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Clamps, Clamps - Never enough Clamps.

Blog entry by Karson posted 196 days ago 604 reads 0 times favorited 24 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I was wandering through a Dupont Company Salvage outlet in Wilmington Area of Delaware and I spied a box full of paper clamps. Those of you who work in office buildings are familiar with them. They are used to hold a lot of pages together.

I’ve used rubber bands for clamps before and I thought these would work.

Work they do.

I’m using these to clamp some face boards on my drawers fronts under construction.

Available (at least in my box) in three sizes. 1/4”, 1/2” and 3/4”

I also use them on my story stick.

Where else can you get 100 clamps in a shoe box.

I’m not sure what the retail price is but I got maybe 150 for $4.00

About 65 of the large ones and the rest are the smaller ones.

Check out used furniture outlets, you may find a box full there. This is where these came from. Desks that were taken out of service.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †


24 comments so far

View mmh's profile

mmh

1392 posts in 620 days


posted 196 days ago

Nice salvage. I use the XL paper clamps for around the house & garden. They rust, but they are quite strong.

-- "They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

View MrsN's profile

MrsN

93 posts in 423 days


posted 196 days ago

wow, you are a genius, or I am a little slow today, but calling you a genius makes both of us feel better.
I have a couple boxes of these in my desk drawer, and rairly have that many papers to put together. And I am seemingly always trying to clamp small things together.

View PurpLev's profile

PurpLev

2762 posts in 546 days


posted 196 days ago

great idea!

they are available in every office store (office depot, etc) in bulk.

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

View Rustic's profile

Rustic

1253 posts in 494 days


posted 196 days ago

I will try that too.Nice score Karson

-- There is no such thing as a mistake. Its called a design modification Rick Kruse, Grand Rapids, MI

View a1Jim's profile

a1Jim

17010 posts in 475 days


posted 196 days ago

good Idea

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

View degoose's profile

degoose

2019 posts in 252 days


posted 196 days ago

You is thinking outside of the shoebox again!!!

-- Drink once, cut twice. New website up.... lazylarrywoodworks.com.au

View HokieMojo's profile

HokieMojo

1142 posts in 626 days


posted 196 days ago

it may be late for a safety week comment, but be careful. you catch your finger in one of those guys and you will have a nasty blood blister. ask me how I know.

View depictureboy's profile

depictureboy

309 posts in 540 days


posted 196 days ago

thats pretty cool karson…I always envy you guys who are able to get out and get around and find those deals…someday…someday….

-- If you can't build it, code it. If you can't code it, build it. But always ALWAYS take a picture.

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

7043 posts in 1197 days


posted 196 days ago

I used to enjoy shopping in those salvage supply type stores down in the Twin Cities.

There was one called the Axman hardware, & another called Crazy Louie’s, in St. Paul.

I bought new cabinet hinges for 25 cents a pair.

Music box movements for $1.00.

I never get down there anymore.

I checked the internet, & Axman still exists.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

20746 posts in 719 days


posted 196 days ago

Karson, this is a pretty good idea. I never would have thought about using them as clamps. So thanks for helping me think “outside the box”.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View FatScratch's profile

FatScratch

62 posts in 200 days


posted 196 days ago

I use these binder clips to hold rags for wiping on finish. Fold up the rag, clamp it on one side and no more sticky/messy hands.

View dustyal's profile

dustyal

447 posts in 373 days


posted 196 days ago

I have mine strung on a string… leftovers from bringing work home before retirement…

One use is clipping self-stick note paper pad in a convenient location. When I need to make more than a mental note, I grab a pen and jot down something on my hand because I can’t remember the whereabouts of that convenient location.

Furthermore, it can’t just be an ordinary “shoe box.” I suspect one of you (Karson most likely) will post a custom exotic wood dovetail jointed lidded box that contains your treasured metal clips!!

Otherwise, yeah, they do come in handy… but prone to rust. Ollie’s Outlet… Big Lots… are possible sources of cheap stuff like this.

-- Al H. - small shop, small projects...

View Kindlingmaker's profile

Kindlingmaker

1475 posts in 424 days


posted 196 days ago

I use the 2” and 3” ones for wood, plastics and composits. ...and for those that sew, the smaller clamps will also hold heavier material together very well and can be removed quickly.

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

View pommy's profile

pommy

978 posts in 589 days


posted 196 days ago

Karson

I have just looked at a1jim’s workshop i think he’s the man on clamps looking on his walls lol…...

Andy

-- cut it saw it scrap it

View Napaman's profile

Napaman

3492 posts in 975 days


posted 196 days ago

150 for $4 is a steal…those are much more exenpsive then the regular paperclips…

-- Matt, Napa, CA...fun is beautiful...just trying to have some fun...

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

14932 posts in 748 days


posted 196 days ago

Good idea Karson. I have a few of those clamps lying around.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View noknot's profile

noknot

218 posts in 339 days


posted 196 days ago

Those are what they use in hooters to send your order back! I would have never thunk it

-- projects dont pay,pieces are profitable,production is painfull

View cabinetmaster's profile (online now)

cabinetmaster

8661 posts in 456 days


posted 195 days ago

ANother nice tip Karson. I think I will try to find me some.

-- Jerry--A man can never have enough tools or clamps

View jack1's profile

jack1

382 posts in 925 days


posted 195 days ago

I have a strong string pulled across the back end of my shop where my workbench is and I have about a dozen of them hanging by the metal loop handles. I hang plans and pictures of projects I am working on as well as a pencil on a retractible string (I never can find one otherwise). It works well.

-- jack -- measure once, curse twice!

View lightweightladyleftie's profile

lightweightladyleftie

418 posts in 610 days


posted 195 days ago

That’s a good price on those clips and they are very handy.

About 25 years ago when working on a project that needed gazillions of clamps, I went to my company’s Office Service Department and they loaned me a ton of them from their stockroom and then I just returned them the next day. (I made sure not to leave too much glue on them! Fortunately, I’ve never needed that many again since retirement spoiled my access to free temporary use!)

You’ll find a lot of uses for them.

-- "But godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Timothy 6:6

View TopamaxSurvivor's profile (online now)

TopamaxSurvivor

3055 posts in 573 days


posted 195 days ago

I use those litle clamps for everything. I quite often have three or four on my jacket ;-) Right now there is only one!

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

3710 posts in 877 days


posted 195 days ago

Good tip Karson;

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View Dusty56's profile

Dusty56

3482 posts in 585 days


posted 195 days ago

I find more uses for these little clamps everyday it seems. The varied sizes are excellent . My favorite one is for applying finishes , just like Uncle Norm Abram does.: ) No gloves , no sticky fingers …it’s great : ) Nice find , Karson !

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

View matt garcia's profile

matt garcia

729 posts in 569 days


posted 195 days ago

A clamp is a clamp, of course of course!!!

-- Matt, Houston Texas

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