Jorgensen Cabinet Master Parallel Clamp Review
The parallel clamp that undercuts Bessey. Slightly less refined, considerably cheaper, and clamps need to be bought in numbers.
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Parallel clamps solve one problem: keeping both jaw faces parallel and square to the bar while pressure builds. A pipe clamp does not, which is why panels glued in pipe clamps so often need flattening and why cauls exist.
Once you accept that you want parallel clamps, the question is which, and in practice it comes down to Bessey’s K-Body against Jorgensen’s Cabinet Master — with a price gap between them that is large when multiplied by six.
Where the money shows
The K-Body has a smoother screw, a handle that gives more pressure for less effort, and a sliding jaw that holds position on the bar more reliably during setup. None of those are exotic features; they are the accumulation of better machining.
The Cabinet Master does the same job. The screw is coarser, the handle needs more grip, and the sliding jaw creeps more readily before it is clamped. On a two-clamp glue-up, none of that registers. On an eight-clamp carcass with PVA already tacking, the smoother clamp is genuinely faster.
The jaw pads
This is the most common complaint about these clamps and it is a fair one. The plastic jaw covers collect glue, and the clips that hold them are not as robust as the rest of the clamp. Scrape them while the glue is still rubbery — a cured bead will take the clip with it when you pick at it.
How to buy clamps
Whichever brand you choose, the rule is the same: you need more than you think, and you should buy them in pairs over time rather than waiting to afford a set.
Four 24 in clamps handles most cabinet carcasses. Two 50 in clamps handles a table top. Start there, and add the gaps as projects reveal them.
A reasonable middle path: buy the Jorgensens for quantity and one or two K-Bodies for the glue-ups where speed matters. Nothing says a clamp rack has to be one brand.
What works
- Jaws stay at 90 degrees to the bar under load, so panels come out of the clamps flat instead of needing to be flattened afterwards
- Meaningfully cheaper than the equivalent Bessey, which matters because you need four to eight of them before you can glue up a carcass
- Sold in pairs and multi-packs, which is how anyone actually buys clamps
What doesn't
- The handle and screw feel coarser than a Bessey K-Body — more effort for the same pressure, and less smooth at the end of the travel
- The sliding jaw is more inclined to creep down the bar during setup, which is annoying when you are working alone
- Jaw pads are a weak point: they collect glue and the clips holding them have been known to break
Worth comparing against
- Check price
Bessey
Bessey K Body REVO KRE3524 Parallel Clamp, 24 in