Glue-up cauls I built from scrap changed my mind about fancy clamps

For years I thought I needed a bunch of parallel clamps for panel glue-ups. Spent $300 on a set back in 2019 and still fought bowed joints. Last month I grabbed some 2x4 offcuts and made three quick cauls with a little wax on the faces. They flattened a 6-foot tabletop with just four standard pipe clamps holding the cauls down. Honestly, the cheap setup worked better than the pricey ones. Anyone else ditched the expensive stuff for shop-made rigs that just work?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

rileyjones1mo ago

One thing nobody mentions is that the cauls themselves need to be dead straight or they'll push the bow into the panel instead of out of it. I check mine against a known flat surface every time I use them, and I've had to re-plane a couple after they warped from sitting in the shop. Also, skip the wax and use packing tape on the faces. It lasts longer and doesn't leave residue that messes with glue cleanup. That little change saved me more hassle than any clamp upgrade ever did.

3