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Many, many times when working in the shop I end up wishing I had an extra hand to hold something. When working alone in your shop its important to find the right tools or jigs that make your work process flow easier, faster and stress free.
You can never have enough clamps and lately I’ve been reaching for pistol grip clamps for their one handed operation.
Which clamps do you guys prefer? How do you store them?
~ Rob at http://www.ConcordCarpenter.com
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I am a big fan of the quick grip clamps. They provide alot of pressure for clamping a straight edge to make a cut or clamping cabinets tightly together to screw.I have also used them many times for glueing bottoms of doors back in after having a decent amount cut off. As for storage, I clamp them on a piece of wood on the wall in my trailer with a bungee cord.
That is a nice collection of clamps you have Robert . I have half a dozen pipe clamps and half a dozen quick grip clamps . I will buy more whenever I see them on sale .
Thanks – there’s more on another wall. You can never have enough clamps John!
~ Rob at http://www.ConcordCarpenter.com
that picture is what I wish my storage looked like, sadly I usually just throw them in my bag. This would be a great way to save time and help organize my inventory. thanks for the quick tip!
Jim,
Check this link out: http://www.aconcordcarpenter.com/2011/10/pipe-clamp-storage.html
I decided to make that storage rack out of scrap wood – took 20 minutes. A hanging pipe clamp storage rack is not only a neat and orderly way to store your clamps but was easy to access them. It is basically an L-shapped rack and brace.
~ Rob at http://www.ConcordCarpenter.com
Most of my pistol grip clamps are of the shorter length and I just keep them around the edges of a 5 gallon Bucket.
I have to get better organized.
Mark E.
Pioneer, CA
Working Pro 1972 - 2015
Member since Jan 22, 2013
www.creative-redwood-designs.comI have peg board attached to the wall in the garage. two extended long brackets from a hardware store. they hold 4 clamps on each bracket
At the moment I store all my clamps in a corner of my shop. I’ve been meaning to build a rack similar to yours Robert. I find my most used clamps are my Bessey K-Body clamps for assembling cabinet carcasses and gluing up panels. They provide a bit more finesse than pipe clamps but I find pipe clamps give you more pressure for jobs like butcher block tops. F clamps and quick grip clamps do all the other duties in my shop.
Dan
danpattison.com
i have gotten by with irwin clamps so far for really simple projects, but i know people love bessey and jorgensen – do you guys prefer any of these particular brands? or does it depend on the type of clamp you need….
John S
I prefer Bessey for most types of clamps as I’ve found that they are good quality and are well made which makes for better glue-ups and assembly. There’s nothing worse than a cheap clamp that is poorly made skewing your work as you apply pressure.
Dan
danpattison.com
I was thinking the other day, I should really count the number of clamps that I own. From 1″ C-clamps to 48″ Jorgenson CabinetMasters. I probably have several hundred clamps of various sizes and styles. Still not caught up to a late friend of mine that auctioned 104 lots of 4 each 3″ and 4″ C-clamps, complete graduated set of Bessy K-clamps and much more at his estate auction.
C-clamps and Spring clamps, I store around the edge of milk crates.
F-clamps sit in either a toolbox or most of them in a drywall bucket.
Pipe clamps and parallel jaw clamps on a rail on the ceiling rafter (basement shop).
On-site clamps in a box or along the edge of the van.
Web clamps and handscrews in a drawer of the work table.
Miter clamps under the workbench.
QuickGrip clamps are great for 1-handed operation but sometimes you need a little more clamping force.
I’ve always said and will continue to say…no man can EVER have enough clamps. I store mine on custom brackets in the shop.
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Hey guys – post some pictures of your custom racks. Mine:http://www.aconcordcarpenter.com/2011/10/pipe-clamp-storage.html
~ Rob at http://www.ConcordCarpenter.com
I do furniture repair & restoration professionally, mostly onsite but about 5-10% in the shop, and woodworking as an avocation.
My kids and grandkids keep me busy on my off time, working on the third bedroom set in as many years. With lots of small projects in the middle for Xmas & birthdays.
My brother-in-law used to always joke about “If a man says he has enough clamps, he’s a liar and you can’t trust anything he says.”
Then he moved into a retirement village. Every woodworker that moves in brings his clamps with him and donates them to the woodshop. My BIL says they have more clamps than they can ever use.
haha bob I always thought it impossible for a man to have too many clamps… but if you had a collective force of several woodworkers sharing shop I could see how that is possible indeed! if they ever need to clear out some space they can send some my way 🙂 🙂
John S
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