Importance

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Abstract

An improved bar clamp has a slide bar with a first jaw and a second jaw, the jaws set in opposing relationship along the slide bar. The first jaw may be advanced towards the second jaw by a setting mechanism that is removably attachable to the first jaw. The setting mechanism for advancing the first jaw has a hand lever and hand grip that act in concert upon manual squeezing to step-by-step advance the first jaw. The improved bar clamp also has a jaw comprising a body portion, bent along its length at an obtuse angle, which divides the body portion into an upper portion and a lower portion. A protective pad is attached to the upper portion near the end thereof on the same side of the body portion as the obtuse angle. A slot passes through the lower portion so that the body portion has a normal position on the slide bar with the side of the upper portion having the protective pad thereon forming an angle relative to the slide bar that is slightly less than a right angle, the body portion being slidable on the slide bar when the body portion is in this position. A biasing means attached to the lower portion on the opposite side of the body as the obtuse angle biases the body portion against the slide bar into this position, but the slot is sized to firmly engage the slide bar and to prevent movement of the body portion along the slide bar when the protective pad engages a workpiece in a manner that the engagement increases the angle between the side of the upper portion having the protective pad and the slide bar.

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First Claim