Parallel Clamp Rack

Article - October 30, 2012

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of parallel clamps. Even way back in 2007 you could see that I was a fan of both the Jet and Bessey Parallel Clamps. Over the years, my collection has grown considerably and as a result, storing them can sometimes be a challenge. My assembly area in the new shop is located near the wall, so a wall-mounted solution is ideal for me once again. I took a close look at the hanger brackets I have been using for the last 6-7 years and decided I could do even better. Instead of just attaching the hanging system directly to the wall, I wanted to build a shelf unit around the hanging system that would not only look good, but also assist in my quest to create more place to put stuff. And when it comes to assembly, there are typically things like tape, dead blow hammers, tape measures, glue, spray bottles of water, bench cookies, etc.. that are nice to have nearby. So why not create a storage space where one didn’t previously exist?

I did a few web searches and came across a thread in the BT3Central Forum that gave me the exact inspiration I was looking for. So I went to the shop, took some measurements, and came up with a quick and dirty plan for my new parallel clamp rack.

The Back and The Shelf

Back – 11″ Wide x 52 7/8″ Long (variable)
Shelf – 6 1/8″ Wide x 52 7/8″ Long (variable)
The length of the rack is completely adjustable for as many clamps as you own. Mine is built to hold 26 clamps. You might consider making extra space for future additions to the family. In my case, I was reusing my old clamp rack so I simply based my total length off of it. The first step was to cut the back and shelf pieces. The shelf sit in a 3/8″ dado cut about 1/2″ from the top of the back piece.

Side Pieces

Sides – 6 1/2″ Deep x 11″ High
To determine the size of the side pieces, I used my existing rack with a clamp in place to take some measurements. I also decided to cut some curvature in the sides for additional hand clearance a more attractive look. I rough cut the curve at the bandsaw and cleaned things up using the oscillating spindle sander.

Assembly

Assembly is a piece of cake! Simply glue the shelf into the dado and secure with screws from the back. The sides are pre-drilled for countersunk screws and then attached using glue and standard square drive wood screws. The final part of the assembly was to simply glue and screw the old rack into the new shelf system.

The Inner Rack

Obviously, the inner rack system is vital to the design of this piece and although I made mine years ago, I can give you a general idea of how it’s made. As you can see in the SketchUp drawing to the left, all you need are two pieces of 3/4″ plywood. The top piece receives numerous cutouts for the clamp bars. You can easily figure out the location of these cutouts by putting a few clamps side by side with a little bit of space between them. Essentially, position them exactly how you want them to sit in the rack and take your measurements. But just to save some time, you can see the measurements I used in the SketchUp Image. To make the cutouts, I recommend drilling a hole at the back of each slot and using a jigsaw or bandsaw to establish the sides. These don’t need to be perfect so draw yourself some guidelines and go for it.

Mount on the Wall

Nothing too fancy going on here. Simply find your studs and screw the unit to the wall. Of course, you want to make sure the shelf is nice and level before driving the screws home. The end result is a perfectly functional clamp rack with a bonus shelf. Once you think about it, it’s kind of a no-brainer. Now, pretty much everything I need for project assembly can be found in one place! Using this outside the box thinking, I bet we can find tons of other places where we can incorporate new-found storage! Any suggestions?

Discussion

Tibor Soviš October 30, 2012 1:22 pm

Hi, i have one suggestion to ergonomy of your racks. As i saw last picture, i think better would be switch most left top and bottom clamps. Longer clamps should be at bottom (and a bit higher), so you don’t need bend your back to pick them up. You can also reorganize clamps on right rack. Maybe you don’t need use that red C-clamps from the right bottom corner so often, but if you need them, you must make gymnastic exercise to pick them up.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 2:13 pm
  
  I’m afraid I can’t do that. There is something in my personality that just won’t let me put my clamps out of order, even if it makes more ergonomic sense, lol. Personality flaw I think. :)
  
  Reply
  - Tibor Soviš October 30, 2012 2:39 pm
    
    It’s not a flaw making things your way. I like your work, it’s very inspirative.
    
