Creators sharing our own mistakes with the viewers is one of the biggest things we can do to make woodworking more approachable for beginners wanting to get into this as a hobby or even a career. Keep up the good work!
I appreciate videos like this. Everybody overlooks simple things from time to time, and too many people are too ashamed to admit it. I can only imagine how many people have wanted to do this cleat system that were helped by your video. Nice work, good explanations, and great content!
For the past 3-4 weeks, my interest in French Cleats has grown. I have watched 10-12 videos I still did not fully understand how to fabricate them, or their full potential. You answered all my questions in 7.55 minutes. Your willingness to share your pitfalls was very helpful. Seeing someone perform the task allows me to feel like I'm performing my project with a co-worker that has done the job a time or two before. Thank you for sharing
Most useful French cleat video yet !!! You don’t know what you don’t know on a first build , so thank you for sparing me the headaches 🥲 I actually might do this project soon
This was so informative!!! I’d like to echo someone else’s comment that sharing mistakes is totally underrated. We all make them and it’s great to learn from each other.
It takes a secure and honest man to admit his mistakes. And don’t we all learn more from our mistakes? Excellent lesson. Experience is great, especially when it’s someone else’s experience. Thanks.
Thanks for the advice. I saw a locking method on You Tube where they slid a second spacer between the bottom spacer and the underside of the wall cleat. It works perfectly. I think it was called the “key” to locking tool cleats.
Yup, I came here to make that comment too. A reason to do that is to stop a holder lifting up off the cleat if you pull something off it. I have that problem with my peg board where the pegs are always falling off.
I'm preparing to install a french cleat wall in my shop this weekend and found this video while looking for info, tips, instructions, etc. VERY helpful! I appreciate you sharing your lessons learned for the purpose of helping others keep from making the same oversights. As a result, I've watched several other of your videos; I admire and respect the fact your focus is on being helpful by sharing what you know, what you've done, what you've learned, etc without trying to be a comedian or appearing to be auditioning for your own show. That's why I subscribed. Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming.
Thanks for the excellent video on the French cleats System. This is an excellent tutorial: especially as you've made the example wood working to show us the different problems! 👍🙏
Nice to share what you learned. And don't we all learn from our mistakes. When I built my french cleat wall I learned as I went too. I did start by putting plywood on the garage wall, and cut 8' lengths for the wall cleats, which after some figuring, spaced far enough apart horizontally up the wall: I didn't use every cleat to hang boxes from, but as you pointed out, many wall cleats become a support for the lower part of heavier tool boxes. I learned to make the boxes deep enough vertically to accomplish that. The nice part with the cleats, is you can move them around anyway you want, and as you get new tools. Initially I glued, tack nailed, and screwed the boxes. For most of them now I skip the glue- they hold up fine without i, it's less messy, and I may want to repurpose the box or change it later. Now it's just clamp, stick with the nail gun, and then drlll and screw. I also learned to make shelves on them high enough to hold boxes of nails, screws and other fasteners- my first shelves were slightly to short in height. So my sander box has the sandpaper, the finish nailer hangs vertically and has a few boxes of nails, the skill saw has a blade shelf, etc. I also have one for squares, levels, and punches, and a shelf for a micrometer and tape measures. Hanging off the edge of my edge-most box I have a holder for my ear protectors and eye goggles, as well as head lamp. My crosscut sled and fitting mitre box hang down low, since it is heavy: I drilled two large holes in the top end of the sled and it hangs very nicely on the wall too. When working on my bench, which has four locking wheels, I find I like rolling the bench out from the cleat wall where I store it, and then all my tools are handy right behind me. It makes work easy, and cleanup easier. Now I just have to buy that dustopper that Tom Huntly developed, and get my dust collecting up to snuff (no pun intended).;0) -Geo
New subscriber...I got hooked on the French cleat system when watching Wranglerstar designing and building a new work shop area. Your tips will help immensely! Thanks for sharing!
