Great idea! Instead of dowels; however, I am going to use some of the used ammunition casings I have laying around. No cutting required and they already have a built in grove for me to grab and pull.
i use a knob on the front connected to a half disc in the back so when you turn the half disc up it locks it really tight there is no movement whatsoever turn the knob 180 degrees and you can take it of or slide it its really neat and works like a charm plus its not really that hard to make
What I love more than either option is how you brought this into your channel. Collaboration is king in any creative process and making time and effort to mention other ideas is fantastic. I can't say how many times I have researched multiple solutions/designs only to be blown away by a new a approach I never considered. Mad respect. p.s. the Instagram link in your TH-cam profile might be broken
I feel ya, every time I think I’ve figured it out I stumble across an even more ingenious and simplified method. Never ceases to amaze me haha Thanks for the comment and the IG heads up!!
Hallelujah Jim, I agree the biggest take away for me is a respectful collaboration in public. Everything we do in pubic is part of a job interview in a way, and these two videos have convinced me that this is a man worth doing business with. My second biggest take away is that personally I'm going to pick the ease of use of the visible dowels over the smooth aesthetics of the hidden square cleat any day. My third take away is that I now have more designs in my knowledge base, so I'm better able to propose alternatives to friends or clients.
It's the cirrrrrcle of wooooooodworking lol honestly I like the idea that this isn't an original idea and all I did is resurface something forgotten, there's a poetry to that I think
similar to fashion...or art. as we try to construct something useful on top of the original genius. Since I have started woodworking I get so fired up to organize my shop. The thing I love is that its a flexible creative process that allows any ideas. A lost art, but will be found soon.
I definitely prefer the dowels, however I don't really see a need for two. Just one at the top center should be enough. In fact, a dowel with a knob would be perfect.
As strange as it may sound, using the dowel method actually made it look like a piece of furniture. To me any way. You know how they use dowel plugs to hide screws in furniture and it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye. That's how I saw those. Both ideas are great. Thank you for sharing these ideas (I watched both videos). You have a new subscriber.
Love the single dowel idea, and a small screw that goes into the wall cleat works great, too. Don’t forget that you can also insert the dowel just below the wall cleat to accomplish the same thing-more options if a fixture prevents one method or a person has French cleats with a wider spacing.
When I saw the start of the other video, the first thing that popped into my head was just to use a screw, then next thing to come to mind was to us a bit of hangar with one end twisted into a semi circle so you have a handle to grab, and a slightly undersized hole predrilled so friction keeps it in place. I think the dowel has the potential of being much prettier, but the bit of rod would seem to work as long as it is close to the enough to the bottom of a cleat so there is no room to bend.
That's just........super simple and smart. Bonus points if you're a golfer too because then you're adding some of that aesthetic to your shop. I dig it Zio, thanks for sharing!
I used your idea! I built a single 4' cleat setup in the basement, and three 15" square 1x4 frames to hold golf bags upright. Locked the cleats/bag frames in place with tees. My wife thought it was funny, and ironic considering we have two, one gallon ziplocs full of them.
I love watching human ingenuity, reduced to its most simplest (and eye pleasing) forms:) The best is seeing everyone come together to share ideas and brainstorm. and of course the comment section bellow! btw, ammo casings is an amazeballs idea! and never, "too sexy."
Go a step further on the dowel method and make them out of a darker wood. Make them stand out and be a feature on each piece. I think it'd look cool. It'd sort of be like making screw hole plugs on a piece of furniture, from a darker/lighter wood, to accentuate them as a feature.
Hey @Craftswright I found your French Cleat videos searching for exactly this kind of problem. I really liked your first video with your keys. And I am absolutely loving the fact, that you take suggestions of your community and show it to all of us. That is just great!!! Greetings from Germany.
This is cool; another advantage of the dowel method is that you can cut it long, and you now have a post to hang even more stuff, like cords, accessories, etc.
