Woodworking Tip

When a project requires you to draw a large circle, you don’t necessarily need a trammel. Instead, try using a quick-set bar clamp. Hook the fixed jaw over a nail driven at the center point and hold your pencil at the intersection of the movable jaw and bar. Squeeze the handle to precisely adjust the pencil’s location to match the radius you need.

—Richard Entwistle, Highland Lakes, New Jersey

More Than Just Clamping

Bar clamps are essential in every woodworking shop, and their usefulness goes well beyond holding parts together during glue-ups. As Richard Entwistle's clever woodworking tip shows, even a simple tool like a bar clamp can double as a precise circle-drawing compass. It’s just one example of how versatile these tools can be when you look at them through a creative lens.

Unexpected Bar Clamp Uses

The best woodworking tricks simplify your workflow and solve problems without extra tools. Nontraditional bar clamp uses—like Richard’s compass method—helps you get more done with what you already have on hand.

Some woodworkers use barclamps as temporary handles for awkward projects, or as stops when cutting repeat parts on a miter saw station. Others turn them into makeshift spreaders by reversing the jaws—ideal for forcing apart parts during dry fits.

In a mobile setup, a bar clamp can secure a portable workbench to a sawhorse or trailer bed. We’ve even seen clever jigs made entirely from Bessey bar clamps, turning a common clamp into a sanding station, edge guide or adjustable fence. These creative woodworking tricks prove a good clamp is more than just muscle—it’s a problem solver.

A Clamp for Every Task

Woodcraft carries a wide selection of clamps, including the ever-popular Bessey bar clamps, trusted by woodworkers for strength, precision and reliability. You can check them out online, or visit your local Woodcraft store.