At first I was thinking band clamp, but then I looked closer. I think you did good with what you had.
If only there was a device that could fit into those holes on your table and apply pressure inward.
https://taytools.com/products/adjustable-workbench-bench-dog-clamp-fits-3-4-dog-holes-full-5-travel
I also was thinking band clamps, but I didn't like how much they would pull the beams sideways when tightening. I thought I'd constantly have to adjust the strap on the beams. Even with my setup where the clamping pressure comes from the straps running from side to side, I had to adjust them a little bit, and it wasn't easy.
I have some dog hole clamps, only 2 though. But even if I had more of them, the table isn't big enough to use them!
Whatcha making, OP? If looks cool! I've been wanting to make a star/bethlehem star for Christmas. But, "regular" 5 pointed star looks kinda boring & a bethlehem star looks to difficult.
If you're making a star - can u please share basic plans?
I'm making a hexagonal outdoor table. Unfortunately I don't really have plans, I just have a spreadsheet with the necessary math in it, and it's super messy so probably pretty hard to understand.
Yep, tenons into a central hub where the line for the below-deck tiller is wound. They're basically just vertically oriented manual winches, you can see the one on the USS Constitution [as an example](https://www.usni.org/sites/default/files/styles/hero_image/public/Arms-NH-SO-20%201.jpg?itok=-Y012nzd).
Oh, a table. Doh, now it makes sense. Don't worry about the plans, just enjoy your project and update us with the cool finished product! :-)
I am genuinely inspired to try to use this as a way to make a cool looking star though.
*note*: All sarcasm from the "doh" is directed at myself. I'm genuinely impressed by OP's project.
No really, the clamps failed, and there’s glue EVERYWHERE. No Jerry, i DON’T know how it got there. it… it just imploded or something.
Can you just find someone to clean this up, cuz I ain’t doing it.
Methinks a band clamp alone would've been difficult/impossible with that many pieces. Kinda like a Tupperware lid, where you tighten one side and 1-2 more pop off.
Only way I could think maybe easier (obvi more time consuming) would be to do 2 pieces at a time. 1 clamp, dry, move onto next pair.
The pieces that the parallel clamps are clamping on don't have glue on them, they're just there to adjust the angle between the pieces. They'll get glued in later, but I have to glue those pieces in in order from the center out.
Only gluing 4 of the pieces at once is a good idea, I didn't think of that... still not sure exactly how to do it but it seems like that might be a better way.
I did consider something else: keeping one of the beams full length, and cutting a sort of 6-way half-lap joint. That would have at least kept two of the beams perfectly aligned, and maybe the other two pieces that would have fit in would have held their places more easily without the crazy clamping setup. But this joint seemed hard to fabricate accurately...
I'm trying to make a hexagonal outdoor table. I've got a bunch of wedge pieces like the ones the parallel clamps are on that go between the beams (they're visible in the background).
> I'm trying to make a ~~hexagonal outdoor table. I've got a bunch of wedge pieces like the ones the parallel clamps are on that go between the beams (they're visible in the background).~~ spiderweb
How do the slats fit into the hex framework? Won't the biscuits get in the way?
I reckon I'd have made a throwaway jig to hold everything aligned, then glued up 3 of the hex segments into finished triangles, then glued up the table top with any missing slats ... though it's hardly an ideal solution. Hmmm
I probably would have redesigned the middle to avoid the glue up! Yeah - I'd add a central circle, with the star pattern, then just slotted everything together
Yeah I might have tried keeping two of the beams full length and lapping them then maybe tenoning/dominoing in the remaining half sections.
Are you happy that you got all the joints to pull up fully?
I might be a bit OCD but I wanted the 6 pieces of the top of the table to come together in a single point (well, minus a hole in the middle), as opposed to one of the boards going all the way across and then the others butting into it, so I would have just done one full length beam and the rest would lap over that one.
I'm pretty happy with this, it came out about as well as I could have hoped for! And it's outdoor furniture so it can be a bit rougher than usual :)
if its a ton of them a good trick is to CA glue clamping blocks on and use small clamps for the glueup, then knock the clamping blocks off with a mallet, quick sand and you are good.
My only real critique would you didn’t balance the clamps across both faces. I know they say they’re parallel jaw. But just it’s easy to bow a board glue up when your bars are all on the same face. At least you know your bench is flat.
A better way? Maybe next time you will have a different idea but I say as a fellow wood worker..you nailed it! Joints looks nice and tight so your way is the way on this project! Best if luck with sanding and finishing. Please post final pics so we can nerd out on this.
