Tricks and Tutorials - How to Make Your Own Cam or Luthier Clamps

[@Tricknologyinc]

The abrasive is an attempt to compensate for the wrong curve on your cam. The whole point of a cam is to have an apex that turns just slightly past the perpendicular line from the clamping surface to the pin center. To make an effective cam, select two circle diameters who's difference equal the maximum amount of deflection and pressure you wish to achieve with your clamp. The small diameter will just barely contact the clamp while the larger diameter represents the plateau you will reach to clamp. You can either continue the larger diameter the rest of the way around the cam, so that you can swing the arm to any position after the clamp point, if you think this might give you a potential clearance for some other reason, or you can end the cam with a flat section to stop it from continuing. The problem with a flat, is that it acts as an extreme cam that could allow someone who doesn't understand the concept, to pick up your clamp and break the jaw off of it, despite your reinforcement pin. I would also like to suggest using a screw instead of a pin for the reinforcement, as it actually grips the grain to prevent splitting. I suggest a countersunk screw with the head left on, so that if your clamp is broken, you can glue on a new jaw, instead of starting from scratch because you can't extract the blind screw you sawed off to achieve the purist look. The abrasive is going to wear your clamp out faster than you are going to want, and the abrasive will also quickly clog, reducing the friction that is compensating for the improper cam design. Look at your commercial clamps. They don't have anywhere NEAR the deflection you have on yours. You're just begging to break that jaw off, and never need that much pressure for this type of clamp. Cam clamps are for gluing and do not require much pressure. If you need more pressure, your parts to be glued aren't properly formed and fitted. I'm going to watch someone else' video now and see if I can't harass them about something. Thanks for the video. Love the paisley camp clams! I wonder who's gonna notice the spelling poke I threw in here...

[@EllingtonPicks]

Tricknologyinc a

[@duks1111]

" i shall treat everybody as an idiot" - words to live by , my friend, true words of wisdom

[@outcast1871]

Very nice work, great to see someone pay attention to the small details. I do not play guitar, but if anyone does out there, always look for the maker who does sweat the small stuff.

[@stepcorngrumbleteats7683]

Great Clamps ! Wonderful results and I'm sure the wood was chosen for beauty, not just utility. Looking forward to your next video, "Making an Insert for your Oscillating Spindle Sander" Thanx

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

I may have to make another video using that method.. I did consider doing it that way but opted for solid construction in the end.. I do need a number of small cam clamps for finer work come to think of it.. There's a very easy fix if the sandpaper does start eating away the wood.. just glue another piece on the opposite face.. the fine tuning option really does greatly improve them for me.

[@Andyjpro]

Yes. Especially if you're desoldering something. It's also easy to drop your iron. Long pants are a good idea too.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

You would think that as a trained violin and baroque instrument maker I would have thought of that!? Good idea sir!

[@nadnerb978]

It's also a great method for making mallets. I haven't bought any type of mallet for 20 years. mostly handy for making leatherfaced dead blows.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

a man after my own heart! Always question why things are the way they are and then experiment, you make some mistakes and waste some time but it certainly makes life more interesting.. I agree with givemeajackson the only reason I can think of is storage space/the tools footprint when not in use.

[@jeffreyforbes6787]

Yes, most kind of you to share this info with these great videos! I love the way you describe the steps rather spontaneously, rather than using a prepared script. And that you are willing to show your small mistakes and corrections as you go. This makes the entire process seem much more real to me, as opposed to some of the TV woodworking shows where everything fits perfectly every time. I hope that you will continue to share with your very natural teaching style. Cheers from Idaho!

[@tedweddell758]

Excellent tutorial! I have another method for building cam clamps in which I use 3 plies of wood to make the jaws. The center ply is cut to accommodate the bar and cam. This way I don't have to route out the cam slot. This also insures the openings are centered. If the bar is thinner than the cam, small filler pieces can be glued in place to make the bar slot narrower. I concur with Woodeso... the sandpaper will wear away the wood in short time. Cam clamps are not meant to be adjustable.

