Hanging Clamp Rack/Cabinet Conundrum

[wizer]

I want to make one of these:



In fact I'm on my 2nd version already. The first one was the pocket screw issue I posted the other day. I was going to plane up some more Iroko today when I came across some unsuspecting 12mm MDF loitering in the workshop. Great thinks I, this won't have the pocket hole problem. So I go ahead and build the first tier this afternoon. Just as I'm screwing the last screw I realise that MDF is the wrong choice for this. I'm assuming that the MDF won't take the weight of the other tiers? I thought about inserting a real wood plug or maybe even edging it in real wood.

Will that work or should I go back to Iroko?

Ply would be nice but I don't have any in the workshop and I'm bored of spending money. It's SO 2008.

 

[Max Power]

Sounds like youve allready answered the question yourself. Throw away the mdf and use solid wood, preferably near 18mm and forget the pocket screws, it will fall apart. At its simplest you could butt joint everything and screw through the faces or if your feeling more adventurous finger joints or dovetails.

 

[Chems]

Pocket Joints are very strong, I'd ad a bit of glue to be on the safe side as well.

 

[wizer]

yes I have no doubts about the strength of PH screws and for workshop fixtures, I really don't mind using them.

Looks like I'll be taking the MDF clamp rack to the tip tomorrow and starting again with Iroko (again). :roll: I'll just use biscuits this time as the Iroko is quite brittle, don't want to risk splitting it, even with a pilot.

 

[cambournepete]

as you've already nade the first part why not just add a strip of iroko on the hingd side for the strength?

 

[wizer]

yes I thought about that. Seems logical.

 

[Tierney]

I like that picture, I need somewhere to store my clamps (currently clamped to the rafters). I might just use some ex 1" soft wood that I have knocking around.

 

[9fingers]

I'd have thought that a few simple horizontal battens using the clamp jaw themselves would suffice.

As most clamp bodies are wider than their bars, long ones on the top rail, would allow shorter ones to be fixed on a lower batten fitted in between the bars of the ones above.

Thus no need for hinges unless I have missed a vital point.

Bob

 

[wizer]

Do you mean to have the other tiers fixed and to thread the bar behind? That would be a bit awkward in the space they are to fit in. This hinged idea is perfect for the space I want them to fit in.

I only have 8 Besseys. The rest is a mixture of quick clamps and F clamps. The tier I have already built in MDF fits all of the besseys. As yet I haven't worked out how to hold the other assorted clamps. Still playing with ideas.

 

[9fingers]

Do you mean to have the other tiers fixed and to thread the bar behind? That would be a bit awkward in the space they are to fit in. This hinged idea is perfect for the space I want them to fit in.

I only have 8 Besseys. The rest is a mixture of quick clamps and F clamps. The tier I have already built in MDF fits all of the besseys. As yet I haven't worked out how to hold the other assorted clamps. Still playing with ideas.

All tiers fixed and particularly suitable to your clamp selection.

Put the long besseys on the top batten. heads at the top and lightly tighten to secure.

9" or so below have a second batten. Your F clamps will almost certainly fit in the gaps left between the bars of the Besseys which would otherwise be wasted space.

If needed you could have a third batten below the end of the F clamps to fit yet more.

Would take no time to make, no slots needed and so simple.

I've just got the one batten holding 6" sash cramps at the moment but will need to fit lower battens to hold Fs and Gs as I decant them from garage to workshop.

I seem to recall this was how Norm stored his clamp selection before he built that huge trolley tribute to Bessey!!


Bob

 

[Mr Ed]

This is an incredibly quick and easy solution;

Just 2X4 screwed to the wall - why make it more complex than that?

Ed

 

[wizer]

Just 2X4 screwed to the wall - why make it more complex than that?

because I only have a space of about 600mm x 1200mm

 

[woodbloke]

Just 2X4 screwed to the wall - why make it more complex than that?

because I only have a space of about 600mm x 1200mm

Tom - if you have a length of 1200mm, I would have thought that more than long enough for a solution like Ed's (which is basically what I've got in my 'shop) - Rob

 

[wizer]

600 wide Rob or if it helps, 8 besseys wide. I have 4 F Clamps and about 20 quick clamps.

 

[Mr Ed]

have you not got the height to do one row above another as I have?

Ed

 

[OLD]

You original picture shows three levels of fixing and three levels of spacing from the wall. The current suggestion is clamp to a block of wood so combine all this :- three wood blocks each a different thickness each set at a height to make best use of the space and clamps to be fitted. eg the besseys on the lowest batten what do you think.

 

[Jake]

Mine is somewhat similar, in that it is also made from 2 x 4, but I whacked some lengths of studding through from the back before bolting it to the wall to make prongs, and I hang the cramps up on the prongs from the holes in the ends of the bars. That means you can get about 5 or 6 cramps on each prong, in the width of one cramp head. I have a plain 2 x 4 below some of the shorter besseys/bessey clones for cramps that don't have said holes.

It's not as pretty as the fancy swinging rack, but it works just as well.

I prefer the studding to the plain 2 x 4 because I'm impatient and you can just pull them on or off without doing the cramp up or loosening it off - that's ok with QR clamps of course.

 

[Lord Nibbo]

Before making any rack think about the weight it's going to carry. I'll bet you underestimate the total weight by half :shock: When I made my mobile clamp rack I was shocked that I couldn't lift one end over a power cable. :lol: If you've got the wall space this is the way to go :lol:

 

[9fingers]

I say M'lord! that has got to be one of the greatest gloat posts to date.

EVEN for you! :shock: :shock:

Bob

 

[wizer]

Problem solved chaps. Pictures to follow this evening.