Clamps for direct stick flooring.

[Miltzy]

I am looking at buying 2 or 3 clamps to lay some direct stick flooring, new or second hand can anyone point me in the right direction???

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[journeyman Mick]

AFAIK you don't/can't use clamps as there's nothing for them to clamp to. Normal flooring clamps grab onto the joists and push the boards together. I'm guessing you'd need to use something like a pipe clamp, sash or bar clamp or even acrow props pushing from the wall. As far as downwards clamping force is concerned, I've only ever seen the odd bag of cement used to force down a bit of a bump. Good luck,

Mick

[Gaza]

lay plywood then direct stick to this, secrete nail every 4 or 5 rows.

[glock40sw]

lay plywood then direct stick to this, secrete nail every 4 or 5 rows.

Yep. As above.
Plitz anchors @ 450 centres for the ply to concrete.
Ultraset O/lay to ply and secret nail @ 400 centres every 5th board.

For direct stick to concrete, seal slab. ultraset O/lay to slab.
lay 10 rows and weight down with concrete blocks.
use acro props against opposing wall for cramping.
DO NOT USE TOO MUCH FORCE !!! or floor will lift.

[E. maculata]

I used reversable "Quikclamps" in our previous home to "help" some troubled boards along, destroyed a few of them in the process(bout a dozen:o () but still effective, pinned/nailed evry other row, ultracet with 3mm comb.
I listen/ed to the Blokes above, occassionally they're known to be right:p

[Gaza]

I used reversable "Quikclamps" in our previous home to "help" some troubled boards along, destroyed a few of them in the process(bout a dozen:o () but still effective, pinned/nailed evry other row, ultracet with 3mm comb.
I listen/ed to the Blokes above, occassionally they're known to be right:p

Smart .......

Seriously we use K Body's as spreaders all the time to pull boards together when laying over ply/particle board. Screw a block down and crank it up. On joists or battens still use the old school floor clamp. This is only when the boards are being a bitch to pull together.

[floorie]

I,ve used this newly invented patented machine called nobow and It works like nothing else. Purpose built for assisting in laying timber flooring on any sub floor including concrete.CHECK IT OUT!
It can be hired and sold.

[Gaza]

Mate, no offence but all it is a air ram with some angle. big bucks to buy, 10 seconds to make

[floorie]

Gaza , If you use it you will see that it's more than just that at, first glance !! At $88 a day, to hire it saved days on the jobs well well worth it, Money well spent..

[Gaza]

Gaza , If you use it you will see that it's more than just that at, first glance !! At $88 a day, to hire it saved days on the jobs well well worth it, Money well spent..

where do u hire from in syd.....

[elraco.com.au]

To come from a different angle (and I am biased) what about using two VC4 Vac-Clamps turned upside down, a board fastened to the base (now the top) and a ratchet strap between them.
OK it's a bit agricultural but it would not cost the earth and then you have two fantastic clamps to use in your workshop when you've finished the flooring job

The rubber seal on the clamp can be adjusted for narrower pieces of flooring.

Check out the clamps at www.vac-clamp.com (http://www.vac-clamp.com)

I did say I was biased

[jimc]

All I have used is a crow bar as a long lever. Able to do one or two boards no problem. Very cheap (everyone has one!) and very simple to use.

Just make suer you dont bruise the edge of the board...use an offcut to level against as it protects the tongue or groove.

Lever against what I hear you ask.....the dirt under the floor....stumps....bearers....other temporary timbers you use etc.

for real stubborn warped boards....use a rubber mallet on the edge of the baord in conjunction with the crow bar...the shock eases the edges together realy quickly

[floorie]

Gaza , you can hire Nobow out of Canberra, and from The Hire Guys in Perth.And from a place in Brookvale in Sydneys North shore.....ask your local hire shop to stock it..

[the controller]

I have used nobow many times and I know this tool will be treasured by everyone involved in the laying of timber floors.It is a revolutionary device that will set a new industry standard and takeaway the many dramas people have trying to put down a quality floor.Highly recommended.

