Tool Box Buzz

Rockler Spring-Loaded One-Handed Bar Clamp

Rockler Spring-Loaded One-Handed Bar Clamp

Manufacturer: Rockler
Model number: #69764 for 6" and #65890 for 10"
Price: $19.00 for 6" and $22.99 for 10"
Power source: Clamp Force: 150 lbs

I’ve partnered with Rocker to give you guys an independent review on these clamps and have been using them for 3-4 weeks.

These Rockler clamps are made of a glass-reinforced nylon clamp body with a steel bar and steel spring cover. They feature black-colored, non-marring thermoplastic rubber clamp pads. The clamps come in two sizes with a clamping capacity between jaws of either 6-1/2” or 10-1/2” and a throat depth: 2-1/4”. The clamp pads measure 7/8” x 1-1/2” and have a clamping force of 150 lbs.

Rockler Spring-Loaded Clamp | First Impression

The main feature of these clamps is that they claim to close fast – and, after having used them several times, I can tell you that they do. I was impressed with how fast the clamp closes; a simple squeeze of the release trigger and the spring mechanism closes the jaws fast which eliminates repetitive pumping of the clamp grip or the use of your other hand to close the jaw.

Once closed, a squeeze the larger four-finger trigger engages up to 150 lbs. in clamping force. To give you some perspective on how fast these clams close, it takes 26 pumps on the pistol grip to close the clamp or less than a second to close it with the spring mechanism. This is extremely efficient and by far a very cool feature.

When initially closing this clamp the clamp pads slam closed quickly, and with some force. I wondered if this “slamming” of the clamp pads would be detrimental in clamping operations. Rockler says you can precisely feather the clamp closed, something we’ll discuss later in this review.

Opening the clamp is like other pistol grip clamps: you still need to engage the finger release trigger and pull the clamp open, making it a two-handed operation. 

Rockler Spring Clamp | Specifications

• Material: Glass-reinforced nylon clamp body with steel bar; steel spring cover
• Clamp Force: 150 lbs.
• 2 Clamps with Capacity Between Jaws: 6-1/2” or 10-1/2”
• Throat Depth: 2-1/4”
• Pad Dimensions: 7/8” x 1-1/2”
• Pad Material: Non-marring thermoplastic rubber
• Grip Style: Pistol Grip

Using the Clamps | Easy, Fast, Efficient

The spring mechanism allowed me to close the clamp easily, fast, and efficiently while freeing one hand to position parts, a level, or other items. I found that pre-releasing [opening] all the clamps allow you to install multiple clamps one-handed. This was the best way to use the one-handed feature and allows you to jump right into a gluing or assembly process.

These clamps are faster, and easier to close than the pistol grip “pump” style clamps, I have.

Rockler advertises the two clamp sizes to have a 6-1/2” or 10-1/2” clamping capacity. We measured the clamping capacity on our clamps and got 6-3/4” and 10-7/8”.

One observation we had was that they take a short time to wear in and work smoothly. Early on when we started using them, I noticed that some of our clamps were stiff to open and close. The good news is that they loosened up after using them a bit. We found they worked well after this initial breaking-in period.

Rockler Spring-Loaded Clamp | Feathering and Precision

The clamp closes fast and with some force. The force is enough to misalign small parts that you are holding with one hand. As a result, you need to feather the clamp closed. We tried feathering a few different clamps, 50+ times, and there is a learning curve, as it takes some practice to get it right.

The process is not really what I’d call feathering. I’d describe it as a “choppy” controlled close. After practicing with the clamp, I was able to slow the closure with three “feathering” presses, but it still is not what I would describe as a “smooth-feathering” closure.

When clamping a small part in place for gluing we noticed that fast closing of the clamp will “slam the parts” out of alignment. This is where that controlled closing is necessary.

Room For Improvement

The limiting size of these clamps is a bummer, after using both size clamps in the workshop and in the field at the job site, we determined that the 2-1/4” throat depth and 6-1/2” or 10-1/2” clamping capacity is somewhat limiting.

Rockler told us that they are exploring different options as far as the size of the clamp is concerned. With the current clamp, they placed a lot of attention and testing into ‘dialing’ in the correct spring tension in the sizes that are being offered now. Rockler also told us with increasing size clamps, the jaws will also get deeper.

Additionally, I’d like to see Rockler improve on the soft closing of these clamps, if they can do that then there is no beating these clamps.

Cost

The 6” Rockler Spring-Loaded One-Handed Bar Clamp, Item #69764 costs $19.00, and the 10” Rockler Spring-Loaded One-Handed Bar Clamp, Item #65890 costs $22.99, both are online here: Rockler Spring-Loaded One-Handed Bar Clamps.

Considering that I can get a 4 pack of pistol grip clamps for a similar price, the Rockler clamps are a bit on the pricier side. You just need to ask yourself if that self-closing feature is worth it.

Overall Impression | Rockler Spring-Loaded Clamp

Overall, while not perfect, we liked the spring mechanism closing feature on these clamps. Eliminating the repetitive pumping of the grip trigger and not needing to use your other hand to close the jaws is a faster, and much more efficient way to assemble. I really appreciated the one-handed closing action that left one hand completely free to position parts and holds parts in place.

I can see lots of uses for these versatile clamps, as well as many users including people with hand injuries or arthritis. These clamps will no doubt find a home for woodworking, carpenters, and DIY projects.

Rockler Spring-Loaded Clamp | Video Review

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