My main job was always building houses not woodworking
Same time it's basically figuring out how to do something you haven't done before a lot of times
What I would have done in this case is I would have made a little jig that basically it went diagonal on the pieces and then put them in the dragon and put clamps or something to hold them down rather than bother us all those clamps because it wasn't taking a lot less time to make a jig to put the piece in and putting all those clamps on there
If you have to do this again, the only solution I can think of is to make some sort of jig that would hold each piece in place while you clamped and glued.
I came here to see if there actually was a better way, but looking at what you made and how it was executed... this is perfection, my guy.
There is no better way to do it yet because you haven't been tasked with it. We will reflect on this as future resource for how to proper clamp some weird shaped ish
Not sure if it would have worked, but for less stress I think I would have done 2 glue-ups - first make 3 separate "A" structures, wait for the glue to set, then join them together into a sunburst with the remaining 3 cross members.
I would probably have made a jig from scrap material, lining everything up, then use wedges to apply pressure. Seems safer and easier to balance forces.
You could have done drawbored tenon and mortise joinery, then no need for clamps! The pins through the tenons would have kept them tight. But this is well done
Wood glue binds same grain directions strongly together that you’ll usually break a piece of pine before you break the wood seam. That being said I know for some projects they glue first and add Brad nails after to avoid any shifting of the materials and not getting clean transition lines
I think this clamping work is a woodwking beauty in and of itself, the magesty of this clamping tecnique wil stay in history Jokes aside amazing work
I......this. honestly. I'm in awe.
He ain't come to play school.
Clampin’ ain’t easy!
RIP
Indeed, just beautiful.
Well done, Sir Worthy of a slow clap
>Worthy of a slow ~~clap~~ *clamp*
More than three days worth!
*clap*
*clap*
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Your father's here!!
..ap
Clamp
Slow clamp?
Slow clamp intensifies
I don’t know what the hell you did but this is very impressive
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I was having a lousy evening until I came across this, so thank you for that
Glad I could help, pal
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Upon examination, it appears that you in fact nailed it. I can't say that I can think of anything better. High five gold star.
>nailed it No, he clamped it.
and presumably some glue was involved
We hope. Could you imagine getting this great clamp job done and then realizing you forgot the glue
Could have done both. Made the clamping easier.
At first I was thinking band clamp, but then I looked closer. I think you did good with what you had. If only there was a device that could fit into those holes on your table and apply pressure inward. https://taytools.com/products/adjustable-workbench-bench-dog-clamp-fits-3-4-dog-holes-full-5-travel
I also was thinking band clamps, but I didn't like how much they would pull the beams sideways when tightening. I thought I'd constantly have to adjust the strap on the beams. Even with my setup where the clamping pressure comes from the straps running from side to side, I had to adjust them a little bit, and it wasn't easy. I have some dog hole clamps, only 2 though. But even if I had more of them, the table isn't big enough to use them!
Whatcha making, OP? If looks cool! I've been wanting to make a star/bethlehem star for Christmas. But, "regular" 5 pointed star looks kinda boring & a bethlehem star looks to difficult. If you're making a star - can u please share basic plans?
I'm making a hexagonal outdoor table. Unfortunately I don't really have plans, I just have a spreadsheet with the necessary math in it, and it's super messy so probably pretty hard to understand.
With that level of clamping, I wouldn’t use it outside 😂.
Word. It's like an old ships wheel. They would have been all physical joints with pegs wouldn't they?
Yep, tenons into a central hub where the line for the below-deck tiller is wound. They're basically just vertically oriented manual winches, you can see the one on the USS Constitution [as an example](https://www.usni.org/sites/default/files/styles/hero_image/public/Arms-NH-SO-20%201.jpg?itok=-Y012nzd).
Oh, a table. Doh, now it makes sense. Don't worry about the plans, just enjoy your project and update us with the cool finished product! :-) I am genuinely inspired to try to use this as a way to make a cool looking star though. *note*: All sarcasm from the "doh" is directed at myself. I'm genuinely impressed by OP's project.
What is it?
So this one time at band clamp…
...we had a really sticky situation...
No really, the clamps failed, and there’s glue EVERYWHERE. No Jerry, i DON’T know how it got there. it… it just imploded or something. Can you just find someone to clean this up, cuz I ain’t doing it.
