Sash clamps for tubular chassis welding?

[Speedfreak]

Hello all,

I am a newcomer to the world of MIG welding with the ultimate ambition of building a spaceframe chassis. Being early on in my journey, I am still in the process of collecting tools etc. One area I am lacking in is clamps. Aside from a few G-Clamps I have nothing.

Now I realise this could be a stupid question but I'll ask anyway...

Is it worth getting some Sash Clamps? The reason I ask is that I guess I'll need to be clamping things in place over decent distances.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Paul.]

Sash cramps can be very useful, even more useful for long distances are loose cramp heads, these can be used on a piece of box section, or even timber to make a cramp of any length you like, or turn the heads round and you can use them as a spreader.
Fabricators can never have too many clamps.

 

[Shox Dr]

Paul beat me to it. Record cramp heads is what you want, about 16quid a pair.

 

[Speedfreak]

Great stuff, thank you very much for the speedy replies!
I'll keep my eyes peeled for some of those. I'll also keep watching the local auctions for the Sash ones, too.

 

[Shox Dr]

Sash cramps are ok, but they wont take much pressure before they twist and pop off.
Wouldn’t take much to make some of the record type, from flat bar and a lenght of acme threaded bar, or old g cramps

 

[pedrobedro]

I and a friend of mine built a few Locost chassis and if you are only doing one offs you don't need clamps just a good flat surface to work on and some common sense when tacking together and welding fully. Clamps don't help when getting uprights onto a chassis base.

 

[johnik]

As Pedro says, a nice flat surface, 8X4 ply sheet is ideal, and some G clamps to hold the pieces down, thats how i built mine

 

[Kent]

I use lots of sash cramps got them up to about 7ft. I haven’t ever worked in a shop that had them available other than mine.
Mind you fabricators are genrally very backwards and a tad stingy when it comes to clamps, some bosses think it smart for the guys to loose 5 hours a month doing things the hard way - to save money on tools LOL

 

[Tangledfeet]

If I was starting from scratch and wanted to build up a selection of sash clamps I'd probably get a load of Bessey pipe clamps from Amazon on their global store - get the clamps and buy pipe to suit. I will add the caveat that I come from a woodworking/turning background so am making the assumption that they'd work with metal fab too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bessey-BPC-H12-2-Inch-Style-Pipe/dp/B0012YOC0W

 

[bigegg]

If I was starting from scratch and wanted to build up a selection of sash clamps I'd probably get a load of Bessey pipe clamps from Amazon on their global store - get the clamps and buy pipe to suit. I will add the caveat that I come from a woodworking/turning background so am making the assumption that they'd work with metal fab too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bessey-BPC-H12-2-Inch-Style-Pipe/dp/B0012YOC0W

how difficult - and how much £££ - to obtain the matching pipe?
and one end screws on to the pipe? what thread?

 

[Tangledfeet]

how difficult - and how much £££ - to obtain the matching pipe?
and one end screws on to the pipe? what thread?

I never got that far! Perhaps better explained in this video by Manor Wood:

 

[Kent]

Sash clamps could likely be the strongest having put timber joints under some serious strain to re set a failed expanded mortice of that I can attest

 

[bigegg]

Sash clamps could likely be the strongest having put timber joints under some serious strain to re set a failed expanded mortice of that I can attest

when ive had to do that in fhe past, i used a ratchet strap.

addendum: 75mm(?) x 12ft ratchet straps are useful for clamping.

can often be found on A roads just after laybys, or on the approach roads from industrial estates.

when I go looking, a good day round here (a1/m1/m62) can net me 10 or 12 ofthem in 4 hours.

 

[8ob]

All I use on tube is a turnbuckle shortener and chains with shorteners on the ends, infinitely adjustable and one fits all. You can always go lightweight on the chain and turnbuckles if doing smaller stuff.

One or more of these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14-ft-x-...8vcG&_sacat=0&_nkw=tow+chains&_from=R40&rt=nc

Or make up your own with chain and these https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/x10-Camp...rab+hook+x&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=m570.l1313

And some of these load binders https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ratchet-...E&_sacat=0&_nkw=chain+ratchet&_from=R40&rt=nc

Bob

Infinitely adjustable

 

[500e]

Axminster do a version of the Bessey tube clamps you supply the pipe they have the ends
The pipe with one thread is expensive if you have a lathe or a die.
with the pipe you can chose any length to make
https://www.axminster.co.uk/hand-tools/clamps/sash-clamps

 

[Kent]

when ive had to do that in fhe past, i used a ratchet strap.

addendum: 75mm(?) x 12ft ratchet straps are useful for clamping.

can often be found on A roads just after laybys, or on the approach roads from industrial estates.

when I go looking, a good day round here (a1/m1/m62) can net me 10 or 12 ofthem in 4 hours.

Not sure I would have got the last set of doors I did with a ratchet strap however have used them as a come along many times and estate rail

 

[MattF]

Sash cramps are ok, but they wont take much pressure before they twist and pop off.

Proper sash cramps aren't wimpy things.

 

[Shox Dr]

Proper sash cramps aren't wimpy things.

They aren’t. But invariably a job needs more width than one will take so you bolt two together, then they twist.

 

[anto44]

I have this one that used to belong to my grandad then my dad and now me. It's a serious good clamp, I've seen my dad using a length of pipe on the handle of this loads of times to pull frames square. I think it might be record going by the colour but not sure. It's definitely not like the record ones we bought 3 or 4 years ago, they were just toys not proper tools.

 

[Ton-up]

They're not sash cramps, these are sash cramps....




Got loads of pairs, but these are the heaviest duty ones - 1600mm long, 70 x 20 mm T bars, dia 22 mm thread.
Sticker says Record 138/7