ACC's new Pony© brand ISD hand clamps were a true surprise. Like most woodworkers, we have more than a few hand clamps already, and we've limited their use to dry assembly because there just wasn't a lot of torque. These new hand clamps have a heavy duty locking mechanism and their jaws stay square and even under pressure, thanks to a special box joint. We were able to use them for small glue-ups and there was more than adequate force for the task.

The jaws are riveted onto the larger versions of these clamps, which addresses one of my pet peevs. (I've lost so many of those little detachable non-marring tips that I now have a whole bucket full of pretty much useless spring and hand clamps gathering dust.) The quick release lever is built to last and it worked every time, first time on every single clamp. We tried dropping several of the clamps on the concrete shop floor and we could find no signs of damage. We spread some glue on them and it came off easily after drying. They locked onto round pipe and dowels, and even an oval molding we had left over from some long-ago job. The company pays attention to detail, as is evident in their soft grip handles which are probably unnecessary, but might prove useful if one had to do a lot of clamping on, for example, curved or circular work. The clamps come in three sizes...
1-1/2" opening capacity (#32150),
2-1/4" opening capacity (#32225), and
4" opening capacityÊ (#32400).

The new bar clamps are available in five bar lengths.
33006 with a 6" bar, 33012 with a 12" bar, 33018 with an 18" bar, 33024 with a 24" bar, and 33036 with a 36" bar.

ISD Bar Clamps
According to Jim Luley, the customer service manager at Adjustable Clamp Company, the new ISD bar clamps have, on average, 40% more clamping power than their leading competitor! That's a huge advantage, and one with immediate implications for the customer. We were able to use these clamps in actual glue-ups... and only needed one hand to do so. The amount of grab and compression is truly impressive. And they can be reversed to act as a spreader. These, too, passed our drop and glue tests with honors.

Reading and setting angles accurately has always been a challenge for woodworkers, especially when working with complex forms such as segmented turnings or stave construction. The new Universal Angle Guide from MasterGage® reads any angle from 0 degrees to 180 degrees in 1/2 degree increments. It works with any sliding T-bevel (not included) and lets you read angles from left to right, or right to left. An angle chart gives you the correct angles for any number of staves, from four to twenty. For example, a nine-sided construction requires that your saw be set at 20 degrees.The Guide also has inch and metric measurements up to 3" (8cm).

All of the angles on the guide are laser etched onto a large 7" protractor on aircraft quality aluminum which is plated with a black, anodized, anti-glare finish. The outside dimensions are 3/32" x 8-1/2" x 5". the Guide comes with comprehensive, really well-illustrated instructions. This is a machinist quality tool that might just elevate your work to the next level, especially if you have a well-tuned table saw and a high quality blade.