Great video! Thank you for sharing. If you’re still interested in locking cleats for your heavy stuff like the lumber shelf, it’s actually pretty easy and you could add it to what you already have. If you cut an “L” shaped piece of plywood (the bandsaw comes to mind for this) with the long part the width of the space between the bottom of the cleat and the spacer, you can just slide it in there after you place the cleat. The shorter part of the “L” gives you something to grab onto to get it back out when you want to rearrange. I know this video is almost 2 years old, but the info is still good and I appreciate it as I’m looking to expand my French Cleat system. Thank you!
I also use a lot of french cleats. I have made a few of these mistakes (How could I forget the spacers?!?!?!). I am trying to get as much out of my french cleats as possible. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for this video! I'm just starting out with wood working and making my own work shop. This will help me out so much...i can't wait to start!
Great info. Shave down that sharp point on the cleat parts so they don’t dead end each other. A lower board on the removable part solves two things, a place to put a wedge to keep it locked and keeps it spaced off the wall so it doesn’t SeeSaw.
Great video. This is the kind of information people need when they are novices - like me. Not just the technical parts, but the realization that even pros get to learn from mistakes and that's perfectly OK.
Lots of good info here for those who are new to this. I used the cleat system in my house back in the '70s both in the house and workshop. It's a good easy sytem and very flexible in its' uses.
Good video on common mistakes to avoid doing when using French cleats. I almost made the mistake myself of butting the support board tight to the cleat like you mentioned, so these are great points for those not familiar with French cleats.
Great video, thanks for your humility and sharing your mistakes with the French cleat storage system. I learned a lot as I plan for a French cleat system.
Excellent video. I think I made a mistake painting my wall cleats. Especially in humid July. Still tacky after 3 days. Feel like any attachment cleats will be sticking. Definitely won't paint attachment cleats.
Such a great idea to highlight the mistakes. Oh man, do I wish more people did this. Although you tend to remember better when you have to redo something.
Thanks for the tips. I am just starting to work on the inside of my new shop. Will be adding cleats for sure. I do have a question though. What did you use on your walls. The blueish panels.....
Thank you very much for this! Super helpful! I have only one, probably irrelevant, suggestion... The locking cleat is actually a great idea! Just in the event that you want to be able to move things around, but need the security of a locking cleat... My thought was to make an oval locking cleat. Square won't work for obvious reason... But oval could, just spin it until it is sufficiently locked. 👍
I spaced two of my cleats where both the top and bottom boards were cleats for a, particularly heave cabinet. It worked really well. I have loaded the cabinet heavy and it has not budged an inch in 10 years.
Many thanks for sharing your experiences. I know that it takes a lot of effort to make a video and upload it so it's very kind of you to help others avoid pitfalls. I've just built a workshop and will make a cleat storage system. It's great when you can get things right first time and your information will make that more likely!
Lots of suggestions for wedges to lock the cleats in place. As an alternative, you could use a cam clamp to lock them and unlock them easily as needed. Thanks for the insights. Good video.
Thanks for saving my a lot of time and aggravation! I’m planning on installing a cleat system in the next few weeks and this video has been helpful. I’m sure I would’ve had a lot of holders glued to the wall 🙂
Recommend making spacer blocks for ends so you can go up a wall and have them easily spaced evenly, then everything you want to mount to the wall just use cleats. Helps to have some of the 45 deg ripped wood laying about for new stuff you come up with. And use some big ol long heavy duty screws to get through drywall if you're hanging heavy of course. I've hung a heavy bike rack and workmate, etc no problems
Thanks for the glue warning. I probably would have done that at one point. I use narrower cleats on the wall closer together with only a 1x2 cleat on the box to hang it. That way there is plenty of cleats below supporting my longer boxes and because of the narrower cleat on the box I never have an issue with lifting it into place.
Thank you, helped me a lot for reconsidering my plans. I have a old shed, the wall is not even because there are planks on it. Maybe this system will work or I need to mount a wooden panel on it.
I like your locking cleat idea and have a simple suggestion. Take the locking part and give it a gap from the bottom of the wall cleat that is 1/2 the height of the top cleat. That way you can't lift it off. You will still need to slide them from the side, but they would have enough space to allow you to easily slide them into place. Best of luck!
