The Last Project

Dave Gingery had many interests and could have written scores of books on many topics. But writing is hard work. It's more fun to build.

Some of the devices he came up are deceptively simple. And this is one of them, the last one of them, that Dave created before the heart attack the ultimately sent him packing to cast metal for the Devil. (Well... that's what informed sources tell me!)

Vince Gingery tells the story:

The last project the ol' man worked on was this unique "C" clamp he devised to fix a warped guitar face. He brought it by to show me in December which was just a couple of weeks before his heart attack. He was working on a guitar for a friend at the time and needed a special clamp with a long enough arm to not only reach inside the body of the guitar, but one that would actually fit through the small round hole in the guitar body at the same time. Such a clamp, if it even exists at all, is not something you can just go down to the local hardware store and buy.

Here's what he came up with. . .

It's actually an adjustable "C" clamp. Notice the arrow in the side view photo which points to a screw. When this screw is removed the top arm of the clamp opens up as shown in the next photo. This feature allows the bottom arm to fit nicely through a small hole such as that in the body of a guitar. When in position the clamp is closed, the screw is reinserted and the clamp is ready to do its job.

The two additional photos show a close up of the top and side view of the hinge. The photos are self explanatory and anyone seeing them should be able to build a similar clamp. This one is made of 10 gage steel. The two small PI x 1-1/2 pieces making up the hinge are double riveted to the stationary end of the clamp. They are single riveted to the movable side of the clamp which forms the hinge. Removing or inserting the screw then locks or releases the hinge

It's a neat and unusual clamp and one he was sure proud of.

Vince