Clamp Racks

[Bruce Page]

Have you ever noticed that there seem to be about as many different clamp rack designs as there are wood workers? I remember spending hours scouring woodworking websites, looking for ideas, before I built my clamp rack. I had an idea, if everyone could post pictures of their clamp rack design with a description, into the same post, it could make the search much easier for other woodworkers that are building their first rack and potentially save some trial & error.
So, what do you think? Post or repost your clamp rack pictures into this thread for posterity.

I’ll kick things off with a repost of my, ahem, Rube Goldburg clamp rack…

“Where do you store a bunch of bar clamps in a 2-car garage shop when your wall & floor space is limited?
I have been pondering that question for sometime so a couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a decent rack for all my Bessey & Quick-Grips and hang it above an unused garage door.
I started by having a friend of mine who owns a machine shop order me a piece of 4”x 6”x 3/8” 6061 aluminum angle, 8’ long. Next, I drilled a .250 hole in each of my Bessey clamps for a roll pin - the Quick-Grips already have a pin. I also drilled a hole in the 4 Gross-Stabil bar clamps that my dad bought back in the 50’s. Next, I milled 52 slots of varying widths & depths through the angle. Using a ball end-mill, I also milled a keeper slot to capture the roll pin. It took about 8 hours and a few Millers, but I now have a decent clamp rack with plenty of open slots for future Christmas presents.”

[Erik Stol]

Hi Bruce,

This looks great. My clamps aren't that well organised. Maybe i should pickup this issue after the extension on my house is ready.

Erik Stol
The Netherlands

[Bob Marino]

Bruce,

Very elegant solution to the problem, real nice job.

Bob

[John Weber]

Bruce,

Very Nice, just keep that door shut. I had to come out from the wall for my k-body style clamps. In a small shop I didn't have enough wall space the hang them side by side, but was able to install a few brackets that do the job. My tradesman clamps are in a standard sloted racks, and others on the peg board. The key is to have a system where you can access the clamps fairly easily.

John

[Bruce Page]

Bruce,

Very Nice, just keep that door shut. I had to come out from the wall for my k-body style clamps. In a small shop I didn't have enough wall space the hang them side by side, but was able to install a few brackets that do the job. My tradesman clamps are in a standard sloted racks, and others on the peg board. The key is to have a system where you can access the clamps fairly easily.

John

Looking good John! This is what I'm talking about - different solutions to a common problem!

[Kurt Aebi]

I made a clamp cart for mine, so I could roll it anywhere in the shop or out of the way when they are not needed.

Great idea Bruce and man, I wish I had that mill in my shop - I have to use the ones at work in between job setups.

[Tim Sproul]

Bruce....


I don't have any metal milling capability...or experience, other than the odd drilling of holes into metal every now and then. That is one fine storage set-up .

I didn't want to lose floor space...seeing as I've only got nominally 350 sq ft or so...so I used Andy Rae's published method (Complete Illustrated Guide to....) which he says is a copy of a friend of his:



smaller clamps are in the drawers.

The idea is simple - screw some triangles to a board. Space between these triangles enough to accomodate the bar. Attatch the board to the wall. I used some scrap plywood I have left over.

[Jim Becker]

I didn't have any current pictures when this thread first appeared last week, but wanted to contribute what I'm using for clamp racks in the shop. These are all made from scrap plywood by drilling a series of holes that are slightly wider than the particular clamp's bar and then cutting out the two sides of each slot on the table saw using a miter guage. The holes are spaced to allow clamps to live side by side. I like this design because it allows the clamps to remain fully open and ready to use. As you can see, this design works for both large clamps and small ones.

[Bob Hyde]

Bruce, really slick solution for the clamps! Have to admit it was hard to keep focus on the clamp storage with that milling machine sitting there and looking so pretty... I'm envious!!!
bob

[David Rose]

Shot a quick one of my simple A-frame rack on castors. Please ignore the dirt and trash.

David

[Chris Padilla]

Mine aren't really anywhere special...but they work for where they are now.

[Bruce Page]

Bob, that old mill does come in handy at times!

Jim, I think Norm would be envious of your Bessy collection!

Chris, does that MM20 suck so much juice that you can't even turn the lights on anymore? BTW, what size wire & breaker did you have to use on that monster?

[JeffKranz]

This is a simple rack to hold mostly Bessey clamps.

Also, the clamps that are blocking the cirucit panel have been inverted and now point up so I have access to it.

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[Bart Leetch]

This is my clamp rack which is behind the shop entry door.

I was looking to move all my light duty bar clamps & aluminum bar clamps to
the same wall that the pipe clamps were hanging on, this made it easer to walk up & get a clamp as needed..

For the light duty bar clamps you see the lower racks with dowels to hang the clamps on.

For the aluminum bar clamps I looked up I saw that if I drove headless nails between each pipe clamp & drilled a hole in each clamp bar I could hang these clamps.

I now only have 2 problems.

1. I don't have enough clamps.

2. I don't have much more wall space to hang more clamps.

[Bruce Page]

Hey Bart, I have the same two problems!

Nice rack!