A clamp is a fastening device used to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...

. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

the term cramp is often used instead when the tool is for temporary use for positioning components during

construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

and

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinet making (cabinetry and furniture), wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first mate ...

; thus a G cramp or a sash clamp but a wheel clamp or a surgical clamp. There are many types of clamps available for many different purposes. Some are temporary, as used to position components while fixing them together, others are intended to be permanent. In the field of animal husbandry, using a clamp to attach an animal to a stationary object is known as "rounded clamping." A physical clamp of this type is also used to refer to an obscure investment banking term, "fund clamps." Anything that performs the action of clamping may be called a clamp, so this gives rise to a wide variety of terms across many fields.

Types

Temporary

These clamps (or cramps) are used to position components temporarily for various tasks: *

Band clamp A band clamp is a generic term for a holding device usually consisting of a strap of metal or cloth formed into a loop, with a mechanism to forcibly adjust the diameter, thereby exerting a squeezing force on an object within the loop. One type o ...

or web clamp *

Bar clamp An F-clamp, also known as a bar clamp or speed clamp, is a type of clamp. The name comes from its "F" shape. The F-clamp is similar to a C-clamp in use, but has a wider opening capacity (throat). This tool is used in woodworking while more perman ...

F-clamp An F-clamp, also known as a bar clamp or speed clamp, is a type of clamp. The name comes from its "F" shape. The F-clamp is similar to a C-clamp in use, but has a wider opening capacity (throat). This tool is used in woodworking while more perman ...

or sliding clamp (upper left in the top photo) * Cardellini clamp – jaw-style clamp that clamps onto round, square, or rectangular tubing; or onto flat objects, such as dimensional lumber or plywood sheets—to mount motion picture lights, or grip equipment such as gobo heads *

C-clamp A C-clamp or G-clamp or G-cramp is a type of clamp device typically used to hold a wood or metal workpiece, and often used in, but are not limited to, carpentry and welding. Often believed that these clamps are called "C" clamps because of the ...

(also G-clamp or G-cramp) (lower centre in the top photo) * Flooring clamp A carpenter's clamp used to cramp up floorboards prior to fixing. * Forked clamp stainless steel for ST

ground glass joint Ground glass joints are used in laboratories to quickly and easily fit leak-tight apparatus together from interchangeable commonly available parts. For example, a round bottom flask, Liebig condenser, and oil bubbler with ground glass joints may ...

s with/without setscrew. Sizes for: ST 14, 19, 24, 29 and 45. * Gripe (a specialized clamp, tightened with a wedge, for holding strakes in position when building a clinker boat) * Hand clamp * Handscrew (upper right in the top photo) * Holdfast, a bench clamp for holding things to a bench top or side The bench forms the fixed jaw. * Magnetic clamp (see

Magnetic base A magnetic switchable device (often called a magnetic base) is a magnetic fixture that uses one or more permanent magnets in a configuration that allows the external field to be turned on or off. They are used in many applications including opt ...

) *

Mitre clamp Mitre clamps are designed to hold mitre joints together. The earliest mitre clamps are a simple spring in a C-shape with sharpened points that are sprung onto the outside corner of the mitre joint. The right angled plates are higher than the scre ...

Pipe clamp A pipe clamp is a type of clamp often employed in woodworking, piping or cabinet shops. When referring to woodwork or cabinet shops, pipe clamps are usually composed of commercially manufactured clamp heads or "jaws" and a length of common thr ...

(top of the top photo) * Sash clamp (a specialized, long form of bar clamp) *

Set screw In American English, a set screw is a screw that is used to secure an object, by pressure and/or friction, within or against another object, such as fixing a pulley or gear to a shaft. A set screw is normally used without a nut (which distingu ...

* Spring clamp (first item of third row in photo) * Speed clamp *

Step clamp A step clamp is a type of serrated-edged clamp used in conjunction with step blocks in machining Machining is a process in which a material (often metal) is cut to a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal process. The pro ...

, a type of

serrated Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied p ...

-edged clamp used in conjunction with step blocks when machining or milling parts in metalworking * Toggle clamp * Toolmakers' clamp (a smaller, precision version of the handscrew, all in steel) * Pinch Dog (a small "staple" shaped device, designed to straddle a joint, and pull the joint tightly together during the glue up process) * Clip hangers are a subset of

clothes hanger A clothes hanger, coat hanger, or coathanger, is a hanging device in the shape/contour of: * Human shoulders designed to facilitate the hanging of a coat, jacket, sweater, shirt, blouse or dress in a manner that prevents wrinkles, with a lowe ...

Permanent

Hose clamp A hose clamp (hose clip, hose lock or Jubilee clip (UK)) is a device used to attach and seal a hose onto a fitting such as a barb or nipple. Types Many types are available, including : Screw/band (worm gear) clamps Screw clamps consist of a ...

Marman clamp A Marman clamp is a type of heavy-duty band clamp; it allows two cylindrical objects to be clamped together end-to-end with a ring clamp. It is sometimes also known as a "Marman ring". It consists of a circular strap with an interior V-shaped gro ...

* Wire rope clamp * Joiner's dog

Medical

There are various kinds of

surgical clamp A clamp is a fastening device used to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation through the application of inward pressure. In the United Kingdom the term cramp is often used instead when the tool is for temporar ...

s: *

Foerster clamp A foerster clamp is a surgical clamp with a round eyelet. Also known as a sponge clamp, or sponge stick. Used for atraumatically grasping lung tissue in thoracic surgery. When grasping a surgical sponge in the jaws, Foerster clamps are commonly us ...

* Hemostatic clamp * Pennington clamp * Gomco clamp * Mogen clamp * Bone clamp * Serrefine

Other

* Castration clamp *

Wheel clamp A wheel clamp, also known as wheel boot, parking boot, or Denver boot, is a device that is designed to prevent motor vehicles from being moved. In its most common form, it consists of a clamp that surrounds a vehicle wheel, designed to preven ...

Pandrol clip Pandrol is a global rail technology company, founded in 1953 and operating in over 100 countries worldwide, with over 400 railway systems having adopted its products. A member of the Delachaux Group, Pandrol is based in Colombes, France and ...

* Tube clamp (name for the different clamps used in a

tube and clamp scaffold Tube and clamp scaffold (commonly called tube and coupler scaffold) is a versatile type of scaffold consisting of steel tubes and clamps. Vertical tubes are connected to horizontal tubes via right angle clamps. Diagonal tubes are periodically c ...

) *

Nipple clamp A nipple clamp is a type of sex toy that is applied to a person's nipples to pinch them. Varieties of nipple clamp include clothes-pin-style, tweezer and clover. Nipple clamps are used to cause pain in the nipples as part of certain BDSM ac ...

Types

Temporary

Permanent

Medical

Other

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading