Hold down clamps for T-slots

[morsa]

A while ago, I needed some hold down clamps for the homemade T-slots at the drill press table; eventually, I had three different versions, and they all worked well:

1- First attempt was bending and gluing thin strips of wood







2- Second approach was to cut the shape in plywood









3- The third attempt was cutting the shape in solid wood and adding a pivoting dowel









4- A variant of the previous model consisted of making the pivot with aluminum









Either of the models are easy to make, and are an alternative to commercial hold down clamps; in addition, you could make them in two or three different lengths.

Regards, morsa.

[Walney Col]

I'm a big fan of quick release clamps and have found cycle seat clamps and wheel skewers to be invaluable for use in jigs and fixtures.

Col.

[morsa]

Thanks, Walney Col. That's a great idea. They are called cam clamps, and you are right, they are very useful in jigs. There are commercial items (i.e. Cam Clamps - Rockler Woodworking Tools), but of course you can reuse clamps from discarded bikes. Even in these hold down clamps, you could use a cam clamp instead of the threaded knob.
I have a pair of these discarded cam clamps and I will try to find them an application.