    Reply
    - Bob January 1, 2019 6:13 pm
      
      Inspiring*
  - Len June 19, 2013 5:50 am
    
    Funny you would mention your OCD/Asperger-like preference (demand?) for specific types of order. That sort of behavior is what attracted me to woodworking initially, as symmetry (or organized asymmetry) and concepts in design like Phi are essential to my mental well-being. Folks that don’t require this particular type of order in their lives don’t get it – and I envy them to some degree – but at the end of the day, the perfection I seek out, yet never attain, helps make my projects look more professional. As I’m sliding a .005 feeler gauge between some huge gap, I’ll often think, “Man, this is good enough…isn’t it good enough?…No, it’s not good enough.”, and proceed to waste more time closing the gap. It’s a damn good thing I don’t make my living woodworking, as I could never get the hourly rate to even feed myself. Nice job on the clamp rack, though I do like a previous poster’s comment about French cleats.
    
    Reply
tony October 30, 2012 1:34 pm

Very nice.

I’m more interested in the F-clamp storage rack. :)

Is that a 2×4 or 2×6 with long holes/lag bolts in the walls + steel cross bars?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 1:58 pm
  
  Check it: http://www.thewoodwhisperer.co.....lamp-rack/
  
  Reply
Carl Olsen October 30, 2012 1:41 pm

A big suggestion here, remove the blue tape on the 5th clamp, its bugging me :)

A more real question, where did you put the rest of your clamps ?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 2:00 pm
  
  That blue tape is actually epoxied to the handle. I broke the handle in the past and used the tape to hold the handle together while the epoxy dried. Obviously the epoxy likes the tape. :) And the rest of the clamps are in the garage for now. These are the ones I use on 99% of my projects. The other clamps are all miscellaneous brands and styles and hopefully later on I can make a little mobile clamp rack where I can hang the other clamps. Either that or I’ll donate/sell cheap.
  
  Reply
  - jHop November 2, 2012 1:51 pm
    
    Oh, that epoxy / blue tape love affair…. How I loathe it….
    
    (well, maybe)
    
    I’ve got a couple of tools that have that issue, and I’ve added to the “design” by adding extra ridges to the tape with CA for hand grips. If I had done it correctly, I’d say it was a success. As it is…. I turn to other tools unless I don’t have a choice.
    
    Have you considered a “portable tote” for some clamps that you might need to take to another portion of the shop? Even if it just slides into the existing rack on a pair of dowels stuck into the back piece? Place the tote under the shelf so it does not need to be cleared off, and leave some of the most common clamps in there to take with you. It does go against and CDO (that’s OCD in the correct order, BTW), but it’s an option.
    
    Reply
    - thewoodwhisperer November 2, 2012 2:19 pm
      
      That’s a neat idea but it isn’t something I would get much use out of in my particular situation. I am thinking about possibly making a mobile clamp rack to help store some of the random oddball clamps that have no other permanent home, and because a mobile clamp rack just sounds like a fun project. :)
Kevin October 30, 2012 3:58 pm

Have you ever tried the bessey uniklamps? They are sort of in between f clamps and k clamps. For the shorter clamps, 24″ and less, to me they are the best of both worlds. Larger clamping area than f clamps but much lighter than k clamps . You just can’t apply as much force with them as the big dogs, of course.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 4:26 pm
  
  I do have a few of those in my collection although they aren’t my primary go-to solution. You know how it goes when you get into a habit of using one thing or another. Sometimes, a better option just gets forgotten about.
  
  Reply
Mark Boyles October 30, 2012 4:02 pm

Hey Marc, really nice rack!

Quick question? I see you have some wood hand screw clamps up on top. In what situation(s) would you grab those over, say the 12″ jet clamps?………Or are they part of your collection………..Just wondering?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 4:25 pm
  
  I very rarely use them in actual glueups. Most of the time they come in handy for doing some sort of complicated glueup where I need a piece to be held in a vertical position. I attach the wooden clamp at the bottom and then use another clamp to secure the wood clamp to the bench. That’s why I only need two of them.
  
  Reply
  - Jeff Fore October 31, 2012 7:33 pm
    
    They come in real handy when working with live edge boards too. You can clamp them on the the live edges and it will give you a flat surface to clamp to. It’s is especially important when glueing boards side to side for a table.
    
    Love the clamp rack Marc! I believe that I may just make one this weekend. Then I will have an excuse to buy more parrallel clamps!
    
    Reply
Mike October 30, 2012 4:51 pm

90% of mine ride around on a mobile rack – right where I need them when I need them, and tucked away when I don’t – I think I’ll use your design for my bigguns though – they’re currently leaning on each other in a corner, and I don’t think they like that.

Reply
sawdust October 30, 2012 6:31 pm

I made one of theses a while ago from looking at one of your vids. Works great.
Was your backplate made from scrap (lots of holes)?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 30, 2012 6:51 pm
  
  yessir. Recycling old parts of the previous lumber rack.
  
