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How to Make Your Own Wood Bar Clamp

Wood bar clamps aid in woodworking projects in which two or more pieces of wood need to be glued together. The clamps provide pressure to keep the wood pieces stable as the glue dries. Wood bar clamps consist of two pieces of wood that are held together with casters. Casters look like a long bolt with a wooden handle. The longer the caster, the larger the project that can be glued. Build your own wood bar clamps in less than an hour spent in a wood shop.

Things You'll Need

Tape measure
2 oak boards, 2-by-2-by-15 inches
Miter saw
Drill
Drill bit, 3/4 inch
Drill bit, 1/2 inch
4 caster-nuts, 3/4 inch, with 1/2-inch hole
2 casters, 1/2-by-20 inches

Instructions

- 1
  Cut one end of each 15-inch board at a 45-degree angle. Cut the pointed ends off, ½ inch away from the end.
- 2
  Measure 1 ½ inches away from the end of each board that wasn't cut and drill a 3/4-inch hole that's 1 inch away from each 15-inch edge. Drill on the side that you first cut in the last step. Drill another 3/4-inch hole that is 8 inches away from the first hole and also centered, 1 inch away from each 15-inch edge.
- 3
  Drill a 1/2-inch hole perpendicularly through each of the 3/4-inch holes. These holes are centered on the board just as the holes in the last step were drilled.
- 4
  Insert the caster-nuts into the 3/4-inch holes and position them so their 1/2-inch holes are parallel with the 1/2-inch holes you drilled in the last step.
- 5
  Place the pieces of wood next to each other so the 1/2-inch holes on both boards are aligned and so the longest sides of the boards are against each other. Screw the casters through the caster-nuts so the pair of casters point toward each other. Loosen the caster that is closest to the ends of the boards and tighten the other caster to secure objects you need to glue.

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