How to Store Clamps

Family HandymanUpdated: Oct. 03, 2017

Find the right clamp when you need it! Your workshop can easily turn into the clutter capital of your home. And clamps of every description are easy to lose and hard to find, especially when you're right in the middle of a project! Never again, thanks to this great collection of clever storage tips for your pipe clamps, bar clamps, pony clamps and more.

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Pipe clamps cradle

This handy under-mount rack keeps your pipe clamps right where you need them. Simply cut a series of 1-1/4-in. diameter holes along the center line of a 2x6 and then rip the 2x6 in half to create the half-circle slots. Next, screw 1x4 sides and top to the cradle and screw it to the bottom of your workbench.

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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.-diameter PVC pipe under your workbench and slide the clamps into the pipe.

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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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PVC Pipe Clamp Rack

Are your pipe clamps missing in action right when you need them? Never again, thanks to this slick snap-in, snap-out storage rack, made from PVC pipe. For 1/2-in.-diameter iron pipe, use 3/4-in. PVC, and for 3/4-in.-diameter pipe use 1-in. PVC. To make the rack, cut 2-in. lengths of PVC, and 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. Drill and countersink two holes in each PVC piece, then space and screw them along a pair of 2-in.-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. Plus: 28 secret clamping tricks from woodworkers.

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Pipe Clamp Pincushion

Need a way to store pipe clamps? Cut two 12 x 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 3 in. apart, through both pieces. Pry the plywood apart, then screw them to two 16-in.-long pieces of 2x8 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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Studly clamp storage

Clamps scattered and hard to find when you need them most? Here's a way to keep them in one spot. Hang bar clamps on horizontal scraps of 2x4 screwed between openwall studs. Add another board or two for glue bottles, dowels and biscuits. To hold C - c l a m p s 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.

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Keyhole pony clamp roost

You'll love this bar clamp rack because you can holster pony clamps securely without tightening the lower jaw against the rack. Just drop in the clamp and pull it out when needed. 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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Rugged-and-ready

With this sturdy, easy-to-build pipe clamp rack, there's no fuss when you're hanging up the clamps, and they're just as easy to take down when you need them. Plus, the generous width and depth of the 2x4 won't let a clamp fall off the rack if you bump the bottom end. Build the rack from scrap pieces of 2x4 and a 3/4-in.-thick backer board of whatever length you need. Cut 6-in. lengths of 2x4, with 45- degree corners on the bottom ends so it's easier to slide the clamps into the rack. Measure the O.D. (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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Hurricane Safety

Hurricane season is here. With tropical storms starting to form, it's a good time to remind people of hurricane safety precautions to minimize damage caused by a hurricane.

The period after is as dangerous as the storm itself. Photo by: Emma Lee/Life File/Photographers Choice/Getty Images

Hurricane Safety Tip 1: The number one thing to do to be safe is to listen to the local officials. If they tell you to evacuate, do it. Property can be replaced, your life can't. Hurricane Safety Tip 2: Know your evacuation plan:Make sure you have an emergency evacuation plan in place to ensure the quickest route to safety. Hurricane Safety Tip 3: Prepare an emergency care kit.

Flashlights with extra batteries or a crank-up model
Portable radio with extra batteries or a crank-up model
First-aid kit
Necessary medical supplies including prescription drugs
At least one gallon of drinking water per person per day for at least three days
Three-day supply of ready-to-eat food
Manual can opener
A waterproof, fireproof container with valuable papers
Multi-tool

Hurricane Safety Tip 4: Plan ahead for no electricity with an emergency generator for your home and/or power inverter to turn your vehicle into a generator. Hurricane Safety Tip 5: Lock windows and doors to reduce vibration and close drapes and blinds to contain broken glass. Hurricane Safety Tip 6: If the storm hasn't gotten too bad, tape up cracked windows with duct tape. This will prevent the cracked glass from spreading. Hurricane Safety Tip 7: Wait out the storm if you have missed the window of evacuation. You will be safer in your home away from windows and doors than in your car. If you think the storm has passed because the winds suddenly die off, wait. It is common for tornadoes to follow soon afterward or another possibility is that the eye of the storm is passing over. Hurricane Safety Tip 8: Act wisely: Don't use generators, charcoal grills or propane camping stoves indoors. And don't clear debris from your home and yard without surveying the area carefully. Downed or damaged power lines can send electrical currents through tree branches and metal fences. Hurricane Safety Tip 9: Avoid an "every man for himself" mentality. Once officials have signaled the "all clear," survey the damage to your home and reach out to your neighbors. It will be difficult to drive anywhere for supplies (if stores are even open), and you'll conserve resources by pooling them. Assess your neighbors' stocks of food, water and other resources. Eating meals collectively will reduce the amount of food that spoils (use fresh foods first) and will conserve cooking fuel. Find more information for being prepare for all types of emergencies by reading these articles. Home Emergency Preparedness Guide Home Emergency Toolkit Stay Safe During Hurricane Season

Originally Published: May 04, 2017