Cheap wide board decking clamps

[Mick666]

Hi all,

Apologies to everyone if this has already been detailed a dozen times in previous threads...

just thought I would offer a solution that I recently used to straighten boards when laying our back deck and walkway - 136x19mm Spotted Gum. For those of you that have never laid wide board decking it can be extremely challenging to get dead straight and for those of you who are anal about getting it dead straight (like me) read on.... Recently, I laid a similar deck for my mother in law and although the result was good I was unhappy about some of the inconsistencies in the spacings and decided I would rectify this before I did my own. So doing some research I found a few alternatives available via retail suppliers for straightening bowed boards - The Lightning Clamp, The Board Boss™ Deck Clamp(available in the US so postage was a cost issue) and the BoWrench (pricey in my opinion) - that all seemed to do what I wanted but all had the major drawback of cost effectiveness given their limited uses outside their primary intention.

However, I managed stumble on to a chap in the US who had adapted a set of pipe clamps to do just what I wanted. I'll attach a few pics as they speak for themselves in terms of how to use them etc, but for what it's worth, I loved them and am amazed at how perfectly straight and consistent I was able to get my boards. And better still the clamps were $30 (2 pairs) the pipe was $23 (including the threaded end) and the L brackets were about $2 each. So all in all I got two sets for clamps for about $60. Compared to $150 for 1 BoWrench I thought this was very reasonable. (Photos are just of one clamp). Oh, and the 90x45 pine for L brackets was just scrap I had lying around.

Hope this helps someone because this forum has been a huge help to me and I was really looking forward to being able to give something back.

Beers
Mick.

[seriph1]

Beautiful deck and lovely application of an already great idea! Well done mate

[Larry McCully]

simply awesome

[Bloss]

Funny how things trigger memory - I recall my dear old Dad using a very similar setup in the 60s to lay down a verandah on an old very large farm house - using steel angle cut by an engineering mate - but had not seen it since.

A good idea as you say especially for occasional use by a DIYer.

I use a BowWrench and even at the current exchange rates (I bouht when $A was around 96c to the $US) I reckon they are worth the money for anyone doing lots of decking (not that I am anymore!).

Thanks for the detailed pics too!

[Mick666]

Hey thanks a bunch guys!

Yeah, I'm sure this is not a new idea and you can do something similar by placing a wrecking bar in front of the clamp instead of the timber and L bracket. And those BoWrenchs do look quick to set but I just couldn't stomach the price.

Ennyhu, thank god that decks done and on to the next project...now that garden is looking a bit shabby......

Beers
Mick

[5teve]

I am in the process of using something similar.. except they are F clamps from the big B at about $3.40 each (steel and cast metal ones) if you grind the casting back on the fixed end it then slots down between the already fixed boards (assuming you have 5mm spacing it wont work for anything less) then you just clamp it up and away you go!

Thanks

Steve