Saddler's Stitching Clam From Two Oak Barrel Staves on a Dovetailed Deal Base (Hasluck, Harness Making, 1904)

"A clamp can be made easily by the worker at home."

Cut two oak cask or barrel staves 2 ft long and at least 3 in wide, the most curved part in the centre (the more bent, the more useful). Clean the outside with a spokeshave, leaving one end the full thickness (about 1 in) and thinning gradually to about 3/4 in toward the upper ends, which form the jaws (Fig. 55). Round the outer corners, flatten the inside, and glass-paper both sides.

Cut the lower part C from sound white deal, 20 by 3 by 3 in, with a dovetail-shaped tenon at least 6 in long. Fit the shoulders and the width of its upper end to the curve of your staves so that it takes energetic screwing to bring the staves home and their jaws press tightly together.

Screw the staves to the tenon with eight stout 2-1/4 in screws, countersunk flush (Fig. 54).

Hold the clamp slanting between the knees, resting against the left knee, with the right leg thrown over it, so the work is held fast between the jaws and both hands are free for the awl and two needles.

From Paul N. Hasluck, **Harness Making** (1904), "Harness-makers' Tools" (checked on the archive.org scan harnessmaking00hasl, pp. 24-27). The tools and metric figures are ours.