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The Rockler Bandy Clamp really does represent new thinking in spring clamps that extends their use immensely. Click image to enlarge

Rockler’s Bandy Clamp

Yes, the spring clamp can be made better

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 3-21-2015

Not long ago I would have bet real money that the spring clamp had evolved as far as it could go. They have been made bigger, smaller, longer and some just plain stranger. Some of the low-buck spring clamps were inadvertently exciting because they had been designed down to meet a ridiculously low price point and they exploded when squeezed with a frightening regularity. The folks at Rockler don’t do silly engineering and have managed to give the spring clamp a legitimate upgrade that exceeds their own expectations in terms of all around usefulness. Witness their Rockler Bandy Clamp.

The Basics

The body of the Rockler Bandy Clamp is made from high strength nylon with the jaws featuring internal webbed re enforcement to maintain rigidity under the clamping pressure. That pressure is developed by a tough steel coil spring at the hinge point. A rubber over mold on the grip area makes the Rockler Bandy Clamp more comfortable to use and highly slip resistant in the hand.

To be sure the clamping pressure does not mark up valuable wood or other surfaces a pair of pivoting, oversized rubber pads give the Rockler Bandy Clamp an exceptionally slip resistant grip on most substrates. The bowed jaw design lets the Rockler’s Bandy Clamp work on a huge range of material thicknesses.

The Band

What sets the Rockler Bandy Clamp apart is the rubber band fixed between the jaws. This band is just over 1”-wide and long enough that you can open the jaws fully. The band has a good amount of stretch to it but remains firm enough to hold “stuff” against an edge. I say “stuff” because the Rockler Bandy Clamp is one of those rare tools for which you are likely to find new uses for as long as you own it.

Everything from the hidden coil spring (left) to the unique rubber band (right) make the Rockler Bandy Clamp usable in who-knows how many ways in the shop and around the house. I suspect we will constantly find uses for these remarkable variations on the spring clamp theme. Click images to enlarge

Some of the obvious uses for the Rockler’s Bandy Clamp are holding edging of nearly any shape that will fit between the jaws against the edge of a substrate. I do have other clamps that will hold things against an edge but they have three screw clamping faces that all have to be adjusted to hold the edging in place. I can put dozens of Rockler Bandy Clamps in place in the time it takes to adjust one of the screw type edge clamps. The three jaw technology should be relegated to history.

An important advantage of the Rockler Bandy Clamp is that the rubber band does not crush, dent, scrape or otherwise mark up the piece it is holding firmly. If you work with decorative edging this no-damage property can make the Rockler Bandy Clamp a must have. Many woodworkers use pieces of dowel between pipe and bar clamp faces and the wood to apply pressure without rocking the wood up or down. With the Rockler Bandy Clamp holding the dowel in position applying the pipe or bar clamp is fast and simple. Before the Rockler Bandy Clamp came along this simple-appearing chore could be endlessly frustrating.

The Rockler Bandy Clamp band conforms to virtually any shape and applies a good amount of force that will hold whatever is captured firmly against an edge. Combined with the super sticky jaw pads the grip generated by the Rockler Bandy Clamp is remarkable. The pivoting action of the jaws increases the grip over conventional spring clamps on surfaces that are not perfectly parallel. Because it holds so firmly and is so easy to move you can often use fewer clamps overall to complete a job. Two or four Rockler Bandy Clamps will work where you might need several of the screw clamp designs and you will get done way faster with fewer Rockler Bandy Clamps.

In the Shop

This is going to be one of the shorter “In the Shop” segments because using the Rockler Bandy Clamp is dead simple. As is often true with the best tools the real extent of its usefulness will only become evident after you use them a while and see how many things you can use it for. And don’t limit the Rockler Bandy Clamp to the woodworking shop. Anyplace you need to hold something that fits in the jaws can be made easier. Need to keep a cord out of the way? Rockler’s Bandy Clamp to the rescue. Want to clamp a hose to a lawn chair to water a small area, the Rockler Bandy Clamp is rust-proof and more than up to the job. The best way to make use of the Rockler Bandy Clamp is to remember you have them, new uses around your shop and home will reveal themselves.

Conclusions

The Rockler Bandy Clamp is simply a great innovation based on an age-old tool. The Rockler’s Bandy Clamp takes this old technology into the future with quality materials and an innovative design that makes the compatible job list virtually endless. In addition to the comfortable feel to the hand and the ease of using the Rockler Bandy Clamp there remains the unknown limit to the usefulness of this tool. I would suggest that you store your Rockler Bandy Clamps in plain sight where your mind can connect them to more tasks than you might think possible. It’s that little rubber band that makes so much possible.

Being able to hold edging securely with no setup (left) is just one of hundreds of applications you will find once you start using these clamps. Check out the video to see more about these clamps including more ways to use them. Click image to enlarge

Best of all is that the Rockler Bandy Clamp sells for just $19.99 per pair. (2-28-2015) Considering the cost of mere mortal spring clamps that only wish they had the versatility of the Rockler Bandy Clamp the real deal is an even better investment.

Visit the Rockler Bandy Clamp web page – Click Here

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