In this video I show how to glue up boards into a table top panel using panel clamps. I’m also giving away a bunch of awesome gifts, including a matching set of these Damstom Panel Clamps, at the bottom of this blog post. Most of my winners say they’ve never won anything in their lives, so it can happen to you…make sure you enter!

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
I first stand the boards on end (on the bottom parts of the panel clamps) and apply an even stroke of wood glue (I regularly use this type of Titebond wood glue and this type of liquid hide glue). Most of the time I use cheap foam brushes like this, and sometimes I use a small paint brush. If I can’t find either I just use a thin scrap of wood and my fingers. You don’t have to use panel clamps to glue up panels, but I find that it helps with keeping the boards from popping up.

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
You don’t need to put glue on both sides. Drop the board down and rub them back and forth to evenly spread the glue. 
How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
Then I add the top bars, insert the other pins, and press down on the first top bar:
How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
While holding the panel clamp bar down, I tighten the hand screw. Notice that I use a small scrap of wood to prevent marring the edge of the wood:

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
I don’t fully tighten the first clamp yet, but first repeat the above steps on the second panel clamp, then rotate tightening them a bit until they’re both snug (like tightening lugnuts on a car wheel). Just make sure all the boards are level with each other when you’re tightening. And if your panel is wider, you can add another clamp like this:

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps
This model is the Damstom D300 38-inch black edition (here). It runs about $59 per clamp (comparable to most parallel clamps, like these). Damstom also has a 24-inch panel clamp, but I find the longer clamps to be more useful as most table tops will be over 24-inches wide. If you want a better tutorial on using these clamps than what I provided, check out these tutorial videos on Damstom’s website.

 

THE GIVEAWAY

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

THE GIVEAWAY ITEMS:

This giveaway is open until February 13th (11:59 pm) to people over 18 years old in the U.S.A. and around the world. And I’m giving away a bunch of awesome items from Damstom and from my new online store:

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

GIVEAWAY #1: Two Damstom D300 38-inch panel clamps (valued at $120) for the first winner in the lower 48 states.

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

GIVEAWAY #2: I’m giving away two free digital downloads of one of my two most recent woodworking videos (watch the previews here) to (a) one person outside the United States (international) and to (b) one person within the United States (all 50 states).

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

GIVEAWAY #3: One of my new traditional woodworking T-shirts (see the selection here). This is for the runner-up winner in the United States.

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

GIVEAWAY #4: One of my woodworking Gifts and Gizmos (on this page of my store) for one of the runner-ups in the United States:

How To Glue Up A Table Panel With Panel Clamps

HOW DO YOU WIN?

It’s super easy to enter! The contest is open to all my blog subscribers (subscribe here if you haven’t done so already…don’t worry, it’s free). All you have to do is go to my new Topic Index page (here) and browse through my now easy-to-find articles, and click on the one that you find most interesting. Leave a nice comment at the bottom of one of your favorite articles, and at the end of your comment, add which video you’d like to win if you don’t win the clamps. And also type which gift (T-shirt design, mug design, or iPhone case design) you’d like if you don’t win the clamps or the videos. Also tell me which country and/or state you live in. I’ll randomly select winners, and post the winners right here on February 14th (Valentine’s Day)…so check back. I’ll also announce the winners on my Twitter page and Facebook page. If winners don’t contact me (here) within 48 hours, then I’ll pick new winners.

***WINNERS ANNOUNCED (02/14/2017):

The WoodAndShop.com giveaway winners that were randomly chosen are:

GIVEAWAY #1: “Two Damstom D300 38-inch panel clamps“: Jeff Milde from South Carolina

GIVEAWAY #2: “Two Free Digital Woodworking Video Downloads“:

     (a) International winner:  Tassos from Cyprus selected: “Building the Historic Howarth Bow Saw with Bill Anderson”

     (b) Domestic winner: Richard Maske from Michigan selected: ““Building the Hancock Shaker Candle Stand with Will Myers”

GIVEAWAY #3: “One of my new traditional woodworking T-shirts“: Jason T. selected: “Stanley 45 Combination Plane T-shirt

GIVEAWAY #4:One of my woodworking Gifts and Gizmos“: Christopher Sherwin from New Jersey selected: “Stanley 45 Combination Plane Mug (Blue)