document updated 1 year, 2 months ago, on Feb 19, 2023
in a small wood shop, one of the most important ways to deal with lack of space is VERSATILITY
It's bad to have a tool that can only do one task, and it's good to have a tool that can be used in a variety of different ways. (with exceptions for uni-taskers that you use very frequently, of course)
hand-screw wood clamps (originally "Jorgensen clamps") — When modified like this, they can be used in many different positions, for many different work-holding tasks.
T-track — Expensive, but very flexible. Although individual fixtures (like Armor's Hold-Down clamps) can be on the pricey side, they are easy to remove and use on another section of T-track elsewhere in your shop. So you may only need to buy a few fixtures to make all of your shop's T-track systems work.
Although, in most cases, you're not going to have a long lever arm[2] applying large upward forces to the track. The forces are mostly going to be applied with a small lever arm (because the pieces of wood aren't thicker than an inch or two). So gluing may not be necessary, unless you're attaching a fairly deep and heavy piece. (in which case, a french cleat might be a sturdier solution?)
(But why the fuck did they choose rollers for the workbench? Workbenches are supposed to be bomb-proof sturdy. It's okay to use casters you can move completely out of the way, but permanent wheels? Hell no. What were they thinking?)