Just came across your video and very interesting. Your misfortunes are our savours. Thanks for sharing even though it was a year ago. Never the less like what you said.well noted cheers.
19mm or 3/4 inch for both parts of the cleats, and I guess whatever is strong enough for the tool holders... a lightweight array of screwdrivers would only need 12mm...
I live in an earthquake area so locking cleats is a must. I have the cleats on the wall close enough together that sliding a 3” x 3” board above the cleat on the box just barely touches the wall cleat above it. That way the box can not lift up without removing that 3x3 block. Locking it in place.
I saw a guy that drilled a hole just below wall cleat and inserted a simple dowel that prevented the fixture from moving up and out of the wall cleat. Or cut a piece ply that fit the space between the bottom standoff and the bottom of the wall cleat. It only downside was it had to be slid into position from the side where other fixtures might already be hung.
Re: locking cleats With our earthquakes in California I've thought about this. When I get around to installing a french cleat ... I'll drill a hole at the bottom of each hanger aligned with the bottom of the cleats. A friction fit dowel will go through to prevent the hanger from rising. To unlock just push the dowel forward so you can lift the hanger.
You mind I give a different option? When making the wall cleat, instead of 1 edge 45 degrees, make both top and bottom edges 45 degrees and then when making the cabinet cleat make the bottom a 45 degrees but a little longer spacing so that it allows you to mount the cabinet from any position, but what the idea is then in that extra space you add (same idea in industrial machines) a spacer that you can drive in from the side to take up the space you added at the bottom of the 2 opposing 45 degree edges. This would solve your issue and would look very clean and allow the ability to remove the cabinets again easily in the future. Hope this helps.
Thanks for sharing! Maybe revise your original lock idea to take a peg cut out of 3/4" stock (like a key) that could be inserted in the empty area above the spacer. Make your original locking spacer shorter, lower on the back of the cabinet, and flush with the bottom. License plate screws as pulls could finish your "key" by making it look like an actual key and allowing for easier removal. I guess you'd call it a locking French Cleat Key.
Great tips. A Glimpse Inside channel has a video about a locking clear design that appears to work really well and as for the glue incident, I could totally see me doing that but I've been binge watching Frank Howarth over at Frank Makes and he made a really good point in a bunch of his videos about just using screws and brads unless glue is needed for strength because he wants to be able to take "it" apart if needed. Of course if you glue it, it's not coming apart without breaking or cutting.
I have used the French cleats myself in my new to us garage and had somehow avoided all these problems except the video I think maybe yours with making a jam lock that is good idea... one thing you didn't mention was how nice it is to be able to move everything in seconds as needs change. My paper towel holder, fire extinguisher, charging station, shelves, cabinets, all can be re-arranged. I am cheap too and had trimmed a bush, had a pile of branches. I cut them about 4" long and mounted on scraps of wood with glue & a drywall screw for movable hook! bike helmets, tons of stuff can be hung up without buying dowels if you are so inclined. Not sure bush type but the wood off it is crazy strong. I went ahead and ripped a ton of 3/4" plywood with the 45 degree cleat and made spacer boards to put on both ends so I could go all the way up the wall easily as I screwed them into the studs with HD screws.
Won't be long before I start my tool wall. Thanks for the great points there. I tend to get ahead of myself so I could see me glowing them to the wall. Thanks again 👍
I have a 4'H x 8'L section of wall devoted to the F-cleat concept: love it. One thing I did was to make my cleat strips about half the height shown in this video, and then space the wall cleats just far enough vertically to fit the shelf cleat into the gap. This gives lots of vertical flexibility, and good bracing to the shelf back (ie, don't need a "foot" or spacer at the lower end of the shelf). I also made about 12 LF of "spare" cleat for future use. Great system.
My mistakes have taught me a heck of a lot more than any of my successes! If you learn from them, no harm! I just make a lot more fine saw dust to add to the pile! (Piles!) I get better all the time, though!
Good video, thanks! One way to lock a fixture in place is to drill through the front, so the top of the hole lines up with the bottom of the wall clear, and then insert a dowel, nail, or even golf tee.