I must say, after having watched your first video, this dowel method seems ever so much easier! For a shop project, seamless appearance isn't as important to me. Plus, I would think that having the slot cut in the fixture backing so you can reach behind & get the key (as per your first video) detracts from a seamless look anyway. Unless I just missed something, of course, with that. Anyway, thank you for showing this updated version. I'll definitely keep this for when I do french cleats. Hope you have a great day!
I have been looking at mass producing so i can upgrade my toolboard, and the best I've come up with and it works, is: 1-Saw the dowel in the middle just enough of a cut to embed/lay down a brad that is trimmed to stick 3mm on each side of dowel, if you can saw on the edges and leave the center alone, the sawed part is to nail the brad tru (like a targetting channel if you use the nailer that leaves some meat). Or saw straight lay it down on the cut and go to nº3. 2-Put the brad nail straight tru the dowel near the edge. 3- Add some epoxy on top of the brad/pin/wire and make sure it coats enough of the channel, sand a bit. If you didn't leave the center add a couple staples (just make sure they stay as embedded in the wood as possbile - this might be necessary for bigger diameters mine are small, so i added 1 on the prototype, didn't trust the epoxy) 4- Draw the Diameter of the dowel + the nail sticking out (about 6mm total) to the back of the fixture by carving a relief cut of that size +1mm extra or so (i used a rotary tool/dremel type with the router head- don't need to be pretty is just deep enough to hide the nail tips when you pull, leaving the back of the fixture flat) 5-Add a pull tab or a screw with the hook end/eyelet on the outside of the dowel. PS:I used a circle cut out of some plastic i had on hand instead of making the dowel like a bench dog, just glued and then the hook screw on outside. Creates a flat positive stop, not necessay if the cleat bottoms out as it should, its more for when you move it around so the dowel stays captive, and i don't plan on removing them. My shop is not fancy, if its cheap and it works it leads. -------------------------------------- I think thats it for me on this one, its simple, cheap, and uses minimal materials to get the job done. Craftswright, you probably can come up with something a bit more elegant. Hope this helps everyone to upgrade.
Awesome breakdown and attention to detail MC! I never would have thought to make the dowel key captured in some way (otherwise I would have included it in the video) so that alone makes your comments worth their weight. Don't go anywhere, we need minds like yours in this community! Cheers friend
@@Craftswright Thank you for the kind words, hope more people see it and find it useful. I'll be glad if someone makes a video with this method, just so its out there (video tutorials are not my thing). I'm super happy with this, already made a bunch of new locks for what i have and now, no more falling tools. I did have to beef up and double on the dowels and a stronger pin for a heavy tool holder and i'm going to make some of mine like yours extending longer than i need so i have a bit more room to put the dowel locks in, that way i can lock it up or down from the tool like yours. Cheers.
I like Jeff's suggestion. And your take on it. The shape makes total sense and blends with the hat and coat hanger. It will also work if you make a caddy with dowels to hang tools or tape or wire. The dowel makes total sense, ease of use and produce. Metal threaded would give an industrial feel, wood gives it a natural feel.
I think both are very valid improvements. I will be incorporating both in my new wall. The key in the back is nice for semi permanent fixtures while the dowel method is nice for fixtures that might move or slide occasionally. Well done
Scrapwood backer is good but if you also increase drill press rpm you'll get less blowout. Faster is almost always better when dealing with wood. I only ever slow down my rpms when drilling metal with larger bits. Also, good on you for sharing this improvement! Awesome!
my son and I are about to upgrade the basement shop. cleats with pins looks to be the way for us. not sure yet why two are needed, at least on a narrow or small fixture. thanks for all the tips and ideas. makers make great stuff, are profoundly good at problem solving, and I so enjoy the creativity I see on so many maker's channels. maybe use the scored dowel pins commonly used in making dowel joints. and, a bench dog and a sharp handsaw might be as quick, less noise, and even safer.
Damn. That is a pretty great solution to a common problem. I like it. Thanks for show-casing it in detail, even though you didn't come up with it yourself. That just shows how great of a guy you are. Proper attribution is also a valuable skill.
