What Is A Pipe Clamp?

Pipe clamps are, because of the name, often mistakenly thought of as something to be used in a plumbing project. A pipe clamp is generally used in woodworking to hold wood steady for cutting, gluing, or other work. Some models include holes in the clamp face designed for mounting pads, cauls, jigs and speciality fixtures. The reason a pipe clamp is helpful is that you can extend the width of the clamping area to accommodate wider boards or other materials simply by using a longer length of pipe to mount the clamping apparatus on. They are quite handy and more flexible than some traditional vises, which have a fixed clamping area.