Official Luthiers Forum!

The power of google.

I was able to recently find a few websites through the power of google that describe and some even give measurements for building your own cam clamps.
Thinking of the cost of the clamps, I pulled one of mine out and observed that they do not seem too incredibly complicated.
I was wondering if any of you make your own cam clamps, and if so where would be a good place to buy the metal rod?

Hey Hesh that is not fair Paul signe yours

Look at tese threads.  Several members have made them at various times.

cam clamps *again*

Cam Clamps

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Boy am I slow!   

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

[QUOTE=WaddyT] Boy am I slow!   
[/QUOTE]

Sorry Waddy I have been ther so I had to laugh.

I made my own and it ended up costing me about $1.25 per clamp.  They arent pretty, but they work like a dream!

I bought the aluminum (3/16 x 3/4 x 48") on ebay for about a dollar a foot. I used some old 1x2 oak I had laying around and then used steel round pins I bought in bulk at the borg dirt cheap.

They are really easy to build. The advise I can give you if you decide to build them is not to build them too tight as this makes them hard to move up and down. The ones I built that were a bit "sloppy" work better than the ones where I tried to go for precision. Also, it really isnt all that important where you place the pivot pin for the cam. It will work just about any place you put it. Just shoot for slightly off-center of the place it would pivot if it were a perfect arc. I did every one of the cuts  of the wood with a cheap old table saw. Used a portaband to cut the aluminum.

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Reguards,

Ken H

Here are mine, if anyone wants a pdf. plan pm me. I used 5/16 flat stock.

There are also clamp 'plans' in Sloane's classical building book- check your public library if you don't have a copy, or you can get a copy via abebooks.com for $15+or so.
That said, I used to have a bunch and don't use them (or miss them) now. Go-bars and Pony knock-off bar clamps, and spring clamps seem to do the trick for me.

John