No-cost, effective clamp pads

Sure, you can always use wood scraps as clamp pads, but here's a better option: plastic-laminate scraps, often available as samples from home centers or cabinet shops. Cut them into 1¹⁄₂ ×1¹⁄₂ " squares and put them to work. Unlike wood pads, plastic laminate readily sheds glue, and eats up precious little clamping capacity. Place the smoothest side of the laminate against your workpiece.
—Joe Godfrey, Forest City, N.C.