How To Build A French Cleat Storage Wall

[@kllrkatt]

You saying, "I thought to myself, "What could make this garage better?" And the answer is more cleats." totally deadpan made me laugh out loud. Thanks for the informative video, I really want to do this in my art studio, and the birch looks great!

[@JaggerVHS]

This was exactly what I've been looking for. I dont have a garage so I wanted something that wasn't shelving to store my tools on. This is perfect, thank you

[@TheKojak76]

Just a quick question for anyone who might know the answer. Would it be easier to cut the 45 degree angle as your cutting the strips? To me it seems you could skip a step if you did. I know that if you set up one saw at a 45 that each side would be angled but you could use either 2 saws, one set at a 45 and the other to cut the flat bottom, or just have angles on top and bottom so that either way you need to place the board it works. I’m just learning woodworking and CNC carving so this is an honest question I had while watching. Great video, I can’t wait to start my organization wall.

[@benjenkins2415]

Love it. I built my wall but struggling with the right organizational setup to use. I will be stealing many of your ideas!

[@roombacats8410]

Just moved to a new home with separate shop. Loved this video, so helpful. I am cringing a little with how much more expensive the Birch Plywood is compared to a few years ago. About triple, but it makes such a beautiful feature in the shop. I have most of the same tools as well which is great for using the cordless power tools. I love my Ridged Pro series table saw and miter saw. They cut so clean and are infinitely quieter than my older equipment. The Ryobi cordless pin nailer is such a magnificent tool.

[@jordankooiman6040]

I'm glad there are so many tutorial videos out there that are helpful if you have a full on shop full of tools.

[@genewilliams8712]

Happy to see someone else adopt a smaller cleat size to extend a sheet of ply! I was in the sign business for years (80's - 2003) and we used 2" french cleats to hold large sandblasted signs!!! The key is to hit a stud with the fasteners or use anchors! Those 5" and 6" cleats sizes I see folks posting is just a waste of valuable lumber and over-engineering for what most DIY's are going to hang in their garage/shop! Great Job! #hardworkpaysoff

[@beefmaster_james]

Thanks for watching Gene. Really appreciate the comment.

[@richardnelson7929]

Thank you. Clear and informative, in fact excellent. A shame that my 'garage' (is was a barn at some point) is at least 200 years old and nothing in it is square. The joys of living in the UK.

[@beefmaster_james]

Overwhelmed by the support. Thanks so much for watching and giving tips from the $Thanks button above. Helps so much. I've received a few questions, so here are the measurements I used: The cleat itself is 1.5 inches on the shorter side and 2.25 on the longer side The gap between my cleats is 2.25 inches, but you could go 2.5 inches or more. From base of first cleat to top of second cleat is 6.75 inches. Base of first cleat to the base of second cleat is 4.5 inches. Hope this helps. I will eventually make a part two and will explain in detail. Thanks again.

[@rawbacon]

Okay, now pin your comment so it will be on top where everyone will see it.

[@tortugarojo]

Great video! I'd love to see the promised part 2 even if it's just a quick video that shows the holders you've built since this first one.

[@filibertocastro1985]

For the cleat you also use a half inch ply wood or 3/4

[@sarahcinelli5328]

This is amazing! I wish I found this years ago! (When I bought a wall system that’s still sitting in a heap on my garage floor). It’s time to start organizing. I’m already realizing I could have built things better myself (slow of course as I’m new) but better in that it works for my space and what I have!

[@robbie6625]

Just remember "If you can't find something, clean up until you find it" :)

[@DJMetalstone]

So awsome. Thanks for showing this , I didn't knew about this type of system. I temporarily bought some plastic standardized tool boards , but the quality is really crap. It can't really support the amount of stuff you can put in there weight wise. It starts to hang and the back parts it hangs on can easily break if not careful or like said weight overloaded using the whole bracket of holes filled. That being said this is my first own setup for my shed , I just needed something in place. Now I'm in the process I'm getting to upgrading it into a wood tool wall. This really helps me out a ton because I had ideas how to do it but just not a design for it yet. This definitely gives me a blueprint for the universal backwall because that's exactly what I wanted. A system where I can design my own buckets or cabinets on. Because now I can make any design for any tool or material storage I need and fix it on there.

