Home Hand Tools Gripping Tools Clamps

Most of us only own one pair of hands, but Clamps help to free them up for other tasks by holding material firmly in place when required. Essential for wood workshops, metal workshops, mobile tradespeople and weekend DIYers, a good set of Clamps will help you to work more productively, efficiently and safely. There are a wide variety available and we stock lots of specialist models for specific tasks, but some of the most common are F Clamps, G Clamps, Quick Clamps, Sash Clamps and Spring Clamps.

Here's our quick application guide:

• F Clamps – a versatile clamp which is often suitable for bigger and smaller workpieces, the F clamp has a fixed jaw at the end and a moving jaw which can be slid up or down a bar to rapidly get it in position before tightening it down. Shaped like the letter F.
• G Clamps – perhaps what most people think of when they picture a clamp, the G Clamp has a solid metal body which is roughly shaped like the letter G. A good G Clamp will be very robust and can be tightened down very securely. However they can be slow to set up and have a fairly limited capacity.
• Quick Clamps - a favourite of trade professionals, the typical Quick Clamp functions the same as an F Clamp but it is designed for speed and can be used easily one handed, with a pump-style trigger that tightens it down with every squeeze, leaving your other hand free to hold the workpiece in position, answer the phone or do any number of multitasking applications. They also tend to be lightweight and portable, but can't be clamped down as tightly as the all-metal traditional types, and tend to have a shorter lifespan.
• Sash Clamps - ideal for holding larger frameworks during assembly, Sash Clamps usually have a much larger capacity than other types and most are designed to be bolted down to a work surface.
• Spring Clamps - a Spring Clamp is much like a heavy duty clothes peg and they are only suitable for use on thinner materials but they are compact, affordable and supremely quick and easy to use, meaning they are often the first choice for light duty applications.