A horizontal toggle clamp mounted on a rigid base plate makes nuclear extrusion and polytene chromosome squashing simple and reproducible. The base plate has a stage with shallow flat grooves to align the tissue sample directly below the clamp's swivel foot and hold the microscope slide in place during squashing. Appropriate pressure to obtain either extruded nuclei or squash preparations of polytene chromosomes is established empirically by adjusting the clamp's spindle assembly up or down.