Been watching tons of videos on french cleat systems, I'm going this direction, both lock ideas are cool, I think the dowels will require less work. Thanks for the time you put into your videos.
You sir got a subscription from me...I've been debating on French cleats for my garage but like you stated, have concerns about them falling off...I love the dowel idea and am going to pull thr trigger on my new storage solution. Thanks bud
Genius! If you want to keep the dowels flush with the face of the cleat just drill a small hole in the center and run a screw into it, then remove the screw. make a small knob with the same screw protruding, and just a turn or two into a dowel should be enough to grab and pull it out. I like the idea of walnut, or stained dark for contrast too. Slick idea!
I watched both of your locking cleats in the correct succession (shear dumb luck on my part) and locked both of the ideas. I will be using both on my french cleat wall! Great stuff, love that you created another based off Jeff's idea and suggestion. Got my Sub and like just off the open collaboration. Keep up the great work and thanks for the perfect keys for my wall!
This dowel method is the best I've seen. It's simple, very easy, very cheap, and completely effective. And honestly, you don't even need to add the grip relief to the ends, just make sure that enough of the ends sticks up to grab them with fingers or a pair of pliers. I also don't think the dowels break up the clean look of the fixtures. They're an extra surface detail, to be sure, but adding a little detail doesn't necessarily make a workpiece look cluttered or less clean. Often those little details add to the aesthetics of a piece. So I like the dowels sticking out as a decorative detail.
Just ran across your site and had to review both your videos on using french cleats. Am in the process of remodeling my shop after 20+ years and feel french cleats will really clean up my wall-space. Anyway, I liked both videos, but after watching the first I got to thinking about coming up with a simpler locking system. Too late. Jeff already figured out a simple, elegant system that I like. My comments are that while I like the wooden pins, I think for me I will cut them to a standard length [need to set up a cutoff jig as I will need dozens of these plugs - 2 per fixture], add the shallow cuts at one end for pulling on them and then stain them prior to using. A dark or contrasting color stain will add, I think, a nice contrast to the multiple and various sized fixtures back plates. As noted, I expect to make several dozen fixtures and to make the plugs look aesthetically pleasing [with or without staining], and I should also make a simple drilling jig to fit over the corner in order to place the holes the same distance from the two adjacent sides on all the fixture back plates. A benefit of using your layout overlapping the bottom of the horizontal slat above the one the fixture is hanging on. Looking forward to reviewing your other videos soon.
About 8 years ago I used metal 1 1/2-in Floor Edge (the stuff used to cover the transition gap at a door and carpet ) as french cleats. Found it better looking than wood and able to hold a lot of weight. I found using a simple wood screw like you used the dowel was the easiest way to lock fixtures
Throwing ideas off one another is awesome! Personally, I do not mind Jeff’s idea, with your spin on it, using only one dowel in the centre, instead of two. Great stuff guys 👌😇🤌
This and its companion video about making French cleats are so informative! I was wondering what would happen with just one dowel key in the middle? The fixture can't rack with one key holding it down. Do we really need two? Thanks for both of these videos, and I agree collaboration and learning from each other is essential. These 2 vids got me to subscribe. Thanks!
Hi. Many thanks for sharing. I followed your cleat board instructions and I'm so happy with the results The pins locks are better. In the end, we are dealing with tool hanging not an art exhibition. Thanks again for taking the time to teach us.
Great idea! Thanks! It’s amazing how such brilliant “why didn’t I think of that” solutions can be so simple after someone points you in the right direction! If you don’t want the pins to show so prominently, put them against a lower cleat. They don’t need to be equidistant or even on the same cleat. Just set them to accommodate the tools you expect to hang on them.
Excellent share!! I am bldg my wall now so timing is great. I really like the dowl. Reason...just like when you are bldg a table etc and you have your dowl or dove tail stained a different color to show it...that is what I want to do w the dowels. Accent color of my shop or the wood itself.
