This is a Veteran Owned site

The Building the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack is simple and cheap to build yet very useful in any woodworking shop. Click image to enlarge

Building the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack

Simple, sturdy, cheap and useful

Text, photos and video by Tom Hintz

Posted – 5-10-2011

As with most projects the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack came from lots of ideas that I got from other clamp rack designs. I took the features that I liked most and applied them to this design along with some updates that I just thought were needed.

Simplicity

We aren’t trying to win any appearance awards with a clamp rack so I chose to use basic materials that are easy to find and cheap. The main uprights and the bottom braces are all made from plain 2X4 stock, the top plate is 1X6 and the hangar bars are all cut from 1x3 stock. All of the stock is pine except for the top plate that I made from poplar only because I had a piece in the scrap pile that was already almost perfectly sized. Pine 2X6 will work just fine.

The ends of main uprights and the lower front-to-back braces are all cut at a 6-degree angle. Everything else has plain square ends. This is a good time to note that while developing this design the biggest problem we found was getting the 6-degree angle wrong, just a little bit but it matters. This becomes evident during assembly when the top plate appears to be too narrow or too wide. For this reason I suggest dry fitting the uprights, bottom front-to-back braces and the top plate. You might have to cut the front-to-back braces a little shorter if the top plate seems too narrow. If the top plate is too wide to fit the uprights you may have to remake the front-to-back bottom braces accordingly. In most of the cases we came across we could pull the uprights into position with very little effort so that is what we did.

The cross bar placements I used are designed to fit the clamps I will put on the cart. You may have to locate these bars differently to fit your clamps best. Click images to enlarge

The building process was also kept simple. I used good glue and screws throughout. I have had very good luck with this type of construction with other shop pieces I have made over the years so there is no reason to get fancy – unless you want to. There is nothing wrong with using some other type of joint that you want to practice. Just keep the angles in mind and how they will complicate many other types of joints.

Size It

While I like the original size of the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack you may want to make it taller or wider or both. Feel free. The Parts Drawing available in PDF format in the Resource section below shows the dimensions used in the original NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack but it can be easily modified. Just remember to keep as many of the clamps/weight as low as possible to insure the best stability when loaded up.

If you increase the overall size or capacity of the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack by much you should also consider using stronger casters to be sure that they can handle the weight. I would also consider using larger diameter casters if the overall size is increased more than a few inches. The last thing you want is a fully loaded clamp rack to cough up a wheel and tip over against the most expensive thing it can find in the shop.

The video shows the construction sequence that I found works best so watch that, make notes and then go make your own NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack. It is an easy, quick project that you will use in your shop for years. Also having a clamp rack out in the open is a good way to help justify buying more clamps. Practice looking depressed while pointing at the half-full NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack and saying “Everybody else has more clamps….” If this actually works, let me know. I like the NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack but my wife could care less how full it is. I suspect lots of you will encounter the same thing.

Resources

NewWoodworker.com Mobil Clamp Rack Drawn Parts List – Click Here

Have a comment on this How-To story? –Email Me!

Back to the Basics How-To List