Pipe Clamp Storage

Clamp Rack Photo I’ve accumulated quite a pile of pipe clamps, but never found a convenient way to store them. Recently some left over PVC plumbing pipe gave me an idea. The snap-in pipe clamp rack you see in the photo is the result of this inspiration.

The trick I discovered is that if you cut a section of 1″ pipe lengthwise, a little off center, the ¾″ pipe of the clamp will snap securely into it. So my clamp rack is simply a series of pipe sections screwed to a piece of plywood, as shown in Fig. 2.

Figs. 1 and 2 The only hurdle to cross is making the lengthwise cuts on the sections of PVC pipe safely. Fig. 1 shows how to do this. I put together a simple plywood sled to hold the pipe sections in place while I ran them through the band saw. A pair of screws holds the pipe sections to the sled and the same screw holes can later be used to attach the pipe sections to the rack.

To get the right fit in the holders, I used a test section of PVC pipe to set the band saw fence. You want the clamps to snap easily into place but with enough “grab” to hold them firmly. Now, all the pipe clamps that once haphazardly occupied the corner of my shop, hang neatly on the wall.

Have a great weekend,

Ted Raife
Online Editor, Woodsmith

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Printer-Friendly Version Pipe Clamp Storage I’ve accumulated quite a pile of pipe clamps, but never found a convenient way to store them. Recently some left over PVC plumbing pipe gave me an idea. The snap-in pipe clamp rack you see in the photo is the result of this inspiration. The trick I discovered is that if you cut a section of 1″ pipe lengthwise, a little off center, the ¾″ pipe of the clamp will snap securely into it. So my clamp rack is simply a series of pipe sections screwed to a piece of plywood, as shown in Fig. 2. The only hurdle to cross is making the lengthwise cuts on the sections of PVC pipe safely. Fig. 1 shows how to do this. I put together a simple plywood sled to hold the pipe sections in place while I ran them through the band saw. A pair of screws holds the pipe sections to the sled and the same screw holes can later be used to attach the pipe sections to the rack. To get the right fit in the holders, I used a test section of PVC pipe to set the band saw fence. You want the clamps to snap easily into place but with enough “grab” to hold them firmly. Now, all the pipe clamps that once haphazardly occupied the corner of my shop, hang neatly on the wall. Have a great weekend, Ted Raife Online Editor, Woodsmith Send for a preview issue of Woodsmith magazine More Tips & Techniques Index of Tips by E-mail More Tips & Techniques WoodNET, Woodworking on the Web Subscriber Links Update your Email Preferences Subscribe
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