Welding Clamps: Types and Usage

One of the most important tools that everyone should use when welding is the humble clamp. They come in various shapes and sizes, and each and every one has its own unique usage. They make it incredibly easy to hold metals in place for welding, and they’re pretty much indispensable for larger and more difficult projects. Using them is also a breeze, but don’t forget to use them in combination with welding helmets, for the best results. They make welding easy and accessible and vastly improve the quality of work.

What Exactly Are Welding Clamps

In short, welding clamps are pieces of equipment that hold two pieces of metal together that need to be welded. They’re used when welders need to run the arc and weld the pieces together, only without them moving at all. That’s the whole point of welding clamps, they’re meant to enable you to weld materials together in a tight alignment. They work wonders for projects that are difficult to weld by hand, which are typically larger sheets of metal. However, that doesn’t mean they’re only good for larger pieces because butt welding panel clamps are amazing and built specifically for this. That means you can always expect a lot of versatility when it comes to any type of panel clamp on the market.

Types of Welding Clamps

There are numerous types of projects that require the use of welding clamps. That’s why they come in different shapes and sizes, each one with a different purpose depending on the project. It’s wise to at least know what are the types of clamps so that you’ll have a better understanding when you’re looking for the one you need the most:

• Bar Clamps
• Beam Clamps
• Bench Clamps
• C Clamps
• Divide Clamps
• Divide Long Series Clamps
• Edge Clamps
• F Clamps
• Hose Clamps
• Kant Twist Clamps
• Locking Chain Clamps
• Locking Clamps
• Miter Clamps
• Parallel Clamps
• Picture Frame Clamps
• Pipe Clamps
• Sash Clamps
• Scissor Clamps
• Sheet Metal Clamps
• Spring Clamps
• Table Clamps
• Vertical Clamps
• Web Clamps
• Wood Hand Screw Clamps
  

  Welding Clamp Usage

  Even though using panel welding clamps isn’t exactly rocket science, there are still a few things you need to know first. Their main usage is to hold two pieces of metal together to allow you to weld them together while still being able to use both hands. They are incredibly handy for this because they’ll hold the sheets together tightly, allowing you to weld them at any angle. They can even be used to create corners with different angles so as to weld from outside and inside the joint. That means you can fulfil your blueprint’s full potential simply by being able to weld at all angles.
  

What to Look for in Welding Clamps

Understanding which panel welding clamp to use in your project is key to utilising your project’s full potential. They’re a tool to be used, like any other tool, and their utility comes from their importance and value in the project, as well as the precision level required in the project. However, there are a lot of different things you need to know about the welding clamps themselves, which are:

Material

Like any other tool, the type of material used is quite important for body panel clamps. Most clamps are typically made out of either stainless steel or cast iron. If you’re looking for higher-quality clamps, then definitely go for the stainless steel ones because stainless steel doesn’t rust. However, they can be a bit more expensive. Cast iron clamps tend to rust after a while, but they are significantly more affordable. If you’re looking for full precision, and you need your clamps to last a long while, then definitely get stainless steel ones. Otherwise, cast iron ones can be quite useful.

Clamp Build

Most clamps have a similar build, with the main difference being how they’re manufactured. They can be either forged or pieced together, and that can play a big role in their usage. Forged ones tend to be quite sturdy, but once you break or crack it, it’s no longer usable. However, the ones that are pieced together typically have replaceable parts, meaning you can just replace the part that broke or cracked, which is why they tend to last longer.

Padding

If your project needs extra attention to aesthetics, where even the tiniest scratch can potentially ruin the project, then you should definitely consider clamps with padding. They might be more expensive than normal, but the padding used is quite good to secure the sheets of metal together without it sustaining any damage in the welding process. They’re typically used when you need extra precision and won’t paint the project afterwards.

Jaw Gap

Jaw gap is pretty much self-explanatory. The gap is the maximum distance between the teeth of the clamp, and the thicker the metal sheets, the larger the jaw gap needs to be. If you need a larger jaw gap, then the clamp you’re going to get will most likely be larger. That’s why it’s always recommended to have several differently-sized clamps because you never know the exact amount of jaw gap you’re going to need.

Correct Alignment

This aspect of clamps is a bit harder to define because this is the clamp’s ability to correctly align the metal sheets for the best welding. You need to make sure that the clamps are doing a good enough job of aligning everything before starting work because you might find yourself working on a project that was doomed from the start.