My new clamp rack

Jim Hager

Member
Messages
374
Location
N.E. Arkansas
I built a clamp rack for my pony's out of 1/4" steel plate, 1" square tubing and some 3/8" rod the other day. I hung it this morning and stocked it with my pipe clamps. Looks like I'm gonna have to make another one cause this thing seems to be the cat's meow. I cut the clamp plate with a plasma cam cnc machine at the school where I teach. I'm gonna miss that thing when I retire. The rack holds 30 clamps, about 1/2 of what I've got.
 

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I don't know if you should be showing that rack around here, Jim...you'll start getting orders for 'em. :p Looks great. I need to get my small pile of clamps hung instead of leaning against each other in a corner.
 
I don't know if you should be showing that rack around here, Jim...you'll start getting orders for 'em. :p Looks great. I need to get my small pile of clamps hung instead of leaning against each other in a corner.

I have thought seriously about getting myself one of the plasma cnc tables to do stuff like that. Steel and wood work well together in certain styles. The bench in the background of this pic is an example of some of the work I've done with steel and wood together (bottom pic)

I have also done another one or two things that seem to work together pretty well together. This music bench is made of ash with 1/4" plate metal cut out to display the first measure of music to "just a closer walk with thee" which is the favorite hymn of the guy I made it for upon his retirement.

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I'm gonna miss that thing when I retire. .


Take it from one old retired teacher to another.... Gather your goodies while the gettin' is good. I am such a Dumb Arse, :doh: Back when teaching I would do all my WWing pleasures in the comforts of the school shops and all the advantages it had to offer. No dust at home, every kind of tool you can think of, handy supplies , etc. Never gave a thought to what this old coot would do when the time came (Of course the time came sooner than expected when my heart got stopped up with sawdust) Now I am trying to amass tools and equipment and build a perfect shop. Shure would have been better to have been prepared.
 
Take it from one old retired teacher to another.... Gather your goodies while the gettin' is good. I am such a Dumb Arse, :doh: Back when teaching I would do all my WWing pleasures in the comforts of the school shops and all the advantages it had to offer. No dust at home, every kind of tool you can think of, handy supplies , etc. Never gave a thought to what this old coot would do when the time came (Of course the time came sooner than expected when my heart got stopped up with sawdust) Now I am trying to amass tools and equipment and build a perfect shop. Shure would have been better to have been prepared.


Thanks for the heads up Bill. I've been working on that for the last 10-12 years and I've got a much better woodshop than what we have at school. I'm just a little behind on welding and metalworking tools but I've still got quite a bit. I've also got a pretty good set of mechanics tools. I don't think I'll be missing much other than our plasma cam cnc machine and maybe our ironworker, saw stop table saw, lathe duplicator, sheet metal tools, small engines shop ................................ and a few more things, but not much:D
 
As the Ag. teacher in my high school, I will tell you I have good relations with the retired principal and a couple of other retired teachers and yep, we do projects for them they can't do at home. Is nice turning away some of the ex teachers that were arses while they were here but all of a sudden want to be my buddy for a job. Don't burn bridges behind you and maybe the new guy will allow you in to show him how to do all of those neat things!
Yep, building and amassing my shop equipment as I hope to retire in about ten years. My wood shop is looking good, might start on some of the metal equipment next year. Those plasma cam machines (get their catalogs all the time) look like the cat's meow. Great bench also.
 
Nice design Jim.

Speaking of teaching woodworking in high school. I taught wwing for two years as well as drafting and one of the incidents that I remember the most was when I had to be out one day cos of sickness I came back the next day to find out one of my worst kids (unfortunately, industrial arts is where other teachers put kids who they cant handle) had almost burned the place down. He had sent a lit cigarette through the DC ducting and the saw dust in the bin outside caught fire. It got put out but cost a bundle to replace and clean.

I don't miss those days, sad to say.
 
As the Ag. teacher in my high school, I will tell you I have good relations with the retired principal and a couple of other retired teachers and yep, we do projects for them they can't do at home. Is nice turning away some of the ex teachers that were arses while they were here but all of a sudden want to be my buddy for a job. Don't burn bridges behind you and maybe the new guy will allow you in to show him how to do all of those neat things!
Yep, building and amassing my shop equipment as I hope to retire in about ten years. My wood shop is looking good, might start on some of the metal equipment next year. Those plasma cam machines (get their catalogs all the time) look like the cat's meow. Great bench also.


Ag teachin is great ain't it Jonathan. Or should I say Mr. Shively:D Where do you teach. I work with 8th and 9th grade in a jr. high school in Pocahontas, Arkansas. Only 59 more school days this year, then retirement.
 
Nice design Jim.

Speaking of teaching woodworking in high school. I taught wwing for two years as well as drafting and one of the incidents that I remember the most was when I had to be out one day cos of sickness I came back the next day to find out one of my worst kids (unfortunately, industrial arts is where other teachers put kids who they cant handle) had almost burned the place down. He had sent a lit cigarette through the DC ducting and the saw dust in the bin outside caught fire. It got put out but cost a bundle to replace and clean.

I don't miss those days, sad to say.

That same thing happed to one of our teachers, As chairman of the department, I was able to find Liability reasons so that no sub was assigned to our classes. The kids were sent to studyhall until the teacher returned. Saved theft in the shops as well as injury to the students and the facility.
 
Jim, and All Teachers in general;
Reading threads & replies by High School teachers brings back fond memories and nostalgia. Some of my most impressionable times were spent in the school shop classes, and after school. In the 1960's my district was very fortunate: electronics shop, drafting class, metal shop, wwing shop.

I distinctly remember having to stop running 5/4 Black Walnut through the huge shop planner to learn that Kennedy had been assassinated. The impressions and lessions learned have stayed with me for a life time.
Mike
 
Jim I teach in North West Indiana. Yes, it generally has been a good career choice. Don't really push it as a career choice as the paperwork, and such is becoming overwhelming. (Maybe it is just me.)

Julio, my supervising teacher 20 years ago told me never let a sub take a class into the shop. If for no other reason, they will be glad to see you upon your return. Really don't know if our school's liability insurance would cover it. I know my budget couldn't cover the cost of stolen items!
 
Yes Jonathan, never let the sub take em to the shop. I found that out the hard way a few years ago. Let's just not say how. The paperwork is not all that bad (since I don't do it anyway) but all the new laws these Arkie legislators are passing. What are they smokin anyway???
 
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