Five Mistakes When Building My French Cleat Tool Wall!

[@CharlesSmithOrg]

I wish more people would share their mistakes because I sure do make all of them. Thank you!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Mistakes, make us all better!

[@jerbear7952]

I laughed fairly hard about gluing it to the wall. It's like he read my diary from the future.

[@JFKreations]

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!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks a bunch! Your watching and commenting is much appreciated!

[@mikemarino7806]

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!

[@pnwgrown_360]

I’m about to make my first cleat wall, this video did help my confidence a bit

[@DarksouIjah]

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.

[@danmyers8666]

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

[@lastingbuild1373]

Great! Glad to help!

[@timdavis2220]

I so appreciate folks who share their mistakes to save the rest of us the trouble of doing the same. Thanks.

[@lastingbuild1373]

👍

[@jaroncscott]

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.

[@akbychoice]

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.

[@tednottodd]

Takes a stand up person to point out their own mistakes....thanks for sharing yours so we can avoid wasting our time and material.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching!

[@robertmcclenning5696]

Most of my projects have more than 5 mistakes. Thanks for sharing.

[@lastingbuild1373]

That’s true of everyone, I think. If I made a video, “36 mistakes” I’m sure no one would watch lol!😂

[@PedramBastan]

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.

[@rollingthunder4599]

You learn by doing

[@natishamullis-brooks5715]

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!

[@MaBeSlovakia]

There is a chinese saying: A wise man makes 7 mistakes each day. (We, ordinary men, make much more)

[@themightysquid]

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.

[@ifscottcanyoucan]

Good info. Always helpful when folks are willing to point out their mistakes so the rest of us can learn.

[@Esiddik]

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

[@jeffkingery2562]

Getting ready to build some French cleats and I appreciate the tips.

[@socalboilervsg5477]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad it helped!

[@privateuploads-geo2625]

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

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@tommac5411]

Great video. editing, clarity, helpfulness. Thank you!!

[@thriftwoods]

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.

[@takeniteasyfriend]

Saved me time. Ready to make my tool holders flawlessly. Thanks for taking the time.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad I can help! Thanks for watching!

[@mergalinpillay2413]

Thank you for your honesty especially helpful tips for newbies.

[@socal33]

Much appreciated for the heads up. I’ll be using this video before I start.

[@ecospider5]

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.

[@1pcfred]

If you're in an earthquake area you have to relocate to somewhere safe.

[@flyingwoodshop1545]

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!

[@markb27]

Nice explaination of do's and dont's of a French Cleat system

[@5zwoodworks]

This is how we grow as a community. Thank you for the information.

[@experimentaldream4101]

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.

[@rickmunn7356]

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.

[@TV-gy1nf]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and your mistakes!

[@terryadamson8447]

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 KZbin can do.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Awesome! Thanks for watching and sharing!

[@hambone4402]

Man, what a useful video. I can see myself making all of those mistakes simultaneously. Thanks for sharing.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad you like! Thanks for watching!

[@rosswilliams3111]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@dwainlambrigger3769]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Yes sir! Thanks for watching!

[@matto.1074]

Gluing it to the wall... 😂 OH I would SO do that!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the tip! Great video.

[@jonnymo4728]

I admire the effort & honesty. Well done. 10+ stars.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thank you!

[@furkanozcan77]

Thank you for sharing these valuable experiences

[@767DR]

Usually I have to learn from my own mistakes. Thanks for letting us learn from yours. Subscribing

[@lastingbuild1373]

One reason I started the channel was to learn from each other.

[@larrykostopulos1332]

I’m just about to refurbish my workshop and am moving to French cleats. Very handy tips, thanks very much.

[@mzdemetria8332]

I loved this and your shop has given me so many organizational ideas!!

[@RickMaxon]

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.

[@kazykamakaze131]

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.

[@SiamWoodShop]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@cheppyrinalzi721]

Thanks for your kindness clever man🙏🙏👍🏻

[@francisvazquez13]

Your honesty is true teaching...Thanks 🤗

[@Mark-rk3pm]

Learned a lot. Thanks, brother!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad it was helpful!

[@WCW4469]

Thanks for the tips! I am going to be adding french cleats to my shop in the garage. Very helpful.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Great! Glad you like!

[@pruhsnna908]

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! 👍🙏

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad it was helpful!

[@woodsniffer]

Repetition is the key to good learning ...Very good Video short to the point, informative and honest.

[@Philhoppermiller]

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.

[@BedfordJoshua]

Love the french cleat system! Good to see mistakes so we can avoid them.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Yes sir! Thanks for watching Joshua!

[@mnfiveoh]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

You won’t regret it!

[@Stofpad73]

Thanks...very helpful. You may consider a dowel peg insert to lock your cleats.

[@lastingbuild1373]

That's a great idea!

