French Cleats

[Anthony Whitesell]

I am thinking about building a set of storage cubbies and installing them on a french cleat. In this way I can move or reorder them as well as make them custom sized for what ever they are storing. Such as one specifically designed to hold sandpaper and another customized to organize bandsaw blades.

I have seen the french cleat in pictures but until now never had the need to give them more than a cursory glance. What are they typically made of? How much weight can they hold (given 2x4 studs 16"OC.).

[glenn bradley]

Most things in my shop are mounted on french cleats. One wall has them running the whole length of the wall at three heights. I use 3/4" shop ply cut at a 45* angle. I have hundreds of pounds hanging from studs on 16" centers.

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[Jeff Fondaw]

I make mine from 3/4 ply, cut at 45 degrees and attached to studs. The can hold a lot of weight depending on how you build your attachments.

[Bill Conerly]

I've had my french cleat system up about a month, and no overload yet. No wobble at all, so I think they can hold a lot. I've already re-arranged things several times. Unlike Glenn's pretty pictures, I just threw tool holders together from whatever piece of scrap looked about the right size. When I make a mistake or change my mind, no great loss.

[Frederick Skelly]

I used 3/4" pine, about 4" wide and cut at 45*. It's been up several years with a fair bit of weight and no problems so far. I really like the ability to easily rearrange things.

[Robert Parent]

I use baltic birch, 3/4 inch, about 3 1/2 inches wide. Currently have my kitchen cabinets and also shop cabinets mounted to the wall using this system, works very well.

Robert

[Stan Calow]

For the shop and garage, I just use whatever scrap pieces I have. If you rip a wide piece with a bevel cut, you have the two mating pieces at a matching angle.

[Anthony Whitesell]

For you heavy hitters (hangers). What did you use for screws? My first thought was 1/4" lags, but the hex head would be proud. Looking for options and opinions. What else do you recommend?

[Art Mann]

I used 2-1/2" deck screws, two each on every stud. If you hang enough stuff on your cleats that those screws might fail, then you are at risk of collapsing the entire wall.

[Charles Taylor]

For you heavy hitters (hangers). What did you use for screws? My first thought was 1/4" lags, but the hex head would be proud. Looking for options and opinions. What else do you recommend?
I have used 1/4" lags in oak cleats, countersinking for the heads. I followed up after hanging the cabinets with GRK "Rugged Structural Screws" through the cabinet back and the cabinet cleat. The screws would have worked as well as the lags in the wall cleats.

[glenn bradley]

For you heavy hitters (hangers). What did you use for screws? My first thought was 1/4" lags, but the hex head would be proud. Looking for options and opinions. What else do you recommend?

Mc Feely #10 x 3-1/2" flat head woodscrews. I don't know about the McFeely product now that Grainger's has made their presence known (narrowed offerings and so forth) but, I also use them for my horizontal lumber storage without issue. Again, into studs on 16" centers.

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