I've got these Emerson edge clamps that work fairly well:

http://www.rockler.com/all-in-one-clamp-guide-package-squaring-attachment

They're nice and straight and the clamping force is pretty good. Those are probably the main things I look for in a clamp, but they do have one pretty big flaw that kind of irks me. The bar that runs down the center of the clamp is made out of a material that's way too soft. The clutch plates sliding jaw will dig into the bar over time and leave marks. This doesn't seem to actually effect how it actually works, however it does make it kind of difficult to slide the jaw back and forth.

If you search around for reviews of these clamps, there's other people that say the same thing, however it's mostly on older reviews. I'm not sure if they've fixed it on later production runs. Mine are a couple years old. I was lazy and never bothered contacting them about the problem.

 

I am sorry to say that I wasted my money on one.
The clamp either jams or slips. Never works smoothly.
You still have to deal with the offset from the edge of the clamp to where your saw's blade will cut.
And, yes, it is rather easy to deflect the clamp in mid span.

After I made a cutting guide out of a couple strips of 3/8" MDF I'll never look back.

Like this one.

 

I haven't tried it yet, but I bought the Woodriver guide rail system. I will be trying it out in the next few days. It is kind of like a track type operation as there is a base to mount your saw and it rides in the guid rail. The kit was $99.00 and also included a angle attachment. The rail is about 2inches wide and seems sturdy, however I have seen some reviews about deflection. I don't know if the use was with or without the guide attachment. I looked at track saws, but cost led me to try this as I only occasionally break down sheet goods. I am hoping this system is good enough for me.

 

Thanks Bill…I'll check it out, along with the Rockler product mentioned above. If you could post your thoughts after you've used it I would appreciate it!

 

I used the Woodriver guide system yesterday. It is not a track saw, however since I only do a few sheets a year it will work fine for me. The kit had two 56 inch bars, two clamps, a connector, a plate for a saw or router, and an angle attachment for $99. I like the fact the saw rides in a track and not dependent on me to hold it against the rail. I also like the clamping system as it is solid and makes it easier to set the saw on it's mark. I haven't connected the two rails so I can't comment on deflection of a long system. The cut was fairly clean and acceptable. Like I said, it no track saw, but will serve my purpose for the amount of sheet goods I do.

I mounted the saw so I can still see the cutting reference of the saw plate. That way I wasn't trying to set the rail a specific distance, just set to the saw reference.

The clamps fit into the rails and provide good clamping. I think this system is much easier to align yo the cutting mark as you can clamp one side and adjust the other side.

Mounting to the guide plate, I lightly clamped the saw base against the guide and drilled several holes for a #8-32 tap. Tapped the holes in the saw base, enlarged and counter sunk the holes in the guide base.

 

The wood river system looks great but unfortunately it seems to only be sold by Woodcraft, and for some reason in addition to their steep postal charges, they want to whack me for about 15% extra and call it a sales tax. Atlanta ain't supposed to charge sales tax to Alabama and even when a vendor does have to charge sales tax it should only be about 5%, not 15%. Since I don't like to be ripped off or insulted, I have been ignoring Woodcraft.

 

"insulted"?

 

"The wood river system looks great but unfortunately it seems to only be sold by Woodcraft, and for some reason in addition to their steep postal charges, they want to whack me for about 15% extra and call it a sales tax. Atlanta ain't supposed to charge sales tax to Alabama and even when a vendor does have to charge sales tax it should only be about 5%, not 15%. Since I don't like to be ripped off or insulted, I have been ignoring Woodcraft."

Woodcraft has a store in Alabama. Therefore, they have a sufficient presence in that state - a "nexus" - that they have to charge you sales tax. As for the 15% - either there is a serious coding error in their website, or you are mistaken.