How to Store Clamps

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
Family Handyman

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

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Pipe clamp hanger
Family Handyman

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

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.
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Pipe Clamp Pincushion

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
Family Handyman

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
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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
Family Handyman

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!