[@CityPigeonNOLA]

The most amazing thing about this video is the craftmanship he got using only Ryobi tools!

[@davidpingryn5628]

I didn’t see the logo on the bandsaw but I assume it was a Ryobi. I have some Ryobi tools. I like them

[@PaulLongva]

You've sent me back to the drawing board, talk about timing, got my sheets delivered 2 days ago. Thanks for the great ideas.

[@optical_ideas]

Wow, great job. And even if you don't move things around very often, french cleat looks very nice

[@kyzor-sosay6087]

Excellent job,man……..nice to see the little fellas lend a helping hand.

[@youcanfixityourself]

What a beautiful job you did!!! I now want to reorganize my garage and make it as neat as yours!!! Just amazing how much wood has gone up!!! Thank you for taking the time in making this video.

[@DJMetalstone]

I pick up pallet wood in my city. even the standardized Euro pallets companies can't return if there is like 1 broken board on them. Be sure to pick up the pine ones and not firewood since that's crap. Anyway I got a few addresses in my city now where I can freely pick it up because otherwise they need to pay money for throwing it away or having someone pick it up for taking it to the city dump. Yeah it's a bit more work but it's free that way. Put it thru a planer , plug the holes with wood glue and sawdust from the same type of wood sand the remains off and it's like you got brand new boards. Sorry if I'm too informative I don't know your experience in this , but yeah that's how I do it.

[@rikliu1179]

Probably the easiest video to follow through for a beginner. Thank you

[@saltsfamily1066]

I am setting up my new metal garage. Need space to store everything. Will be following your tips from this video with a bit of a twist to accommodate the steel structure. Thank you so much for this video! I finally have my missing piece to my storage problems!

[@beefmaster_james]

Sounds great. Send lessons learned or pics when done. Glad this video helped you get started.

[@steveb7882]

Buy shelves cheaper and easier

[@elained9591]

@@steveb7882French cleats hold a tremendous amount of weight, more than a shelf can. I have hung very heavy cabinets and filled them with tools on French cleats. The cleats are still holding well over twenty years. Besides that, there’s the nice thing of rearranging as the tools multiply. I had never thought of using plywood behind mine, I have always just secured them to the studs themselves. The plywood is interesting as it would allow a nice backdrop and easier to clean I imagine. It looks nicer that’s for sure.

[@GTRLY33]

Really nice alternative to peg boards.

[@Manomic55]

you can alternate the spacers when setting up the cleat. that way any imperfection in the spacers will cancel each other out.

[@DIYGarageWorkshop]

Great work. I am starting my French build soon and glad I ran across you channel. It also looks like you have some great help. 😀

[@laurielyon7740]

That was well done and well filmed. Kudos to you. But…..you did have a helper, small as he was.

[@jim7smith]

Nicely done, motivated me to do something about my serious lack of organization for stuff I cannot even get to at the moment.

[@JK-jl1bf]

I’m seeing that SNL bit about Blue Oyster Cult in my mind - “It needs more cowbell!!!” In this case it’s French Cleat Wall. 😂

[@pastori70]

Good job! Gonna make the same setup in my garage!

[@P2MediaLA]

I loved your ideas! Simple, cost efficient, and clean.

[@patrickcharles3250]

Very clear explanation for making french cleats. Thank you

[@BusterrLTU]

Fantastic job mate! And looks aesthetic. Will need to replicate one day…

[@RobRob612]

No ventilation behind the Wall will bring Mold. U should have put the Poweroutlet onto the Plywood by pulling it out. Love the rest👍

[@Dan-xf7bh]

For those of them that are watching this and saw the outlet change. I want to clarify something. That was very dangerous what he did. It may seem innocuous now but he switched a 15 amp outlet with a 20 amp outlet. The wiring I'm certain is for 15 amp only and by putting a 20 amp outlet on it you allow the ability of somebody who has a 20 amp device into it, and could cause a fire because the wiring is not designed to handle it or at least it would trip the breaker constantly. You can tell because it had that little slash 90° on the left prong. So 20 amp devices have that prong Twisted 90° so it can plug into that spot. You should look for Outlets that do not have that problem to match what's there. However if that is all you have make sure you write in Big Red Letters on the outlet cover 15 amp outlet only. So people know that even though a 20 amp device could fit into it not to use it. Something had to do similarly. I paid $5 for case of 30 gfic Outlets that were 20 amps and rather than spend $7 every time I wanted to put another gfic someplace I just filled in that slot with epoxy, and wrote on it 15 amp only so nobody tried to cut out or chisel out that epoxy covering the hole thinking that it was an accident. May sound stupid but electricity is something you should mess with and you got to be very precise with.

