A Stupid Question regarding Spool Clamps

I'm about to make a bunch of spool clamps. In virtually all the pictures I see, the blocks are made from round dowels, rather than square or rectangular blocks. Is there any reason for this? It certainly seems (to me, anyway) that square blocks would be easier to make as well as easier to cover with cork padding. Is there a clamping pressure issue? Am I overthinking this?

I said it was a stupid question!

What I did to make mine was I glued some cork on a maple board. Then I used a hole drill, like the kind you use for installing a door knob. That makes the hole in the center as well. Buy a long carriage bolt slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole, a washer and a wing nut. Bam, instant spool clamp. I made a whole bunch of them within a few minutes.

Here they are in action:


Dan

That's called a "hole saw" by the way, and that's a pain in the ass method of making those clamps.

Easier yet is to just get some lengths of 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" closet pole dowel and cut off lengths on a band saw or table saw. Set up a "V" block jig for center drilling. Drill slightly oversized holes in the section that will slide...9/32"...and drill 3/16" holes in the fixed portion. Chuck up a 1/4-20 tap in your cordless drill, and tap the wood, then thread in your all-thread, and squirt in some superglue to lock the threads in the wood.

Habanera Hal said:

I'm about to make a bunch of spool clamps. In virtually all the pictures I see, the blocks are made from round dowels, rather than square or rectangular blocks. Is there any reason for this? It certainly seems (to me, anyway) that square blocks would be easier to make as well as easier to cover with cork padding. Is there a clamping pressure issue? Am I overthinking this?

I said it was a stupid question!

Click to expand...

You can use square stock. Some of the spool clamps sold for violin making are square.

Round clamps pack together better around curves.

Michael N. said:

You can use square stock. Some of the spool clamps sold for violin making are square.

Click to expand...

I made ones like that, even the little piece of cork was shaped to fit right over the purfling channel above the ribs. Perhaps I was over thinking it a bit?

I used the round soft rubber coasters that are made to go under furniture legs, with the right size bolts, fender washers, and wingnuts from the hardware store.
Other than drilling a hole through each coaster, they are ready to go right off the shelf.
-Vinnie in Juneau