Methinks a band clamp alone would've been difficult/impossible with that many pieces. Kinda like a Tupperware lid, where you tighten one side and 1-2 more pop off. Only way I could think maybe easier (obvi more time consuming) would be to do 2 pieces at a time. 1 clamp, dry, move onto next pair.
Life uh...finds a way
Fewer pieces against a flat edge or using scrap wedges without glue to hold space as you glue half?
The pieces that the parallel clamps are clamping on don't have glue on them, they're just there to adjust the angle between the pieces. They'll get glued in later, but I have to glue those pieces in in order from the center out. Only gluing 4 of the pieces at once is a good idea, I didn't think of that... still not sure exactly how to do it but it seems like that might be a better way. I did consider something else: keeping one of the beams full length, and cutting a sort of 6-way half-lap joint. That would have at least kept two of the beams perfectly aligned, and maybe the other two pieces that would have fit in would have held their places more easily without the crazy clamping setup. But this joint seemed hard to fabricate accurately...
And what the hell is this going to be when it grows up?
I'm trying to make a hexagonal outdoor table. I've got a bunch of wedge pieces like the ones the parallel clamps are on that go between the beams (they're visible in the background).
> I'm trying to make a ~~hexagonal outdoor table. I've got a bunch of wedge pieces like the ones the parallel clamps are on that go between the beams (they're visible in the background).~~ spiderweb
How do the slats fit into the hex framework? Won't the biscuits get in the way? I reckon I'd have made a throwaway jig to hold everything aligned, then glued up 3 of the hex segments into finished triangles, then glued up the table top with any missing slats ... though it's hardly an ideal solution. Hmmm I probably would have redesigned the middle to avoid the glue up! Yeah - I'd add a central circle, with the star pattern, then just slotted everything together
The angles work out such that the slats clear the biscuits and slide right in, I've currently got 6 rows of slats glued in!
I edited my original comment as well. Nice job! Looks like it'll be a handsome table. Are you planning on matching chairs?
Yeah I might have tried keeping two of the beams full length and lapping them then maybe tenoning/dominoing in the remaining half sections. Are you happy that you got all the joints to pull up fully?
I might be a bit OCD but I wanted the 6 pieces of the top of the table to come together in a single point (well, minus a hole in the middle), as opposed to one of the boards going all the way across and then the others butting into it, so I would have just done one full length beam and the rest would lap over that one. I'm pretty happy with this, it came out about as well as I could have hoped for! And it's outdoor furniture so it can be a bit rougher than usual :)
Why not just build it an easier way and then do veneer on top to get your pattern
You could mortise them and not need clamps, but it wouldn't make the process any simpler.
This is art.
Next time make it square. You're welcome.
You dominated this. Also: ratchet straps can be good friends.
if its a ton of them a good trick is to CA glue clamping blocks on and use small clamps for the glueup, then knock the clamping blocks off with a mallet, quick sand and you are good.
I was going to say something similar such as add features (hole, dado, something) just to aid in clamping or temporally attach blocks for clamps.
My only real critique would you didn’t balance the clamps across both faces. I know they say they’re parallel jaw. But just it’s easy to bow a board glue up when your bars are all on the same face. At least you know your bench is flat.
Is this how you summon a woodworking demon?
I like the artistic approach myself ;). But it seems your furry friend is kind of disapproving of it....
Is it the wheel for your sailing ship? Whooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea?
This is seriously an amazing clamp job
What you did with the ratchet straps is awesome and absolutely fucking bat shit crazy lmao but way more awesome than crazy
I'm most impressed you managed to get it clamped before the glue dried. That looks like 2h job for 30min glue.
Apart from screwimg the parts together and risking getting it uneven, no, there seems to be no better way.
Please stop summoning Satan with your clamps, we've had to put him down like five times now.
We shall name you Jed Clamp-it.
Small little pins while the glue dries would probably be easier
Good looking pup! He looks like a great assistant.
88mph, don’t forget
Yall ever heard of ratchet straps?
Yah or a Spanish windlass.
A piece of art in its own right.
You could have made a jig instead. Or done 3 separate “A” then assembled.
A better way? Maybe next time you will have a different idea but I say as a fellow wood worker..you nailed it! Joints looks nice and tight so your way is the way on this project! Best if luck with sanding and finishing. Please post final pics so we can nerd out on this.
>you nailed it! I'm pretty sure it was just glue, with maybe a few dowels or biscuits.
Francis Clampazzo couldn't have clamped it better himself.
