# Wooden Screw Clamps - any good way to store these?!?



## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

I cannot figure out what to do to store these clamps: the wooden ones that have parallel thick wooden jaws, and two parallel hand screws.

In any configuration of storage, they take up a lot of space. For years, I have had them piled in a large plastic bin, and that bin gets shoved around the shop floor to get them out of the way.

If anyone can post some pics of how you have arranged to hang, clamp, or otherwise store them, I would sure like to see that.

I think I really shouldn't have bought them in the first place, but I did spend the money, and have owned maybe 15 or so of them for many years. 
(I do not find that I reach for them all that much, either, but that is another topic.)

Many thanks,
Jim


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## Gadabout55 (Mar 3, 2013)

I only have two of those clamps, so my method may not be efficient for storing large numbers of them. In any case, I just put a couple of shaker pegs into the horizontal member of a rack I made for storing my various clamps.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

My shop is in my basement with poured walls. I attached a 2 X 4 vertically to the wall and inserted several dowels at proper spacing. I just open the clamps wide enough and thread them on the dowels.

I made most of my wooden clamps by purchasing the threaded rods and inserts and making the jaws from hard maple. I would have to admit that they do not see very much use, but in some situations they work very well.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Clamp them to the edge of something.

M


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## tyvekboy (Feb 24, 2010)

Jim -

Handscrews are one of those clamps that are good for certain situations. Many times I use them to hold small pieces of wood that I'm shaping on a router table and don't want to get too close to that spinning bit. I also use mine to hold pieces of wood that I'm drilling on the drill press.

If you haven't found a solution of how to store your hand screws, here's how I store mine:










I made a hanger like this with a knob on the end so they wouldn't slip off. Having it wide like that will keep them straight when they are opened just wide enough to slip over the hanger.










This is the bottom of the 2nd one I made for the other 2 larger sizes that I have.










Here are the 3 sizes that I have in my shop.

Hope this gives you an idea of what you can do for your clamps. When the clamps are hidden away, they won't get used.


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## jmos (Nov 30, 2011)

I clamp mine to a 2×4 stud in a shop wall.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Having seen some of you guys set ups I have to come the realization that I need more clamps… LOL


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I clamp mine to a vertical 1X4. Advantage is you can select whatever size you need without having to go through a stack of them.


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## JackDuren (Oct 10, 2015)

I'm fixing to buy a lot of the 12" from Menards. I will have to store them as well.

They take as much space as most clamps width wise or is your space too small?


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## Chashint (Aug 14, 2016)

I recently invested in clamp hangers but ran out of steam before addressing my my wooden screw clamps, I really need to get back on that.
Thanks for posting pics guys, I think I may go with the dowel in a 2×4 approach.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Mine are clamped to an overhead 2×8 out of the way but still in sight.


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## LittleShaver (Sep 14, 2016)

I have about a dozen of them in various sizes. I set them on a shelf, clamp ends up. Real handy to grab the size I need.


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## jimintx (Jan 23, 2014)

Thanks for the input and ideas, I appreciate that. My shop no longer has open framing, so there are no handy studs or overhead ceiling joists to use for such storage. I finally settled on making a variant of the concepts that utilize a dowel or other horizontal extension arms for hanging these things.

I used the ubiquitous, metal ready-made shelf supports from the hardware store as the main support for the arms. The support arms are cut from an old 2×2 that was in my scrap bucket, and are 16" long. Two of these arms are attached to a 1×12 and that is fastened to the wall with four 1/4"x3" lag screws that went into two underlying studs.

My backing board is 40" long, and the two arms are about 16" apart. I am trying to avoid raw wood "furnishings" so I sprayed the whole thing with two coats of shellac. I mounted this hanging device above one of my shop windows.

A couple of step stools are always in my shop, since I have a number of lesser used items stored above my reach, but not higher than my 8' ceilings allow. I can just grab a stool to pop up there to get one or more down. I am very happy with this outcome.


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## keith204 (Nov 5, 2013)

I expect you'll use them more now that you have them easily accessible.


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