I'm going to be going with a slat wall, mostly because it looks like ship lap and can be set closer together making it look more esthetically pleasing. I will say that for the locking cleat you could just screw the locking portion in from the front once set it in place, probably no necessarily like you said but if someone is paranoid they can do that
Thanks for these tips. I like the idea of cleats, but I would not have thought of these potential problems. Thank you for giving me a heads-up about this. It will make all the difference. By the way, nice RUclips channel. Subscribed.
Great video!! One quick thing... about your locking cleats, you could just screw through the 2x4 (shelf support) and screw into the locking cleat. Then instead of sliding to the end, you'd just have to unscrew the lock to get it off. By the way, I've been wanting to do a cleat system for a long time. My situation is a bit different because the inside of my shop is metal siding and it's a pole barn which means I don't have studs on 16 in. centers. Instead, I've got horizontal supports between the columns. So I'm going to have to get a little creative when I finally go to build a cleat system. Again, loved your video! Thanks!
I would just put a pin, or a screw which could serve as the space in an adjustable fashion snug under where the hanger cleat clears the bottom of the wall cleat. Best advise I ever hear doing metal working is if you can't make it perfect make it adjustable. It always applies!
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I wish more people would share their mistakes because I sure do make all of them. Thank you!
Mistakes, make us all better!
I laughed fairly hard about gluing it to the wall. It's like he read my diary from the future.
Creators sharing our own mistakes with the viewers is one of the biggest things we can do to make woodworking more approachable for beginners wanting to get into this as a hobby or even a career. Keep up the good work!
Thanks a bunch! Your watching and commenting is much appreciated!
A great teacher not only shows on how to do things the correct way but also things to avoid and the reason to avoid them. Bravo.
I appreciate videos like this. Everybody overlooks simple things from time to time, and too many people are too ashamed to admit it. I can only imagine how many people have wanted to do this cleat system that were helped by your video. Nice work, good explanations, and great content!
I’m about to make my first cleat wall, this video did help my confidence a bit
For the past 3-4 weeks, my interest in French Cleats has grown. I have watched 10-12 videos I still did not fully understand how to fabricate them, or their full potential. You answered all my questions in 7.55 minutes. Your willingness to share your pitfalls was very helpful. Seeing someone perform the task allows me to feel like I'm performing my project with a co-worker that has done the job a time or two before. Thank you for sharing
Great! Glad to help!
I so appreciate folks who share their mistakes to save the rest of us the trouble of doing the same. Thanks.
👍
I admire the effort & honesty. Well done. 10+ stars.
Thank you!
Takes a stand up person to point out their own mistakes....thanks for sharing yours so we can avoid wasting our time and material.
Thanks for watching!
This is how we grow as a community. Thank you for the information.
Most useful French cleat video yet !!! You don’t know what you don’t know on a first build , so thank you for sparing me the headaches 🥲 I actually might do this project soon
Excellent video. I am about to make my French cleat system and this is a tremendous help! Thank you.
Great video. editing, clarity, helpfulness. Thank you!!
building a wall and I really appreciate the video. Cheers for helping me to avoid those hindsight are 20/20 mistakes! I will make them later on.
Came here to say I appreciate the simple advice that you learned the hard way so I do not have to. 💪
This was so informative!!! I’d like to echo someone else’s comment that sharing mistakes is totally underrated. We all make them and it’s great to learn from each other.
Your honesty is true teaching...Thanks 🤗
It takes a secure and honest man to admit his mistakes. And don’t we all learn more from our mistakes? Excellent lesson. Experience is great, especially when it’s someone else’s experience. Thanks.
Thanks for the advice.
I saw a locking method on You Tube where they slid a second spacer between the bottom spacer and the underside of the wall cleat. It works perfectly. I think it was called the “key” to locking tool cleats.
Yup, I came here to make that comment too. A reason to do that is to stop a holder lifting up off the cleat if you pull something off it. I have that problem with my peg board where the pegs are always falling off.
I'm preparing to install a french cleat wall in my shop this weekend and found this video while looking for info, tips, instructions, etc. VERY helpful! I appreciate you sharing your lessons learned for the purpose of helping others keep from making the same oversights. As a result, I've watched several other of your videos; I admire and respect the fact your focus is on being helpful by sharing what you know, what you've done, what you've learned, etc without trying to be a comedian or appearing to be auditioning for your own show. That's why I subscribed. Keep up the good work and keep the videos coming.
