New fast-acting clamps
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Three new clamp styles from Bora Tools make quick work of clamping. They are the ratcheting lever clamp, the one-hand pistol grip clamp, and the parallel clamp.
Just as they say you can never have enough clamps, I find the corollary is that you can never have enough hands when clamping. It seems like you always need at least three – maybe four! – hands to keep everything in position while you apply the clamping pressure. That’s why fast-action clamps are so popular. Bora Tools has taken a couple of the most popular applications in that category and made them even faster.
These all generically could be classed as bar clamps, but they aren’t generic in the least. Let’s take them in order of size.
 

Ratcheting lever clamp

The first ratcheting lever clamp I ever saw was from a European manufacturer and was all-metal construction, apparently designed for metalworking applications. It was amazingly powerful and fast to use. The new Bora Tool ratcheting lever clamp replaces some of the parts with reinforced polymer, but it still feels extra beefy with a rated 330 pounds of clamping force. 
 
Integrated non-slip, non-marring clamp pads make it sure and safe. At first, I was nervous about stressing the polymer lever handle, but it took whatever I could throw at it. It’s available in 6 and 12-inch sizes.
 

Pistol grip clamp

This one-handed clamp tightens as you squeeze the pistol grip and loosens when you press the thumb lever in the back. It moves forward and backward much more effortlessly compared to similar style clamps I’ve tried, and it doesn’t seem to lock up when subjected to extreme pressures.
 
An important feature is quick and easy reversal of the stationary pad so you can use these clamps as pushers as well as clampers. That’s handy in things like disassembling a chair for repair. It offers up to 440 pounds of pressure and is available in 12 and 24-inch sizes.
 

Parallel clamps

I’m including the Bora parallel clamps here, although they are not strictly-speaking “fast-action,”  but they work so smoothly, they feel faster. We’ve all struggled with parallel clamps that locked up when trying to adjust them. These slide smoothly on the bar, yet lock into place where you want, when you want, while offering 1,100 pounds of clamping force. They are available in sizes from 12 to 50 inches.
 
For more about these and other Bora Tools clamps, visit boratool.com. 
 

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About the author
William Sampson

William Sampson is a lifelong woodworker, and he has been an advocate for small-scale entrepreneurs and lean manufacturing since the 1980s. He was the editor of Fine Woodworking magazine in the early 1990s and founded WoodshopBusiness magazine, which he eventually sold and merged with CabinetMaker magazine. He helped found the Cabinet Makers Association in 1998 and was its first executive director. Today, as editorial director of Woodworking Network and FDMC magazine he has more than 20 years experience covering the professional woodworking industry. His popular "In the Shop" tool reviews and videos appear monthly in FDMC.