  Reply
Eric R October 30, 2012 7:39 pm

Nice job Marc. The shop is really coming together.
(and yes, I do have clamp envy..)

Reply
Stephen K October 31, 2012 5:11 am

Hey Marc,
I remember seeing in a previous video of yours, you utilized a french cleat system. I took from that idea and put up a french cleat system along a the entire length of three walls in garage shop, I have eight foot ceilings and the cleat is at 6.5 feet high. I’ve been using this idea all around the shop to enable me to not only have a secure system but an easy way to “mount” cabinets, shelves, racks, etc., to the walls. With the weight of a rack being so much do you think it is a wise idea to use the french cleat system or to mount the rack directly to the wall? (BTW, the cleat system is made from 3/4″ ply cut into 5″ strips with 2 screws into every stud, I wanted it to be as secure as possible)

Thanks Marc and keep up the awesome work.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer October 31, 2012 11:49 am
  
  The French Cleat system would have been plenty strong for this unit. Frankly, I can’t think of anything in the shop that is too heavy for a French cleat.
  
  Reply
Mike C. October 31, 2012 11:48 am

Nice looking project, but I’m surprised you didn’t leave room for your clamp collection to grow.

Reply
S Watson November 1, 2012 8:28 am

Admittedly I can over think the engineering/physics side of some of these projects…but what kind of weight considerations are there in a project like this? Span vs. load vs. material thickness/type.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer November 1, 2012 8:35 am
  
  Uhh…. lol. That’s a little outside my area of expertise. :)
  
  Reply
Dr. Ron November 2, 2012 8:05 am

Great system! I built clamp storage into my assembly/work/outfee table by screwing a couple of 2 x 4’s a few inches under the tabletop across the end frames. I can just slide my pipe clamps and linger screw clamps under the table so they are right where I need them during assemblies. I can also hook “C”-clamps and “F”-clamps over the 2 x 4’s.

Reply
Brian C. Brazil November 2, 2012 11:54 am

I’ve noticed there are 2 mindsets on clamp storage… With the jaws closed (like yours) or open. I’ve been storing mine open recently, because it seems to distribute the weight a little better. Is there a reason you prefer to close the jaws? Or just anal-retentive?

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer November 2, 2012 1:19 pm
  
  I find it much more natural to grab a closed clamp off the rack rather than an open one. With the clamp closed, I can grab the clamp by its handle. I can then put the clamp down on a surface and my hand is already in position to open the jaw to the appropriate length. I just find this much more efficient than pulling down a clamp where the bottom jaw/handle is all the way down near the floor. I think it really just comes down to personal preference though.
  
  Reply
- jHop November 2, 2012 2:00 pm
  
  Like many woodworkers, I have multiple types of clamps. I happen to have 3 12″ handscrew clamps from Rockler… (My OCD means I need multiples of two, but the mold’s OCD means anything under a puddle of water is fair game.)
  
  Like most, I clamp my wooden clamps to a section of 2×4.
  
  My F-bodies and “quiklamps” are where I have two different options. I have more of the grip type of quickie clamps, and those go on a 1×2 with open jaws. The F clamps get closed, and hung up by the handle. (I’ve only got four, so I can get away with it for the time being.)
  
  My C clamps also get left open, but that’s partly because I enjoy playing with…. er…. the process of opening them to the size needed. (And because often they’re holding something on the car together…)
  
  Don’t have any pipe clamps, but I have the feeling I’d leave those at the length I last used them at when I store them.
  
  Reply
Jeff Porterfield November 5, 2012 2:13 pm

Marc,

I noticed you only have two Jorgensen wooden clamps. Do you not use them much?
Great work. I very much enjoy your videos and presentations skills.

Cheers.
Jeff

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer November 5, 2012 2:25 pm
  
  I use them mostly for support tasks. They are great for holding pieces vertically and giving me something to clamp to. So I don’t use them often but when I need them, I really NEED them.
  
  Reply
Christopher Landy September 17, 2013 6:13 am

You know what I love about Marc & the WW site? I google “woodworking clamp rack plans” , look at the images and go right to Marc’s site. awesome.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 17, 2013 6:21 am
  
  I like that too! ;)
  
  Reply
Dave September 18, 2013 10:52 am

If the shelf is 6 7/8 wide and the sides 6 1/2 wide with the dado on the backboard 3/8 that would make everything flush for the shelf if the side boards were under the self. The illustrations show the sides on the outside of the shelf. Wouldn’t you then need to adjust the dimension of the side board by the width of the backboard (3/4) making the sides 7 1/4 wide? Perhaps I’m wrong but just trying to work it out. Like you said, I’m just going to go with it. Nice design!! Thanks!!!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo September 21, 2013 10:38 am
  
  That’s just a typo. The shelf should be 6 1/8″. Thanks for the heads up.
  