Glad it helped!
I’m just about to refurbish my workshop and am moving to French cleats. Very handy tips, thanks very much.
Thanks for the excellent video on the French cleats System. This is an excellent tutorial: especially as you've made the example wood working to show us the different problems! 👍🙏
Glad it was helpful!
Repetition is the key to good learning ...Very good Video short to the point, informative and honest.
Thanks...very helpful. You may consider a dowel peg insert to lock your cleats.
That's a great idea!
Thank you for your honesty especially helpful tips for newbies.
Saved me time. Ready to make my tool holders flawlessly. Thanks for taking the time.
Glad I can help! Thanks for watching!
I loved this and your shop has given me so many organizational ideas!!
Great video! Thank you.
Nice to share what you learned. And don't we all learn from our mistakes. When I built my french cleat wall I learned as I went too. I did start by putting plywood on the garage wall, and cut 8' lengths for the wall cleats, which after some figuring, spaced far enough apart horizontally up the wall: I didn't use every cleat to hang boxes from, but as you pointed out, many wall cleats become a support for the lower part of heavier tool boxes. I learned to make the boxes deep enough vertically to accomplish that. The nice part with the cleats, is you can move them around anyway you want, and as you get new tools.
Initially I glued, tack nailed, and screwed the boxes. For most of them now I skip the glue- they hold up fine without i, it's less messy, and I may want to repurpose the box or change it later. Now it's just clamp, stick with the nail gun, and then drlll and screw.
I also learned to make shelves on them high enough to hold boxes of nails, screws and other fasteners- my first shelves were slightly to short in height. So my sander box has the sandpaper, the finish nailer hangs vertically and has a few boxes of nails, the skill saw has a blade shelf, etc. I also have one for squares, levels, and punches, and a shelf for a micrometer and tape measures. Hanging off the edge of my edge-most box I have a holder for my ear protectors and eye goggles, as well as head lamp.
My crosscut sled and fitting mitre box hang down low, since it is heavy: I drilled two large holes in the top end of the sled and it hangs very nicely on the wall too.
When working on my bench, which has four locking wheels, I find I like rolling the bench out from the cleat wall where I store it, and then all my tools are handy right behind me. It makes work easy, and cleanup easier.
Now I just have to buy that dustopper that Tom Huntly developed, and get my dust collecting up to snuff (no pun intended).;0) -Geo
Thanks for sharing your experience!
New subscriber...I got hooked on the French cleat system when watching Wranglerstar designing and building a new work shop area. Your tips will help immensely! Thanks for sharing!
Welcome! You might like the plane till!
LastingBuild I’m going to check that out!!😁
Nice explaination of do's and dont's of a French Cleat system
Getting ready to build some French cleats and I appreciate the tips.
Great video, thanks for sharing.
Good info, excellent production quality, good volume etc.
very useful.
I really appreciate your comment!
I really appreciate your comment!
Great video! Thank you for sharing. If you’re still interested in locking cleats for your heavy stuff like the lumber shelf, it’s actually pretty easy and you could add it to what you already have. If you cut an “L” shaped piece of plywood (the bandsaw comes to mind for this) with the long part the width of the space between the bottom of the cleat and the spacer, you can just slide it in there after you place the cleat. The shorter part of the “L” gives you something to grab onto to get it back out when you want to rearrange. I know this video is almost 2 years old, but the info is still good and I appreciate it as I’m looking to expand my French Cleat system. Thank you!
Planning on doing the same in my humble shed. Thanks for the tips, they really helped me out. Your a shining example of the good RUclips can do.
Awesome! Thanks for watching and sharing!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your mistakes!
I also use a lot of french cleats. I have made a few of these mistakes (How could I forget the spacers?!?!?!). I am trying to get as much out of my french cleats as possible. Thanks for sharing.
Yes sir! Thanks for watching!
I like to learn something new every day. So keep them coming.