[@beefmaster_james]

Excellent comment. Dan is correct in saying you cannot install a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit. It is against code and is a fire hazard to do so. In the video, I replaced the 15 amp outlet for a 20 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit so it was done correctly. I replaced it because I plan to run heavier machinery on this outlet (band saw, drill press, etc.) If anyone reading this is looking to replace an outlet, you must first go to your breaker and check the number on the breaker switches (15, 20, etc). Also check that the circuit is using the correct gauged wire (14 vs 12). For those that want more info, here is is a link to the electrical code: up.codes/s/outlet-devices. Also, here is a link to a video to that I go into more detail on replacing a regular outlet for a USB one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ol68XpSClLaKmNU

[@josephsinclair1338]

You filling in an electrical outlet with epoxy seems a little more unsafe and against code to me lol

[@andrewkrajewski6238]

Łapka w górę za podwójnego pikantnego MacRoyala 💪💪 tu się zgadzamy

[@forzajuve4845]

im 3 min. in and im already stopping your video to "like" your video and subscribing because your delivery is exceptional because you explain everything you're doing . not everyone is in the business and many DIY videos are made where the builder is making cuts or using material and not explaining ,,im a fan

[@scottmorris4914]

good video thanks. One thing you can do for the sharp edges, is run the cleats through your tables say again, just taking off 1/2 of a ply layer thickness. This will also keep the plywood from chipping.

[@elained9591]

Good idea! I have ran them through removing about 1/16” - 1/8” off the tips, just enough to blunt the tips. I usually use a block plane as I enjoy hand tools more than power tools😂

[@wooddogg8]

Starting my french cleat wall today, it was raining all morning and all my lumber was outside, tarped. Didnt feel up to getting wet but time is on my side

[@johnvatistas6569]

Love this. Was just thinking of making something along these lines. I will do this. Thank you.

[@guillermolopez7327]

Man, you are a crack! Thank you so much for sharing. Extremely inspiring.

[@OzSawdustMakers]

Looks great mate, I had to leave a comment because it was so easy to follow. I'll be watching your follow-up videos now. Cheers!

[@stephenharris2303]

Literally the perfect instructional video!

[@beefmaster_james]

Thanks brah

[@outbackeddie]

Very nice. I have been wanting to do something similar and now I have an excuse to buy buy some more toys. One of those spiffy brad nailers will be a good start.

[@thijsvanderee4374]

Similar style as the channel BlackTailStudios, I like it.

[@joemaddox3888]

Great video. Where is Part Two you mentioned?

[@dsweetman716]

Very nice. Some great ideas. I'm starting my Frech cleat wall build tomorrow morning and this helped me quite a bit, thanks again.

[@danasaunders5997]

Great Job!!! Best french cleat video I've seen so far!!! I never knew about dust resistant electrical outlets, Thanks. One question? You mentioned using either 1/2" or 3/4" birch plywood on the garage wall. You used 1/2" plywood. However the shelves look like that are made with something heavier (see 4:35 min). Is everything else made with 3/4" birch plywood??

[@jdudodilny]

Hi from Czech republic. Very awsome video, thank you so much :)

[@beefmaster_james]

Ahoj! Thanks for watching.

[@sushisashimi9136]

Really enjoyed your video 👍

[@chrissparkes2023]

I use milk crates and other things sometimes 2 nails can hold a tool flush to any wall

[@deep1991ful]

It was amazing. I like it and I want to make it one for my workshop. Can you just give me any plan?

[@ksspang]

great video, I swear you are the woodworker version of Zach from JerryRigEverything, you have similar tone and inflections, and even are bald to match!

[@palehorse5275]

Too bad you don't live in GA. I would pay you to do my walls while watch and drink beer. Great job.......heck I even work for a power tool company.

[@abad_gtr1123]

this was a great vid! looking to add a cleat wall to my garage soon...and this vid was very helpful. thanks!

