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clamping station from stepladder
By:Paul G. Jacobson
Date: 12/28/2010, 10:32 am
In Response To: Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station (Malcolm Schweizer)

: Aaaah, now ya see- that's why I posted before building. . .

Why build at all?

I can't take credit for this idea as it was forced on me by a girlfriend who got tired of falling over my stacks of "C" clamps.

She hung them from the steps of a nearby 6' aluminum stepladder. At the timer the ladder's legs were folded in and the ladder was leaning against the wall. The shape of the steps can work in your favor for holding the clamps. If you leave the clamps open just a little less than the thickness of the step, you can twist the clamp around the front lip of the aluminum step and it hangs in place. It took me a while to get the hang of gauging how wider to open the clamp before hanging it, but sometimes I'm a reluctant learner--and this wasn't my idea so I fought it for a while.

Adding on to her idea: If you want mobile clamp storage, open the legs of the ladder and set it on a rectangle of 3/4" plywood with casters.

Or, don't get casters. Get a 4-caster furniture dolly from Harbor Freight for less than the price of the casters alone.

Corner blocks on wood platform or furniture dolly anchor the ladder legs. Use bolts and wingnuts so its easy to remove. Stand the ladder againgt the wall when you need to save shop space, or you need the dolly for moving furniture.

Or, forget the dolly/platform/caster concept and go for an axle and 2 wheels. Drill a hole for an axle about 2" from the bottom of the ladder on the legs which carry the steps. Open or closed you can move it around like a 2 wheel handtruck.
A cross bar or two on the ladder's legs can be made from wood, conduit, or pipe and held on with bolts or other clamps. Hang bar clamps from these.

If you don't plan to fold up the ladder, you can put bars on both sides as well.

There is a large open space in the center of the opened ladder. You can put in a box made opf pegboard (or any other handy material) for additional storage.

Got some scraps of canvas or sailcloth? Tie or bolt them between the legs of the ladder and they will hang inside as storage "hammocks". When you fold the ladder they'll go limp but still serve as storage 'sacks'. Each one will hold several pipeclamps or lengths of pipe.

Just some thoughts for you.

PGJ

Messages In This Thread

Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Malcolm Schweizer -- 12/22/2010, 9:52 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
KenC -- 12/29/2010, 12:50 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Etienne Muller -- 12/24/2010, 7:44 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Robert N Pruden -- 12/22/2010, 2:48 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Randy Echtinaw -- 12/22/2010, 4:29 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Simeon -- 12/22/2010, 7:42 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station *PIC*
Dave Houser -- 12/22/2010, 11:37 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Bill Hamm -- 12/22/2010, 1:52 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
ancient kayaker -- 12/22/2010, 10:18 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station *PIC*
Malcolm Schweizer -- 12/22/2010, 12:51 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
John Roberts -- 12/22/2010, 8:08 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Malcolm Schweizer -- 12/22/2010, 11:37 pm
clamping station from stepladder
Paul G. Jacobson -- 12/28/2010, 10:32 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
ancient kayaker -- 12/22/2010, 6:09 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Malcolm Schweizer -- 12/22/2010, 11:32 pm
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Jay Babina -- 12/22/2010, 10:11 am
Re: Tools: Looking for ideas for clamping station
Les Cheeseman -- 12/22/2010, 9:59 am