I was thinking about making a home made door clamp similar to a Ritter. I don’t have a lot of extra space so want to build a smaller version that can be stowed away when not in use.
I was wondering if anyone knows about what kind of clamps to use.
Has anyone else built something similar?
Thanks for any advice.

i use homemade clamps on every thing . make them as needed.
cabinet doors i use 1x2 flat to door . easy to stack a batch of doors and light weight.
entry doors i make as needed usually 2x2 or 2x4. blocks glued and screwed. make wedges a bucket full at a time.
wax them on surfaces that touch wood before use.

View higher quality, full size image (2048 X 1152)

View higher quality, full size image (2048 X 1152)

How big a clamp? and how big on the doors? How thick?

If your talking a cabinet door clamp only (given this forum) there are several reasonable options for low production especially if you have a CNC shop near by that can perforate a sheet for you to hang on the wall (no need to stow away).

A 5x10 sheet at a slight cant back against the wall with a left and right right angle would allow you to glue up multiple doors at a time working from left side to right side and not take any floor space. You could move other machines in-front when not in use.

We have run with a faceframe/door table like that for a long while. Its no wheres near the production of a production rack but if you talking low volume its fine.

I have always found a flat panel with a true fence corner and movable screw down fences with wedges works but,
Difficult to clean other side, heavy , takes a lot if room, hard to stack multiples.
I dont ever pin joints.
Glue only , wait for cure. IMO millwork shouldnt include metal.

Doug - Interesting you should mention that millwork should not include metal. I heard this from my mentors back in the 70's, but they did not have a good reason except that "that is the way it has always been done!"

I also avoid any metal fasteners in all our work, with the notable exception of holding glass stops in place. In our large doors, there is no metal.

We do use nails in some rougher work, but they are never exposed.

When doing furniture, no nail is also a rule. I have enjoyed showing how we have no nail holes or even filler in our work and the competition has pins in highly visible places.

having been lucky enough to stay out of the field except to install my entry doors ,
i have been unlucky enough to stay in the shop and have to change sizes of doors made to wrong size. with pins in morts and tens, holding panels in. i get the 23 g pins in bolections but dont get it every where else.
living in south fl and having doors shipped from ca 25 percent arrived with 1/4 inch gaps in 1 side of panel.
standard because of delivery schedules,
cut apart pull pins new parts , panels, assembly. hate those pins.
i was taught put everything together like you were the one who was going to have to take it apart if there was a problem.

Built my own clamp last winter. Its similar to a ritter but has a few other options that I liked put into it. Eventually I may do the faceframe bar on it but after playing with the idea I still think I can save money by doing them flat on the table like I have for years. Cost me about 2500cdn to build including everything. Takes just 10.5' in length and sticks out from the wall 28". I have no built shelving and drawers on the bottom for storage as well as a racking on the back side for jig figures I don't use very often! Its on casters so it rolls around the shop easily if I need it too. The first run of doors was 278pcs and previously it would have taken me at least 6 days to glue up...I did all these in 2 days! so it pretty well paid for its self in the first job!!!

View higher quality, full size image (1280 X 720)

View higher quality, full size image (1280 X 720)

View higher quality, full size image (1280 X 720)

I should also say I do pin all my doors/drawer fronts with 5/8" 18g brads. My gable ends are just glue as I sand them down to just shy of 3/4" where as the doors only go to just a touch of 13/16". In 17+ years building my own doors I have yet to have one single failure in a glue joint and on the rustic stuff I do mostly now no one ever notices the 4 nail holes on the back side. When I do a run of cherry or painted maple its just a quick filler touch up and away I go before sanding! Each to there own but why not add a touch more holding 15-20 times! With my clamp I can do easily 20 doors an hour and if I am running both sides its quicker yet! Where as if I had to glue two doors and wait 1/2hr minimum that is a lot of time sitting around watching glue to dry

Ryan,
That is an awesome clamp, great job!
You wouldn’t have a list of materials that you used would you?
Just wondering what the board is made of and what kind of clamps you recommend using?
Thanks

its all steel construction. Table its self is 1/4" with over 1500 3/4" holes! unfortunately I have way to many hours in research and design to just give my cad files away...Sorry!

Ryan

Ryan,
No problem, it is not rocket science, so not that hard to figure out. I will do the research on the pneumatic clamps and I certainly wouldn’t make the table out of steel with all the new sheet plastics on the market.

even with the 1/4" steel + 1/8" uhmw (for easy glue clean up) the table still flexes in between the bridging areas when the clamps are under pressure...I honestly don't know how one would go about using a composite material that's thin enough, yet strong enough to make the cylinder locking mechanism work so they stay flat and parallel to the table when under pressure....Without the lock they want to lift up and out of the table.

Take a look as some of the clever homemade clamps that the Youtuber Izzy Swan has shared. Go to his channel and click on the video tab and search "clamp". His clamping table is worth a look.

View larger image

Izzy Swan's Youtube Channel