One-handed terrace clamp — CRAB MINI

CRAB MINI is a one-handed decking clamp that pulls a board tight to the one already fixed and holds it there while you drive the screw.

Decking boards are never perfectly straight. Lay one against the last and you get a gap that opens and closes along its length. The clamp pulls the board in, closes the gap to a consistent line, and holds it while you fix. Without one you are kneeling on the board, levering with a chisel, or asking someone else to come and stand on it.

It works with one hand

That is the point of it. One hand sets and tightens the clamp, which leaves the other free for the screwdriver. It is a tool built for working on your own, and on a small deck that is usually how the job gets done. Rubber pads sit between the jaws and the timber, and it suits any type of timber.

It works vertically too

Most board clamps rely on the board sitting flat while you work. This one holds in any orientation, so it works for cladding and façade boards where you cannot brace a board against gravity or rest it on anything. The same tool does the deck and the wall.

Before you fix

• This is an assembly aid, not a fastener. Every board still gets screwed down
• The opening figure is the span the clamp bridges. It is not board thickness and it is not deck width
• Nothing in the box but the clamp
• The rubber pads reduce marking, they do not prevent it. Over-tighten and you will still bruise soft timber

What you'll also need

Building a small deck from scratch? The EASYDECK5 kit carries the screws, clips, tape and pads for up to 5 m² in one box, and its datasheet recommends a clamp for correct installation. Spacers to set the gap between boards come as a separate range in a few thicknesses; the clamp closes the boards onto them and holds everything square while you fix. For the fixings themselves, see MINI decking screws, SNAP concealed connectors and DECK BAND UV tape, or the full decking screws and connectors range.

Common questions

What does the 200 kg figure mean? It is the maximum force the clamp itself can apply when you tighten it. It is a specification for the tool, not a rating for your deck. It says nothing about what the deck can carry.

Do I really need a clamp? For one or two boards, no. Across a whole deck it is the difference between a consistent gap and a line that wanders. Bowed boards are normal, not a fault, and something has to pull them straight while you fix.

Does it have a CE marking or a Declaration of Performance? No, and it does not need one. Those cover construction products where a published performance value matters. This is a hand tool. It holds a board while you work; it is not part of the finished structure.

Sold individually.