bench clamp

1 5.3

A tool that holds a piece on a workbench firmly while you cut or drill

noun
/bɛnʧ klæmp/

: prensa de banco

The carpenter tightened the bench clamp to secure the wood before cutting it.

Examples

She used a bench clamp to hold the metal sheet steady.
Before drilling, make sure your workpiece is firmly held by a bench clamp.
I need a bench clamp for my woodworking project.
The bench clamp holds the wood securely.
Before drilling, make sure your workpiece is firmly held by a bench clamp.
She used a bench clamp to hold the metal sheet steady.
The carpenter tightened the bench clamp to secure the wood before cutting it.

Synonyms

clamp

vsbench clamp

70 3.3

A tool that holds things tightly while you work

is for holding items on a work surface during tasks rather than general use

C-clamp

vsbench clamp

2 6.5

A metal clamp shaped like a C that holds wood or metal firmly while you work

is made to hold items on a work surface during tasks rather than join

bench vise

vsbench clamp

Specialized

1 6.5

A tool fixed to a workbench with two parts that press to hold things while you work

is usually portable and not fixed to the work surface

Surface Forms

bench clamp singular

bench clamps plural

Morphology

bench + clamp

The meaning 'a clamp designed to hold objects on a workbench' is directly and transparently compositional from 'bench' (work table) + 'clamp' (device for gripping). This simple noun–noun compound follows regular English formation patterns and is likely obvious to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Bench clamp comes from a simple workshop tool: a bench is a work table and a clamp is a device that holds something tightly. So a bench clamp is a clamp fixed to a workbench 'to keep a piece steady' while you saw, drill, or assemble it.