So what inspired a talented singer to give up clefs for clamps? Did she find a rhythm and harmony within the utilitarian tools of her new trade? Would she sometimes walk the factory floors, cooing a melody to inspire her workers? Face Clamp: These clamps are something like a pinch clamp, but with a square shape and wide pads that clamp securely without marring a delicate surface. They are useful for holding delicate pieces in place for gluing or drilling.

I became curious about the Adjustable Clamp Company after using my “Pony” band clamp a lot this week after sitting in various tool chests for the past 30 years. Made in USA, the box said in a style, color scheme, and lettering that looked like it hadn’t been changed since 1954. My gosh this stuff was honestly made.”— Jon F., 2019

Jorgensen Clamps

A pair of H-style or pipe clamps offer the ability to secure projects of various sizes, since the clamps themselves fit onto a metal pipe of your choosing. If you need to clamp a large tabletop, long shelves, or other similar projects, simply choose a pipe that is long enough for your purpose, and then slide the pair of H-style clamps onto opposing ends of the pipe. These BESSEY H-style pipe clamps fit any 3/4-inch pipe.

Once all of the above has been completed, carefully slot the pony cylinder module into the main cylinder module. Iconic American Tool Brands Pony, Jorgensen & Goldblatt To Be Relaunched to the North American Market Under the Leadership of Arrow Fastener”– Press Release, May 10, 2018 Ensure the clips are not excessively tightened as it is possible that this can cause them some damage. If you want a versatile clamp that works for many different types of projects, is large enough to handle even sizable pieces, and has enough clamping power to keep your project firmly in place for as long as you need, then look no further than the BESSEY 36-Inch Clutch-Style Bar Clamp But if you just want to add a few lightweight bar clamps to your collection without spending a bundle, then the WORKPRO 6-Piece Bar Clamp Set is perfect for your needs. What to Look for in a Woodworking Clamp TypeInteresting article with interesting images of vintage documents etc. It’s a shame the company apparently couldn’t remain viable another 100 years, but we live in a “if it ain’t broke, it will be soon,” disposable society now. Shame. I’m glad to have 40-50 of their handscrews, I-beam clamps, pipe clamps, & one parallel clamp in my wood shop.”— Harry M., 2019 Half of the system is constantly secured to your pony cylinder, whilst the additional part of the system is secured on to the main cylinder using the webbing cylinder cam band on your BCD. The Northern Diver Pony Cylinder System is engineered from anodised aluminium with stainless steel jubilee clips, making it one of the best systems on the market. The system allows you to have either left or right side mount. We have made the system as simple and user friendly as possible to use, please find instructions for use below: Another look at the longtime Adjustable Clamp factory at 417-433 N. Ashland Avenue in West Town, circa 1990s. The factory shut down in 2016.] Part II: Finding Adele Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries of Chicago assessed it this way: “Special interest attaches to the [Adjustable Clamp Company] by reason of the fact that its executive head, Mrs. Adele V. Holman, has proved fully the resourcefulness and administrative ability which woman may bring to bear in the broad domain of industrial and commercial enterprise. Mrs. Holman is president of the company and virtually the sole owner of the business which is being most ably and progressively conducted under her personal administration.”

I am writing to inform you that on May 19, 2016, Adjustable Clamp Company d/b/a Pony Tools Inc. informed its Chicago employees that it was suspending operations in Chicago effective immediately.” Clearly, any information you may be able to provide would be most appreciated. I am primarily interested in determining the manufacturer, which I suspect is either the Adjustable Clamp Co. or Chicago Tools.

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That synopsis, poorly written as it might be, could just as easily have come from the 2015 Adjustable Clamp catalog, or the 1915 edition, for that matter. Sure, an expert might recognize subtle changes to the Jorgensen design over the decades, but for the most part, if you bought one of these things brand new from a hardware store a few years ago, it probably looks and functions almost identically to the ones in our collection (which are likely mid-century) or the ones Adele “Someone Like You” Holman was rolling off the assembly line a century ago.

That’s the tough thing about making a quality product for 100 years. If the design has been perfected, and the tool itself lasts a very long time, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep selling new ones—even to happy customers. Now, there are certainly more complex explanations for Adjustable Clamp’s eventual demise. Some have suggested that there were serious managerial rifts over recent decisions—including moving much of the parts manufacturing to China. Others blamed union demands, cheaper competition, or failing to keep up with new tech trends. But it seems friendlier to just say “they were too good for their own good”—whatever consolation that might be to the workers now out of a job. Some of the other early Adjustable Clamp Co. creations—like the metal Pony and Jorgensen “C” Clamps (patented by Adele’s son Harry V. Holman) were also left mostly unaltered after their 1920s/30s introductions. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, third-generation owner D.V. Holman helped usher in another line of successful clamps, and his son, Daniel, expanded to bench vises and miter saws under the same Pony, Jorgensen, and Adjustable brand names. The arsenal was established, and only the world around the Holmans was ever gonna change. As the 20th century dawned, Adele was still listed in the Chicago City Directory as a “Vocalist,” and she had a “wide and enviable reputation as a musician of remarkable talent and most gracious personality.”Bar Clamp: Also called an F-clamp, due to its shape, the bar clamp opens much wider than a C-clamp, allowing you to hold much larger workpieces together. There are bar clamps as small as 6 inches, but most woodworkers find that 24 to 36 inches is the most useful for large projects. Adele remained the leader of Adjustable Clamp—the furthest thing from a figurehead—up until her death in 1932. As a rather cruel insult, her gravestone in Jerseyville reads merely, “ADELE V., WIFE OF HARRY W. HOLMAN.” Twenty years as a world class singer, another 30 years building a successful international tool company, and in the end, she was just somebody’s wife. There’s the gender gap for you—ever so slowly improving thanks to the exploits of gals like Adele Holman. While this was rarely if ever mentioned in any of the Adjustable Clamp Co’s own corporate histories, Adele Holman was already something of a local celebrity when she bought her first shares in the business. For much of the 1880s and ’90s, the Jerseyville, Illinois native made her career—much like our most famous 21st century “Adele”—as a touring vocalist, eventually becoming the star mezzo-soprano and manager for the very popular Arion Lady Quartet.