available from other sellers on this site at a much lower price and with free shipping.

I've been happy with these bar clamps for a long time. They provide a tremendous amount of pressure and I use them all the time for gluing up boards. The I-Bar limits the amount of flex that you get making these much better than the pipe clamps that are available. It's nice to see they still use acme threads on these. In high school, Wilton made a competitor to this that I liked better but I haven't been able to find them back. They had a nicer roller handle and notches in the bar that would lock the back of the clamp in place. The castings are a little sloppy and have some rough edges. The orange paint seems to chip off pretty easily, but neither affect the functionality of these clamps. Overall, I'm happy with these and will continue buying them unless the Wilton's show back up. It is also nice that they continue to be American made.

These are the clamps to use for large countertop glue ups, full size interior/exterior doors etc. They help keep large projects flat when aplied one under, one over. These are not for light work such as cabinet doors...they are too strong, too heavy and too expensive. But for big work with sprung joints these are the ultimate weapon. There are no stronger clamps. Pipe clamps bend, aluminum knockoffs twist...these dont give up. They will serve you well for decades. But don't be tempted to order these for light work thinking one size fits all...you will grow into them. These will break your cabinet doors in half and your back trying to lift them. Use the right tool for the job...use this tool for big work!

Very sturdy clamps. Well made.

Big and heavy but gets the job done when you need some serious clamping. These are over kill for cabinets in case someone was wondering about that. That's not what I purchased them for though. Primarily plank countertops and anything else I need to put the 'clamp' down on.

I love these clamps but don't like that the beams rust so easily. Take the time to wax the beams to keep the rust in check and you'll be good to go. Clamps are strong. Not really parallel clamps but more like all purpose ones. Very strong and easy to use. And did I mention that they shipped free to Hawaii with Amazon Prime! Can't get a better deal than that! Thanks Amazon.