[@nadnerb978]

Also you can make the channel which the metal bar runs through the head at a 2-5 degree angle towards the cam to help the clamp not go out of parallel under pressure. Just like a traditional bench dog.

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

OK ITS very complex but nicely made ---well done !

[@alaunc]

Love these videos, man! As a novice guitar builder, your tutorials are indispensable to me. A very practical, straight-forward approach. Furthermore, thanks for this diy clamps vid. I was very much needing a video on this subject! keep up the awesome work!

[@JoeKyser]

Ah super glue twice in the eyes! this is an old video, nice its recommended

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

probably a good idea, if I had thought about it beforehand I would have at least rough sanded the edges of the cam.. still, the sandpaper (though an after-thought) really made a big difference to the operation. They worked alright without it though so it really is just an optional upgrade.. :)

[@MustacheVerra]

Nice. But aren't you worried about the sand paper slowly eating away your clamp if you know what i mean?

[@ninoarche8514]

Excelente las prensas y también el video. Muchas gracias. Saludos desde Argentina.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you. Wishing you all the best for 2022 DC

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you :-) I want to make a set of ultra-mini ones next for fine work.. 2" long sound fun?

[@charles888]

I applaud your efforts in making and sharing this. There are many ways to approach making cam clamps, but, unless they are made with relatively high precision, their action will be sloppy and their effectiveness compromised. For example, when the cam is thrown, the two jaws must be parallel, not as shown at 21:21. If not, they don't work well on thin materials - the ends of the jaws contact each other prior to the cam exerting any pressure- and will tend to pull the piece being clamped as the cam is thrown. Keeping the jaws parallel is achieved by the fit of the metal bar in the jaws' slots and the pins that hold/position the metal bar. Also, the eccentric hole in the cam should be vertically aligned with the point of contact of the cam in its slot, allowing infinite control over the amount of pressure exerted, eliminating the need for gluing sandpaper to the cam. If not, most of the progressive cam action is lost, making the cam "on/off", as described, and requiring greater friction (e.g. sandpaper) to prevent the cam from slipping. A simple wood screw, instead of the glued-in metal dowel, is sufficient to prevent splitting of the "tongue" at the end of the saw cut. There are other design consideration too lengthy to mention herein.

[@micheloderso]

Yeah, Yeah, "the good old superglue" lol. Nice work, like always, thanks for posting!

[@budandbean1]

I love you Ben! It's so cool to watch these older videos now just to see how far you have come! Man, I remember this. Seems like yesterday I was watching it for the first time. Congrats to you for a fine company! Uh, hey Ben... How much would you make and sell me some of these? Uh, Does Crimson Guitars make and sell both sizes? Hint...Hint... Do I get a couple free for the idea? Your guys could make these easily, right? Right!

[@engenhero42]

living and learning hug from Portugal

[@seanrusxxx2382]

lol when you were cutting the metal bar it would have been so funny if your fly was open :) Love your videos by the way...great stuff

[@shibumi44]

nice video will be making some clamps soon this will be my reference thanx

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

the routing.. my god how scary and what a silly way to do that job! I now have a table saw and don't know how I survived without one, hell even a normal router table is preferable to the method I use in this video, but hey, we live and learn!

[@audiotechlabs4650]

Ben, I am slowly viewing your videos, and find them very helpful. These where you build or make or sharpen needed tools are great! Thankz

[@WoodsconsinWoodworking]

to fix the situation of making the grove for the cam there are two other options to routing it out. 1st option used the tablesaw. Set the blade height as the same as the router bit height. and push your wood into the blade and stop the wood to the desired lenght of cut. the blade will naturally give you a curve for the cam to rest in. this is because the blade is round. the next option is to chisel it out after making some relief cuts exactly down the edge of the lengt of cut desired for the cam. basically you are rip cutting a angle. then chisel out the angle and shape the curve in. There is no reason to cut off the wood and re-glue wood back on. I hope that this added a much better solution to the aid of the cam dado.