Thanks so much for this video! I'm just starting out with wood working and making my own work shop. This will help me out so much...i can't wait to start!
Rebecca Cardy glad it helps!
Good info. Always helpful when folks are willing to point out their mistakes so the rest of us can learn.
this was helpful...as i'm looking to build my first tool wall soon. thank you!
Man, what a useful video. I can see myself making all of those mistakes simultaneously. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you like! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for sharing these valuable experiences
Great info.
Shave down that sharp point on the cleat parts so they don’t dead end each other.
A lower board on the removable part solves two things, a place to put a wedge to keep it locked and keeps it spaced off the wall so it doesn’t SeeSaw.
Great video. This is the kind of information people need when they are novices - like me. Not just the technical parts, but the realization that even pros get to learn from mistakes and that's perfectly OK.
Lots of good info here for those who are new to this. I used the cleat system in my house back in the '70s both in the house and workshop. It's a good easy sytem and very flexible in its' uses.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Good video on common mistakes to avoid doing when using French cleats. I almost made the mistake myself of butting the support board tight to the cleat like you mentioned, so these are great points for those not familiar with French cleats.
Thanks for the tips! I've finally decided on a layout for my very small shop and plan on using French cleats on a wall or two.
You won’t regret it!
Great video, thanks for your humility and sharing your mistakes with the French cleat storage system. I learned a lot as I plan for a French cleat system.
Learned a lot. Thanks, brother!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video. I think I made a mistake painting my wall cleats. Especially in humid July. Still tacky after 3 days. Feel like any attachment cleats will be sticking. Definitely won't paint attachment cleats.
Much appreciated for the heads up. I’ll be using this video before I start.
Thank you for the tips. I will avoid this while building mine.
Such a great idea to highlight the mistakes. Oh man, do I wish more people did this. Although you tend to remember better when you have to redo something.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
Awesome, great to see-honesty of the mistakes which you can make ahead of time. Hopefully when building my system, I will save some frustration!
Thanks for the tips. I am just starting to work on the inside of my new shop. Will be adding cleats for sure. I do have a question though. What did you use on your walls. The blueish panels.....
Good advice, I am wanting to make a French cleat system for my little shop
Thanks for your kindness clever man🙏🙏👍🏻
Thank you very much for this! Super helpful!
I have only one, probably irrelevant, suggestion...
The locking cleat is actually a great idea! Just in the event that you want to be able to move things around, but need the security of a locking cleat...
My thought was to make an oval locking cleat. Square won't work for obvious reason... But oval could, just spin it until it is sufficiently locked. 👍
I appreciate your video. I’m about to make mine and this is helpful!
I spaced two of my cleats where both the top and bottom boards were cleats for a, particularly heave cabinet. It worked really well. I have loaded the cabinet heavy and it has not budged an inch in 10 years.
Thanks for the tips! I am going to be adding french cleats to my shop in the garage. Very helpful.
Great! Glad you like!
Many thanks for sharing your experiences. I know that it takes a lot of effort to make a video and upload it so it's very kind of you to help others avoid pitfalls. I've just built a workshop and will make a cleat storage system. It's great when you can get things right first time and your information will make that more likely!
Gluing it to the wall... 😂 OH I would SO do that!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the tip! Great video.
Great video! I’ve made three of those mistakes. 😬
Glad I’m not the only one!
Lots of suggestions for wedges to lock the cleats in place. As an alternative, you could use a cam clamp to lock them and unlock them easily as needed. Thanks for the insights. Good video.
Thanks for watching. Lot of interest in locking cleats!
A cam was what I was thinking ...
Thanks for sharing
Subscribed. I like this kind of video a lot. Thank you, I found this very useful. I’m about to make a french cleat system in my small work area.
Love this video! Really great when someone share their mistakes to help us who isn't nearly as advanced. Thanks!
Thanks for saving my a lot of time and aggravation! I’m planning on installing a cleat system in the next few weeks and this video has been helpful. I’m sure I would’ve had a lot of holders glued to the wall 🙂
Recommend making spacer blocks for ends so you can go up a wall and have them easily spaced evenly, then everything you want to mount to the wall just use cleats. Helps to have some of the 45 deg ripped wood laying about for new stuff you come up with. And use some big ol long heavy duty screws to get through drywall if you're hanging heavy of course. I've hung a heavy bike rack and workmate, etc no problems
Thanks for the glue warning. I probably would have done that at one point.
