Right angle joints. Which clamp and why?

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Just getting into Kreg tools and need something to help me with joining right angles.  Kreg seems to have two clamps. One that has one jaw inside a hole and the other clamp holds two boards at a right angle.  What are the pros and cons of each. When you you prefer to use one type vs the other?

I want to take care of this issue today.  I can get one of each. Or I could get two corner clamps (if they are the better option).  What I'm saying is money is always a concern but I want to spend the money on what will help me out more?  One clamp is $28. The other is $45. If I get one of each I may find that the right angle clamp ($28) is less useful than the corner clamp ($45). If that's the case the $28 would be the money wasted or at least not as well spent. Maybe I would be better off with two corner clamps.

Any help is appreciated.

Jack

[james wilhelm]

Jack, can not help you with the corner clamp , as do not have one , but do have two of the face clamp,s and two of the right angle clamp,s , which I use on all of my project,s !  Not sure where you got your prices , but if you deal with amazon and have prime shipping , the prices are a lot less , face clamp , $19.99 - rt angle  $24.35 - and the corner clamp is $29.89 !!!  Hope this help,s you out , let me know how you made out and have a good day , JIM !!

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Thanks Jim. I haven't shopped at all but my prices I got from the Lowe's where I live. I'll definately look around. I went to Lowe's today and got a right angle clamp. They didn't have the corner clamp. Good thing maybe so I can get a better price. I haven't used the clamp yet but plan to tomorrow. From the videos I've seen this clamp is like another hand to hold a piece of wood in place that would otherwise just be standing on it's end. I made 5 90 degree joints yesterday. They were legs on a stand. The top of the stand was laying flat and I was screwing the legs to it while holding the legs up. It was a pain. Also, keeping the leg from spinning when screwing the first screw was an issue.

Thanks for your help. I"ll definetely go shopping around for better prices. :)

Jack

[james wilhelm]

Welcome Jack, I am sure you will like your right angle clamp, use mine all the time , just clamp it in one of the holes and put the other screw in , holds great and will not spin on you !!!  Also use my face clamp on flat joint,s , that also work,s good for me , keeps the joint good and tight while you put in the screw,s !!!  Let me know how the RT.   angle clamp work,s for you , have a great night , JIM !!

[Ronda McElroy]

Hi Jack.

 The type of clamp is based on which type of joint you are using.

The one that goes in the hole is nice for bigger projects because it holds the joint further in.  

The one that holds the 2 pieces at the corner is so very nice to get the edges of your joint to line up, and there is kind of a window to put your screw through.  

Pony also makes one that is nice for this that you can pick up at Ace Hardware or Menards for around $30.  It is heavier duty and uses a long bolt to push the wood holding it perfectly square.  This one can be bolted to a table if needed or is fully portable.  It holds up to 3" thick (will not hold a 2x4 flat, but on it's side works a charm).  I have also found some smaller spring loaded corner clamps at Menards (2 pack for $7) that are helpful when lining up your corners.  They will only fit 1 x stock but will hold your project together while you are maneuvering things around.

 Hope this helps.

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Thanks Ronda. Your post was helpful as was James'. He let me know about different prices so I just got the Kreg corner clamp for $28.03, free shipping on Amazon. Your post was helpful in that sometimes we join wood at a 90 deg angle that isn't at the end of both pieces. A middle shelf for example. The clamp that goes into the hole can do this where the corner clamp can't. I looked at the Pony clamp on the computer. I also already knew about a similar one (Irwin) at Lowe's. The Irwin got horrible reviews. I consider reviews about 65% trustworthy. I've used tools that work great but some reviews are negative and it's obvious the person didn't know how to use it or thought it was designed for the purpose he needed but it wasn't. I've been in that boat myself.  I held the one in my hand at Lowe's the other day and I did consider one issue. The way the clamp closes it didn't seem like it would hold the two pieces of wood together with any force. In fact (and as one reviewer stated) it seemed as the clamp gets tight it might seperate the pieces. The reviewer seemed like he was only using glue. The Kreg screws would solve this issue but it is a consideration. I also have seen and almost bought smaller 90 deg clamps at Lowe's (http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?productId=50146732). This clamp applies force to the two pieces seperately from the outside of the joint. It's for smaller jobs but still it looks like it would work. I might get a couple of those because I do small jobs and they aren't expensive.

I have another question. The 90 deg clamps I'm sure are great but are they a solution for not cutting your piece exactly square? I mean the angle on the end of a piece of wood.  If my circular saw is set to an 89 deg angle (base to blade) instead of 90? Let's say I make a box with only the 4 sides together and when sitting on the bench I can tell they are slightly off-square. I never cared because I would square it up when attaching the bottom. The only reason I can imagine the walls not being square is the ends of the wood were not cut at a 90 deg angle.  So even if I screw two pieces together while clamped at 90 degrees won't the inaccuracy of a cut take over when I remove the clamp leaving my joints not square?

Thanks for the help.

Jack

Ronda McElroy said:

Hi Jack.

 The type of clamp is based on which type of joint you are using.

The one that goes in the hole is nice for bigger projects because it holds the joint further in.  

The one that holds the 2 pieces at the corner is so very nice to get the edges of your joint to line up, and there is kind of a window to put your screw through.  

Pony also makes one that is nice for this that you can pick up at Ace Hardware or Menards for around $30.  It is heavier duty and uses a long bolt to push the wood holding it perfectly square.  This one can be bolted to a table if needed or is fully portable.  It holds up to 3" thick (will not hold a 2x4 flat, but on it's side works a charm).  I have also found some smaller spring loaded corner clamps at Menards (2 pack for $7) that are helpful when lining up your corners.  They will only fit 1 x stock but will hold your project together while you are maneuvering things around.

 Hope this helps.

