Woodworker's Central Woodworker's Gazette Gazette Archive 7/27/03

Rockler Clamp-it® A Tool Review by Mike Reese A neat little shop aid that's long over due. Sure, you can make your own, but for the price of this little device, it's hardly worth the time and effort. It runs about twenty bucks with two 5" mini clamps. The price without the clamps is about ten dollars. You can make a perfectly square corner assembly with little or no trouble. It's well made of high impact, rigid polycarbonate that does not flex and measures 8" x 8" x 1-1/2". I checked for squareness with my good Bridge City square and found it to be right on. It has nice little notches to allow clamps to get a bite, and has the inside and outside corners relieved for clearance. Glue does not stick. It just peels right off. There are so many places you can use the Clamp-It. Any place you want to hold two pieces together at 90°. Think of it as a square you can clamp. It's great for holding two sides of a case, holding a bracket square while attaching, joining two sides of a frame, mounting a shelf, or assembling a drawer. Besides using the Clamp-It loose with clamps, you can also mount it to a base and clamp the components to it. It works great as a positioning jig on a drill press. All in all, a nice, inexpensive addition to my shop that will be used again and again. Mike Reese Editor's Note: Rockler has graciously donated several items for review which are passed on to our members free of charge in exchange for thoughtful, honest reviews. Thank You! You can find more about the Clamp-it here.