I use narrower cleats on the wall closer together with only a 1x2 cleat on the box to hang it. That way there is plenty of cleats below supporting my longer boxes and because of the narrower cleat on the box I never have an issue with lifting it into place.
Thanks for sharing!
Found me a shop/ shed being delivered next week. Looking forward to using the system
Awesome David! Be sure to share some pictures with us!
Thank you, helped me a lot for reconsidering my plans. I have a old shed, the wall is not even because there are planks on it. Maybe this system will work or I need to mount a wooden panel on it.
I like your locking cleat idea and have a simple suggestion. Take the locking part and give it a gap from the bottom of the wall cleat that is 1/2 the height of the top cleat. That way you can't lift it off. You will still need to slide them from the side, but they would have enough space to allow you to easily slide them into place. Best of luck!
Thanks for sharing!
Just came across your video and very interesting. Your misfortunes are our savours. Thanks for sharing even though it was a year ago. Never the less like what you said.well noted cheers.
Thanks for this lesson. Saving me some time. What thickness of plywood is best for cleats?
19mm or 3/4 inch for both parts of the cleats, and I guess whatever is strong enough for the tool holders... a lightweight array of screwdrivers would only need 12mm...
I live in an earthquake area so locking cleats is a must. I have the cleats on the wall close enough together that sliding a 3” x 3” board above the cleat on the box just barely touches the wall cleat above it. That way the box can not lift up without removing that 3x3 block. Locking it in place.
If you're in an earthquake area you have to relocate to somewhere safe.
I saw a guy that drilled a hole just below wall cleat and inserted a simple dowel that prevented the fixture from moving up and out of the wall cleat. Or cut a piece ply that fit the space between the bottom standoff and the bottom of the wall cleat. It only downside was it had to be slid into position from the side where other fixtures might already be hung.
Re: locking cleats
With our earthquakes in California I've thought about this. When I get around to installing a french cleat ... I'll drill a hole at the bottom of each hanger aligned with the bottom of the cleats. A friction fit dowel will go through to prevent the hanger from rising. To unlock just push the dowel forward so you can lift the hanger.
You mind I give a different option? When making the wall cleat, instead of 1 edge 45 degrees, make both top and bottom edges 45 degrees and then when making the cabinet cleat make the bottom a 45 degrees but a little longer spacing so that it allows you to mount the cabinet from any position, but what the idea is then in that extra space you add (same idea in industrial machines) a spacer that you can drive in from the side to take up the space you added at the bottom of the 2 opposing 45 degree edges. This would solve your issue and would look very clean and allow the ability to remove the cabinets again easily in the future. Hope this helps.
As much as I use mine, I never considered making stock shelves for the top. Thank you!
Looks great. Moving into a new house and half the basement is unfinished. Will def put that system up!
👍thanks for watching!
What a beautiful shop! I’m jealous😂
Thank you very much!
Excellent information
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing!
Maybe revise your original lock idea to take a peg cut out of 3/4" stock (like a key) that could be inserted in the empty area above the spacer. Make your original locking spacer shorter, lower on the back of the cabinet, and flush with the bottom. License plate screws as pulls could finish your "key" by making it look like an actual key and allowing for easier removal.
I guess you'd call it a locking French Cleat Key.
Lesson learnt! Thanks a lot!!
You are welcome!
Great tips.
A Glimpse Inside channel has a video about a locking clear design that appears to work really well and as for the glue incident, I could totally see me doing that but I've been binge watching Frank Howarth over at Frank Makes and he made a really good point in a bunch of his videos about just using screws and brads unless glue is needed for strength because he wants to be able to take "it" apart if needed. Of course if you glue it, it's not coming apart without breaking or cutting.
