Build a better french cleat tool wall. How and Why
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Everyone knows about french cleat tool walls right? How about a locking french cleat tool wall that allows you to lock and unlock your fixtures quickly and easily without driving screws or hammering nails? This system is a super simple variation on the very basic french cleat. This eliminates any potential accidental dislodgings of lighter tool fixtures.
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Echo Dot 3rd gen: amzn.to/32aYMaU
3rd Gen Dot wall mount: amzn.to/39Utt6H
Literally use mine several times a day, as well as the wife.
This is the first time I have ever heard of a locking system. An excellent idea! Thank you so much!
Earthquake prep. You need the locking blocks for earthquake prep on the heavy units because those are the ones that will do damage flying across the room.
Great design. Thanks
Really like the locking key. I'm right in the middle of making some cleats, and just happened to find your video before cutting the cleats. Definitely going to build this in now!
I'm in the same boat as you, I got about 2/3 of my project done, but first thing tomorrow morning I'm going to have my buddy come over and we're going to take all the stuff off the wall and cut in at other bevel. Do it now before I get too far into the game. Thanks a million for coming up such a brilliant idea. Qu Quentin
Nice little setup. Locking cleats are the way to go for light objects. Posting the information in your information window would be helpful for quick reference. But I’ll post here to help out others. He begins talking about the locking cleat system just past the 5 minute mark. Separate each wall cleat (the cleat that is mounted to the wall) by 3” using spacer blocks. Cut a 10 degree bevel upwards in the bottom of the wall cleat. Each tool cleat (the cleat that is mounted to the tool) has a 10 degree backcut bevel heading downwards on the top side of the cleat. The locking cleat (the cleat that locks the tool cleat to the wall cleat) has 10 degree bevels on top and bottom. Size each locking cleat accordingly for a loose fit so it can easily slide between the tool cleat and the wall cleat.
Ive watched a lot of these videos recently and i really like yours. It's cleanly done and practical.
video still going strong! I'm building a french cleat wall right now and am going to use your locking idea. Thanks!
I used your idea in my workshop and love it. My cleats are made from oak flooring planks. The 10 degrees works perfectly. My locking cleats are tighter than yours (on purpose) and require a little tap of a hammer to get in but nothing moves!! Thank you for this idea!
Great, yeah I have to say, I could've been a little more exact on my wall assembly, but it was an experimental process. Glad you tweaked it for improvements. I made my key locks a tad bit small, and there is some variable spacing despite using the spacer blocks when I built it. A quick hack I use to tighten the key locks if they are too loose, is to wrap the key lock with duct tape or electricians tape to get the perfect fit. Thanks for watching, and I got a new vid coming out soon on some wrench racks that work nicely here. Cheers
This video is invaluable! Thanks for the idea of making a back cut on the cleats for the key-lock feature!
We have a shared workshop so individually hanging drills and drivers would let us see immediately that an item is missing, either around the shop or out of the shop.
I really like the key lock idea. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, this was really helpful. And by the way, in response to all the comments about production quality. Personally, I don't give a darn about that kind of thing. I'm really interested in what you did and the thought behind what you did. You described all of that beautifully. The only thing that I wish you had added would be the dimensions that you used for your French cleats. I found them in the comments below, so I'm happy now. But it would have been a nice addition to the video. Regardless, thanks very much for an informative and enjoyable video!
the key lock was a good idea. I wish I had thought of it before I did mine.
Fantastic solution thanks. I also like that it works on a lot of walls that already exists if you have a standard spacing other than the 10 degree cut on the wall. But I will re cut the cleat on the tool holders to add the 10 degree cut.
Your front cleat wall was a brilliant use of the space.
Great idea! I'm just starting a cleat wall and this video has been very helpful. Many of us who want to build the system are curious as to the actual dimensions of the cleat and the space between them. You answered the question in one of the comments and, to my knowledge, are the only one on any of the French Cleat wall videos to have done so. You replied "
Woodworker Anonymous
1 year ago
Its really rather arbitrary. My wall cleats are 3 1/4" on the wide side. The spaces between wall cleats are 2 3/4". My jig cleats are about 2 1/4" on the wide side. But there is no right or wrong dimension, do what looks or feels right to you. The thinner you go, the more cleats and more work you create. Also the more versatility with placing fixtures. Don't cut the key lock strip till you've fully installed the wall and made a fixture or 2. Then cut the key lock strips to fit snug."
