Raise your clamps to be sure

When gluing up panels, I like to remove the glue squeeze-out before it sets. But pipe clamps laid flat on my assembly bench left me no room to clean the underside of the joints. So I found a way to take my panel-making to a higher level.

I made a pair of clamp-holding supports, as shown below, that raise the panels nearly a foot above the bench. Each upright can be positioned individually along the horizontal rails to accommodate different-size panels by simply removing the wing nut and carriage bolt.

Besides giving me more space for cleanup, the supports let me inspect both the top and bottom of each joint without flipping the assembly. And, if I find the need to add panel-flattening cauls across the joints, it's easy to attach them with C-clamps or handscrew clamps.

—Ronald Huizenga, Morrison, Ill.

For more in-depth information on gluing and clamping, visit our Gluing and Clamping section in the WOOD Store.