[@JeffMedd]

Great video, and really clear. Was a part 2 ever made?

[@nazarsalih6635]

Very helpful and encouraging,, thanks a lot.

[@vt3553]

This was brilliant, man. Thanks!

[@chuckzechman7390]

Just started my french cleat wall tool holder project. Just an observation, if your tool holder is long enough to hang over the french cleat below the one is is hanging on, do you really need the support blocks? Thanks for sharing!

[@beefmaster_james]

Correct. If it’s hanging over the cleat below then you generally don’t need the extra back support. I suggest you have it hang over the bottom cleat .5 to .75 inches to avoid breaking the tip of the cleat.

[@Devils_Claw]

wow very impressive work.

[@BretChilcott]

Very nice video. Thank you for creating this video.

[@gillesschmit9136]

Dude, you are just awesome!! Thanks a lot!!!!

[@mulesear9200]

Great idea, thanks for sharing

[@frankeversley5541]

Very informative and interesting video! Keep up the good work!

[@JimDoubleYa]

I didn't know you could do a project like this without Milwaukee and Festool power tools?

[@BRICOLAJELISTO]

Buen video buen panel de herramientas. Un saludo.

[@alexandrypena14]

Awesome did you ever make video part two

[@TylerSavin]

Me and my dad call it "ripping an edge" when you blunt the sharp, freshly cut edge.

Thank you for your sharing, could you post the link to Home Depot or Lowes where you got the birch plywood from? There are several options for birch plywood and I would like to choose the one most close with your woods. Thanks

[@delmarwezy8394]

I saw this question below, but didn't see an answer. Sorry if I missed it. How tall did you make your spacer blocks? Great video!

[@BobbyAmoroso]

Your wall looks great and I'm thinking of doing the same in my basement. However, I only have a brick wall and so, in order to cut-down on the number of screws in the brick, I think I would forgo the plywood panel and just add the cleats directly to the brick using Tapcons. What are your (and others') thoughts on many Tapcons into the brick wall? Strong enough? Would they loosen over time? Another option is to use the plywood panel and only use screws for the cleats that stop just before the brick. So, something like an 1.25" screw. Would that be strong enough?

[@andythurs4590]

You could put spacers so that the plywood sticks out from the brick further so you can use longer screws and use thicker plywood to make sure it is strong enough to hold the cleats up.

[@bbasselgia1963]

This was great, I watched a bunch of videos on French Cleats and this is the one I found most helpful. I actually just put the 1st section up in my garage yesterday. I do have a question, what are your thoughts on painting the wall? I can't seem to make up my mind if I want to paint it or leave it as is.

[@christopherwilliams9639]

How much space needs to be between each wall cleat?

[@ChuckMorton]

Depends on how large your hanging cleat. I would put more space between if you wanted to build cleats into the item you are stacking, which is a nice thing.

[@Wohlfe]

Ideally you'd want 2.5" cleats with 3.5" of space between, but you can adjust to your liking and budget.

[@dbrunette2444]

Great job!! 👍 😊

[@NorthernTube]

You put a 20-amp electrical receptacle on a wire that is only meant to handle 15-amps. That has the potential to overheat the wire and cause a fire. You should replace the receptacle with a proper 15-amp one, or run a larger 12-gauge wire. You might know to not overload it, but what happens if you sell your house and the new owner assumes it's wired properly?

[@Stile1121]

Looks like the opposite is true (previous outlet was 15 amp on a 12 gauge wire, obviously not an issue). I could be wrong, but if you look closely it appears that the wire coming into the box is yellow 12 gauge romex.

[@dirtymonty3562]

Breakers protect wires not receptacles. This is perfectly fine

[@seanlucero4240]

Comedy

[@AshtonLudlam]

You’re clearly not an electrician so don’t spout about how it works. You can run a 15AMP device on a 20amp circuit perfectly fine. If you run 20amp devices on 15 amp circuit THEN you will run into problems

[@joeskewes9618]

So you’re saying an outlet that is rated to handle 20 amps can’t handle 15 amps. Just because it’s a 20 amp receptacle doesn’t mean it pulls more amps than the breaker is allowing.

[@billspradlin9619]

Good job. Love it. thanks for the idea.

[@beefmaster_james]

You bet. Thanks for watching!

[@viracocha03]

What is that track you used with the circular saw for the straight cuts?

