Here are a few ideas to help you take control of your clamp collection.
One overlooked area of shop setup is accessory storage. It’s easy to focus on locating your workbench and where the major power tools go. Most woodworkers dedicate a special place for a tool cabinet. But what about the jigs, fixtures, and clamps? These end up getting tucked into whatever space remains.
If your shop is looking a little ragged, chances are that tidying up your clamp collection would make a big difference. Where do you start? The next step is to look over the ideas I’ve gathered here.
This isn’t meant to be a start-to-finish path. Instead, I hope to give a few “Aha!” moments that will spark a custom solution you can put to work. Most of these ideas make use of scrap material you likely already have. Others require modest outlays for hardware, shelf standards, or a set of casters.
SIMPLE CLAMP RACKS
The starting point for getting your clamps under control is to figure out ways to hold each type. You need to consider the clamp’s shape and size. I like the idea of making modular racks to house specific types of clamp, like the ones you see on this page. This allows you to quickly make more as your collection grows.
You’ll also notice that each rack is fairly small. This way, you can easily tuck one just about anywhere in your shop. For strength, the racks are made from 3⁄4" plywood.
LONG CLAMPS.
The drawings above illustrate the concept using long pipe and bar clamps. As you see, these racks are simple, L-shaped shelves with a brace added on each end to support the weight of the clamps.
Slots or notches are cut into the front of the shelf to create clearance for the pipes and bars. When spacing these openings, you’ll want to provide enough room between them so the clamps aren’t crowded and difficult to grab. For the longer length clamps, I added a second rack below to keep the bars and pipes from rattling around.
Smaller clamps fit neatly on self-contained racks. The three rack ideas provide simple ways to hang different types of small clamps. Here’s the overall idea: each one consists of a wall plate with an arm to hold the clamps.
HANDSCREW CLAMPS.
For example, to hold my wood handscrew clamps, I made a hefty arm from two pieces of plywood glued together. The length of the arm determines how many clamps each rack can hold.
C-CLAMPS.
Another variation you can build is a rack for C-clamps (middle drawing on the opposite page). The main difference is that I used a pair of dowels. It’s a good idea to angle the dowels up slightly (about 5°). This way the clamps can’t “walk” off the rack.
SPRING CLAMPS.
The rack for spring clamps is a variation on this theme. Here, you can hang several clamps from a single dowel. Then to really make the most of limited space, you can take advantage of the A-shape of the clamps and have different sizes nest over each other.
PUT THE RACKS TO WORK
You can mount individual racks around your shop. My space is small enough that any one rack is just a few steps away. However, with just a little more time and material, you can create a dedicated clamp corral in your shop, like the wall rack shown at right.
VERSATILE PEGBOARD.
In this setup, the racks are attached to a pegboard panel with hooks. Using pegboard allows you to reorganize your clamp racks to suit your needs without a lot of fuss.
The back of the panel is framed with furring strips to provide rigidity and clearance for the hooks. I hung the racks using L-hooks. And I added rabbeted hardwood blocks to provide enough material for the long threads to bite into.
CLAMP CART.
Wall space is at a premium in many shops. Even if your shop does have the space, that doesn’t mean that the clamps will be in a convenient location.
The solution is the clamp cart shown at right. You’ll be surprised at just how many of the clamp racks you can fit on it. The reason is that the I-shape offers a lot of vertical mounting space without taking up much floor space.
Another benefit of having your clamps on a cart is that you can just roll it wherever you need it. This can save you some steps when assembling a project.
CONSTRUCTION.
In keeping with the clamp racks, the cart is pretty easy to build. All the upright pieces are cut from 3⁄4" plywood. They’re held together with glue and long woodscrews. This assembly is then attached to a flat base.
Cut the base a few inches wider and longer than the upright assembly to give the cart plenty of stability. Then, you can attach swivel casters to the cart for maximum maneuverability. With a solid foundation complete, feel free to mix and match racks to suit your clamp roster.
The rack system on the previous page is full-on DIY. An appealing path for some, but not everyone. On these pages, we’ll explore a few other options. Some involve a creative twist on inexpensive items. Others require a bit of “construction” in a very minimal sense.
CLAMP STORAGE STANDARDS
Wandering through hardware stores and home centers is a fun and dangerous pasttime. I’m often fascinated and inspired by the stuff I see.
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| A set of adjustable shelf standards and brackets can be used as a versatile clamp storage system. Vary the bracket sizes to accommodate small clamps. |
Here’s a good case study. While strolling the storage aisle, I came across a display of bare shelf standards. The shelf brackets reminded me of the racks shown on the previous page.
The photo shows a setup to hold all kinds of clamps using just three shelf standards and a handful of brackets.
By using brackets of different lengths, and then positioning the brackets for different sized clamps, you can arrange them to hold just about any style of clamp. It goes without saying to be sure to anchor the brackets and standards securely to wall studs.
You can store several long clamps horizontally across a pair of brackets. If you connect two brackets with a board screwed in place (yes, this is a shelf) you can store smaller F-style clamps. Finally, as I said, individual brackets are handy for spring clamps, C-clamps, and handscrews.
BAR CLAMP RACK
For many woodworkers, F-style clamps make up the bulk of their collection. What you need then is a way to easily keep the clamps organized and easy to retrieve. One idea is shown in the drawing below. You can use PVC pipe to make a rack for bar clamps.
This clever rack holds up to twelve bar clamps in a small space. Short lengths of PVC pipe held in the rack serve as compartments to store each clamp individually.
To build the rack, all you need to do is drill a series of large holes, sized for the PVC, in two rails. Then, rip the rails in half and screw them back together. This way, they grip the pipe tightly, holding them in place. Finally, screw the rack assemblies to a piece of plywood and secure it to the wall.
PIPE CLAMP CLIP RACK
Sometimes, simpler is better. The pipe clamp rack, shown in the drawing, is a good example. Inexpensive broom clips hold the clamps to a 2x4 back rail. The broom clips are spaced evenly and the clamps snap into them. To keep the clamps from sliding, the heads of the clamps rest securely on the 2x4.
SMALL CLAMP HANGER
Unused and open space overhead provides a great solution for storing small clamps. As you can see in the drawing, I cut wide strips of hardboard with a hole drilled in one end. And, to make them portable, the strips hang from nails I’ve set in the rafters.
FLEXIBLE CLAMP STORAGE
One of the challenges with any clamp rack design is accounting for changes in the number and style of clamps a woodworker has. A few years ago, I went from pipe clamps to aluminum bar clamps. My old racks just didn’t work.
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| This flexible clamp storage system allows easy readjustment for any size clamp with a ratchet and a socket. |
The design shown uses just two basic parts. The core of the system is a wall plate that holds a length of T-track. A series of adjustable blocks fit over the track. The blocks are secured with flange bolts, washers, and locknuts.
You can accommodate just about any size and style of clamp by adjusting the spacing of the blocks or making custom size blocks. When your clamp kit changes, the system can easily chanily change too.ge too.
Your clamps play an important role throughout a project build. Any of these ideas can be combined to create a custom solution for your workshop. What I can’t help you do is find a place to fit them in.