Getting ready to make my wall, and I am thinking of some kind of off set circle lock. Maybe through the backing board of the tool holder or on the side somehow. Going to play with that idea as no one has seemed to try that yet. Great vid by the way!!!
Well heck, I have been kind of putting off doing a full cleat wall but this comment and these videos. Heck yeah. No reason you can't make it look good too.
Hey, I saw your previous video and even the idea was good I also thought it was a bit too much work, now you really got it simplified mate, congrats never give up! I'll use it for sure 😉👍
I definitely love the look of this! Only downside is that it requires every holder to be taller--rendering that top bar useless to hang even more things. I agree with some other commentors that locking it on the same bar (bottom flat side of the cleat) would be better.
Wonder if a cam like lock might work something moved by magnet or wood key but removable leaving the cam in place. The key is used to unlock as well all from the front face with a cam mechanism on the back
I prefer the look of the dowels! Like it much better then hidden. This is after all in a workshop on a slat wall. I am impressed how when some woke gave you a suggestion you were quick to expand on it but not ignore it. Thanks for sharing. You made a subscriber out of me.
Just found and subscribed to your channel. Living in an earthquake zone (Victoria, BC) one of my concerns has been how to keep my french cleat fixtures from potentially popping off the wall if a mild tremor occurs (nevermind the Big One). I think either your key or dowel system would help, thanks! Now to find a convenient way to keep the tools on the fixtures...
Welcome fellow Canadian! (I'm dual citizen, family is from mostly Alberta, but I have some living in Victoria as well). I haven't started to tackle tool locks on the cleats yet, but that does sound like an interesting challenge..... Cheers!
@@Craftswright always nice to chat with another Canuck!. Keep up the good work, looking forward to more videos. PS nice touch adding the math descriptions, it’s an overlooked detail.
I like it! You could also use a square peg in the same way (kinda like a mortise and tenon), but it's harder to make a square hole unless you have one of those special square drills. But if you wanted to stay with right angles and the square look, it's an option. I think I'll try the dowel method though. And maybe stain them a contrasting color for a neat look.
Hahaha I need to get my hands on one of those special square bits (or a mortising machine in general) If you can beat em, join em! Or in this case stain them. I like it!
with the cleat running all the way along the back, you really only need one locking pin in the middle (or anywhere really), since the cleat can't rotate. it'll rack a little bit because of the tolerances, but won't come out.
@@Craftswright Hadn't seen this video when commented on the other one, but i was experimenting with the one i have, and found something that works better than just pulling it out, a piece of metal on the inside tip of the dowel, a flat piece or a nail sideways on the very tip to form a T or an L, make enough relief on the fixtures back for it to lay flat once you pull the dowel outwards, and that way it never gets lost or falls off. Its not much work and it gets the button lock effect. a bit like those old car door locks that you had to pull up.
@@Craftswright Thats what i used to test and it seems plenty, just make sure to not use a very long one so its less work carving, since you have to carve all around in case it twists. I'm playing with the idea of screwing a hook screw or whatever they are called so i can hang something from it and still use it to pull. Will depend on application. But this seems like a solid way to go. Can't think of a single thing that needs improving.
I like the peg better. I wasn't crazy about the look of the slit and seemed a little awkward to get in and out. But, seemed worth being able to lock. The pegs look good to me. BTW your video is my absolute fav for diy french cleats thus far and believe me I have watched quite a few. Thanks.
I like the pins, seems simple enough. However, my first thought on this is to integrate the pin with a pull or push button effect which you don't need to fully remove to operate the locking mechanism. Something that like a one inch dowel that you can turn a quarter turn and it locks the hanger? I can't yet visualize this mechanism, but I'm still thinking about it. A sliding bar accessible from the front on angle to the wall that you can just slip in and out, moving about two inches? It doesn't have to be thick- it could be a flexible thin piece, like a paint stick, that slide in a slit in front... lots of different approaches to this. Got it! Below the area that needs "locking" is the back of the cleat from which the panel is mounted and there is room to cut into this and create a zone for which you can make a latch lock.The pin is only used to turn a hooked sliding bar upward that has a gravity latch, basically a shim with an exaggerated back stop that catches on the support cleat's top end, to act as the locking mechanism, very simple to make, and would slide along straight paths not hard to batch out for everything.