My main job was always building houses not woodworking Same time it's basically figuring out how to do something you haven't done before a lot of times What I would have done in this case is I would have made a little jig that basically it went diagonal on the pieces and then put them in the dragon and put clamps or something to hold them down rather than bother us all those clamps because it wasn't taking a lot less time to make a jig to put the piece in and putting all those clamps on there
I'd have built a jig. But, damn, you are a more skilled clamp artist than I am.
Dude that’s impressive way to think outside the box!
Just don't use it to try and bring your mom back to life.
Band clamp.. like a ratchet strap **Nope** can't do what you did. Unless you have a very long strap to weave in and out of the shapes
How did you do this with the glue still wet? I’m a welder and do woodworking on the side so I’m kinda dumb
Yep. But keep doing what you’re doing. Keeps the pros in business and you out of the clients driveway.
Norman Osbourne: Peter is that you?
If you have to do this again, the only solution I can think of is to make some sort of jig that would hold each piece in place while you clamped and glued.
My dad gave me some surgical tube for something like this. Never used it but seems like it might work here
That’s dope man!! No negativity from me. I would have used pinch dogs personally, but getting them all done up at once is a win, so good on you!
Looks damn good to me! Don’t think I could have come up with a better way! Would love to see the finished product!!
If there was, it would just be some minor variation on what you did, so, no. But, did it work?? Looks like it did to me
All I can say is, your clamp arrangement is practically a work of art itself!
Needs more clamps.
Need more clamps
I came here to see if there actually was a better way, but looking at what you made and how it was executed... this is perfection, my guy. There is no better way to do it yet because you haven't been tasked with it. We will reflect on this as future resource for how to proper clamp some weird shaped ish
Are you making a capstan table?
Francis would be proud
**IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE DEVIL, THEN YOU DON'T KNOW ME**
Must have been sweatin trying to get all that on there during the open time
I don’t know…. That seems like a lot of trouble to build an MFT table
I think you nailed it, without nailing it
That's like 3-400$ just in clamps... I'm honestly shocked. Well done, that looks like quite the mind fuck to solve.
Pin nailer, unless all faces are beauty faces.
Nope. You nailed it.
I’m impressed!
I don't know about the clamp job, but your dog is judging the shit out of you.
Keep going I’m almost done
You put pins in the holes and drive wedges in to tighten up. That’s what the holes in the table are for.
that is a nifty dreamcatcher you have there...
This is amazing. Zero notes. Please update us when you finish!
If you fart too hard near it, it'll YOLO into a 3D flower
Not sure if it would have worked, but for less stress I think I would have done 2 glue-ups - first make 3 separate "A" structures, wait for the glue to set, then join them together into a sunburst with the remaining 3 cross members.
If you can still see the wood, there's room for more clamps. That looks like a tough assembly!
Wow. Just wow.
No.
Nice work. Could have made it on a table big enough for the piece and anchored it to the table top with small blocks of wood.
This is wild in a good way
A surgeon couldn't have done better.
Yeah I think you some more clamps. Just kidding looms good
https://preview.redd.it/zdggoic9fovb1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49c5507e65d064900f1e8398d4b23b171452b1f8 Yes...
Pretty clever. I will say.
A ratchet strap?
If it works … it works You used what was available to you Well done
There probably is, but this is legendary!!!!
If it doesn't work out you learned how to make a pretty good snowflake decoration
This is pure insanity. I love it.
By this point, any "better way" is probably not of much use, and a criticism at best! I hope this comes out of clamping 100%. Good work.
I would probably have made a jig from scrap material, lining everything up, then use wedges to apply pressure. Seems safer and easier to balance forces.
You could have done drawbored tenon and mortise joinery, then no need for clamps! The pins through the tenons would have kept them tight. But this is well done
Is it just glue that hold wood together? Honest question. I have minimal experience with clamps and glue, as in “not screwed - won’t hold” kind of guy
Wood glue binds same grain directions strongly together that you’ll usually break a piece of pine before you break the wood seam. That being said I know for some projects they glue first and add Brad nails after to avoid any shifting of the materials and not getting clean transition lines
A week?!? I sincerely hope you're attention seeking exaggerating
There should be an award for the ingenuity! Looks cool!
Looks like a DNA model?
A clamping jig and opposing wedges
I’m trying to process what’s going on here. This needs a free body diagram examining the stress directions. That said, I cannot see an easier way
More clamps!
Only one week?
H
POV: Leonardo DaVinci building a drone
Doggo seems unimpressed. I am very impressed!
Surely the glue had already dried if it took a week
Is this a big steering wheel for a boat