[@FiddleneckFlyFishing]

Very nice. I love to see as much artistry and craftsmanship go into ones tools as one puts into their finished product. ill be making the same but i might try leather in place of the sand paper you used.

[@lordmcted]

had an idea for getting around that routing part, using a forstner bit and chain drilling it. excellent video man, love your style of presentation, take care.

[@acusticsix]

great job! nice touch with the sandpaper on the cam..... thanks for your insight.....cheers tim providence,r.i.

[@tutorialinater]

You should offer these in the shop

[@gumboy5533]

Simple yet effective.

[@tomahoks]

I'm glad you have a portable mic nowadays.

[@deezynar]

i would have the cam lever be perpendicular to the jaw in its non-pressure setting, and point to the bar when it is clamped. that seems to allow the user to apply more pressure to set the cam. the down side to that is it would be harder to release the pressure. i suppose that answers my question as to why they are typicaly the way they are now. i'd be tempted to make a couple in the reverse pattern to experiment.

[@vladimirasnovosadas1160]

Спасибо ! Мне очень понравилось и теперь я сумею сделать. Так приятно когда можно самому сделать такой инструмент и незачем покупать.Ещё раз благодарю и вот это будет - классно !...

[@daciancose9119]

Is mko8juccvvv. Hnjjjnnñbjlmkrhlllpl😴😢😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😉😉😯😯😯😢😁😈😯😐😯😯😯😯😯😴😴oijkkppll7....,...jk

[@givemeajackson]

if you'd push it on, the cam would simply be pushed back due to the direction of the force and the location of the nail it's rotating on. the direction of the pressure has to be lined up with the nail, otherwise the cam would just flex back.

[@makenchips]

Love the clamps good video on how to build appreciate they have you ever measured the actual load coming out of these clamps in terms of Newton's or in pounds?

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Won't the sandpaper eventually ruin that inside route? Why not use something like a rubber band? Also the sandpaper will eventually ware out won't is? Anyway, wonderful video as always. Looking forward to some more guitar building stuff.

[@hiiamtonytonychopper9161]

i watch this in 2019 lol old but gold

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

without the metal studs to push against the clamps would not have the pressure required to actually clamp anything down.. thanks for watching!

[@the430movie]

Making tools old school methods... Real wood working in progress.

[@TristanJCumpole]

Hah! The master of understatement! :-D

[@EEJester1586]

Well done man.

[@raedwulfone]

A gripping video, Thanks very good!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

dropped soldering iron.. now that is scary! I have dropped solder on myself often and long pants and sleeves are advisable.. never though to wear eye protection while soldering, though now you mention it.. well, I'm going to start!

[@arseniob.guinat1815]

nice work and nice head tattoo.

[@peterowens290]

Several times while you belted in nails & "rivets" I fully expected the timber to split. The final product would benefit from dressing the end s so they match rather better. I also thought the actual clamp surfaces might benefit from a gentle rounding. The steel strongback you used needs better specifying. it looks like plated high tensile steel??? Thanks for the well made vid.

[@PURIGARE]

Your channel is amazing and I plan purchases in the future. Thanks for such amazing information.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

That's my pleasure, thank you for your support!

[@TV-qi4fw]

Thanks. Very nice!!!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Materials per clamp shouldn't be more than £2.. Though it could be much less if you scavenge wood and steel from elsewhere.. The real cost is in time but the end result is so worth it!

[@TristanJCumpole]

The step from 4:00 would be far easier to achieve using a hollow chisel mortiser for one piece, or by laminating each part from two thinner pieces with the appropriate cut down parts in the centre for the required through holes.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

You are right, I feel safe enough taking very little material away but I've added the following annotation on the video.. thanks for the warning! THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROCESS! If you try and remove too much material you could lose control of the wood and seriosuly hurt yourself!! An extra stop at the back of the router would help make this safer but still you must take it slow. If you aren't confident use another method.. chisels, hand saws, circular or table saws all offer alternative methods.

