Office 3: French Cleat Storage Wall
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
- I have built a wall in the new office that is entirely French cleats. The idea is to make storage containers that hang on this wall to store the things that I use every day. I have come up with an idea of making a tool box that hangs on this wall. The tool box is a storage box that you can take with you full of the things that you need for a particular project. Both the wall and the boxes are made out of half-inch birch plywood. I used mostly the table saw and the cnc wood router to do the cutting.
Office 2: Repurposing the shelves:
• Office 2: Repurposing...
Office 1: Closet Storage
• Closet Storage
Some of the tools used in this project
CNC: www.cncrouterpa...
Cantilever Clamps: amzn.to/1TJmAFx
KANT TWIST Quick Acting Fixture Clamp: amzn.to/1TJn2DP
Whiteside Router Bits Compression 1/4-Inch: amzn.to/2pV9ouk
Oshlun 8-1/2-Inch Negative Hook Finishing ATB Saw Blade:amzn.to/1TJmTQJ
3M Peltor H10A Optime 105 Earmuff: amzn.to/1sj80iw
3M Reusable Respirator: amzn.to/2cGwyPL
3M Particulate Filter P100: amzn.to/2bYwhaK
FastCap Glu-Bot Glue Bottle: amzn.to/1TJn0vq
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Hey old timer, I have seen a lot french cleat videos but none of them actually captured my attention like yours. Thanks to you I built mine when I was renovating the garage.
I think my favorite part of your videos (aside from the amazing cinematography, wonderful narration, and excellent craftsmanship) is your ability to bring us through the design process by discussing the twists and turns of each project. Thanks for sharing (and thanks for bringing us on your journey).
I was going to say the same thing lol. The part where he throws the strips on the table and they fall into place was ingenious. His narration is great as well.
My first Frank video experience..it won't be my last. An inspiring level of over engineering, delivered by magnificently enormous machinery, all just for the love of making stuff. Magic.
Rob Llewellyn so jealous that you've got the rest of his uploads to watch for the first time! one of the (if not the) best youtube woodworker I've found.
Loved you in Red Dwarf!!!
Livi120 I needed to replace my Ishitani video addiction.. Frank's awesome..
Rob Llewellyn welcome!!!
Man... You have some hours of binging ahead of you!
My first reaction when you added the handle was to make it wide enough to hold paper towels but not sure that would be needed in your office. The other thing that came to mind was different size boxes, some with lids? and specialized hangers for a specific item. Great work, always enjoyable to watch.
There are truly not that many wood workers that have as many big tools as you. I can appreciate what you did in this video. Would love to have that Computer Numerical Control beast.
French Cleats for the win. Best of all solutions. Very nice.
Lining your whole wall with cleats looks better than I expected..I might try this..seems practical
Frank Howarth, King of the French cleat. I love watching you or Jimmy or Bob or Mathais while I'm having Breaky before I get out into my shed, gets me in the mood.
Amazing toolbox 🧰 design! Not just a tool hanger; a functional go-to tool in itself containing common tools for a specific task.
Exquisite and fun use of footsteps in this video, especially at 8:41. I love those simple and small attentions to detail. They're what drive the sense of attentive craftsmanship from the physical project itself all the way through to the final video and sound production. I love what you do and share; thank you for existing :-)
Very neat and tidy.
If the cleats on the wall are angled on both the top and bottom you can get things hooked in and out easier in tighter confines.
It's great to see the CNC back at work. That is a beautiful machine.
Brilliant and yet simple system of french cleat wall.
It's really nice to see someone use a table saw with all the proper precautions.
Neat project
Frank if you made an entire series just on French cleat fixtures/boxes/hangers/attachments/arrangements/etc I'd watch every single one 5 times.
your stop motion capture are a joy to watch
Frank Howarth, I like the French Cleat Toolbox idea. Well done.
One idea I've been experimenting with is making parts that have a 180 degree rotational symmetry such that a single cut between the parts separates them. This results in less space between certain parts. The only waste wood would be from the bit itself. This would not work with the rabbit in the sides but it would with the rabbit in the front, back, and bottom.
Example: The sides of the box could go from the top of the handle straight back. Now imagine that line being rotated 180 degrees and translate down to line up with the lower part of the side at the front. The opposite side top and bottom could be mated like a puzzle piece to the first.