  Reply
peterb October 13, 2013 6:57 am

Found this quick video showing construction of the same basic design. Includes a shelf, too. Festool fans will enjoy it. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KQVFB0qT_I

Reply
John January 25, 2014 2:01 am

What brand of clamps do you use?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 25, 2014 10:03 am
  
  Jet primarily but I also have some Bessey.
  
  Reply
  - Leon November 27, 2015 7:59 pm
    
    Marc,
    Might you be willing to provide the number and sizes of parallel clamps you have? It’s Thanksgiving weekend and Jet is having a 50% off sale on their parallel clamps.I like the design of their quick release feature. I would like to buy a bunch while they are relatively cheep. Especially the longer ones.
    Thanks.
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo November 27, 2015 9:07 pm
      
      Hey Leon. You can pretty much see what I have in the photo above. The smallest are 12″ and you can kind of guesstimate the rest from there.
Jeremy Crawford February 25, 2014 6:23 pm

Marc,
In a previous post you said you had 3/4″ ply on top of a 2×4. On here you said just use 2 pieces of 3/4″ ply. Which do you recommend without the shelf?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 25, 2014 8:27 pm
  
  Both setups work just fine. Just depends on what you have on hand and how you want it to look.
  
  Reply
  - Jeremy Crawford February 28, 2014 10:40 pm
    
    Well I’m going to attempt to do it out of 2 pieces of 3/4″ Ply. I hope they don’t snap off. Thanks.
    
    Reply
Thrwer September 22, 2014 1:58 pm

Getting started out and have about $300 right now set aside for clamps. What would you recommend for sizes and styles? I do have about 4 quick clamp style clamps already.

Reply
Packetlevel September 27, 2014 10:30 pm

If you have that much wall space you don’t have enough stuff in your shop …

Reply
Kevin December 29, 2014 8:39 pm

Newbie here so sorry if this is a dumb question. Is it possible to use a router to make the slots (instead of using a jig saw or a band saw) or do routers and plywood not play nice together?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo December 30, 2014 7:25 am
  
  You can. But you’ll really put some wear and tear on the bit. But I use a router with plywood quite frequently. It’s just a lot of work for a router bit.
  
  Reply
Frederick Falk March 1, 2015 11:17 am

I noticed that you store your parallel clamps with the jaws closed. I have seen other store them with the jaws open (or just the top jaw hanging on the clamp rack. Does it make any difference which way these are stored? I just invested a lot of money for some Jet Parallel clamps and I want to make sure I don’t damage them while they are being stored.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo March 1, 2015 7:25 pm
  
  Just personal preference, really. No clamp worth its salt should be damaged by being stored either way.
  
  Reply
Bob Hinden May 31, 2018 4:29 pm

Thanks, for this design. I used the design with some modification to make a rack for my Bessey Parallel Clamps. Their size is a little different from the ones you have. I also added a small lip to hold them in.

Came out well, and I left room so I can get more clamps as I need them :-)

Thanks again.

Reply
Peter Upton February 1, 2021 11:04 am

I’m working on a long fishing rod rack for a friend, and am looking for a jig or a technique way to cut repeated notches, need to pretty exact, so I want to avoid free-hand cutting at bandsaw or jigsaw. Is there another option that I’m missing? I’m thinking that the workpiece will be too long to use box joint jig setup.

Reply
Sawdust Pat February 10, 2022 7:23 pm

Thanks for posting! 10 years later and your plans are still useful. Best simple, yet functional clamp storage I found.

My only change is the method of cutting the slots in the hanger piece. I have a crosscut sled for my table saw that I used by holding the hanger vertically against the front fence of the sled. I made repeated passes to cut the slots (I don’t yet have a dado blade) and they turned out perfectly. I just made sure the blade was at the correct height to cut the slots deep enough. Much cleaner than drilling holes and using a jig saw to cut the slots. I also don’t have a band saw.

Either way, thank you for the idea and inspiration.

Reply
- Timothy Hurley July 25, 2022 8:33 pm
  
  How deep are the slots?
  
  Reply

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