[@billjackson9702]

I do my woodworking in my shop-area of the basement. I don't have a garage, either. The shed I have outside is more like a walk-in toolbox, and mainly for "outside" playing (welding, metalwork, etc.). If I had a true garage, I'd be dangerous!!

[@ljtuggle5067]

Very nice I wish I had a couple

[@christopheleblanc9175]

do the dado on a drill press with a forstner bit , and over lap the bores and clean with a sharp chesiel ???? ps and a depth stop ,lol

[@thomashamiltom]

very cool... Always fun to learn new things, keep them coming!

[@Proiectediversediy]

Super Ideia .Bravos

[@docoluv9]

Thanks for all ur informative vids

[@RonRay]

As always, it is a joy to watch you work. Craftsmen of all categories have always amazed me, but your precision makes your work especially interesting. Just an observation: Would it be as good (or perhaps better) to use a thin piece of split leather (instead of sand paper), to snug the cam down? I'm wondering if the sand paper might grind down the adjacent wood in time...? Also, what is the measurement of clearance between the steel and wood (where the clamp slides and locks)? (3-4 mm?)

[@HBSuccess]

Wow - the free-handing on that upside-down router was a new adventure in shop safety. Even with the little fence on it - that was terrifying mate. You've obviously never had anything catch and draw you in to a spinning bit - I have and I'm lucky I came out with both my eyes and and all 10 fingers intact - although i did gain a nasty scar for my stupidity. It happens so fast no human could ever react.. Be careful mate - you only get one set of hands/eyes.

[@Claudiomarsantos]

Will be very usefull ... !!! ... Great ... TKS ... !!! ...

[@ptabz3112]

Hi, is there a follow-up video to this? I'm curious about that aluminum pin you placed and glued. The screw on commercially available cam clamp prevents the wood from splitting all the way when you turn the cam. The wide head of the screw holds down the material and the threads keep it from pulling off. The smooth cylindrical shape of the aluminum coupled with brittle cna glue doesn't seem very useful, but if you got it to work I would love to see it. As other commenters have mentioned, the sand paper would eventually wear out the part it rubs against or would gum up. Did this affect the function of your clamps at all or do they work as well as you had hoped? There are tried and tested ways of doing things but it is also good to try new methods to see if you can do better. Thanks for sharing your experiment.

[@VieuxBat]

you are welcome.

[@Snetwomble]

I can't believe you called your bradawl Jessica. It's obviously a Melanie!!! 🤣

[@krjames5880]

Just wondering if you could use an aluminum bar instead of steel? Would be lighter.. I like all the positive constructive critiques in the comments too. Cheers.

[@mattsemm]

thanks for the vid...Im off to make mmm about 50.

[@tomahoks]

Matt Semmems EA? That's a lot. But, you can ever too many of those.

[@givemeajackson]

will do this next few weekends. watching your vids it seems that too many clamps are impossible, and the ones in stores seem to be brutally overpriced since it's such an easy process. maple should work fine i think, or beech

[@VieuxBat]

Have you try the violin method, mix of bar soap and chalk

[@ralpholivera8909]

Thanks, master

[@3dlabs99]

Beautiful work :)

[@gizzou1]

This is really very interesting! thank you ..:)

[@givemeajackson]

so you mean that in non-pressure state it's pointing away from the clamp? my bad, that would of course work. but the clamps are slightly more compact the traditional way.

[@jorge23n23]

Good morning, i have a question, why is necesary those metals that you put inside the wood??? regards from Peru. and thanks

[@walterrider1612]

suggestion instead of the sandpaper u used on the cam end try leather

[@embwee]

One could route or drill the cam slot into the wood (with a stop) before rounding/shaping the other side, couldn't one? (My attempt at the Downton Abbey accent on paper). Regardless--ExTROADinNARY!

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

ok -so this short cam clamp is only made fot the neck fretboard glueing ? ok --now I see the bottom half ---can you make a longer clamp for the body halves ---?

