Welding Clamps and Jigs For 90 Degree Repeatable Joints

When it comes to repeatable 90 and 45 degree welds, the right clamps and fixtures make all the difference. Here’s what I actually reach for.

If You Could Only Have One Thing

I designed the Texas Metal Works 10″ Super Square Fixture and Clamping Square, and it’s currently the best fixture square on the planet. If you could only own one thing for repeatable 90 and 45 degree joints, this is it.

Pair it with a set of 6″ metal face clamps with swivel pads and you can clamp basically anything to the square. Once your material is against it, you’ve got a perfect 90 or a perfect 45, every time. Read the full breakdown of what the square can do on the product page. It’s the one tool on this list I’d genuinely be lost without.

Good, But One-Trick

Cast iron welders angle clamps are also good tools to have around. They do some of what my square does, holding material at a fixed angle for a weld, but they can only do that one thing. My square handles the same job and a lot more, since it’s not limited to a single angle or a single style of joint.

The Other Essential

12″ F-clamps are also important to have on hand. They’re not angle-specific like the tools above, but you’ll reach for them constantly for general clamping, holding material flat, pulling pieces together before a tack weld, and a dozen other jobs that have nothing to do with 90 degree joints.

The Strong Hand 3-Axis Clamp: Still Good, But Do the Math

I still like the Strong Hand Tools 3-axis welder’s angle clamp. It’s a solid, well-built tool. But they’re expensive, and once you start pricing them out, it’s worth stepping back and asking what else that money could buy. You could pick up a full kit of clamps, stops, and hold-downs for a fixture table for about the price of four of those clamps, and end up with a lot more capability for the same money.

Nothing Beats an Excellent Fixture Table

At the end of the day, nothing beats owning a genuinely good fixture table. It opens the door to every tool that inserts directly into the table surface: stops, friction clamps, and everything else that turns a flat welding surface into a real fixturing system. Texas Metal Works makes the best weld tables on the planet, and if you want to build your own, they also offer DIY welding table kits.