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Storage: How to Store Clamps

Updated: Jun. 30, 2017

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

Family Handyman

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.

By the DIY experts of The Family Handyman Magazine

Pipe clamp cradle

Rack attaches under your workbench

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

Screw the sides and top to the cradle

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

Simple pipe clamp holder

Screw PVC pipe under your workbench

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.

PVC pipe clamp rack

PVC pipe grips clamps tightly

Here's a 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 use1-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.

Screw PVC pieces to mounting boards

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. That's it. You've shaped AWOL pipe clamps into an orderly arsenal.

Pipe clamp hanger

Hang clamps on the wall using caps

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.

Pipe clamp pincushion

Slide clamps into storage box

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 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.

Studly clamp storage

Hang bar clamps between studs

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 2×4 screwed between open wall studs. Add another board or two for glue bottles, dowels and biscuits

Use threaded rod to hold spring clamps

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.

Keyhole pony clamp roost

No need to tighten the lower jaw

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 plywood with keyhole-shaped cutouts

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.

Rugged-and-ready pipe clamp rack

Rack makes storing and grabbing easy

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 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!

Spring clamp roost

Store clamps on towel rod

Keep your spring clamps springy for a lifetime! Don't store them clamped on a board; the springs will lose their tension. Instead, keep them on a metal towel rod ($3 at a home center). With the towel rod roost, you'll always know where to find these useful clamps in the heat of production.

Originally Published: June 20, 2017

Storage: How to Store Clamps

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