I like the idea of French cleats, they help to stay organized and keep your tools available and visible. Out of sight out of mind! The cleat key is also a good idea. The last thing you need is something coming off your beautiful wall when you're on a roll focused on a project when you grab something quick. How about a dowel key which uses a cutout piece from the top of the cleat. When turned 90 degrees swivels the cutout up to lock in its respective cleated unit. Turn back 90 degrees unlocks the unit to be moved. This approach is a safety feature used in kids' toys, for unpacking the toy, the battery compartment, this is so small pieces aren't lost or come loose. This would avoid a lot of trouble like spilling your coffee when the cup gets stuck in your cleated cup holder and the unit is pulled from the wall at the same time.
I really love how this community comes out and shares all of their great ideas. Really neat to see different minds work and you're no exception to that Paul, thanks for the feedback!
Hey, Merry Christmas. I watched your original locking Freedom-Cleat system when you posted it... and now this one from Jeff R. Frankly both have their advantages and disadvantages. I like yours because it doesn't provide the eye anywhere to note something "sticking out." I like his because it solves a potential problem with a minor nit about dowels sticking out (this time literally). In my head (which means I want to imagine it, but my hands lack the skill to transfer it to wood exactly as I envision it yet) I would like a hanger system that prevents both vertical motion (both your solutions solve that) AND ALSO horizontal motion. If I reach for an item in a Freedom-Cleat mounted box I don't expect that box to move with my swiping motion... This could be solved by making the underside of the upper wall-mount piece... instead of being straight... being a bunch of upside-down half-holes. The "Jeff R Dowels" would then fit partially in them, still preventing upward (vertical movement), and also preventing side to side (horizontal) movement. While that would limit where on a mount a shelf might go from infinite 1/10000th" slots to N slots... it would make the cleat system more like a conventional shelf that doesn't move up, down, left, or right, until and unless you remove the dowels. Bonus thought: You will now know the interdowel-spacing so you can create "handles" that are a horizontal piece that have two or more dowels. Insert dowel, move hanging piece right or left untl handle goes all the way in... piece is now horizontally+vertically locked and instead of two sticking out dowels with a "fingernail grab" cutout, there's a real handle. Probably I've spent more time explaining it than it would take to make one, but of course batching this is the bear. The amount of time to cut the half-holes in the bottom of the hanger above... would be the part of the process that could be improved... Maybe Rob Cosman has a jig for that... [respectfully!] Ehud Gavron Tucson AZ US Helicopter pilot who does what he dreams Woodworker who dreams amazing things and makes refrigerator art in the shop
I’m looking to have my cleats further apart so I will probably be putting the pins/ keys below the wall cleat. I’ve been wondering how to keep stuff on the wall! Love it, thank you!
Another idea you might consider, is to use dowels that go into pre-drilled holes in in the cleat. If you do that, you won’t need both a cleat below, and a cleat above to hold it in place. Or, alternately, a dowel pinning it below the cleat.
I'm a little late to this party, and a new subscriber but these are all great ideas and something I'm going to try setting up in my "new shop" that I'm constructing. Thx.
I like it! I particularly like the half-moon cam idea as expressed further down in the comments. I'd also put a kerf into the visible end of the dowel oriented vertically when the cam is in the locked position. Since vertical is also the fully open position (180 degrees away) you can write two letters with a Sharpie on either side of the kerf to denote the locked position. "L | L" or "U | P" would work for this. The kerf can then be "keyed" with a wide-bladed screwdriver if it ever becomes too tight to turn by hand.
There are many options here, I made a similar suggestions to Jeff’s last time. Regardless, something soft like rubber or cork or a spring clip or maybe even cardboard on the back as the lock where it resisted but did not inhibit the removal of the fixture would be great. Then again if we put a rabbet on the lower part of the bottom wall part and a lip on the cleat so you had to push up and pull out at the same time may work as well. Personally I like the dowels where needed. Thanks, love these videos.