I'm going to make a template tool to position and drill the Countersunk holes for the cleat mounting. That way I can put two perfectly spaces screws in reach in alignment with the wall studs.
Very nice! Just starting my shop and will be doing this on a block basement wall
Good luck, take your time.
Awesome video! I just documented my own french cleat tool wall build. Really appreciated your advice in this video!
Skip to 5:30 if you want to save some time.
Thanks I almost gave up.
Thanks!
Thanks +1
Thank you kind sir!
Thank heavens for LT!
Love the idea. I'll be putting this to use.
What were the measurements you used for the width of the cleats, the space between them, and the key locks? I'm really looking forward to using some of your ideas in this video in my small garage shop
Yeah, I m wondering the same
What are the answers?
Pretty smart for anyone in a earthquake zone too for tool security
First time I've seen the locking key...will use that on mine. Hey, monetize with google adsense and get paid for all your work. Well done.
good innovation and very organised shop, i am taking a leaf :-)
Thanks for posting. I going to use some of your suggestions..
Nice job
Next, build a rolling french cleat (receiver) tower. Will allow you configure a portable, customized selection of tools to station exactly where you need them for a particular task.
Nice solution!!!
Great idea
That’s ingenious
I am going to do this in my Garage, Wwuld you suggest putting a coat of polyurethane varnish in the back board to make it easier to clean and prevent sawdust from sticking?
Cool & thanks. Here's a what-if that crossed my mind watching. Although you did say the charging station is heavy enough to not really justify a lock / key, let's say you put one in-- how do you get it out without pushing it through the other side? This would be tough on your station (or any other wall cabinet, if someone did want to lock it-- childproofing, eg) because it abuts a wall at the other side. You'd have to slide the whole thing, which might mean relocating a lot of items on the wall, if that even works at all (looks like not enough room to slide sideways; may need a flexible piece of something). Not wanting to overengineer it and glue magnets to the key, but having dropped enough tiny screws into places I shouldn't have, I see it happening to me here, ha.
We'll, I didn't bother with a keylock on that charging station, and there has been zero movement or even a hint of one. However, if you wanted to add one, you could just add a short keylock on either side with a something like a small screw head protruding from the side of the keylock. You could then just pull the keylock out by the exposed screw head. That's just off the top of my head idea, I'm sure you can come up with an even more elegant solution if you think about it. Thanks for watching
These are great for art studios as well.
Looks great, but not sure I'd use cleats on a wall directly above the chop saw. My dust control isn't that good and I envision having to blow them out occasionally. Would look good however on my one remaining wall that is destined to be a tool wall some day. Thanks for sharing.
I get what you mean. I actually built a kind of box enclosure behind the chop saw. There is a shop vac attached to the back of the chop saw exhaust port too. The box does a nice job of trapping the dust that shoots wide of the vacuum port. Surprisingly, virtually no dust accumulates above or wide of the box. I was skeptical as I pieced the thing together. But, you should definitely try it. Works better than it should. I used some of that rubber base cove as a makeshift curtain to close in the front of the box on either side of the saw. It really works.
How do you get the locking piece out of the wider cleats, especially the ones that are flush against something on one side?
You only need a short locking key on either side for longer jigs.
@@brett328 yes, but once it’s flush, how do you pull it back out so you can move the jig? I would think you would need a pull tab of some sort? Am I missing something?
@@Huntgolfride normally I just push it out from on side with something long and thin, or you can put a screw 3/4 of the way into the key lock, leave enough screw sticking out to grab it with your fingers or whatever. It's never really been an issue for me really. There are probably 1000 different ways to accomplish it if you want to spend more time on design.
The locking key is clever. Also, one strong design element is that you mounted all the cleats on a plywood board. I did my entire wall with just the cleats directly on drywall. Now I wish I had used a plywood backer, because the drywall in my garage was not perfectly flat. Maybe someday I’ll remove everything and start over, but for now your design looks good to me.