[Ronda McElroy]

I know your problem quite well Jack!  

When the cut is off, no matter by how little) it will throw the whole thing out of square no matter what kinds of clamps you use.  I've taken to using one of the right angle corner clamps and where ever possible clamping my speed square to the inside while installing the screws.  On tight jobs where it won't fit I made a smaller 90 degree corner that I clamp my pieces to in order to hold them correctly. This ensures the right angle is true and any gaps created can be filled in with a sandable, stainable wood filler.  

I'm sure there are better ways to accomplish this, but hey, I'm still learning :)

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

Making a 90 degree corner is a great idea.  I'm picturing one I may make tomorrow. I'm picturing something like one corner of a box and the bottom. The bottom would be what keeps the angle square and more stable. I'm think you could put your work pieces on the outside or inside of the bracket when clamping. Using the outside or inside might make some joints better depending on how you are connecting them. Just thinking about it right now. Actually using it will tell if my thinking is sound. I think I'll use 1x4s. That should be strong enough while not too bulky or heavy. Might even make 4 of them to clamp all four corners. One thing about the Kreg jig that was talked about in the videos is the screws hold the pieces together as if clamped. If the cuts are square the joint will be square. I've even made a couple of shelves by joining two 1x4's at the sides and used wood glue. After the wood dries I remove the screws and put them back in the boxes. These are times when I'm sure there won't be to much pressure against the joint. But I've always heard after you glue two pieces of wood together the joint is stronger than the wood. If pressure is applied to the extent the thing breaks it will break in a spot other than the joint. Never put that to the test though. Direction of grain may play a part also.

Thanks for your help Ronda. I'm 58 years old and I still remember life with no computers. I'm overwhelmed over and over how we can share info via the internet. The younger people will never appreciate that like the ones who were here pre-computer, pre-historic, :) times. My grandson is 5 and can use my tablet as well as anyone. Times are a-changin. :)

Jack

Ronda McElroy said:

I know your problem quite well Jack!  

When the cut is off, no matter by how little) it will throw the whole thing out of square no matter what kinds of clamps you use.  I've taken to using one of the right angle corner clamps and where ever possible clamping my speed square to the inside while installing the screws.  On tight jobs where it won't fit I made a smaller 90 degree corner that I clamp my pieces to in order to hold them correctly. This ensures the right angle is true and any gaps created can be filled in with a sandable, stainable wood filler.  

I'm sure there are better ways to accomplish this, but hey, I'm still learning :)

[Ronda McElroy]

I made mine out of scrap pieces of 1x4's and they work just fine.  Made smaller ones and longer ones (for bigger projects)  It makes life a lot easier!

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

I got the corner clamp in the mail today. One thing I'm glad to see is based on a picture on the package you can use this for a joint in the middle of another board. I thought you could only use this for corner joints at the corner. I joined a corner joint with scrap 1x4s. I'm assuming and hoping clamping the boards together becomes a bit easier with practice. The end of the story  is I got the two pieces together and according to my square they are perfect. Before that however I had a hard time getting the boards in the clamp properly. First I was a bit clumsy with the part of the clamp that goes on the inside of the joint. It is on a swivel which I imagine that makes the thing work better. Just a bit getting used to. I tried to get the clamp positioned so I could screw both screws without moving the clamp. I wanted the inside part of the clamp in between the holes. That may be possible but it was tight getting the screws in the hole with the clamp just a little in the way. I started the first screw with the point of the screw beside the pilot hole. Definitely user error. I just need to be more careful as I place the screw into the hole. I took the joint apart and cut the ends of the boards being careful my saw blade was at a 90 degree angle with the base and I cut a 90 degree angle. I still had problems putting the screw into both holes with the clamp in the middle of the boards. So I moved the clamp to the side and freeing up one hole completely I screwed the screw in. Then I repositioned the clamp over that hole and screwed the other. I put the holes in the board on the two outside holes on the jig without moving the board.

Does my difficulty  sound normal for the first two joints with this clamp?

I see there are two adjustments on the clamp. First is the threaded rod attached to the inside part of the clamp. The other is at the end of the handle similar to a vise grip. Is it beneficial to get the clamp adjusted pretty close and then make the final adjustment with the handle adjustment? That seemed like the way to do it but I don't know for sure.

Does anyone have any tips on using this clamp that will speed up my learning curve?  I'd appreciate any advice instead of figuring out a "better" way to use it by trial and error.

Even with difficulty I did get both corner joints together close enough to 90 degrees that it was perfect according to my small square. As with most new things I'm sure there's some getting used to the tool that I'll go through.

Jack

[Jack Haskins, Jr.]

I think I may have been expecting something from the corner clamp that it wasn't meant to do. Let's say you are joining two boards at a corner and one is just a little warped. The corner clamp won't "pull everything together".  If both boards are straight the clamp will hold them at a 90 degree angle but it won't pull a warped board into position. I have had to use a bar clamp to apply the force for that. I was expecting to adjust the clamp, put the clamp in place and squeeze the handle to position everything perfectly. That expectation may have been mis-placed.  The other clamp, the 90 degree clamp seems to be less accurate as far as the angle goes but for a third hand it's a lifesaver. Put it in place to hold one board in place while I use my two hands to screw screws in the other holes is great. It did make it easier to hold two boards in place while I also used the corner clamp on the other end of the board. Then, once at least one screw was in place I could use the corner clamp on the other corner. I only have one of each clamp. Still learning though. One thing I can see right away. I have one automaxx clamp with the 6" reach. I can see myself getting spoiled to that type clamp. Having a clamp that I adjust the amount of pressure once then the clamp can be used on any thickness? That is something I doubt I would have ever thought was possible. Going into outer space? No big deal. But I'm excited over the new clamp design. :)

Jack