I have used the French cleats myself in my new to us garage and had somehow avoided all these problems except the video I think maybe yours with making a jam lock that is good idea... one thing you didn't mention was how nice it is to be able to move everything in seconds as needs change. My paper towel holder, fire extinguisher, charging station, shelves, cabinets, all can be re-arranged. I am cheap too and had trimmed a bush, had a pile of branches. I cut them about 4" long and mounted on scraps of wood with glue & a drywall screw for movable hook! bike helmets, tons of stuff can be hung up without buying dowels if you are so inclined. Not sure bush type but the wood off it is crazy strong. I went ahead and ripped a ton of 3/4" plywood with the 45 degree cleat and made spacer boards to put on both ends so I could go all the way up the wall easily as I screwed them into the studs with HD screws.
I have thought about that system. Thanks for video. I would most likely have done a couple of those mistakes.
Mine is ever evolving but its a great system!
Very good advice, glad I found this before I start making mine. many thanks
Glad you like! Thanks!
With the benefit of second hand hindsight, you could leave some space at the bottom of the locking cleat and drive a little wedge to tighten it down.
Won't be long before I start my tool wall. Thanks for the great points there. I tend to get ahead of myself so I could see me glowing them to the wall. Thanks again 👍
Sure thing!
Thank you for that video. I feel confident that I would’ve made at least four of those mistakes!
I have a 4'H x 8'L section of wall devoted to the F-cleat concept: love it. One thing I did was to make my cleat strips about half the height shown in this video, and then space the wall cleats just far enough vertically to fit the shelf cleat into the gap. This gives lots of vertical flexibility, and good bracing to the shelf back (ie, don't need a "foot" or spacer at the lower end of the shelf). I also made about 12 LF of "spare" cleat for future use. Great system.
Thanks for sharing!
I did about the same for a french cleat system on my workbench. I think I had 2" cleats with 3" spacing. Works well.
I appreciate your honesty by sharing your mistakes. You have a new sub.
Thanks for watching and welcome to my channel!
Most of my projects have more than 5 mistakes. Thanks for sharing.
That’s true of everyone, I think. If I made a video, “36 mistakes” I’m sure no one would watch lol!😂
At least the most important ones were posted. These do seem like a "duh" (Homer Simpson) moment for us all until you really think about it.
You learn by doing
My mistakes have taught me a heck of a lot more than any of my successes! If you learn from them, no harm! I just make a lot more fine saw dust to add to the pile! (Piles!) I get better all the time, though!
There is a chinese saying: A wise man makes 7 mistakes each day.
(We, ordinary men, make much more)
Good video, thanks! One way to lock a fixture in place is to drill through the front, so the top of the hole lines up with the bottom of the wall clear, and then insert a dowel, nail, or even golf tee.
Nice tips, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Love the french cleat system! Good to see mistakes so we can avoid them.
Yes sir! Thanks for watching Joshua!
I'm going to be going with a slat wall, mostly because it looks like ship lap and can be set closer together making it look more esthetically pleasing. I will say that for the locking cleat you could just screw the locking portion in from the front once set it in place, probably no necessarily like you said but if someone is paranoid they can do that
Thanks
Some really good tips.
Glad it’s helpful
Thanks for these tips. I like the idea of cleats, but I would not have thought of these potential problems. Thank you for giving me a heads-up about this. It will make all the difference. By the way, nice RUclips channel. Subscribed.
Welcome! Thanks
Great video!!
One quick thing... about your locking cleats, you could just screw through the 2x4 (shelf support) and screw into the locking cleat. Then instead of sliding to the end, you'd just have to unscrew the lock to get it off.
By the way, I've been wanting to do a cleat system for a long time. My situation is a bit different because the inside of my shop is metal siding and it's a pole barn which means I don't have studs on 16 in. centers. Instead, I've got horizontal supports between the columns. So I'm going to have to get a little creative when I finally go to build a cleat system.
Again, loved your video! Thanks!
I would just put a pin, or a screw which could serve as the space in an adjustable fashion snug under where the hanger cleat clears the bottom of the wall cleat. Best advise I ever hear doing metal working is if you can't make it perfect make it adjustable. It always applies!
@@gerardmanzo7268 That's great advice! Thanks Gerard!