Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you.
If you’ve been woodworking for any length of time, you know from experience that these are some of the truest words about the trade. You don’t have to have the fanciest or the newest tools, but if you’ve taken good care of them, they’ll last you a long time — in many cases, long enough to pass along to kids or grandkids when they’re old enough.
One of the most important tools in your arsenal are your woodworking clamps. The good ones aren’t cheap, so once you have them in your shop, you want to make sure you’re treating them well so you don’t have to replace them. Plus, you can never have enough of them, so it only makes sense that you’d want to replace as few as possible.
Many of the ways to care for your clamps are actually really easy; it doesn’t take a lot of effort to keep them in good shape. So let’s get into it!
Proper storage 
Storing your clamps on a designated rack is one of the best ways to care for them. Make sure the location is somewhere dry and away from any heat sources. Plus, it’s easier to keep all your clamps organized on a rack, especially as your collection grows.
For a clamp rack that can really evolve with your clamp collection, check out this video from Stumpy Nubs. He shows you how he designed his clamp rack to fit a wide variety of clamp types and brands, even as he acquires more.
Care after use
One of the most important things to do after you’ve used your clamps is to clean any glue off them. If you put paste wax on your clamps regularly, this won’t be hard — the glue will just wipe off. However, if there’s glue on your clamp that you can’t wipe off, there are several methods you can try to remove the glue. Check out our blog on glue removal for a list of easy ways you can get rid of stuck-on wood glue.
Do you end up with glue on your clamps every time you use them? A really simple way to keep glue from getting on the metal bars is to put a strip of painters tape on it. Don’t push the edges down — simply make sure the middle of the tape adheres to the metal bar. When the glue-up is dry, simply pull off the tape — and voilà!
If there’s no glue to remove, make sure you wipe down your clamps after every use. This is a very easy way to make sure that dust or debris from your project doesn’t build up. A buildup of dust can interfere with your clamp’s operation and even leave marks or stains on your next project.
Regular maintenance
One of the best ways to keep your clamps in good use is to check them every now and then and give them a good once-over.
Once or twice a year, rub paste wax on your clamps — especially on the metal bar. This is a great way to keep wood glue from sticking and drying to your clamps, ensuring that they work smoothly for years.
If your clamps are completely metal, including the jaw and tail, spray a little lubricant on them when necessary. This doesn’t have to be super often, but if you haven’t been able to get in the shop for a while, it’s a good idea to make sure your clamps are all moving smoothly and lubricate any that stick.
If you have older clamps, you may need to check for rust. Even if your shop is dry, it can happen. Simply spray some rust remover on the offending rust spots and put on a small coat of paste wax as prevention.
Finally, if you don’t have a great dust collection system, dust them off every few weeks so you don’t get any dust buildup in the nooks and crannies of the clamp. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
Do you have any other woodworking clamp care tips? Share them with us in the comments!
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