Years back I’d gotten four Jorgensen 3424 clamps from a friend closing up his countertop shop. They were great little lightweight clamps. While getting my free flashlight (or tape measure) at Harbor Freight, I spied what looked like those clamps. I got some and took them home. I saw the wood insert trick so I did it, but when I did, I got an ugly Harbor Freight type surprise. The clamp bar was at least half the thickness of the Jorgy. 1/16” thick compared to 1/8” thick. There were other things also. The point of this post isn’t to bash HF, but to illuminate the difference. The flea market and yard sale season is here, so when there are available clamps, watch for the aluminum and orange Jorgenson 3524s. They’re well worth having for light work.
The 3524 means 24" between the clamp jaws. A 3548 would have 48" between the jaws.
HF on the left, Jorgensen 3524s on the right.
comparisons of the ends
Closeup of the ends. Obviously the HF is on the right. The upper inside corners look a little sketchy.
The rack of detents
The detent and the pawl. By filing the harbor freight pawl, I got a much more solid bite.
the pawls out of the detents
side view
Moveable jaw.
Clamp heads
The 3524 means 24" between the clamp jaws. A 3548 would have 48" between the jaws.
HF on the left, Jorgensen 3524s on the right.
comparisons of the ends
Closeup of the ends. Obviously the HF is on the right. The upper inside corners look a little sketchy.
The rack of detents
The detent and the pawl. By filing the harbor freight pawl, I got a much more solid bite.
the pawls out of the detents
side view
Moveable jaw.
Clamp heads