9 Clamp Storage Ideas to Declutter Your Workshop

Find the right clamp when you need it! Here's a great collection of tips for storing all the different clamps you need for all types of projects.

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Clamp Storage Ideas Pipe Clamp Cradle
TMB Studio

Pipe Clamp Cradle

This handy undermount rack keeps your clamps right where you need them. Simply cut a series of 1-1/4-in.-dia. holes along the center line of a 2×6, then rip the 2×6 in half to create the half-circle slots.

Next, screw 1×4 sides and top to the cradle and screw it to the bottom of your workbench.

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Fhm Grid Clamp Storage Ideas Simple Pipe Clamp Holder
Family Handyman

Simple Pipe Clamp Holder

Store bar and pipe clamps right under your workbench where they’ll always be close at hand. Just screw sections of 4-in.-dia. PVC pipe under your workbench and slide the clamps into the pipe.

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Clamp Storage Ideas Pvc Pipe Clamp Rack
TMB Studio

PVC Pipe Clamp Rack

Here’s a slick snap-in, snap-out storage rack made from PVC pipe. For 1/2-in.-dia. iron pipe, use 3/4-in. PVC. For 3/4-in.-dia. pipe, use 1-in. PVC.

To make the rack, cut two-inch lengths of PVC with a hacksaw or band saw. Slice them lengthwise about 3/16-in. past the diameter’s center line. This creates the gripping action to firmly hold the heavy iron pipe.

Clamp Storage Ideas Pvc Pipe Clamp Rack
TMB Studio

Drill and countersink two holes in each PVC piece, then space and screw them along a pair of two-inch-wide boards. Attach the upper board to your shop wall and snap a pipe clamp in either end to position the lower board for screwing to the wall.

That’s it. You’ve shaped AWOL pipe clamps into an orderly arrangement.

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Clamp Storage Ideas Pipe Clamp Hanger
TMB Studio

Pipe Clamp Hanger

Since these caps screw tightly on 3/4-in. pipe threads, you can use them to store your pipe clamps on a shop wall. Drill holes in the top of the caps, tighten eye bolts in the holes with nuts on both sides, then attach them to your clamps and hang them up.

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Fhm Grid Clamp Storage Ideas Pipe Clamp Pincushion
TMB Studio

Pipe Clamp Pincushion

Cut two 12- by 16-in. pieces of 3/4-in. plywood and temporarily screw or nail them face to face. Drill 1-1/4-in. holes (if your pipes are 1-in. outside diameter), spaced three inches apart, through both pieces. Pry the plywood apart, then screw them to two 16-in.-long pieces of 2×8 to make an open-ended box.

Add a couple of narrow 3/4-in. boards on the bottom for feet, then set the box in a convenient spot along a shop wall. To keep it from sliding, attach it to the studs with screws driven through the 2x8s.

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Clamp Storage Ideas Studly Storage For Pony Clamps
TMB Studio

Studly Storage for Pony Clamps

Looking for your pony clamps? Are your pipe clamps scattered and hard to find when you need them most? Here’s a way to keep them all in one spot.

Hang bar clamps on horizontal scraps of 2×4 screwed between open wall studs. Add another board or two for glue bottles, dowels and biscuits.

To hold C-clamps and spring clamps, drill holes in the studs and install lengths of 3/16-in. threaded rod, tensioned with 1/4-in. fender washers and nuts.

Clamp Storage Ideas Studly Storage For Pony Clamps
TMB Studio

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Clamp Storage Ideas Keyhole Roost For Pony Clamps
TMB Studio

Keyhole Roost for Pony Clamps

You’ll love this bar clamp rack because you can holster your pony clamps securely without tightening the lower jaw against the rack. Just drop in the clamp and pull it out when needed. It’s a fantastic storage idea.

Notch the top piece of 1/2-in. plywood with the keyhole-shaped cutouts as shown, then screw it to the bottom piece of plywood. Make brackets from scrap wood and screw the rack to the wall.

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Clamp Storage Ideas Rugged And Ready Pipe Clamp Rack
TMB Studio

Rugged-and-Ready Pipe Clamp Rack

Build this rack from scrap pieces of 2×4 and a 3/4-in.-thick backer board of whatever length you need. Cut 6-in. lengths of 2×4, with 45-degree corners on the bottom ends so it’s easier to slide the clamps into the rack.

Measure the outside diameter of your pipes, then add 1/8-in. for clearance between blocks. Space and screw the 2x4s along the backer board, creating gaps 1/8-in. wider than the pipe’s outside diameter. Finally, screw the backer board to the wall and load it up!

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Clamp Storage Ideas Spring Clamp Roost
TMB Studio

Spring Clamp Roost

Don’t store clamps clamped on a board— the springs will lose their tension. Instead, keep them on a metal towel rod. With the towel rod roost, you’ll always know where to find these useful clamps in the heat of production.