At 0:29 the unit on the right has a cut out for a separate key to slide into, but my thought is to make the key sit in the cut out. Then fit the key flush to the front of the slot and drill a hole into the top edge through both parts. Then insert a pin for the key to pivot on. Press on the right side of the pivot to lock and the left side of the pivot to unlock. This method has no parts to lose.
I just subscribed, so I'm kind of new here, but I really enjoyed the video and am sort transfixed by this topic. I've used French cleats for a number of projects (although I don't have a wall full of them yet) and I've never given the idea of a key any thought at all, so I'm really grateful to have that as an option from now on. It would certainly add a lot of security to hanging fixtures. My suggestion (still untried, as it is minutes old) is based on a something I ran across some months ago while looking for a way to make some little locking buckles for utility straps - something that would be easy to unlatch with one hand. In my musings, I went back to a simple spring latch in a necklace box clasp that I'd seen. It could be modified very simply to fit onto the key slid in from the side, or possibly on the dowel. It would just take a little fiddling to adapt it to the latter. All you need is a short piece of spring steel with a slight bend at one end where it is attached to the key. The spring sticks up at an angle and bends again just at the end of the key. As you slide the key into its channel behind the fixture, the spring compresses and holds the key in place. If you pierce the spring, say, half an inch from the end and insert a small screw head in the spring that would pop into a small hole in the back of the fixture, the key stays in place and still allows you to slide the whole back and forth across the cleat. To release it, you just push down on the small bit of spring that protrudes at the end, the screw is recessed, and you can pull the key out. The spring just needs a small, decorative knob and a bit of a channel in the key to lay down in, allowing the screw head enough clearance for withdrawal. An alternative would be to just leave a hole in the fixture where the locking screw head sits, and you can use any kind of pin to push it down as you withdraw the key. There is lots of room for variations, but the overall idea eliminates a need for a long key the full width of the fixture. A knob on the end of the key or on the spring itself would fit into the gap behind an adjoining fixture butted against the first one, and that could be made out of a small wooden bead about the same diameter as the key's width. The spring steel wouldn't necessarily need to be annealed or anything for such simple bends, and a pin hole for the release would barely be noticeable. Anyway, it would be something to mess around with, and making a release mechanism would not add a whole lot of work to making a key. Several could be made at once with a simple jig for marking the locations of a screw or two, and the channel for the spring could be cut with a narrow chisel in no time at all.
What about countersinking a screw and then being able to cover the head with wood filler? You could then make it flush to be able to remove with a magnet, but it would blend in. Or you could also just put the screw in from the back side...as long as it was close enough the the surface to attracted to the magnet.
DUDE YOU TOOK THIS TO A WAY HIGHER LEVEL THAN I EVER WOULD HAVE.... I LIKE IT I LIKE IT I LIKE IT !!!! MAYBE PUT A STRING ON THE DOWELS DO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU REMOVE THEM... OR PUT A PIECE OF METAL IN ONE END AND HAVE A MAGNET TO HANG THE DOWELS WHEN YOU REMOVE A TRAY !!!! YOU KEEP DOING THIS YOUR HAIR WILL GROW BACK !!!!
Congratulations! At last a really neat and simple solution! A lot of the videos I see seem to be massive projects in their own right rather than an extension to their tools for the purpose of doing work more effectively. Like becoming the objective instead of the means! My variation of your idea is even simpler - drill a hole (like you) but slip in a nail (cut to the appropriate length). This also has the advantage of magnetic extraction if necessary. Most people will think the nail-head was intended to be there, so it doesn't look unsightly. Incidentally, this system works just as well where the width of the cleats and size of the gaps are different. (Note: there is no rule that says these all have to be exactly the same size! wall cleats can be randomly moved about, taken down, added or added to, as and when needed. After all, we're not playing Tetris here. ;-) Cheers and keep up the good work. Also, well done on putting forward an ideas you acknowledge as possibly being better than yours. That got my attention!