[@abad_gtr1123]

this was helpful...as i'm looking to build my first tool wall soon. thank you!

[@johnvatistas6569]

Thank you for the tips. I will avoid this while building mine.

[@paulrogers1659]

Even 4 years later 😊 informative!

[@mattthompson6439]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching. Lot of interest in locking cleats!

[@TR4zest]

A cam was what I was thinking ...

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for sharing

[@Belg1970]

I like to learn something new every day. So keep them coming.

[@w4shep]

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 🙂

[@dirkdaddy2]

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

[@obamania2009]

Looks great. Moving into a new house and half the basement is unfinished. Will def put that system up!

[@lastingbuild1373]

👍thanks for watching!

[@dwaynejoleun4476]

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.

[@dcslapout5697]

Found me a shop/ shed being delivered next week. Looking forward to using the system

[@lastingbuild1373]

Awesome David! Be sure to share some pictures with us!

[@1dayhabit]

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!

[@jakenkid]

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. 👍

[@rebeccacardy6070]

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!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Rebecca Cardy glad it helps!

[@pourquoi7983]

Lesson learnt! Thanks a lot!!

[@lastingbuild1373]

You are welcome!

[@rosewalters6023]

Love this video! Really great when someone share their mistakes to help us who isn't nearly as advanced. Thanks!

[@MA-dg1qr]

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.

[@thefilthelement]

As much as I use mine, I never considered making stock shelves for the top. Thank you!

[@as7river]

Piece of advice, don't glue any spacers you add to your French cleat projects. You may want to remove them in the future and glue makes that awfully complicated.

[@jameslyons3306]

#2, 3 & 4 are the ones that got me last year when I built. Gonna redo now,.. thx!

[@karlpoulin3938]

Learn lots, thank you!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bryancrawford3498]

Thank you! I’ll let you know when I come up with #6 7,8,9.....

[@lastingbuild1373]

😂thanks for watching!

[@bjorn980]

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.

[@MrChewy63]

I appreciate your video. I’m about to make mine and this is helpful!

[@gscompton1965]

TY for the video brother helped me out a ton ...gettin rdy to french cleat a wall,earned a sub keep up the great job

[@lastingbuild1373]

I have a playlist on French cleats on my channel page and I still have a few videos left to post to finish off the series. Thanks for watching and subbing!

[@christophercastor6666]

Second your Sub, Greg.

[@rduckster4727]

Excellent information

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks!

[@tommac5411]

Great video! Thank you.

[@LTDWoodworks]

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 👍

[@lastingbuild1373]

Sure thing!

[@Critter145]

What a beautiful shop! I’m jealous😂

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thank you very much!

[@edzahra1193]

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!

[@keithrayeski6417]

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!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Welcome! You might like the plane till!

[@keithrayeski6417]

LastingBuild I’m going to check that out!!😁

[@billyjay4672]

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.

[@shanesmaineshop]

Great tips.

[@ronniesolomon5235]

Good advice, I am wanting to make a French cleat system for my little shop

[@classicalguitarstudent9562]

Some really good tips.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad it’s helpful

[@designer-garb572]

Very good advice, glad I found this before I start making mine. many thanks

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad you like! Thanks!

[@ralphlivingston894]

Thank you for that video. I feel confident that I would’ve made at least four of those mistakes!

[@william6171]

Another thing I see people mention, is to cut a couple of millimeters off of the bottom of the tool-cleat. As dust collects between the wall cleats and the wall, that might prevent the tool-cleat to fall down nicely into that space. Cutting away just a bit of material solves this.

[@ecospider5]

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.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for sharing!

[@uncut_cowboy]

Great information here, thanks buddy

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad its helpful! Thanks for watching and leaving a comment!

[@Frettedchaos]

I appreciate your honesty by sharing your mistakes. You have a new sub.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching and welcome to my channel!

[@davethepak]

Great video, thanks for sharing. Good info, excellent production quality, good volume etc. very useful.

[@lastingbuild1373]

I really appreciate your comment!

[@lastingbuild1373]

I really appreciate your comment!

[@TxWordRiot]

Great video! I’ve made three of those mistakes. 😬

[@lastingbuild1373]

Glad I’m not the only one!

[@BronkBuilt]

Nice tips, thanks for sharing.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching!

[@miketween8528]

Great stuff man!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks! Glad you like!

[@samehdarawshi3537]

very helpful and subscribed to your channel.thanks

[@robinalexander5772]

Enjoyed the video. Cheers from Tasmania

[@muddysledge]

This is great advice. I want to do this in my new tool shed. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and talent.

[@lastingbuild1373]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@fb510m]

First watch; liked and subscribed. Thank you for the information!

[@lastingbuild1373]

Great! Welcome!

[@jameswalsh4056]

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.

[@nanahodge4845]

Thanks thats the kind of stuff we need to know.

[@bruceotruba3324]

Good advice, thanks!