Long Neck Dinosaur In the Toymakers Shop

A made-to-order dinosaur in the final stage of glue-up.

Buy Now: https://www.etsy.com/shop/odinstoyfactory?search_query=dinosaur

Every time I make one of these, I do it differently. The one thing that doesn't change is that I glue one leg as close to perfect and then index off that leg when the glue has cured enough for it not to move. The glue joint is usually strong enough not to move after 30 minutes.

After gluing on the second leg, I wait long enough for the glue to set and add the third leg. Gluing proceeds until all of the legs are glued on.

After the glue has cured on all the legs, I check the legs for square on a flat surface like a castiron table and correct if needed by sanding the bottom of the feet. This one came out perfect. No adjustments were required.



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Tools - Jorgesen Heavy Duty Bar Clamp

Jorgensen Clamps are the best clamps I own. Especially the Heavy Duty versions. I had a few of and was picking up a few at a time until I I found out they were moving production to China. I went to every Home Depot in my area and bought all of the Made in USA clamps I could find.  They were pretty easy to spot because they all had wood handles while the Chinese made ones had the newer style rubber coated plastic handles.

When I heard the company folded I hit the stores again and bought what they had left that I thought were good enough.  These were all made in China. The fit and finish were not as good as the made in USA clamps but so far I really haven't had an issue with them.

These are big heavy clamps and I don't use them for everything. Every once in awhile when you really need to squeeze something hard these will do the Job. With 1500 pounds of clamping pressure it's almost like clamping. In a vise.

I still search for used ones. When I find them, for sale on eBay or Craigslist you would think they were made of gold. I read somewhere that someone had bought the brand and was going to bring them back. Home Depot still has them in their web store but none are in stock. Hopefully, they will return someday and I'll get a nice surprise.

3706 HD Jorgesen Heavy Duty Bar Clamp