Clamps and the question of how many clamps should one have in their shop?

Recently I have started to become more immersed into wood working. In the past with any project that I have done whether small or big, I have used only screws and on the occasion I have used glue. I only had 2 clamps to work with and both were Pistol Grip Clamps (12 inch and 6 inch). They have done their fair share of work and were used for other applications other then being used to glue pieces of wood together. With the projects that I have been doing lately I have found myself needing more clamps.

Harbor Freight Bar Clamp

About a month ago I started the path of my clamp collection. I purchased plans for both Bar and Parallel Clamps. After buying the plans my wife and I set out to purchase all of the hardware to build these clamps. Even though I am not done building them, I have enjoyed the process of building them when I have the time. Here is what they look like as of now.

Top is a 24" Bar Clamp, Bottom is a DIY 42" Bar Clamp Made from Oak

So you can see that both are completely different they are both similar in design. I purchased the plan for $2.00. The material I purchased for $64.00 will make a total of 13 clamps. I only bought one 10' piece or tubing. Granted I could of built these quicker but I enjoy spending a little time here and there instead of just building to get them done. In the future I will most likely build them quicker but for now I am fine with the way they are progressing. I do plan on having quite a few of these in my garage along with prefabricated clamps I purchase at the store.

About 2 weeks ago I started another project for Locker shelves for our lockers at work. My locker neighbor had a shelf built and after seeing his I wanted one of my own. So right now I am building 4 locker shelves, one for myself and the others are for my fellow associates who are going to purchase these for $20.00 a piece. 

So after deciding to take on this new project I quickly realized that I needed clamps and fast. Lucky me Harbor Freight was having a sale and I could purchase Bar Clamps with 50% off the entire order. I know what your are thinking, REALLY HARBOR FREIGHT. I know that the quality from Harbor Freight can be less then Par but when you are on a budget at the time anything is better then nothing. Plus you can find some really great deals at Harbor Freight. So I purchased two 6", two 12" and four 24" bar clamps for $36.00.

Shortly after receiving the clamps I started the cutting and assembling of the locker shelves to find myself stuck on each step. The reason I was stuck on each step is because I don't have the quantity of clamps to work on several assemblies at once. Here is a picture of just the Drawer for one of the locker shelves.

10 clamps to glue one drawer

So now the question for myself and all of you is how many clamps should one have? My answer is at least 40-50 and that is basing it on what I am doing and plan on doing in the future. I know that number will grow as I move forward with my bigger projects. So if you are at the store and have a few extra bucks in your pocket, why not pick up a clamp or two. In the end you will eventually have enough clamps to where you can have multiple projects going instead of twiddling your thumbs waiting on whatever you are doing to dry. Also lets face it everyone would rather purchase multiple items over a course of time rather then having to buy them all at once. 

In the future I will be building a organizer for all my clamps which will be a mixture of ones that I have built and others that I have purchased from the store.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to post a comment. I would love to hear from you.