Deep Reach Clamps

There is a good variety of large long clamps for working on various glue jobs in the Luthiery business. But what about clamps for the little guys? Ukuleles, Mandolins, Violins, and related small acoustic instruments need small light weight clamps. We may need to fit multiples of these with out breaking the top clamping down a long crack repair, for example. I want to suggest some vintage clamps that are perfect for many repairs on small acoustics.

Some of these clamps are no longer made. I favor clamps made by the Jorgensen/Pony clamp company because of their excellent screw end clamping swivels.

The clamps below are not vintage. They are available everywhere. But they are much too long for some small acoustic instrument work. On ukuleles they won’t fit into the sound hole.

The clamp below has deeper than average reach and excellent clamping power. It is not really a deep reach clamp.

These are heavy duty clamps. They may be too heavy for use on delecate tops. This clamp is no longer made.

The clamps below are only available from vintage tool sellers and eBay. They are light weight but very sturdy and great for clamping long cracks on small acoustic instruments.

You might not think the #236 clamps are worth much, but you can clamp into some very tight places. And the knurled thumb screws work better than expected. Typical for Jorgensen/Pony clamps. The blue plastic is three sheets of flexible cutting board. This material is reviewed elsewhere.