Clamp (Tool)

A clamp is a fastening device used to hold or secure objects tightly together to prevent movement or separation, by applying inward pressure. In the United Kingdom the word cramp is often used instead when the tool is for temporary use positioning components during construction or woodworking, as in a G-cramp or sash clamp, reserving clamp itself for a more permanent fitting such as a wheel clamp or surgical clamp. Some clamps are meant to be temporary, holding parts in place only while they are joined, while others are intended to remain in place permanently; the term covers a very wide family of devices across many trades that share this same basic clamping action.