What about a steel strip embedded along the wall cleat side (painted to choice to class it up) and neodymium magnets on the fixture backs? Adds some visual contrast & keeps it clean looking at the same time. Also, no little parts to keep track of. I do like the simplicity of a single dowel/toy axel peg, but the key is much cleaner looking.
best and most usefull way in my opinion, would be to make a slot in the back with a router, but (not all the way trough) this way the key can go fully in side. now you just have to drill a small hole in the middle and put a screw insert in it. now put a bolt trough with a washer on the key end so it can totate in the key but can't move forewards or backwards. (kind of like a wood clamp) now when you turn the bolt the key automaticly gets pushed in to the rail and get pulled back out when you turn the bolt the other side.
Depends on how you mean to lock it. My thought was a metal bar on the back you could push in with one pin and that would swivel up to lock into the top cleat. It would just need to be the right shape, like a quarter of whatever size dowel you have. You could springload a knob on a shaft to make it more decorative. This would also free one hand and keep from dropping/losing dowels.
If you don't want to expand the fixture so high above the cleat on which it hangs, you can also place your pin beneath the cleat. Thinking about it, what if you used a slot with a flat tab rather than the pin?
Good idea Ben! I run the back of the to over ~1/2" on both top and bottom wall cleat, then make the tool sit well below the top of the back of the fixture. I do this so that I can tightly stack fixtures vertically and still be able to both remove the fixture from the wall without having to move it sideways and it gives me ample clearance to access the stuff in the fixture without the one above it interfering. Granted this wouldn't be necessary with cleats that weren't so tightly packed (2" tall, 2" of space between them) but then you'd lose the versatility. Can you elaborate on the slot with the flat tab a little more? I'm having a hard time visualising it and I want to!
@@Craftswright Sure. I'm thinking rather than drilling a hole, use a router to cut a slot horizontally next to the bottom of the cleat you're locking against, then take a rectangular piece of material and push it to the slot so that is locks against the bottom of the cleat. Bore a hole at the mid point of the slot and you could have the tab sit flush with the face with enough room to get your fingers in to pull it back out. Something like this imgur.com/a/5SFmGBK
Both ideas are great. When I started to watch your video I thought you were going to use a small dowel to slide the key out. Kind of cross between the two methods. But then I saw your design worked very well. So it comes down to personal preference. Nice job though and thank you for demonstrating the other idea.
I like the dowel keys, and the 'blending-in' look of them. I can envision an entire wall of such fixtures, all with the 2 7/16" top-corner dowel keys. One thing I'd add is a 'keeper system': Get a $10 tube of 100 of those 1/8" x 1/16" rare earth button magnets, drill a 1/8" hole in the end of the dowel that you insert, keeping the 'head' clear, and epoxy 1 magnet in the end of each dowel key. Cut a 1/8" groove near the top of the French cleat wall, and embed/epoxy a length of coat hanger wire. Now you have a place to keep spare dowel keys, or keep them temporarily while moving/reorganizing fixtures on the wall.
OK, this is addictive, thought of another one.... :) Cut a flap out of each end of the backer, aligned with how the original flat key went in. Drill down through the top of the backer and through the middle of this flap, and insert a bamboo skewer, finishing nail, etc., as a dowel pivot pin. Now the end of each flap can simply be pushed into the gap to lock, or its other end pushed to re-align it with the backer and allow removal of the fixture. Assuming the fixture is such that the backer is exposed in this way, it's an instinctive lock, plus retains the key in the backer.
this would make the system more universal (i.e. independent of the spacing between cleats), and also obviate the need for the excess length on the top part of the fixture. Instead of dowels (which may easily be too tight or too loose), one might also use a nut (force fit into a hole) and then a screw. But it's not as elegant:)
We could take it one step further, and somehow turn the dowel into a cam lock. Twist it to lock it in. Maybe that could be accomplished by having the wall-side of the dowel shaped like a cam (shaved in a slight spiral shape), and the person-facing side have a slot that a screwdriver could twist. So for that to work, I think the dowel hole would have to very slightly overlap the underside of the cleat.
