By Estelle | HerWorkshop.co.uk
There’s a saying in woodworking: you can never have enough clamps. I used to think this was an exaggeration. I have about 15 now, and I can confirm it is not an exaggeration.
I genuinely dream about having a wall of clamps in my workshop — different sizes, different types, every one of them earning its place. My wife raises an eyebrow every time another one arrives. I completely understand her perspective. And I will absolutely be buying more clamps.
💬 Estelle’s note: I currently own about 15 clamps of various types — quick-grips in a few sizes, a couple of F-clamps, and some spring clamps. My dream is a full wall of clamps in my workshop, sorted by type and size. It sounds absurd until you’re mid-project, glue drying, trying to hold three pieces of wood at once with two hands. Then it makes complete sense. My wife thinks I’ve lost the plot. She’s not entirely wrong, but she’s also not right.
Why Clamps Are More Important Than You Think
Clamps are the extra hands you never have. They hold glued pieces together while the adhesive cures, keep workpieces still while you cut or drill, and ensure precise alignment when you’re assembling furniture or frames.
The quality of a glued joint, a drilled hole or an assembled frame depends almost entirely on whether things stayed exactly where you put them. Clamps are what make that happen.
They’re also the most flexible tool category — different projects demand different types, which is why experienced woodworkers end up with a lot of them.
Types of Clamps — What Each One Does
Quick-Grip / Trigger Clamps
The most versatile, most-used clamp in any DIY toolkit. One-handed operation — squeeze the trigger to close, press the release to open. Available in sizes from 150mm to 900mm and beyond. Soft jaw pads protect your work surface.
Irwin Quick-Grip clamps are the go-to recommendation for most DIYers — well-made, widely available, and the one-handed operation is invaluable when you need your other hand to hold something in position.
👉 Irwin Quick-Grip clamps on Amazon — [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER]
👉 Quick-grip clamp set on Amazon — [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER]
F-Clamps / Bar Clamps
Shaped like the letter F — a long bar with a fixed jaw at one end and a sliding jaw that tightens with a screw. Stronger than quick-grips and better for heavier glue-up jobs where you need maximum pressure. A staple of any woodworking workshop.
Bessey F-clamps are widely regarded as the best in class — the parallel jaws apply even pressure without the workpiece shifting, and they’re built to last decades.
👉 Bessey F-clamps on Amazon — [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER]
Spring Clamps
Small, cheap and incredibly useful. Work like a giant clothes peg — squeeze to open, release to clamp. No adjustment needed. Perfect for holding glued pieces in place quickly, securing edge banding, or as a temporary third hand on smaller jobs.
Buy a pack of mixed sizes — they cost almost nothing and you’ll use them constantly.
👉 Spring clamp set on Amazon — [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER]
Corner / Right-Angle Clamps
Hold two pieces of wood at a precise 90° angle — essential for building boxes, frames, furniture carcasses and anything that needs to be truly square. Without one, getting perfect right angles while gluing is genuinely difficult.
👉 Corner clamp set on Amazon — [AFFILIATE LINK PLACEHOLDER]
Sash Clamps / Pipe Clamps
Long bar clamps for clamping wide panels, table tops and large frames. If you’re doing any serious furniture making or panel glue-ups, you’ll need these. Not essential for basic DIY, but invaluable once you start larger projects.
C-Clamps
The classic clamp shape — a metal C with a screw. Heavy-duty and capable of enormous clamping force. Better for metalwork and heavy structural work than for delicate woodworking where the hard jaw faces can damage surfaces without padding.
Our Top Picks
🥇 Best All-Round — Irwin Quick-Grip One-Handed Bar Clamps (Mixed Pack)
💰 Price: ~£25–£50 for a mixed set | Various sizes
If you’re building your clamp collection from scratch, start with a mixed set of Irwin Quick-Grips in 150mm, 300mm and 450mm sizes. These are the workhorses of any home workshop — one-handed operation, reliable hold, soft jaw pads, and available at every hardware shop in the UK.
The one-handed trigger mechanism is genuinely transformative when you’re working alone — hold your piece in position with one hand, clamp it with the other. Once you’ve used these, you’ll wonder how you managed without them.
Best for: Everyone. These should be the first clamps in any toolkit.
