: Can anyone tell me how close to the edge of the stations should I cut the
: slot for the spring clamps? How deep do they need to be in order for the
: clamps to get a secure hold in the groove?

: If my stations are cut out of 1/2 inch stock, are they thick enough to use
: this method?

I can tell you what did not work very well for me.

I used a 1 1/4" drill bit and bored holes about 3/8 " into the 1/2 forms. Or just until the tip of the bit broke through to the other side. The reason that I did not drill all the way through was not because of strength, but because it was messing up the glued on pattern. And ultimatley I would lose my datum, shear, and center lines on the forms. I left about 1/4" material between each hole.

In use, the rounded edge or the drilled recess was not sufficient for the clamps to consistantly and properly hold on to. Also, when spring clamps are grabbing from the side, they tend to twist and will sometimes pop off and mess up or even damage the strips.

After laying a couple of strips using this method, I switched to using bungee wrapped around the the entire cross section. I also used short scrap pieces and stapled those above the freshly glued strips. When only a few strips are laid on each side, rubber bands looped around with a scrap stick of cedar stuck through the open ends to hold it in place worked very good. Forming longer chains of rubber bands did not work so well, so I switched to the bungee.

I felt this was far better than messing with the clamps....and quicker.

Sorry, I couldn't give you the answer you where actually looking for

If you go to the link below, you can see the small holes in the pattern side of the forms from when the tip of the drill bit poked through. You can also browse the progress of my most recent project.

Tom