Originally I was going to mount directly to the drywall too. But I have some electrical conduit running up the wall along side the cabinet. I figured if I used some spacer strips, I could mount a plywood wall over top of the conduit and increase the usable overall cleat wall dimensions. An added bonus was it looked a ton better since it hid the ugly conduit.
super clever. super simple.
Curious... why 10 degrees? Why not the same degree as the French cleat? Just for consistency
Well, really you can make it whatever you want. I just figured a 10 degree backcut instead of a 45 would leave more meat on the permanently attached wall cleat. Not an issue if your cleats are fairly wide, but if want to go with narrower cleats, 10 degrees leaves a wider contact surface when you affix it to the wall. Certainly not a must, just my thought process.
If you use the same angle as the cleat, after you lock it you will still be able to raise the cleat as it will angle outward at the same rate is it rises. in reality for the safest bet, the mating surface on the cleat and the lock where they meet should be at least 5 degrees (depending on how precise the fit is across the wall) but no more than 50% of your cleat angle. The angle between the lock and the cleat is to prevent the lock itself from being pulled straight out.
@@spyder666111 That's a really good point. A 45 degree key lock angle wouldn't stop you from being able to pull out the jig cleat at a 45 degree angle. So, 10 degrees is more than enough to trap the keylock, and small enough to trap the jig cleat with ease. Just a lucky 1st guess on my part.
@@spyder666111 that just saved me some future frustration, thanks!
Great idea. the problem is trying not to get dizzy watching you move the camera around.
One of the first videos I ever made. Its bad videography, obviously. Just sharing ideas here. Not looking to win any prizes.
All you have to do with the system John Heisz used is make the rebate wider then the tongue of the hanging piece. Which it looks like he did on the tool holder next to his drill press because he lifts and rotates it out no problem no sliding involved.
Yeah, I just saw his vid yesterday. Definitely solves some problems an looks great. However, I don't think it'll work on large pieces like my charging station. I do like it though, and commented on it that it was way better now.
@@brett328 I'm sure you could make a beefier wall with bigger groves. I like your system though. Its a good fix for preexisting system as long as one didn't go overboard with fastening their cleats to the wall and can get them down to dimension them.
Like your battery station with cable hidden. Do you have a video how you made it..
I didn't make a video of that. I kinda slapped it together with Brad's and glue off the top of my head. Came out so good that i regret not videoing the project. Hiding the cords was a great move. I love it too.
Do you have dimensions for your battery station
@@christopherortiz8713 Mines a little over 10" deep and 9" tall. Made the wire storage area about 3 1/2 inches deep from back wall. But its not critical for any measurement. Make it to fit your chargers and tools. Length will depend on how many chargers you want to load into it. Lay them all out on a bench and just start cutting to fit.
I have a question. How do I avoid the edge to chip on my French cleat cuts?
After you've cut all your cleats, you can run them all thru the table saw one more time and take off about a 16th from all the 45 degree cut edges. That'll help prevent splits and splinters.
How wide are the cleats on the wall?
When you hung your plywood behind the cleats, did you attach it directly to the drywall behind or did you put some spacer blocks? Trying to figure out the best way to do this since my wall is not straight
I attached some 2x4's on the flat side to the wall, then attached the plywood to the 2x's. I did that to bump the cleat wall out far enough to go over top of the electrical conduit on my wall. Looks better, and makes the usable cleat wall wider. Not sure I would have done all that if there wasn't any conduit on the wall. But it does look much nicer in retrospect.
Maybe slow down the camera movement so one can absorb the picture.
Curious why you chose 10°, I was thinking 45° on both top and bottom.
This was brought up before. And the problem there is the fixture you are hanging on the cleat wall will actually be able to be pulled out if it's lifted up and out at 45 degrees. Anything less than 45 on the back cuts and it will be locked. Hard to explain in words. But take my word for it.
Woodworker Anonymous that makes sense thank you
Good stuff, love cleats and the locks. Camera work needs some work though!😅
You're right. One of my first vids on UA-cam, done without any planning etc.. still not very good at the editing, just not interested in spending as much time on creating videos as I do in the shop. Just like sharing ideas.
