Which Kreg Bench Klamp plate to get?

[Tom the Remodeler]

Hello! I'm going to be producing some window seats for my future mother-in-law's Victorian home, and most of the joinery will be with Kreg pocket hole screws (no Domino yet...  :'(). I want to get one of the "Bench Klamps", but am having a hard time deciding between the one with the little 3"x4" aluminum insert plate, or the larger 10"x10" steel plate. Whichever one I buy, I will most likely be routing it into a sheet of 3/4" ply for an assembly bench (unless people have other ideas?....). I suppose you could exert more hold-down pressure with the 10"x10" steel plate version, but the aluminum plate could be positioned closer to the corner of the bench, and wouldn't completely ruin a blade or bit that might accidently strike it?..... Ideas?..... Thanks!!! Tom

 

[Brice Burrell]

  Tom, I have both. I just bought the small plate to mount to the MFT, haven't done it yet. I really like the large plate, I don't use it mounted. I prefer to have it be able to move around a large project. With some scraps of MDF to act as shims under the project to hold everything on the same plane allowing the clamp to be move around to each joint. With the clamp fixed the whole project has to move, than doesn't work well with large projects. Sort of the same thing when it's mounted to a piece of ply, you loose a lot of flexibly.

  I also use the large plate clamp with me Domino. Using 3/4" stock with the Domino I've found it is best to lift the work piece off the table. The Domino's base is very close to touching the work table with 3/4" and the Domino is set for 20 mm stock (a pre-set on the Domino). This can give you a false registration by inadvertently index off the table not the top surface of the stock.

 

[Mike_Chrest]

Yup. Ditto what Brice said. I have a small extra plate mounted in a table and use the big one on the floor for stuff that is too big for the table.

 

[gkeas]

Using 3/4" stock with the Domino I've found it is best to lift the work piece off the table. The Domino's base is very close to touching the work table with 3/4" and the Domino is set for 20 mm stock (a pre-set on the Domino). This can give you a false registration by inadvertently index off the table not the top surface of the stock.

Yep.  I had issues with 23/32" ply.  I got some bad joints, now I know.

 

[honeydoman]

i have one mounted to a table.  please make sure that you bolt it to the table and not screw it,  the screws will pull most likely.

I also use the larger plate and it works great.  I just bought the kreg table and that even works better for clamping

 

[Greg_R]

Tom, the small plate is fine if you have a solid table to mount it on (something for the screws to bite into).  The large plate is useful as a drop-in plate in thinner material (like a router plate).  I have 3 of the small plates in different areas of my bench to accommodate various workpieces (size / shape).  My bench is 3/4" maple ply on top of a torsion box made from 2x4s (2x6 rails for bench dogs).  I made sure that the plates are mounted over one of the 2x4s or 2x6s.

 

[Joe Mioux]

I have the steel plate and I like it alot because I sometimes attach a light with a magnetic base to the plate for better lighting when working on projects.

I normally don't use the clamp when using the light, but it is handy.

I do not have it embedded in any of my workbenches either, maybe someday but when I use it I just normally throw a clamp on it to keep the plate and the project from moving.

That extra few inches is particularly handy when using clamps to keep the plate from moving.

btw,  this is my first post here, I have been lurking for awhile and know a few of you from other woodworking forums.  You have a very nice forum and it seems very helpful and friendly

joe