QuickGrip Bar Clamps are the bomb

[soslo]

I'm finishing up cabs 2 and 3 currently...and I just thought I'd give a shout out to one of the best tools/accessories out there:
Irwin QuickGrip Bar Clamps

You can operate these bad boys with one hand they make life so much easier when you are tyring to Build Your Own Arcade Controls

[papaschtroumpf]

They're kinda of spendy so try and borrow some if you don't do many projects like these...
Otherwise I agree, I couldn't have built my cab without help if I hadn't had a couple 36" clamps like those.

[Homebrew]

I agree with both of you.  They make things so much easier, but they are pricey.  I bought mine specifically for when i was building my cab, though i've used them a bazillion times since.  Overall I think they're a worthwile investment.  

-Kevin

[Darkade]

I'll second that.  I used them to build my cab and I don't think I ever would have gotten my CP together without them.  They are mighty expensive though.  

[eightbit]

You think those are expensive. Try real cabinet clamps. Don't ever try them though unless your willing to invest in them, at least thats what happened to me

[Tailgunner]

I never cared much for cabinet style clamps, but I love my quick clamps.

In Eightbit's picture, lower right corner, there's a quick clamp with the corner holding bracket on it. Anyone who owns a few of the shorter quick clamps should pick up a set or two of these corner brackets for them. Those can be super handy when you need them.

[ekopp2]

I'll jump on with a "me too" here. Along with the obvious power tools, I found these clamps to be indispensable (the quick release kind - I don't have the nice collection that eightbit has).

I actually started my project with 2 clamps, then quickly realized that another 2 would be even more handy. My wife raised an eyebrow when I explained that I "needed" these clamps, but she just kinda gave me one of those "whatever" shrugs.

In any event, the clamps go on my list of top 10 tools to have when building a cab. If you don't have them - borrow some from a friend. It definitely makes life easier.

[eightbit]

Quickgrips are ok but don't provide a lot of clamping power. They don't do anything for holding things square and the corner clamp is dissapointing I use it for an extra hand sometimes but I don't rely on it to make things square.

I'm usually building things more complicated than a simple box which is really all an arcade cab is.

[soslo]

eightbit - I'm not arguing that quick grips are even on the same level as your cabinet set (looks like wood shop  ) ...but how much clamping power do you need? I've never encountered a situation where I couldn't apply enough clamping force...I've never had them slip either...

[eightbit]

Your probably right. The nice thing about the cabinet clamps is they apply parrellel force helping you to get and keep everything square.

Hey what do I know I've never actually built a arcade cabinet. Every time I get close I get another gutted free cab. I have a couple extra at the moment.

[eRA186]

Apparently every tool you use  is the bomb,by reading all your threads. Is some one paying you to do this?   jk. I appreciate all the info,so when i begin to build my own cab I know what to look for.

[soslo]

Jedi Master - I only post "the bomb" posts for items that, well, are the bomb  

Really, I am posting them because I've learned a lot in the past 3 months - I am on my 3rd cab already, and I've purchased a lot of tools since then (probably 2k worth - which is a lot to me).

With the knowledge I've gained, I'm trying to help steer ppl in the right direction so they can just buy the tools that they need...which reminds me...I need to post about polyurethane glue!

[ErikRuud]

Quick Grips can come in handy, but they are expensive, especially in the larger sizes.  I have four pipe clamps that I use when I need to clamp a larger span.  They are not quite as nice as EightBits cabinet clamps, but they do the job.  I currently have five foot pipes on them, if I need a longer span, I can go and buy longer pipes for not much money.