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Random Tip #2 - Mag-Blocks Cure Clamping Ills - Printable Version

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Random Tip #2 - Mag-Blocks Cure Clamping Ills - GeeDub - 01-23-2020

I have often run into a time when I want to clamp to a surface that is not well designed for it.   I have some stamped saw horses I use that use a "U" channel for the horizontal beam.  This makes clamping a pain.  I used some rare earth magnets that I picked up on the cheap at Harbor Freight.  You can use whatever you may have; damaged magnets, scratched magnets, magnets scrounged out of hard drives; whatever.

You can see the upside down "U" channel here: 
[attachment=23374]
I recess the magnets so they are just a hair below the surface. Since I will be clamping on the block I don't want to crush the magnets DAMHIKT (sorry for the poor pic):
[attachment=23375]
The laminated block of ply was a larger blank.  I drum-sanded it to the right thickness and then sliced it into four blocks.  It fits the saw horses just right:
[attachment=23376]
Now you can clamp away.  Of course everything in your shop will be a different depth of cavity but, the blocks do not have to fit perfect, they just have to be thicker than the cavity is deep.  I use them several places:
[attachment=23377]
[attachment=23378]
[attachment=23379]


RE: Random Tip #2 - Mag-Blocks Cure Clamping Ills - dav - 01-23-2020

Good idea. Better than using hot glue or DS taped.