Spanish luthier’s clamping method for thin boards

[Philip Davies]

This method of clamping thin boards was published in “Fine Woodworking, contributed by D.People’s, Arlington, Va. Here I am gluing up recycled mahogany, salvaged from cabinet drawers and they are to be the lids of two boxes. The boxes are to contain two old plastic tool boxes. Their lids have broken, but I don’t want to throw them away, because firstly, I couldn’t buy exact replacements and, secondly, more importantly, it would disrupt the order of the contents. So the old boxes will fit in the new, mahogany boxes, and I can continue to access the contents in the cantilevered trays.

This is a very simple method of gluing up, and if you discount finding the bearers and cutting the wedges, is more efficient than sash clamps, although not as quick as a rubbed joint, secured with joiner’s dogs. That’s alright for thicker material, and I’ve done it sometimes, but not only do the ends have to be trimmed, the surfaces must almost always have to be planed flat. This method ensures the boards are kept flat. The butt joints are taped on the face side beneath. A point to notice is that the edges of the boards are protected by steel rods, which maintain an even pressure.