Avoid These Mistakes I Made with French Cleats

[@timtully8015]

Clinton, I've been using your videos as my bible for building my french cleat system, and it has been invaluable. But you have so many videos, I've found myself losing track of what ideas or techniques are where. this has resulted in me fast-scrolling through the same vids repeatedly. So I finally figured out that I should make a Table of Contents. I've only done a few of your videos, but I thought other guys could use it, and maybe even contribute more. So, hoping it is ok with you, I'd like to share what I got so far. Best wishes. 20+ Simple French Cleat Ideas for Your Tool Storage 1. Skilsaw 2. Dog-bone Wrench holder 3. Chisel holder 4. Orbital Sander 5. Paper towels 6. Glove box 7. Angle Grinder 8. Old time tool box 9. Corner Squares 10. Bar clamp 11. Woodworking Clamps, Stacked 12. Screw boxes 13. Spade Bits, 14. Mallets, hooks 15. Transparent PVC Pipe as storage 16. PVC small tool holder 17. Chunk of pegboard 18. Small simple with nails 19. Beer can holder 20. Tape measure 20 More French Cleat Ideas #9 1. Oscillating Multitool 2. Mobile perpendicular LED Light 3. Bench Cookie Cones 4. Pliers, larger 5. Big PVC Cubby Holes 6. Simple 2-drill Motors 7. Multi-purpose holder 8. Paper plate saw blades 9. Reciprocating Saw (Update) 10. Milk Crate scrap holder 11. T-Post driver 12. Misc Crates for Storage 13. Metal French Cleats 14. Turning Tools, Vertical. Update 15. Over the door Hangers 16. Contour Gage 17. Oil Filter Wrench 18. Save long triangle strips for bumpers, Stirring Sticks 19. Flush Holders 10 Awesome French Cleat Ideas 1. Round cla;mp holdere 2. Brushes 3. Clamps, Two-Level, Updated 4. Screw Box 5. Files, Compact 6. Shelf, V Shaped 7. Fan 8. Spotlights 9. Step Stool 10. Ceiling Installation of Fr. Clts Avoid These Mistakes I Made with French Cleats 1. Don’t use pallets 2. Use screws, not nails, on cleaats 3. Follow consistent size on cleats 4. Shave the tip of the cleat surface 5. Tiny holders come off easily 6. Plywood is beter than wood for most things 7. Make extra slots in your holders 8. Try not to cover up lower cleats with higher ones

[@inspiringbuilds]

Great tips! Best ones are consistent thickness i.e. 3/4” plywood, removing 1/8” or sanding the top sharp edge, and one of my favorites is building in a locking mechanism which works great for lighter/smaller cleats. 👍🏼

[@HW-75]

Thanks for sharing these tips. I got some pallets I was going to tare down and make french cleats to put inside on one my shed walls. you just saved me a lot of headaches. Thanks!

[@EightNinePreservation]

I’m getting ready to build my first cleats. This was exactly the video I needed. I definitely would have made some of the same mistakes!

[@ArmyVet76]

Love the French Cleat series. Keep‘em coming. In the middle of building my new WoodShop and I will be installing French cleats on 3 walls and I love your ideas. 🙏🏼❤️✝️❤️🙏🏼

[@eyeidea]

Clinton, thank you so much for your videos, I think I am doing our garage with way less mistakes! God bless.

[@herbertjohnston4608]

Just started to build my first French cleat wall. enjoyed your video 👍🇬🇧

[@catsmeow5566]

Thanks for the info. I'm wanting to use french cleats for wall cabinets that I will be building for my bathroom.

[@scottsachs2547]

Short, Sweet and to the point! Love it!!!!!!!! Thank you!!

[@inspiringbuilds]

Yes, and life is too short so it’s important to learn from other’s mistakes and take tips along the way. 👍🏼

[@SpecificLove7]

Thank you Scott

[@UDoIt2]

Almost ready to start this french cleat project.

[@TheLovelyMissBeans]

I love all your French cleat ideas. I am currently working on ideas for a French cleat wall for my closet.

[@SpecificLove7]

Very nice

[@tonydewberry3633]

Thanks. I was just about to set up my workshop with pallet wood cleats.

[@grahamcohen3850]

Nice. I always enjoy watching your videos. Thanks for these great tips.

[@claytoy123]

absolutely helpful tips. thanks.

[@tomhargreaves8820]

Good stuff, as usual. I've saved most of your French cleat videos and refer to them frequently. In making cleats the other day I made a painful discovery, though. While running cleats through the table saw to trim off the sharp edge, I was periodically getting tiny spears thrown painfully at my face and arms by the blade, which was raised a little above the sharp edge of the cleat. I discovered that if the edge of the cleat extends just a tiny bit past the blade as it is cutting, a sliver is cut off and goes whizzing off at high speed, sometimes along the table, sometimes at a faceward angle. I was wearing my PPE and standing to the side, but the spears were stinging my hand and arms and bouncing off my glasses. I had set the fence to cut off less than the blade width, but apparently a couple of the cut cleats were a little wider. Next time I will raise the blade higher so the teeth are cutting at a more downward angle and hope that solves the problem.

[@SpecificLove7]

That definitely sounds painful. I hope your modification works well. Thank you for letting us know.

[@larrystone5749]

Good video thx for sharing enjoyed it Thx for the tips

[@alohaIslandersLuau]

Good advice!

[@inspiringbuilds]

Agreed 💯👍🏼

[@jasonwright6821]

Year old video hope your still checking comments. So I am about to begin a shop that uses primarily all reclaimed pallets and pallet wood including my workbench and my next project French cleats. My idea was to just get them all to the same thickness. I had many ideas from hand planing all the way up to making a router sled or just buying a thicknesser. If you could get all the pallet wood to the same thickness, do you think it would work then? Thanks for reading my message. Hopefully respond

[@SpecificLove7]

As long as the pallet wood was good quality and in good shape, I would think it could be used as long as it was the same thickness. Just remember that the thickness of the wood is part of what gives it its strength.

[@btd2516]

Mistakes are necessary for us to learn from, and be inspired to be more creative.

[@SwapnilBhartiya]

Thanks. What's the ideal width (not thickness) of cleats (I see 2.5 a lot) and what should be the gap between two cleats?

[@inspiringbuilds]

The ideal width is 2.5” and for spacing I simply use a small scrap 2x4 so 3.5”. I hope this helps as I’ve installed a lot of French cleats. 👍🏼

[@SpecificLove7]

The Gap is completely up to you, just keep it big enough so that you can take your holders on and off easily. When it comes to the size of the wall cleats, that varies among people depending on the material they use. I like to use 1x4 pine boards which means the size will be between 3 and 3 1/2 inches. That way I can have two screws at each stud. But other people use different sizes.

[@SwapnilBhartiya]

@@SpecificLove7 Thanks. After doing some maths, I concur with your suggestion of 1x4 as it gives enough strength + optimum space on wall. Thanks a lot for great videos and suggestions!

[@shirleyboberg84]

thank you

[@Max-kn9yi]

Can I use mdf?

[@SpecificLove7]

I would not

[@JG24AJ]

♥️👍🏻😎🙏🏻