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A few Mondays back, Popular Woodworking Editor Christopher Schwarz stopped by my cube on the way to his desk and asked what was going on with Bessey K Body clamps. I hadn’t heard anything in particular so I’m sure I looked a bit confused. Chris told me that everyone in his class at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking was talking about K Bodies disappearing from the market.
Immediately, I sent out the Bat Signal to my contact at Bessey Tools. Sure enough, Bessey is doing away with the K Body clamp. That’s a shocker. But relax. The company is releasing a new K Body design , not just doing away with the clamp altogether. The new clamp is called K Body REVO. (I’m going out on a limb here and say that REVO is short for revolution but that’s my assumption.)
The REVO clamp is different. The major difference is that it has a larger clamp surface , some 30 percent larger. But when you glue up panels that are 3/4″ thick does that larger area mean much? I think it does and here’s how. When I assemble 3/4″ panels using this type of clamp, I lay the clamp head over it to gain as much use of the clamp’s face as I can. The new REVO is 3/8″ longer when measuring from the bar up the clamp head. That’s not much, but it translates into better clamping action.
The handle is also different from earlier versions of the clamp (the new handle was actually introduced during the fourth quarter of 2007). I shied away from earlier-model K Bodies due to their slippery wooden handles; it felt like I couldn’t tighten them enough to get adequate pressure with my glue-ups. The new handle is user-friendly. The grip is softer and I can get a firm hold on the handle and apply all the clamping pressure I need.
Also, the REVO comes with three pressure caps that can be interchanged with any of the REVO clamping surfaces. The company feels these pads are going to be popular in the marketplace because the cape are glue and paint resistant.
Finally, two rail protectors, made of an impact-resistant polyamide, elevate the workpiece off the rails. That’s less glue making contact with the ridges in the bars and that keeps the clamps easy to use.
In addition, Bessey also tells us about a new clamp coming out, called VARIO. But I’m told we have to wait to see it at the International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in Atlanta. You can bet we’ll stop by the Bessey Tools booth.
I teach at a couple Woodworks shows around the country and I always see woodworkers carrying those super-long K Body clamps at the show. Seldom do I need clamps with more than a 36″ opening. What length clamps are best for your woodworking? And, what type of clamps do you use? Leave a comment and let us know.
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I primarily use 24", 31", 40", and 12"; in that order. I do want to get me four each of the 82" and 98" sizes for handling large casework. What sizes are the new clamps going to be produced in?
Glen, It looks like the new Bessey Revo is a blend of features including some from the old Gros Stabil clamps. Bessey bought Gros Stabil and then Gros Stabil clamps were discontinued, obviously to make a blended,better Bessey Revo clamp. Looks good. Mike
Glen,
While I have Bessey "tradesman" clamps in the shop, I don’t have any "K" bodies. For gluing up panels, I’ve always used bar clamps. Although they weigh more, I’ve always thought you get better pressure on the joint. Bessey clamps are alright but if I had it to do over again, I’d have stayed with the Wetzler clamps I started buying. I have tons of Bessey 6", a dozen or so 12" and the rest are 24" and 36". My 48" are Wetzlers and they offer better, more even pressure. The bar tends to flex less than the Besseys and they break free and slide easier than the Besseys. Next time you’re in the area, swing by and check them out. You’ll be a convert too. Which just means you’ll have to spend even more money on replacing ALL your clamps.
I bought JET clamps a couple of years back that are similar to the K-bodies. Though reluctant at first, I preferred the JETs because of the larger clamping surface, better hand grips, and lengths slightly longer than standard 24" and 48"- a real help when gluing items of those common sizes.
They also came with ruled graduations on the bar, something I don’t yet use, but I’m sure I’ll appreciate the first time I need it.
The Jet price was the same or slightly less than the Besseys, which are still wonderful clamps.
I’m with you Glen. I’ve got quite a few of the 24" and 36" clamps, but only have a small number of the small 12" and large 48" clamps. And really nothing larger than that (I’ve got two 56" bar clamps – but those aren’t Bessey). Most of my clamping is in a ‘normal’ range. The large 48" clamps are life savers when I need them, though.
An Editorial note: I can’t stand it when companies do this. They come out with excellent redesigns and basically make all the money I’ve invested in an ‘older’ style worthless. Do you know if there will be a ‘retrofit’ kit to upgrade older clamps to the newer style? I’m thinking that the kit should include: a new foot with the nicer handle, a sleeve that slips over the head to increase the surface area, and some of those little caps you mention would be a big seller for someone like me.
One nice thing about the Bessey "revolution" is that the existing clamps are being disposed of at woodworking stores at fire-sale prices. For those of us that were fine with the old design, getting a bunch of extra old-style clamps for the same money as the new ones is a great opportunity. That’s assuming that there’s an inevitable price increase with the new design – probably a certainty given the falling US dollar.
You can never have too many clamps.