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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Build dedicated, space-efficient clamp racks that fit the clamps you actually own, with individual slots for bar clamps and shallow cleats for pipe clamps. The video walks through redesigning Steve Ramsey's clamp storage, including shallower pipe clamp racks, slotted bar clamp racks with chamfered edges, and side-hanging C clamp storage.
Key Points
- The title promises 4 clamp racks; the video builds four: a pipe clamp rack, a bar clamp rack, a C clamp rack, and a side-hanging rack built using slotted spacers (location for the Craig clamps mentioned earlier is not explicitly detailed).
- The original system wasted space: C clamps were given notched slots that could have been placed side by side, and some newer clamps he's since acquired stick out far enough to block the door.
- Plans are sized to actual inventory: Ramsey has only 10 pipe clamps, so the new rack is shallower and narrower.
- The bar clamp rack gets chamfered edges to guide clamps into the slots, shorter depth, and more slots so clamps don't need to be doubled up.
- Lower placement and tidier layout make clamps easier to reach and prevent knocking other clamps off.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Pipe clamp rack: make the rack much shallower and narrower to match your count (10 pipe clamps). Laminate two plywood strips together to keep the cleat thickness.
- Cutting angled blocks: plan so the 5-inch dimension runs the direction that lets you split blocks with a 20-degree cut through a long board, avoiding very sharp tapered cuts. Set the table saw to 20 degrees, use a stop block for repeatable cuts, and hold pieces with a grip block to keep fingers clear.
- Glue spacer blocks in place and let them dry a few minutes, enough to hold them while screws are installed (no clamping needed for that step).
- Bar clamp slots: make two passes with the table saw, shift over, repeat, and continue down the board. Raise the blade as high as it will go to minimize the arc at the slot bottom, and stop when the blade reaches the drawn line.
- Chamfers: cut them on the band saw, since the table saw gives straighter, more accurate slots. Attach the slotted pieces to a backer board, using small corner blocks to keep it square.
- C clamp rack: hang clamps on the sides using slotted spacers so clamps slide all the way through. Use hardwood for the cross brace, since cheap plywood split when screws were driven in.
- Ramsey says he'll try the new storage for a couple of years to see how it works out, noting it has some extra room for expansion.
- Ramsey says the table saw slot cut has a minor arc when the blade is raised fully, which he considers acceptable.
Bottom Line
Size clamp storage to the clamps you own, use slots and shallow cleats to save space, and choose sturdy material where screws will bear load.
