Demands:

I wanted to make hold down claps for my cheap T-Track. I wanted four to keep various modular tools in place (Jigsaw table, drill press, etc). I will also be able to use to lock pieces of stock in place.  Two smaller clamps will be used to keep stock tight on the drill press.

Used Materials:

• Multiplex (scraps in my case)
• Woodglue
• Metal Pipe
• M8 Bolt
• M8 Washers
• M8 Wingnut
• M8 Eye Nut
• Wax or spray finish

Used Tools:

• Belt sander
• Router
• Jig Saw

Design

Before setting out to design clamps of my own, I browsed around on the internet for a while. I found various examples, the wooden of which appealed most to me. For the larger ones, I took two circles (circumferences of tape rolls) and spaced them the centers about 15 centimeters apart. This was all done solely on feeling.

Then came the sawing. I am ever so glad to have bought a blade specially made cutting hardwood. I decided to make the clamps with two parts hardwood on the sides and pine in the middle.

After cutting all the parts, I sawed out one groove out of the middle of the pine, glued the thing together and sculpted with the belt sander. I took a bit of aluminum pipe, drilled a hole in it and cut the bit with the hole off.

I grabbed the bolt, the eye nut, the wing nut and the washers. I covered the wooden part in beeswax. For extra grip, I added small patches of an old bike tire that had died on me.

Putting the whole thing together resulted in a magnificently working clamp. Mind you, the T-track I have is a really cheap solution, hence the use of the wing nut and the amount of bowing.