5 Must-Have Clamps For Your Shop

A well-equipped shop will have a variety of clamps for different situations. Here’s our favorites.

I think that you’ve probably heard the saying that “a woodworker can never have too many clamps.” Heck, you may have even used that as an excuse (or affirmation) about buying additional clamps. I won’t tell. However, I feel as though a better saying would be “a woodworker can never have too many of the right clamps.” What I mean by that is an entire shop full of clamps won’t do any good if they don’t work for the task at hand.

Now, I know that clamps aren’t the coolest thing in the world. They’re not a sexy, boutique handplane, fancy chisel, or the latest and greatest table saw. However, I think they tend to be one of the last things people think about while buying tools. You would be surprised by the number of shops I walk into full of the newest tools, only to fi nd a hodge-podge of clamps with little thought given to their use or place in the shop ecosystem.

Don’t get me wrong, though. If you fi nd a box of clamps at a garage sale, and you need to have some form of consent to get clamps, I give you my full blessing to buy as many as you can fi t in the back of your pinto. However, some of us work with limited shop space and storage for clamps. In this case, I’ve found that being strategic with clamp purchases and making sure that you have the right mix in your shop will alleviate some headaches as you’re working on a project, and getting ready to glue up.