This should reduce the number of cuts for a set of sides by one making the milling process faster. You could butt parts together for some projects such that the number of cuts is reduced by 25%. Let's say you wanted to cut 4 rectangles of equal size. Rather than milling 4 squares, mill 2 middle cuts in a + shape and1 large square.
Is there a reason this isn't done in practice?
That cross cut looked very satisfying to make.
Frank - great video! Since you are using the CNC to cut out the shapes, I would recommend that you CNC a round pocket hole for the handles in each side to add strength. This way you are not relying on just glue and nails to hold the handles to carry the weight inside the box. I try to avoid using hardware to carry weight wherever possible.
Ideas: A little cabinet with clear doors? You could have a cleat over the desk to hang them on and swap them out when changing tasks, yet the doors would keep dust, etc. out.... Add a cleat on the back of an accordion file folder or 3 for filing papers/plans.
like the box with the holes in the sides. looks slicker.
coat hook, movable light, coffee mug coaster, the possibilities for that wall are enormous
Frank, Wranglerstar recently organized his indoor shop and added French cleats. He has put many things on the wall so you may head over there for some additional ideas, great video as always, sir👍
I really like this! Beautifully done. I think this would be a GREAT way to store toys/Legos for kids.
IPhone enjoyed that video you have a remarkable Talent my friend and I absolutely love your Workshop I wish I had one like it things that a man could build a workshop like that thanks again for sharing
You could make one or two for house plants. Adding green to an office has some psychological benefits. Using plants for this is an added bonus.
Make a cleated row of small hooks for cables or...other things that can hang. Or like your indoor ones but smaller.
You could also put a cleat on a small wooden bowl for change or other small things from your pocket.
And you gotta put a cleat on a picture frame so you can always have your family around. :)
I think the stop motion animation is a great touch!
All the good ideas for things I'll probably never make time to make but I have an idea for you for the handle if you're still looking. Attach a hinged handle with the hinge in line with the center of gravity of the box and let the top of the handle rest on the front of the box. This way you can pull the handle up and push your thumb on the bottom of the box to lift it and be able to stack more boxes sequentially on top of each other.
Looking to do something in my workshop - watching this now.
Sir You are a video FX master..... A youtube award should be considered. Good projects :) Hope you patent as you get along :)
oh my GOODNESS. I have never seen majority of this equipment before in my life...I think I know what I want for my 23rd birthday, I could do SO much. Probably costs a fortune though aha.
Awesome video, I love the designs and hope I can make similar for my dad's sheds
This is great Frank. I've been considering french cleats in my office as well. I really like your handled-box approach.
Frank, consider the handle coming out of the rear of the box and sticking forward as into the room. It could easily be held at one end only. Drill hole through box. Insert close fitting dowel. Glue if you wanted. But, I bet you could get away with removable dowels. When you want to remove a box, insert dowel, lift and away you go. Forces would keep the dowel in the box back and it would take a big impact to knock a box off a dowel.
Excellent idea! The wall-cleats and boxes look like something that could be easily made as mass market product and sold in store like Ikea. They would even stack into very small space as customers could build those boxes at home themselves, so the parts-package would be very slim!
Looks very neath with the precise cut outs for the light switch and vent!
Hey Frank -- make a small table/work surface that hangs on the lower cleats. Or even better, give a couple of the cleat rails copper conduit (think rail lighting like in art displays). Then you could set a fixture onto the rail that touches the copper conduit and it could power a light socket, or a receptacle, or maybe something else. The receptacles could then be taken off, moved around, etc.
Nice Frank. I didn't read the comments to see if this is redundant, but I think a front access unit could work. Like a cubbie. Especially near the ceiling where top access is less ideal. Keep up the good work.
Gave me a great idea for doing an herb wall for outside of the kitchen. Each box will have its own herb (basil, parsley, etc) and can be quickly brought inside when cooking and replaced on the wall afterwards.
Will need to play with materials.
Great Video! You might do well to look into a simple bent wire handle, like you might find on a 5 gallon bucket. It could fold down to the front and leave you unlimited vertical clearance in each box while still leaving it low profile and easy to dismount. Making bending forms should be a breeze with the CNC! You could probably even do bent lamination handles with little trouble, to keep that all-wood feel...
Fill the entire drywall space in that room with the cleat paneling. They looks pretty interesting and they serve a purpose.