[@hbrealhousewife2270]

Loved this. 😊

[@kidrockn4vr]

I noticed that glue was holding instantly. What kind/ brand is it? Great video

[@martinn1071]

Thanks so much for sharing this !

[@РабочийМеханизм]

спасибо бро ,что ты есть!!!

[@richgarrison2399]

Great video....where is part 2?

[@ahmedalabri1093]

Great video👍🏻, i’m starting my own home carpentry and this is what i need to organize all the tools, Can I use 18mm MDF instead of plywood?

[@beefmaster_james]

I have not tried MDF. I went with plywood as it seems to be able to sustain more weight and I really liked the natural wood look. Let us know how it goes if you try the MDF.

[@ParaBellum2024]

I wouldn't use MDF for cleats as it's likely to delaminate. In fact, I wouldn't use it for anything. Hateful, dangerous stuff.

[@mattatkinson5187]

I would love to create a French Cleat system, but plywood is still too expensive to justify this right now. Looks great though.

[@sheldonhodges8266]

What is the total distance between the bottom of one cleat to the bottom of the one above it, sine each cleat is based on a 4in board cut at 45 degrees? Looks like you have a quarter of an inch or so of space when you hang an object from the wall.

[@randybates789]

Nice work!!!

[@timdaniels2094]

Thanks!

[@gergemall]

Nice job

[@uhN0id]

How do you like that Wen band saw? I got their 7 1/4 track saw (with a powertech track) and absolutely love it. I want a band saw but can't afford/fit a large band saw so I was considering the Wen.

[@phizz8694]

Fantastic video !!

[@yairacherman]

Great job!

[@wwfera00]

Great build! what species of plywood was used for the outlet cut out? I like the look of the grain.

[@MissTammy]

You have a new sub

[@danielmiller9894]

Bro... you gotta tell me how you teleport like that!

[@valdepenas01]

Looks amazing. What was the dimension of the spacers you used?

[@bsportsgirl19]

the all wood look is so clean looking! Thank you for the inspiration. When are brad nails strong enough for all cleats for all heavy tools? Or should I also use screws?

[@DJMetalstone]

The nails are mostly to hold pieces together while the wood glue dries. When dry wood glue tends to get as strong as the wood and sometimes stronger ( depending on wood type ) then the wood itself. I'm more of a screw user myself , so personally I'd say for heavy stuff use screws. But for simpler lighter stuff nails is perfectly fine.

[@bsportsgirl19]

@@DJMetalstone that is very helpful, thank you for answering my question and helping with that! i appreciate it

[@brandonstrauss]

Great video. Quick question: How "tall" are those spacer blocks or whats the distance from the bottom of 1 cleat to the next?

[@melynckavanoverschelde8360]

I have the same question,did you get any answer?

[@brandonstrauss]

@@melynckavanoverschelde8360No, I ended up using a 2x4 (3.5 inches) spacer block for may wall. Works well for me

[@atheeribrahim9905]

How did you manage the 1/8 blade on the cleat board? How many inches did each board end up being?

[@SonnyRedwood]

Nice French Wall. What do you think about mold behind that mount-wall? Is it a good move adding some spacers to let the air flow betwen wall and mount-wall?

[@agcons]

Given that I live in a humid climate with temperature extremes, would it be advisable either to paint or clear-coat the plywood and cleats?

[@johnfraboni]

Nice! And... where did you get that nice birch 4 x 8 plywood?

[@beefmaster_james]

Got the birch plywood at Home Depot. Recommend a second person to help load it. However, it was about $36 a sheet at the time. Probably double that now...

[@ChuckReynolds]

Did you replace a 15A outlet with a 20A one? I guess it looks like maybe the wire is 12ga but hard to tell.

[@beefmaster_james]

Good catch. I've mentioned it on other posts and you are correct that I switched a 15 for a 20 amp outlet. You are also correct in that this is a 12ga wire on a 20 amp circuit so that change was intentional. Anyone reading this, you need to check the breaker box and make sure you don't put a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit. The opposite, 15 or 20 amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit, is generally up to code.

[@danienteaqualcosa]

wow great job man! one question: what type of nails are you using?30mm is enough? thanksss keep it on!

[@Krusermissile]

Part 2 coming soon?