Kreg Clamps

[Birdhunter]

I’d doing a lot of both Domino and pocket hole joints. Sometimes using both on the same joint.

I’ve owned one of the Kreg face clamps, but never really used them. I bought a second clamp and discovered how great they are for stabilizing the joint before driving home the screw. I’m not getting any misalignment at all.

Mine are the older models with the screw tension adjustment. Not sure about the auto adjust models.

 

[Bob D.]

I have a pair of each style and both seem to work about the same except
for not having to adjust the auto version for different thickness stock.

When the auto-adjust version came out years ago I bought a pair and on
one the adjustment mechanism broke. Called them and they sent me a
replacement which has held up ever since.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I had one, before the fire, used it a few times, but never really got into it. I didn't replace it though.
I do prefer the Kreg holes to the Castle machine slots, mainly for the plugs, but it this application is an option too. The Castle can't do either.

 

[Birdhunter]

Do the auto modeLs hold as tight as the manual adjust models?

 

[Bob D.]

I would say yes, but that's without taking any sort of measurement of clamping force. You can adjust how much clamping force is applied and it seems to be consistent across whatever you clamp. You can adjust the setting on the auto-clamps so it is near impossible to close the clamp just as you can with the manually adjusted clamps. But they don't feel (or look) like they are built as strong as the manual clamps. The auto-adjust mechanism has some small parts, that is where one of mine broke years ago. But that one broke the second time I used it so I think it had a flaw. The replacement has held up.

So I just went and looked online at he current crop of auto-adjust clamps and mine look nothing like the current ones. Totally different design. Just looking at the photos they appear to have a whole new adjustment mechanism so I don't think anything about my old version clamps is of any help.

If you're working with multiple material thicknesses at the same time then maybe they are worth considering. Otherwise the manual clamps should be fine.