I would recommend adding a whiteboard with a frech cleat. You could move it around to use for notes, drawings or labeling what's in the boxes with arrows pointing to them.
I look at these French cleat projects as the son of a retired carpenter who does not own any high-tech CAM or other expensive toys. While I am amazed at all the interesting possibilities of what your machine can do, I'd like to see more extensive variations on this project. I'd like to see longer versions of this "toolbox". (Ones that take up more of the wall.) I'd also like to see shallower boxes (with no handle) on another variant. Kind of a protected shelf.
Hi Frank! I always enjoy your projects and the thought process you share. I paused the video at 11:30 and see your arm stretched out just above your shoulder. It made me think that ergonomically speaking you probably wouldn't want to add tool boxes above that height. May I suggest long rectangular boxes that mount on the top most cleat that go no lower than shoulder height for you to either store books or periodicals? Or better yet, boxes that showcase prized momentos or any of the wonderful projects and bowls you have turned? I realize the applications are endless with a wall of French cleats, but why not mix utility with a bit of a showcase. A mix of form and function. Warm regards.
I love your shop. It is so organized. And the video's are so much fun to watch. You are definitely one of my favorite producers. I never miss a show.
When you requested suggestions my first thought was a white ceramic vase with a french cleat on the back (or two if it's tall). It could be a nice contrast to the utilitarian look.
I like the first box with and oval in front panel for a 2 handed carry. nice vid again.
I always enjoy listening to you explain your projects...very soothing...thanks for sharing with us...I love your laugh too
A front to back handle (bend lamination, 90 deg. with a comfortable radius) seems to be the natural position for this operation, allowing access when stacked, manipulation when positioning (via the wrist) and adjusting the grip position as per the center of gravity. P.S love your videos!
Suggestion for the next-the-top cleat: a long shelf to store plans or books. Things you don't use every month.
I just wanted to say that you are a very amazing and friendly woodworker. Cheers!
My ideas:
1. Do the box with two cutouts for handles on the sides perpendicular to the wall. It'd make it easy to grab the box with both hands and remove it from the wall, making it much sturdier if the box is carrying heavy/fragile loads (e.g. camera lenses).
2. Hooks for cables, straps, etc?
3. Vertical files for books, notebooks or papers.
Pretty cool! I think I'd consider making one 'largish' one with a handle, and keep it empty somewhere on the wall. Then if some minor project pops up in another area of the house, you have a 'mule' box in which to quickly assemble whatever needed tools & supplies and run.
Awesome idea. Like the look too.
It would be nice to hide the cleat on your shelf by incorporating the cleat shape into your side cuts and concealing the piece that was cut separately and nailed on.
Love all your vids. Thanks.
I'm so jealous of your tools dude. Especially your CNC router
I'm sorry...I can't even finish watching this without asking...how do people like Frank even exist? I cannot begin to understand how one man can have so much imagination, drive, and functionality to create something like this (let alone all of his other projects). What must it be like to be Frank (or even Bob over at I Like to Make Stuff)? Do they wake up each day and say, "today, I will be brilliant"? Geez, I can barely get a bedroom painted so that it looks halfways decent, and Frank is engineering things I can't even conceive of. It's just unbelievable. I took a wrong turn somewhere, or my mom didn't take enough vitamins when she was carrying me...I don't know. I can't watch any more...I need to go rethink my entire life.
I love your video effects, audio and editing and almost as I love your woodworking. Bravo!
Lovely work! Thank you for taking the time to share your thought process and methods.
Your video editing is always a joy to watch
First time I watch your video. You must be the envy of every woodworker to have all the tools at your disposal. #LifeGoal
I like the second version the best. Great work
Once the wall fills up, it would be neat to make some some small negative-space fillers. Maybe small planter boxes for succulents or an hour glass with mirrored cleats?
Awesome stuff. I think I liked the first one you made the most. Beauty in its simplicity. Grab it by the front and use the cutout handle in the back as you move that toolbox around your shop. The lower height there will probably allow you to stack these on the wall a little better. It looks like by the end of the video you still have trouble getting any of these middle boxes off the wall without knocking into the other ones. I'd settle for just checkering the boxes across the wall. You have more stuff than I do though.
To be honest i'm seeing this solution for the first time...and it's a great one !
Two things i would do different:
1. i would use the CNC to create a hole on each of the side walls to then fit the handle/cylinder(should be good for heavier loads).
