> I'm trying to figure out a way to make them more "one-handed". I
> can put my hand inside a 4" clamp, and by making a fist, I can spread
> it about 1".

> I'm thinking about drilling two 1/2" dia holes 135* back from the
> opening. (Leaving 2 holes 90* apart along the circumference). Then, by
> sticking two dowels into the holes, I can squeeze the dowels together and
> open the jaws. These clamps are great, but there are some times you're
> holding things together with finger pressure with one hand, and you really
> can't let go to open the clamp with both hands.

> Shawn

Look no further than your local office supplies store for your model: The classic bulldog clip.

These have a metal tube for the spring action. (You would use PVC pipe sections instead). The bulldog clips have two slots in them through which `T` shaped metal pieces are inserted to form the handles and the jaws.

You could make a jig and use a router or shaper to cut slots on the tops on your current PVC clamps. Shove pieces of 1/4 inch wood strips ( seems to be a common item around my place) into the slots and past the edges of the opening in your PVC clamps. By varying the opening of the original cut you made, and the length of the slats you push in, you can change the amount of pressure exerted.

Dowels might be stronger than 1/4 inch wood slats, but if you go that route I think you should consider flattening the `jaws`, so they meet in a flat line, rather than the intersection of two round dowels. Hold the ends of those dowels against a sansing disk for a few seconds and you'll flatten them nicely.

Paul G. Jacobson