What are the dimensions how far do you space the cleats a part and how thick are your cleats?
I for sure am going to build this I just would like more information I think it’s perfect.
Its really rather arbitrary. My wall cleats are 3 1/4" on the wide side. The spaces between wall cleats are 2 3/4". My jig cleats are about 2 1/4" on the wide side. But there is no right or wrong dimension, do what looks or feels right to you. The thinner you go, the more cleats and more work you create. Also the more versatility with placing fixtures. Don't cut the key lock strip till you've fully installed the wall and made a fixture or 2. Then cut the key lock strips to fit snug.
Thanks
I don’t understand why you suggest waiting to make the locking strips. If the cleats are all the same width and the space between them is the same and they all have a 10 degree undercut.... what can change after you’ve put on a fixture or two?
@@bobm6423You can't know the exact dimension to cut your key lock for snug fit til after installing the cleats to the wall, then cutting your jig cleats to size. Even though you can do the math on paper, it's best to test fit the key lock to the actual wall and jig, so you get the perfect snugness ( if that's a word). A 32nd here or there and it can be too tight or too sloppy.
What distance did you use please?
The exact measurement is arbitrary. Just be consistent throughout.
Genius!
The problem with this type of locking system is it requires room for sliding the lock in from the side. Fine if you have enough room (though it also limits the places you can put things). A dowel system works as well, is easily placed and removed and is faster for moving things around. Nice wall, just not keen on the locks...
You could just use wedges.
Skip to 4:50 if you want to see a funky electrical installation, a cable with two male plugs! :D
I thought that too......But if you will look at the receptacle on the right, there are 2 cords... coming from the hole in cabinet underneath the bench...one going to the right receptacle and the other going to the receptacle on the left
@@djpapachris Yup. those are 2 different yellow extension cords. Each outlet is on a different circuit. So those extension cords carry power from 2 circuits to the far end of the workshop. that way I can keep the dust collection on a different circuit than the tool being used.
Really like the cleat system. The extension cord(s) is why I ventured into the comments section :-) . Glad to learn it's actually not a two-headed beast. I got ripped by one of those when I was a kid - thanks, grandpa.
nobody but nobody addresses the issue of shop dust covering your cleat items. Cabinets with sliding doors will solve the problem. Use lexan for visibility. Your thoughts
Lexan to cover the whole clear wall system is expensive. Dust control might be cheaper and easier.
Mount your camera. A moving camera is annoying, spatially disconcerting, difficult watch why one does not know what to put their attention on as it continues to move.
I got seasick with your camera work, otherwise good content.
My bad. Thanks for watching.
Begs to be played @ x 1.75 speed
A guy showing his awesome french cleat wall and organised garage... Didn't see how... Or any tricks.
Like your ideas ...can not watch, your camera work is the awfull !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jesus Christ! Dude, stop talking and freaking do something. We understand stuff, you don't have to explain stuff three times.
Hey thanks for stopping by man. We should hang out sometime. You seem like a super chill dude.
@@brett328 hahaha aren't the entitled UA-cam viewers just the best? I don't understand all the down votes on this video, man. I thought it showed a clever idea just fine. Thanks for putting it together.
Great idea on the lock system. Impressive.
Up with the very best! I will try and make this to be an improvement to Peg boards. It is the way of the Perfectionist!
Lovely idea, but sorry it's a terrible video. Thanks for sharing the idea but please consider keeping the camera steady and the content actually about the title. You can always post other videos with the more wide ranging ramble around the topic...
You're spot on about it being a bad video. That's clear. My only defense is that I'm here to spread ideas, not make money while making UA-cam vids. I know that'll never happen. I'm not a pro woodworker and not a video maker either obviously. I dabble in the workshop to keep my sanity. Its not my day job. I appreciate the advice from someone that does nice work here. But I'm sorry to say, my vids will prolly still suck in the future. You've been warned 😀
@@brett328 Many thanks for the reply and more power to your elbow in spreading ideas! I do appreciate that the content is freely given after all - I am indebted
@@brett328 I think we all started a channel thinking nobody would watch. I would give yourself more credit. Ton of views, you have over 1k subscribers...might as well monetize and use the money for...MORE TOOLS!lol
Excellent idea on the locks, thanks for sharing
Love this idea. Haven’t built mine yet so definitely will have to incorporate this. SUBSCRIBED
The locking system, why 10 ° not 45° or something in between? At 10 it is fully locked so nothing else is necessary? Would 45 be harder to slide in?