2. i would maybe drop a small rail along those cleats to have a smaller contact surface and be able to slide the loaded tool box on the cleat; you are then able to take out the desired toolbox just by sliding the upper/lower one.
Btw, thanks for leaving the tools used in the description; i'm checking the spindle on your CNC(should do well for aluminum as well.)
I like seeing how ideas evolve as a project progresses. I see some ideas here that can really help me out, thanks for the great video!
So glad you decided to go with french cleats! I like how you are using small, easy to handle boxes. I would imagine you are not putting anything too large on the cleat system in your office as opposed to your shop. Maybe a set of drawers where you can further organize small items. Pens, draft pencils, stencils, camera batteries. On my desk right now I could really get rid of a lot of my clutter just by doing that. Perhaps something different on the higher rungs of the cleat system where the tools/items are available for reach and visible, so you don't have to grab the handle and bring it down to gather whatever's inside. Drawing some inspiration from your french cleat closet system you setup before!
Regarding the handles, you could put handles on the sides, then they are out of the way. If you want to do something for one-handed operation you could make the handles on the sides near the bottom as a ledge or lip. Thumb on the top of the ledge/lip and fingers under the bottom.
Hi Frank,
May I share some observations and suggestions?
As you realized around the 10:36 mark, by adding a handle you add 2-3 steps/motions/instructions in order to remove the box.
Also, we didn't get to see the handle actually in action but, I have a strong feeling that the handle is a) unnecessary because of the inherently small, manageable size of each box, and b) the case where, no matter how balanced the boxes may be empty, or lightly loaded, they will always immediately fall out of balance as they get fuller.
If you want a handle that is always balanced, try instead, making the handle floating within two horizontal voids/tracks, one on either side, where the top of each track is interrupted periodically by 'fingers'.
Think: the rack-and-pinion style stops on a reclining Adirondack chair; except upside-down.
Then, picking up the box by the handle pulls the box downward and the dowels in each end of the handle upwards, into a pair of fingers. Grip the box and relocate the handle into the fingers that provide the best balance.
However, I do not believe a handle is necessary.
I think being able to stack the boxes, one on top of another, is more practical than a handle.
Think: round Dim Sum steam trays, except square; and with a French cleat on the back.
I suggest you consider losing the handles in favour of maintaining a minimum clearance between the top of one box and the bottom of the box above.
I also suggest you consider adding rabbet into the interior of the lip, and a matching or slightly larger rabbet into the exterior of the bottom, so that the boxes can stack, like Dim Sum trays.
If the boxes are stacking, you might want some that completely enclose the box below when a box is stacked above.
Or, you might want some that still allow you to access the stuff inside, even when stacked on top by a box; by minimizing the height of the front, face wall, and tapering the sides to meet the top-edge of the front wall.
Please consider the enjoyment I've received from watching your videos, as my apology for the length of this rant... :D
Great video. Love from Ireland 🇮🇪
This video was a huge inspiration for my own french cleat wall. thank you for documenting your build and posting it!
Very useful video and a very cool idea with removable drawers for the instrument!
One idea for something wall-mountable would be a camera holder or lighting holders; those would benefit from being quickly placed and easily moved for your future videos.
Pretty cool idea for the wall and storage of small items. Always have that Frank flare!
Maybe make a really wide one with only a slight lip for books, this way they stay in but you can still read the covers! Also maybe a little planter with a small hanging plant to get some green into your office. Great work as always Frank!
Hi Frank, if you bring the top handles forward (over the center), when you lift the box using the handle, it will tilt towards the back as you wanted.
Very nice, I was thinking that would be great in my workshop. enjoyed it as always.
nice layout!
i love how casually funny these videos are.
casual funny - i like that
One thought that popped into my head was some sort of provision for tripods and light stands. It's possible you might consider some sort of cleat with a hook and a loop for each stand - hanging them vertically -- or maybe a long thinner box - like a cleated umbrella stand - or some box like shelf running horizontally. I find my stands and tripods are always in a big pile in the way even though I store them in canvas bags.
I really like the one with the hole in the side
Nice job !
You could separate the compartment for either specific items (different lenses or something?) or to separate pens/pencils/markers.
Another thought was a tape dispenser similar to the one made by Laura Kampf. You'd have a handle and could carry a bay of tape to a job.
