Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-2, страница 35

Simple Clamp Storage

Build a Sturdy Rolling Clamp Cart

By Ian Kirby

The old maxim "a place for everything and everything in its place" is wisdom that applies to all facets of our life, but it's essential in a workshop. Whether your workspace is large or small, storing your tools and materials in an orderly and efficient manner not only makes your projects easier to accomplish, but also increases the level of enjoyment you will experience — even if it is only by removing the certain frustration that a poorly organized shop will engender. While the focus of this article is an ultra-simple storage cart for my specific collection of clamps, the principles I used to determine how to go about designing this cart are universal. To prove that point, editor in chief Rob Johnstone had me design and build a storage cart for a more diverse set of clamps (for my friend, Matt). Rob will place that design

on the web, but you can _

see a picture of it toward the end of this article. But first some thoughts about shop storage in general.

Wood Storage

Wood enters the shop in long and wide or narrow planks. Woodworking is the act of converting it into stuff at one end of the spectrum and objet d'art at the other, leaving behind quantities of irregularly shaped pieces of which no two are alike. Woodworkers are notoriously reluctant to part with any piece of it, and without some means of storage the casual observer might be forgiven for mistaking a workshop for a woodshed.

Tool Storage

Unlike the relatively straightforward techniques of tool practice, tool storage poses problems

In my earlier woodworking days, storage was less complicated as there were only two models of clamps: bar clamps and C-clamps.

Building a Clamp Collection

I'm well aware of the truism that you can't be too rich, too thin or have too many clamps. But just because so many designs are available doesn't mean that you have to own multiples of every type. Limiting yourself to a narrow range ensures familiarity with how best to use the clamp in a variety of settings and simplifies your storage system. Clamps represent a major investment, so it's prudent to choose thoughtfully based on the kind of woodworking you plan to do. If you are making furniture, for instance, some form of bar or pipe clamp is essential, as is one ot the fast-acting types.

unique to each woodworker and workshop combination. Every shop is a different shape, every inventory of machines and tools is different, and each woodworker has different interests or is at a different stage of development.

Chances are, we've all seen fancy toolboxes that look like museum showcases, with a place for everything and everything in its place. What you never see in them is a tool essential for making furniture: clamps.

Clamp Storage

Having dug myself into a hole by drawing attention to inherent difficulties of clamp storage, allow me to begin climbing back out on an historical note. During all my early years of woodworking in England, my

coworkers and I used just two types of clamps: we called them sash cramps and G-cramps, but from here on I'll use American parlance — bar clamps and C-clamps. You can see from the photo at left that they wouldn't present much of a storage problem. Sash cramps were so-called because they were used by joiners to make window sashes (frames).

I still use the same type of bar clamp today, although I have replaced C-clamps with "fast-acting bar clamps."

I covered proper techniques for using clamps and clamp blocks in an article which appeared in a previous issue of Woodworker's Journal (February 2003, if you hang onto back issues; if not, check our More on the Web for this issue.)

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