- ✅ One-handed operation
- ✅ Soft jaw pads protect work surfaces
- ✅ Available in many sizes
- ✅ Widely available in UK
- ✅ Excellent value
- ❌ Not as powerful as F-clamps for heavy-duty glue-ups
👉 Check price on Amazon | 👉 Check price at Screwfix
🥈 Best for Serious Woodworking — Bessey KRE F-Clamps
💰 Price: ~£20–£35 each | Various sizes
If you’re doing any serious furniture building, cabinet making or panel glue-ups, Bessey F-clamps are the benchmark. The parallel jaw design keeps both jaws perfectly aligned under pressure — critical for large glue-ups where any movement means a misaligned joint.
They’re expensive individually, but they’ll last a lifetime. Start with two or three in a 300–400mm size and add more as projects demand.
Best for: Woodworkers and furniture makers who need reliable, heavy-duty clamping for glue-ups.
- ✅ Parallel jaws — no workpiece movement under pressure
- ✅ Exceptional build quality
- ✅ Available in sizes from 150mm to 2,500mm
- ✅ Will last decades
- ❌ Expensive
- ❌ Overkill for basic DIY
🥉 Best Budget Starter Set — Stanley Quick-Grip Clamp Set
💰 Price: ~£20–£30 for a set of 4 | 150–300mm
For a budget starter set, Stanley’s quick-grip clamps offer the same one-handed operation as Irwin at a slightly lower price point. Build quality is solid for the money, and a set of four in mixed sizes gives you a practical working collection to start with.
Best for: Beginners who want to build a starter clamp collection without spending much.
- ✅ Good value
- ✅ One-handed operation
- ✅ Trusted brand
- ❌ Not as refined as Irwin
💡 Best Corner Clamps — 4-Pack 90° Corner Clamp Set
💰 Price: ~£15–£25 for a set of 4
A set of four 90° corner clamps is one of the best-value purchases in any woodworker’s toolkit. They make assembling boxes, picture frames and furniture carcasses dramatically easier — hold all four corners at once, glue, and leave to cure. Without them, getting square is genuinely difficult working alone.
Best for: Anyone assembling furniture, boxes or frames who needs perfect right angles.
- ✅ Makes square assembly much easier
- ✅ Excellent value
- ✅ Set of 4 holds all corners at once
- ❌ Not suitable for heavy clamping pressure
How to Build Your Clamp Collection
Start here and add over time:
- 4x Irwin Quick-Grip clamps — 2 at 150mm, 2 at 300mm
- 4x spring clamps — for small, fast clamping jobs
- 1 set of 90° corner clamps — for frame and box assembly
- 2x F-clamps (Bessey or similar) — when you start tackling glue-ups
- 2x large quick-grips 600mm+ — for wider panels and longer boards
From there, add more as specific projects demand. You’ll know when you need them — because you’ll be standing there, glue setting, wishing you had one more.
💬 Estelle’s note: Current count: about 15. Ideal count: probably 30+. Future count: whatever my workshop wall can hold. Clamps are one of those things where the investment genuinely pays off in better joints, better accuracy, and far less frustration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many clamps do I need?
More than you think. As a starting point, 6–8 clamps of mixed types will handle most projects. Once you start furniture making or serious glue-ups, you’ll quickly find you need more. The rule of thumb: however many you have, you always need one more.
What are the best clamps for gluing wood?
F-clamps (Bessey) for heavy-duty glue-ups requiring maximum pressure. Quick-grip clamps for most other gluing tasks. Spring clamps for small, light jobs and edge banding.
Can I use one clamp type for everything?
Quick-grips come closest to a universal clamp — they handle the majority of home DIY and light woodworking. But for serious work, you’ll want a range of types.
Are expensive clamps worth it?
For Bessey F-clamps, yes — they’ll outlast cheap alternatives many times over. For quick-grips, Irwin is the best quality at a fair price. Don’t buy the very cheapest clamps — the jaws slip and the build quality fails quickly.
Final Verdict
Clamps are the most underrated tools in the workshop — and the one purchase that experienced woodworkers and DIYers consistently say they wish they’d made earlier and more of.
Start with a mixed set of Irwin Quick-Grips, add a few corner clamps and spring clamps, and build from there. Your projects will be better aligned, your glue joints will be stronger, and you’ll have two hands free when you actually need them.
And yes, you will eventually want a wall full of them. Don’t fight it. 🔧
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Have questions? Drop them in the comments below — I’m happy to help! 🔧