Love the French cleat system!
Maybe some pegs or hooks would be handy? I love the idea someone had about a planter box too. Another great video Frank.
Another great video Frank... For long items you could use two boxes side by side with the inside box walls removed. Depending on the length of the item, you could just slide the boxes farther apart to accommodate.
Well now that you have a cleat wall, you can make a completely modular office space where you could just have a table with cleats, cleated movable power socket, a cleat on the back of a monitor, cleats on everything!
And if you fit tiny casters on some of the cleats of whats hanging up there, you can slide them along like a ladder on a rail, vintage library style!
Maybe your could add some cleats to areas of your desk workspace so that when your doing a project like video editing you could pick up the relevant box from and bring to the desk. Or if you were doing some drawing pick up that box and put in the relevant area of the desk you do your drawing.
Keep your desk clutter free. When your workspace is clutter free so is your mind and I can only imagine the amount of work it takes to produce videos like yours!
this video is absolutely delightful. thank you!
I really like that idea. I have been thinking about making a french cleat display wall at the office to display my custom computers, but more traditionally. Your system is supper flexible and I think I will steal some of your idea and make the wall as you have. I will let you know what I come up with. I need to hide cords and cables as part of my challenge.
Thanks
LOVIT, like the Idea you have come up with ! Suggest dropping the Handle Height .50” and the box Cleat will clear the Wall Cleat when another box is over it !
Just a thought and Thx’s for Sharing
Brilliant, as usual Frank.
Very nice, Frank. If you took a piece of hardwood and drilled a bunch of vertical pencil-sized holes, maybe slightly angled out toward you, those pencils would be more accessible.
For some reason it cracked me up seeing you holding the hose on the CNC. Looked like the CNC was some sort of advanced AI and you were its slave lol
Don't know if this was mentioned already, I would suggest if you're using CNC to cut the pieces that you could cut the French cleat shape into the box sides. I guess you would have a rounded inside corner so you would have to either sharpen up that corner or make the corner go a little past the point to allow for clearance, (or round off the points on the wall cleats) but that could eliminate needing the back cleat strip at all.
Hi Frank! I like the way you think. You roll over the many possbilities and then experiment. Addtionally i think if your first way of grabbing the boxes is in the front then you probably should put the handle towards the front instead of the back. And then the handles may be less of an obstruction when you stack them together if you designed the holders with different depths. Altho stacking them together may not really be a great idea in general. I also think you could make a box of drawers (small ones like 3 x 3 or 4 x 4) that also have cleats that can be hung on the wall.
Very cool modular system. You should make a book shelf pod in the same style, but much wider. The walls can be like book ends.
It's a nice idea. I think myself I would have mostly plain trays so there is east stacking and then lift them out simply by grabbing the sides. The toolbox style is nice for some heavier stuff but overly complicated and restricts usage, at least in my mind.
Great build Frank, if I built this in my shop it would probably turn into my catch-all
Nice video. Thanks. I tend to dislike open wall storage like this. We had a bunch of linbins at work. Being open, all the stuff inside eventually gets a layer of dust/rust/grime over it. It's also harder to make out the contents of higher shelves. It looks ugly, but I prefer just having cheap, transparent, labelled plastic containers on shelves.
Hi Frank, I always love your videos. This project is great, I'm thinking of building something similar in our pantry. Your hints about cutting the sheets was very helpful.
Handle ideas: add handles like the T grip on a canoe paddle to the corner(s) vertically or like a coffee mug to the side panels should solve the bar on the top colliding issue. If it's not an issue they would match your "shopping bag" aesthetic you had on your previous project.
Suggestion for Items to add to the cleats: small cabinet with doors, a small bits/like a shadow box/ with drawers, Book shelf, Tape dispenser, Wall mounted phone charger/home phone base station. Speaker shelf, TV/ old computer monitor attached to a cheap computer/arduino to show news/weather/ RUclips stats/calendar etc.
Awesome project thanks for sharing.
The options are endless, just depends on your needs. I love it, please do a follow up (if you haven't already) of what else you add.
I Love the system! Such a great and inspiring idea! And I love the different variations of the boxes!
Frank, it's such a treat to see your videos pop up on my screen. I'm always eager to see what you've done and I always watch them straight away! ;) Just sayin'
SLUDGEPUMP It's a treat to watch that cleat!
I'll show myself out.