You’re deep inside your guitar, trying to clamp a loose brace, but your traditional clamps are fighting you every step of the way.
You squeeze, pump, and wrestle, but the clamp either won’t do up tight enough, or the little rubber pads keep sliding off, forcing you to constantly check and readjust. Even worse, if you’re working near a taller brace, your clamp “contacting here and bottoms out” before it can even touch the piece you actually need to fix. This isn’t just frustrating; it’s a direct threat to your delicate repair, risking damage to the guitar’s top from excessive weight or imprecise pressure. As fellow craftsmen, we know that an improvised setup is a recipe for wasted time and potential disaster. We want tools that remove all doubt, allowing us to focus entirely on the craft. The goal isn’t just a successful repair; it’s the profound confidence that comes from using a tool perfectly designed for the job. You can make your own tools, but the right ones from the right place inspire confidence.
🎦 The Master’s Viewpoint: Dan Erlewine’s Elegant Solution
When it comes to solving common luthier frustrations, Dan Erlewine from StewMac is the master. In this essential video, he introduces his innovative Mini Cam Clamps, revealing how they solve the very problems that plague traditional clamps when working inside a guitar. Pay attention to the subtle genius of their design—it’s the kind of detail that transforms a difficult job into a precise repair.
✨ The ‘Aha!’ Moment: It’s All in the Jaw’s Design
The true genius of Dan Erlewine’s Mini Cam Clamps lies in a seemingly small, yet profoundly impactful, design feature: the **cutaway on the lower jaw**. This isn’t just a cosmetic detail; it’s the specific innovation that allows these clamps to:
- Reach Over Obstructions: Unlike traditional clamps that “bottom out” against adjacent, taller braces before making contact with the target, the cutaway allows the Mini Cam Clamp to clear these obstacles. This means you can effectively clamp the brace you actually need to fix, even in tight, obstructed internal spaces.
- Apply Perfect Pressure: By preventing unwanted contact, the cutaway ensures that the clamping pressure is applied precisely where it’s needed—on the loose brace itself—rather than being diverted by other internal components. This guarantees a secure, effective bond.
This design makes precision possible, transforming what could be a frustrating, ineffective clamping attempt into a clean, targeted repair.
🛠️ Mini Cam Clamps: Lighter, Slimmer, More Versatile
Developed by Dan Erlewine himself, these Mini Cam Clamps are a testament to purpose-built design. They offer the same easy adjustment as standard cam clamps—simply slide the upper jaw into position and flip the cam lever to tighten. But where they truly shine is in their size and versatility: they are **10 ounces lighter** and significantly slimmer than even StewMac’s smallest traditional cam clamps, making them ideal for:
- Internal Guitar Work: Their thin profile (1/2″ width) allows them to navigate tight spaces within acoustic guitars for brace repairs, and even for bridge clamping.
- Smaller Instruments: Perfect for ukuleles, mandolins, and other compact instruments where larger clamps are simply too bulky.
- Delicate Components: The sturdy hardwood and cork jaw linings provide plenty of pressure without risking damage to fragile pieces like fingerboards, side splints, or thin instrument tops.
- Multiple Clamp Placement: Their reduced weight and slimness mean you can fit more of them through a soundhole, enabling comprehensive, even clamping across a repair area.
Photo: StewMac.com
What Fellow Craftsmen Are Saying (and What to Know)
User reviews confirm these clamps are “one of the most useful and usable tools in my shop,” with many expressing a desire to buy more due to their versatility. They’re praised for being “super lightweight but plenty strong,” “perfect fit, weight and tension for clamping bridge through the sound hole,” and “extremely versatile.”
However, an “unimpeachable, nuanced truth” means acknowledging their specific applications. Users note they “are not particularly powerful” for heavy-duty crack closing, and some report that the cork pads can come loose (an easy fix with a little glue). A few also mentioned that while small, they might still not fit the soundhole of *every* ukulele kit. Despite these minor points, the overwhelming consensus is that these “little buggers are perfect” for their intended purpose, providing “precision placement and light pressure” for delicate operations.
Make this cornerstone investment in your workshop today: StewMac Mini Cam Clamps (Amazon).
🔦 See Clearly, Glue Strongly: Essential Supporting Tools
Precise clamping often requires clear visibility and reliable adhesion. Here are two indispensable tools to complement your Mini Cam Clamps:
- Internal Inspection:
To ensure your clamps are placed exactly where they need to be, especially within the guitar body, a good inspection light and mirror are crucial. The StewMac 3-Piece Inspection Mirror Kit (Amazon) and the StewMac Guitar Internal Inspection Light Kit (Amazon) provide the necessary visual access to ensure every clamp is perfectly positioned. - Reliable Adhesion:
For securely re-attaching braces, the industry standard is a high-quality wood glue. Titebond Original Wood Glue (2-Pack, Amazon) provides a strong, reliable bond that sets quickly, making it ideal for brace repair.
📝 Workshop Wisdom: The Padded Body Support
Beyond specialized tools, smart workshop habits drastically improve efficiency and safety. Dan Erlewine also demonstrates a simple yet effective **padded body support**. This ingenious accessory, which you can easily make yourself, consists of a padded block of wood attached to a dowel with cross holes and an indexing pin. Its primary purpose is to hold a guitar securely while it’s in your repair vise, or to quickly lift an instrument—like a customer’s old j45—off a dirty workbench surface in a hurry, providing a safe, clean spot for your valuable instrument.
🏆 The Payoff: Clamping with Confidence
The journey from frustration to flawless execution often begins with the right tool. By eliminating the struggles of generic clamps and embracing specialized solutions like the Mini Cam Clamps, you’re not just performing a better repair; you’re building your own confidence and sense of accomplishment as a craftsman. You know the tool will work as designed, allowing you to focus on the skill, not the struggle. That is the true prize.
Have you ever found a clamp was too large for small or fragile work? Share your experience below.