[glock40sw]

G'day.
I had a yarn to some of the installers that lay our flooring as well as other mill's productions.
They have tried the No-Bow cramp.
The overall opinion is that it causes the boards to peak at the T&G join due to the undercut at the bottom of groove to bottom of tongue joint when being nailed to ply.

One bloke said the it was too slow to use.

[Larry McCully]

I am on a 2500 m2 job now of dirct stick, I was considering using no bow but i have declined on to reasons, i was astonished on the price of the purchase and of the hire rate. $5500 + gst or $88 per day. A drop saw only costs 800 or a polyvac 1500 or a edger 3000 or other tools of the trade at affordable rates. I think their is a market for this devise but the pricing needs to be able to attract the buyer. If you want this product to enter the market paul, you will need to mabe look at lower markup which will attract the buyer and cause a higher turn over. We all now of your product and are all smart men, we also know what is in it to get what you got.
AS for me i have been doing direct stick for boral for a few years now and have a clamping system down pat and dont need to rely onnobow, but i though that if it was affordable i would have purchased up to six of them, just for this job i am doing now. But mate you scared the s... out of me when i saw the price. I am looking for a system that will give me the results that i need at a good price. You will find that if you make it worth while for the other professional installers to buy it then you will have a winner. You need to drop the price dramaticly.
Also, 99.9 per cent of the timber that is manufactured today is straightand in good condition, i hve only had mabe two floors that i would have needed a product like no bow, and that was from a recycle timber floor manufacturre in brisbane. The quality t/g manufactures make sure that their product is quality controlled. I noticed in your video that you use a brad nailer to secret nail your floors, I dont know if this nailing system would pass any scrutiney by the board and codes as at australian standards for the instalation of tounge and grove. I and like most of the other pro installers use a staple fired from a scret nail gun. I dont need to clamp the boards first then nail them, if i did then that would be double handeling .
This is the thing paul, if you are going to throw your product out into the industry , they you will be up against all the questions that need to be answered, especially by the proffesional fraternaty.

[the controller]

I can save at least $7 per sq. metre laying boards using Nobow .On a 2500m job thats at least over $17000 well worth the investment.Cheers to you all

[Gaza]

I can save at least $7 per sq. metre laying boards using Nobow .On a 2500m job thats at least over $17000 well worth the investment.Cheers to you all

WHAT THE....

So the no bow, carrys the floor, cuts it in and then its ready to glue down. No way to save that much only on a crap floor that will not go to together. If you have to push that hard something is wrong.

Put your money where your mouth is MR NO BOW and lead me and larry one for a week each, i am doing a lot of 6 & 8in floors and larry is doing direct stick. then let us show you the results.

Direct stick needs limited clamping anyway, once the first few rows are gone off you push against that. No lumps of steel or sand bags required here,

[Larry McCully]

WHAT THE....

So the no bow, carrys the floor, cuts it in and then its ready to glue down. No way to save that much only on a crap floor that will not go to together. If you have to push that hard something is wrong.

Put your money where your mouth is MR NO BOW and lead me and larry one for a week each, i am doing a lot of 6 & 8in floors and larry is doing direct stick. then let us show you the results.

Direct stick needs limited clamping anyway, once the first few rows are gone off you push against that. No lumps of steel or sand bags required here, you mean "lend "

[floorie]

Larry, through my flooring experience limited as it is (19 yrs of proven quality and consistency) . You will need all the help you can get!!!!

Glock40sw As for your contractors WHO YOU SAY have used Nobow. I KNOW for fact that their was one block in Barinsdale Vic who love it but it did not suit his style. All the rest have either bought it off the web site or have hired it and then bought it with in days of using it. The general opinion you have quoted is just that! so boys the old saying is don't knock it until you you've REALLY tried it!!!
Thanks again for your comments keep them coming!! and keep persisting with your old ideas.

[Larry McCully]

Thats cool bro, i see something in it also, it is the price that scared me. and yes you are right when you say not to knock it till you tried it, i cant justify (hiring)spending 1500 a week for 3 of em and thats only on one level, and there are two levels . I have to look at a a more cost effictive solution and get the same esults, even if i have to make up a tempory device based on the same principle using air jacks or something. i know of a air/oil hydrolic device that can be purchased at quarter the cost, and with a bit of thought , knock up a solution. Its the price bro, thats all.