[@Gabrielbando123]

hello could you do a tutorial showing roller sander using in this video

[@givemeajackson]

dammit, i want a bandsaw really bad... doing my current project with a jigsaw, a drill, a plane and a router+ some rasps, and that's it...would be kind of an achievement if i'd manage to get a decent guitar that way though. it's an oak body with a maple/walnut 5 piece bolt on neck and a rosewood fretboard ;)

[@musicbymark]

Re: the small metal dowel you hammered in to prevent splitting - wouldn't a simple wooden dowel be as effective at deterring splitting? Esp. if you had better adhesion. I'd think a glued & screw or piece of threaded rod would be superior in holding power.

[@djstringsmusic2994]

Mark Young Technically just drilling the whole would help with splitting.

[@deezynar]

can anyone explain why these clamps always have the cam tighten when you pull on it rather than tighten by pushing on it? would pushing loosen the head's friction fit on the bar?

[@nutcracker2]

I see this has been around for a long time, but I only saw it recently. This is a message from a fellow South African who doesn't like to see South Africans making Pratts of themselves, - your cam is badly designed. You don't need to glue sandpaper onto the cam, you need to design the cam in such a way that the cam always makes contact at the intersection of a perpendicular line from the pressure surface to the cam pin. In that way, there will be no force that can alter the position of the cam that you select.Your sandpaper is going to destroy the pressure surface of your clamp quite quickly.

[@janirhoj]

So nice - thanks! Im running away - into my workshop and produce some...;) Jan Irhøj DK

[@CarlWinter-oy8uf]

You have made the top of the cam clamp --but something is missing ----the lower part ? how does it work ? how does it clamp the two guitar sections ?--

[@Alim_Hapov.]

good job!

[@redbellyblacksnake9140]

Re the steel rivet, would a good hardwood dowel be just as good. ?

[@SONGSTICKS]

Hi, Can you please tell me what size socket wrench fits a standard 1/4" jack please? is it 1/4" or that just the size of the threaded part? I have some that need tightening that are inside a countersunk hole, so I'm thinking what I need is a thin walled socket wrench like the sort seen in bicycle repair kits. I tried googling it but nothing comes up. Cheers Gary

[@curtiswcole]

What would you estimate the cost of materials to be? per clamp? or as a set?

[@killermobmonkies]

also, can if you guys address he capo thing, can you talk abut the bar and cam style capos as well as the regular spring loaded bar capos? i'm not sure if the capos with the bands around the neck are even worth mentioning. they're just really too boring and are kind of an "i guess i'll give this other key signitures thing a try" crapo capo

[@lordmcted]

also, just realised i didnt make it clear- i wasnt meaning to advise you on a better way since you're very experienced and obviously can handle it all, i was meaning it more towards anyone watching who doesnt have access to much more than a drill press/hand drill :D

[@lordmcted]

thanks for replying :D yeah, i know what you mean, i've made myself a router table and maaaan, how i managed before i don't know- love the videos, you've got a great style of presentation and the camera work is great also- i'm gonna have a go at making these clamps once i finish my new bench- if i ever get around to it ¬_¬

[@sebastien4141]

bravo merci

[@JoshZombierunner]

Several other hands. Ha, Awesome!

[@sajidullah]

How much force can this exert when fully tight?

[@zebady999]

i like that man

[@Tricknologyinc]

Have you ever tried to make pickups with the super magnets like the one hanging your chuck key to the pillar? I'm planning to give it a go, and was wondering if anyone tried it and found any problems...

[@Erowens98]

+Tricknologyinc I wonder if that would dampen the stings just by being so strong it holds them in place which would hurt sustain.

[@Tricknologyinc]

Torwulf games I'm thinking you can use smaller ones making your coil smaller and more focused. They don't have to be as close either.

[@Erowens98]

true.

[@Howardtripper]

Does soldering splatter

[@69virgin1966]

Instead of sandpaper why not not a strip of rubber?

[@kenowens2706]

Why not make the cam the right size

[@givemeajackson]

15:00 the unfinished guitar in the background... the thing is sexy as hell!

[@Chrispy1976]

Nice one! :o)