Grinding, shaping, carving, welding. A portable clamp stand will hold your work in place. Here I reviewed the Rockwell Jawhorse and Sheetmaster clamps stands against Ridgid’s SuperClamp.
Unfortunately, Ridgid’s SuperClamp has been discontinued. But don’t feel too bad. It didn’t have wheels anyway, and these things are a beast to carry. If you own a RIDGID, or any clamp stand, check out my two year update at the bottom of this page.
Operation
Both Rockwells have a one ton clamping force and are identical in operation. Just load your work piece, engage the lock, and pump the foot peddle to clamp it down. To release, unlock and pump the foot pedal again.
But be careful. These have teeth under the rail that have a tendency to chew up the catch holes if they misalign. So if it doesn’t clamp stop pumping and check under the hood. (See 2 year update below)
Weight and Capacity
Both Rockwells can handle 600 lbs of load and have a one ton clamping force. The Sheetmaster has a larger footprint and is 10 lbs heavier than the Jawhorse.
For the extra size and weight, the Sheetmaster gives you 49” of clamping range. The Jawhorse only extends to 37 inches. Rockwell used to offer an extension for the Jawhorse but they discontinued it.
Wheels
The Sheetmaster has two rollerblade wheels with more ground clearance than the Jawhorse’s rolling pin wheel. Both systems pull well, but the Sheetmaster rolls smoother.
Carry Handle
All three stands employ a third leg/carry handle. The Jawhorse handle does not allow your knuckles to slide under for a full grip, while the Sheetmaster’s does. However, the Sheetmaster’s handle has sharp edges right over the tool’s center of gravity making it less comfortable to carry.
Bottom Line
Now that I’ve checked out the Sheetmaster I don’t see it replacing two saw horses for cutting plywood. It’s well suited for making end cuts, but two saw horses are good for end cuts as well as ripping length wise. Because of this, I prefer the lighter, smaller, Jawhorse. They’ve discontinued the Ridgid but the Triton looks very similar. But, after two years of no wheels, if I buy another one it will have wheels.