[floorie]

Gaza, Larry and the others ,
IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO GET YOU GUYS ALL OUT OF SORT!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!! YOU ARE ALL RIGHT IN YOUR COMMENTS!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! THE NOBOW may not be needed in all flooring installations BUT when it is needed it can be an EXTRA pair of hands. Some of the benefits is it can hold in 2 or 3 places at the same time with a regulated consistent air pressure. That can stop over clamping. With the aid of the secret nail gun it works very well as it allows complete unrestricted access to the joist or batten. MY own business and the few contractors that use it are claiming the advantages.
It is available to Hire
Again I am always seeking constructive educated criticism. That was why I entered this forum in the first place.
Thanks again !! for your enthusiasm !!

[glock40sw]

Glock40sw As for your contractors WHO YOU SAY have used Nobow. I KNOW for fact that their was one block in Barinsdale Vic who love it but it did not suit his style..

Well, There you go...Eh?

Anyway, we all know the Queenslanders hate change :D .

[Gaza]

Yea sorry for being a smart ####.

Its a great idea for use as a spreader for the last few rows, i hate using a pull bar cause i am scared of damaging the walls.

I can see where it would come it to its own dealing with wide boards, floor clamps dont work on plywood/particle board or direct stick.

Good luck and try to get the hire price down.

[Larry McCully]

Well, There you go...Eh?

Anyway, we all know the Queenslanders hate change :D . Hey cuz, How does a queenslander change a light bulb?
answer..... change! change! what change!

[E. maculata]

Well, There you go...Eh?



Trevor I'm disappointed Bud, you're slippin' in yer dotage:p
what you're supoosed to say is "Sorry my flooring does not require clamping, as the very concept of applying a clamp to my carefully manufacturer natural product makes me want to................"
Cause mine surely doesn't:p .

[glock40sw]

Brucie, Brucie, Brucie...
ya must understand. I am learning to be more mellow in my mid-life crisis awareness feel good sessions.:D

Even though you and I know that my production is beyond question, there are still a few installers that seem to think like a 1950's topnail installer and cramp the sh_it out of every stick of flooring that passes through their hands.
On the other hand there are also a handfull of switched on installers that have a feel for the material that they install. These aware few are the ones that believe in installing quality floors with quality fixings and practices. Sure they charge like wounded bulls, but you get what you pay for.

There are individuals out there that install floors. But they should be wearing blue & white stripped aprons with butchers knives hanging from their belts. These are the "take the money and run" types. You, like me do not want these types laying our flooring. After all, we invest large amounts of time and resouces into producing a quality product. The last thing we need is a butcher to leave it out in the rain for 1 week and then tell all and sundry that will listen, that the manufacturer is supplying flooring that is not dryed properly.

I think it is time to change jobs. I'm getting bored with hardwood flooring manufacturing. 30 years is too long in 1 job. I wonder if there is any vacancies for an apprentice brothel manager :p .

[floorie]

WELL???? What did you end up doing Miltzy????????

[the controller]

iam also wondering miltzy

[the controller]

I wanted to find out how the big job is going Larry,did you come up with a good solution to your clamping issues.I still love my NOBOW

[Larry McCully]

Still waiting for wood to arrive.

[Shedhand]

I'm using a Bostich stapler for my Tas Oak T&G 19mm overlay. 40mm staples and Sikaflex T55 adhesive. So far so good. The timber is select grade. No gum, no checks, no cranky grain. Some bowing in the long lengths. To get the bows I've sharpened up one of my old granpa's 'real' sidchrome screwdrivers (400mm long with square shaft) which i belt into the chipboard and lever against the shoe of the stapler. Works wonderfully and is cheap as chips. Gonna have trouble with the last 3 or 4 boards though. Still thinkin' it through...any ideas fellas?
Cheers

[Larry McCully]

Best to have a small block to put between the timber and your screwdriver so yo don't crush the tongue. lay up as close to the wall as you can get ,sparingly nail the last board in then measure the very last board to be riped down to fit in and glue it in and drive a couple of wedges in to clamp it while the glue dries.That screwdriver trick is used by a lot of installers to help with those stubborn boards.