The Best Ways to Use C-Clamps Around the House

If you’ve been doing work on any type of home for a while, you probably have a few old-fashioned C-clamps on hand. The C-clamp has been used for thousands of years. This is one of those extremely simple tools that just works. It’s also one of those tools that you tend to collect multiple examples of, of varying sizes.

Typically, you use a C-clamp to, uh, clamp things together, like two pieces of wood, or to clamp something in place while you’re working on it (I use them a lot for cutting wood so I can have both hands on the saw, since I’m allergic to emergency rooms.) But the C-clamp is actually a very versatile tool that can be deployed in many creative, yet useful, ways! Here are some of my favorite ways to reuse those old C-clamps.

A carrying handle

If you need to carry something large, heavy and cumbersome, having temporary handles always makes the job easier. If you have a few C-clamps, you’re golden: just attach a few to whatever you’re carrying and you’ve got instant handles for easy carrying. They can also be used as handles for rolled up materials, like rugs or mats: simply thread the roll through a pair of C-clamps, tighten them and continue.

A silent hammer

It’s happened to all of us: You need to drive a nail somewhere, but you don’t have room to swing a hammer, or for whatever reason you’re reluctant to make a lot of banging noise. The solution is your trusty C-clamp: simply place the pliers over the nail head and tighten. The tightening action will inexorably (and silently) put that nail into place. This is of course not an efficient way to drive a lot of nails, but in a tight spot it’s great.

An emergency key

Need to tighten or loosen a connector, but don’t have a wrench handy? Tighten a C-lamp around the bolt, cuff or connection point so that it sticks firmly, then slowly turn it in the desired direction. Make sure the clamp is tight enough to prevent slippage, and you may want to use something (a handy piece of fabric works) to protect the connection from damage while you work.

A cord organizer

Whether it’s gathering all those extension cords and power cords at a workbench or job site, or organizing computer cables on your desk with an industrial vibe, C-clamps can keep all those wires under control and out of your way in a snap. Simply gather the cords at the edge of the desk or table and secure them. This is a perfect temporary solution, as the cords can pass freely through the clamps without risk of damage, and the clamps can be removed once the job is completed.

Bookends

Need some bookends to hold items in place on a shelf? A pair of C-clamps attached to the outside edge and tightened as deep as possible will work. It could even be a permanent design choice if your tastes run toward rustic or industrial.

Anchors

C-clamps are ideal devices when anchor points are needed, but you don’t want to attach anything permanent that would require tie-downs and drilling into a structure. Need a clothesline to dry your laundry when the dryer breaks? Two C-clamps and some rope or twine are enough. Need to hang tools, clothes or something else? C-clamps attached to a shelf of any type, combined with a hook, will look amazing. Need to hold a tablecloth or other covering in place? Nothing secures objects to a horizontal surface better than C-clamps.

Spool holder

Whether you’re spooling filament onto your 3D printer or feeding yourself string or thread while you work on a project, sliding the spool onto a C-clamp and then clamping it in place gives you a sturdy support to pull from. This means you won’t have to juggle your spool every time you need more slack, and you can easily loosen and reposition the spool if you’re on the move while you work.