This was a feasibility study to see if I could make a low cost clamp out of PVC pipe. I made this one out of "200 psi" because it was what I had handy.

I recently saw an I'ble by someone else making clamps by sawing it into bands and cutting slots in the bands. I cannot find his post, so I cannot give him credit for his idea, which inspired me to make this one. His clamps work good, except they requires two hands to pull them apart to clamp something. I wanted to see if I could add handles so it could be applied with one hand. Now that I know it's possible, I will be making some out of "Schedule 40" PVC pipe which has a thicker wall and is stronger.

The following is how I made this one.

Step 1: SUPPLIES AND TOOLS NEEDED

SUPPLIES:

PVC pipe (I used 200 PSI; OD 1.25", but I would recommend "Schedule 40")

2 small pieces of flat plastic for handles to open the clamp

2 - 1/8" pop rivets & washers

TOOLS:

Saw to cut PVC pipe (I used a chop saw, but it could be done with a hack saw)

Grinder to shape handles

Whitney hole punch or electric drill & 1/8" bit

Pop riveter

Box knife to get rid of sharp edges

Step 2: CUTTING & ASSEMBLY

This is all pretty easy.

Cut the pipe into bands & split each band

Shape the handles & scrape off sharp edges;

Punch the holes for rivets;

Install pop rivets.

They work very good, so the next step is to make bigger, stronger clamps out of 2" Schedule 40 PVC..

Step 3: Final Product

I made this one out of 2.25" pipe and 3/8" rods. It's much stronger than the previous one. Drilling the holes for the rods took some planning, measuring, and marking to get the rod placement uniform.

Step 4: How It Works

I plan on making about a dozen of this size with the rods for hand grips. This one was easy to make and will make a good addition to my tools. You cannot have too many clamps to use in metalworking or woodworking.

NOTE: I made a bigger clamp using 4" pipe. It can be seen here: https://www.instructables.com/id/Evolution-of-PVC-Clamp/