A panel clamping assembly (10) facilitates gluing wooden boards (12) edge-to-edge so that they will form a perfectly flat panel after the glue sets. The assembly (10) includes a plurality of vertically oriented platens (14) each having a leading edge (16). All of the leading edges (16) lie in a common vertical plane. Wooden boards (12) are gently pressed against the leading edges (16) of the platens (14) by opposing press bars (22). Press actuators (28) create compression between the press bars (22) and their opposing platens (14). Conventional bar clamps (40) are removably hooked into respective clamp saddles (54) flanking the platens (14) to provide distributed clamping pressure normal to the glue lines. The lower ends (44) of the bar clamps (40) are slidably captured in shaft guides (92). The clamp saddles (54) are mounted to an upper mounting board (86) through the convenience of a lip (82). Likewise, the lower shaft guides (92) are attached to a lower mounting board (96). The assembly (10) can be scaled for gluing large or small wooden panels, doors, frames and the like.