Uneven clamping results

[bfortino]

No matter what pressure I clamp the two mating surfaces, I'm having a consistent uneven surface issue after clamping and screwing i.e. either the top or bottom of material is proud of one or the other.  I tried clamping tighter, then tried clamping with a bit less pressure, and still - uneven surface.

Material being used is perfectly matched; Kreg screws are working as expected; the joint is always tight at the miter - yet this pesky problem persists where the surface of material is uneven.

Any suggestions?

Regards, Bob

[Paula Geihs]

I saw a trick in one of my Kreg dvd's where the guy on the video used a small piece of wood on the finished side and then he said to use either the face clamp (with the large side on the finished side) or even a c clamp. Good luck!

[bfortino]

Robert - yes, I am using a Kreg clamp directly over the joint; it's flush when I clamp it, then it somehow moves when the screws are applied. What's funny is when I first started using the Kreg system, I didn't experience above problem; now, it's hard to avoid!
I am using enough pressure in the clamp to hold it tight, but not so much that is leaves a mark on the material.

Paula - I will try using a small scrap over the joint in conjunction with the Kreg clamp - perhaps this will allow more clamping pressure over the entire joint.

thanks, Bob

[Paula Geihs]

Let me know if it works out for you-good luck!

Paula

[Robert J Guidry Sr]

When I clamp my joints, I actually clamp the face to the table and use the large face on the screw side of the joint and use a lot of pressure to insure that the joint does not open. My table surface is absolutely flat and if there is any difference in the pieces of wood joined, it will force the outer face to sit perfectly flat.

Bob

[bfortino]

///The only other thing I can think of is maybe the screws are going in crooked. ///

That does seem plausible. The Kreg system is designed to allow for single surface clamping by means of their proprietary clamp; notwithstanding the need to use a blank in between, that should suffice.

I'm in the process of building a clamping table with integral K-Clamp rail and clamps - that should help.

Thanks for all the replies, great forum.

Bob

[Jens Jensen]

Sorry to say but OI dont even use Kreg clamps and have never witnessed this in any project,I bet the screws are not in pilot holes If you take the connection apart you might be able to see if screw is in pilot hole or just to side of it.