If you make the key with 45 degree sides, the jig cleat (the cleat mounted on the back of the fixture) will be able to be pulled up and off the wall at 45 degrees..
I didn't understand how you got te wires from the chargers to the false wall if the wall has no holes
Great idea. Reminded me of the Japanese tool boxses
Every once in a while, a new technology, an old problem, and a big idea turn into an innovation. -Dean Kamen
Too much time BSing.Cut to the info, Dude and don't talk so much.
Or just don't watch my videos.
good idea
Do you screw the cleats only to the back plywood? Or do you make the screws go over the plywood, the wall, and into the studs? I have a brick wall and it would be easier to just screw them into the plywood (otherwise I'd have to fix a lot of dowels on the wall), but I'm not sure how much weight they'll hold this way.
Brilliant system! Getting ready to build my cleat walls and am definitely using this system. What space do you use between cleats? I love the false wall too. However, I'm using a piece of luan with magnets so I can pull the whole thing off rather than slide it and risk it getting stuck. Also easier to clean.
Love that key lock idea. Best locking system I’ve seen to date so far. Just enough bevel to hold the piece but not too much to weaken the cleat!
Very clever locking system 👍Thanks for putting it out here.
3/4" plywood?
thats what I use. If you're just mounting drill bits or something light, you could get away with 1/2". But for heavy stuff like circular saws or big jig boxes, go with the 3/4"
@@brett328 Thanks - great video and idea!
Great idea! I will be doing something similar in my shop as well. I'm curious about the 10 degree angle (and NOT for reasons others have mentioned)... why is a 10 degree angle needed at all? Isn't the more important factor that the cleats on the backside of each mount be consistently sized (along with the spacing between wall cleats)? Then, a key with a square or rectangular profile (rather than trapezoidal) could be used the same way. Unless there's another reason for the angle that I'm missing, I think this would save multiple extra rips on the table saw. Would love your thought, though... again, nice work!
FWIW, I was explaining this to someone and realized that in order for my approach to work, the back ‘plate’ of whatever you’re mounting does need to be above the top of its cleat (even just 1/8”) so as to prevent the key from moving forward. So the bevels would be necessary if the cleats were always flush with the top of the mounting plate. I guess my mental model of what I’m mounting is to have the cleat below the top of the plate which is why I didn’t consider the alternative initially.
@@TheDavidkeyes Honestly, you could get away with a squared key lock, I just figured a slight angle on top and bottom would provide tighter hold on the jig. Especially if the jig doesn't span the next row of cleats above and below. And since your setting up the saw to cut the cleats and keys, its no big deal to rip a few 8 foot key lock strips at once and just keep them in reserve for when you need them.
Do you have plans for the charging station? I like the idea of hiding all the wires
I wish I did. But I was just measuring, cutting, gluing, and Brad nailing right off the cuff. Turned out to be a very awesome little shop asset. Really love the way zero wires show anywhere. If I did it again, only thing I would change is to make it longer for more chargers, and to screw the charger dividing cleats on top instead of gluing and Brad nailing. That way, if you change the type of chargers you are using, you can easily reconfigure the top to perfectly fit any new charging block. As it is now, I'd have to do some careful deconstruction to change out the chargers. But thanks for watching.
be nice to see a 2 year follow up
Brilliant locking key!
How many hours did it take?
It doesn't take that long. You'll spend more time making individual tool holders, and rearranging everything till you figure the best setup.
Rambling
Guilty as charged.
You got me convinced that this is so good and more reliable than any Pegboards!
You provided the solution before I had the problem. I am just getting the walls up on my small shop, and already decided to use french cleats, but was concerning about the dislodging when removing items from the rack. I experimented with some cleats and knew I needed a solution. You provided it. Just for that, I am a new sub.
I think slat wall would be superior.