Homemade cam clamps

[SGraham]

I need some cam clamps, and (being cheap)I'd sure rather make them than buy them. Can anyone point me to a simple plan for doing this? Thanks in advance!
Steve

[mandolooter]

I bought one and went from there...real easy to make.
Im a woodworker by trade tho with a shop and tools.
Jeff

[Dave Cohen]

I made a couple dozen of them, got tired of it, and bought the rest. They aren't hard to make, though. Sloan's book, "Classic Guitar Construction", has some drawings of them. I think that an old issue of Fine Woodworking also has an article on them. One hint; the easiest hardware items to use for them are "roll pins" You can buy them in the 1/8"x1" size, drill 1/8" holes for them, and just tap them in.

[PaulD]

Too bad you didn't ask this a couple months ago... there was a lengthy discussion on MIMF.com about making them and at least one person posted his plans, if I recall. It's to old to be in the current forum and too new to be in the archives!

As Dave said, Sloan's book has them, as does the Lutherie Tools by the Guild of American Luthiers and Issue #71 of Fine Woodworking (July/August 1988)... you might be able to find it in one of their compilation books. I would scan one of these three sources for you but I don't have a scanner here at home.

They're pretty straightforward so you could probably scale and build them from some online pictures like this. Sloan specs the jaws at 9" long X 1-13/16" wide X 13/16" thick, which should give you a starting point.

pd

[SGraham]

Man I love the Cafe! Thanks, Dave and Paul for a starting place and a helpful hint. Also, Mandolooter, I'm glad to hear they're easy to make. Well, I guess easy is a pretty relative term.
Steve

[french guy]

I've made my own ( 20 or more ) in just a half a day
very easy to make with a circular table saw .
here a pics of this at work

[SGraham]

French Guy:
That's a nice looking set of clamps! Thanks for the photo.
Steve

[Dennis Russell]

Hello: I built several cam clamps from scrap oak and maple, first one I bought from stew mac but copied and added my own features. there are several plans and drawing from different sources, I have one drawing that I derived from the Guild Of American Luthiery, one of thier quarterly books, but not sure wich one,,, Good luck Dennis in Yuma Arizona