There is something pleasing about how Jeff's idea looks.
I'm starting to think so too. Almost looks like a pegged Arts & Crafts style joint
@@Craftswright ah smokes, good thinking, a nice dark hardwood like cherry or walnut could give it a really nice look!
Great idea! Instead of dowels; however, I am going to use some of the used ammunition casings I have laying around. No cutting required and they already have a built in grove for me to grab and pull.
That’s brilliant! I have bags full of spent .556 brass and now I’m kicking myself in the pants for not thinking of that 🤦♂️
Now _that's_ the american solution!
Hmmm, using ammo casings might just make things too sexy, though.
Just genius.😂👍
That would look super nice too! Great idea!
Magnanimous gesture. Very decent of you to openly admit someone else has a better idea.
i use a knob on the front connected to a half disc in the back
so when you turn the half disc up it locks it really tight there is no movement whatsoever
turn the knob 180 degrees and you can take it of or slide it
its really neat and works like a charm plus its not really that hard to make
I'd love to see a few pictures of that!
yeah, my mind instantly went to a simple cam mechanism as well.
@@Deaner3D yeah exactly its a simplified cam mechanism mostly because its easy to make and i am kinda lazy
would be great to see this in action if at all possible..? plz?
Amazing!
What I love more than either option is how you brought this into your channel. Collaboration is king in any creative process and making time and effort to mention other ideas is fantastic. I can't say how many times I have researched multiple solutions/designs only to be blown away by a new a approach I never considered. Mad respect.
p.s. the Instagram link in your TH-cam profile might be broken
I feel ya, every time I think I’ve figured it out I stumble across an even more ingenious and simplified method. Never ceases to amaze me haha
Thanks for the comment and the IG heads up!!
Hallelujah Jim, I agree the biggest take away for me is a respectful collaboration in public. Everything we do in pubic is part of a job interview in a way, and these two videos have convinced me that this is a man worth doing business with. My second biggest take away is that personally I'm going to pick the ease of use of the visible dowels over the smooth aesthetics of the hidden square cleat any day. My third take away is that I now have more designs in my knowledge base, so I'm better able to propose alternatives to friends or clients.
I personally have used the dowel pins for over 30 years. When certain methods are forgotten, suddenly they are a new idea.
It's the cirrrrrcle of wooooooodworking lol honestly I like the idea that this isn't an original idea and all I did is resurface something forgotten, there's a poetry to that I think
similar to fashion...or art. as we try to construct something useful on top of the original genius. Since I have started woodworking I get so fired up to organize my shop. The thing I love is that its a flexible creative process that allows any ideas. A lost art, but will be found soon.
I definitely prefer the dowels, however I don't really see a need for two. Just one at the top center should be enough. In fact, a dowel with a knob would be perfect.
I second this sentiment.
Was thinking the same, begs the question, has it been tried?
Yeah I don’t see why there has to be two?
Yup, concur. The dowel could be larger but ya really need just one. //ji
Perhaps not at the center, but on the right or left side.
As strange as it may sound, using the dowel method actually made it look like a piece of furniture. To me any way. You know how they use dowel plugs to hide screws in furniture and it's aesthetically pleasing to the eye. That's how I saw those. Both ideas are great. Thank you for sharing these ideas (I watched both videos). You have a new subscriber.
I see what you mean, kind of that Arts & Crafts style of slightly exposed joints. I like it even more now haha
You have two new subscribers 🤣🛫 I really like both of those concepts.
I am building a French cleat wall right now and I am glad I subscribed.
Thank you for sharing.
I watched these two videos in succession, really good stuff that you came back and tweaked your design and shared it.
Double thanks Bill! 😁
Same. My comment on that last video was exactly this solution-- weirdly satisfying to see this recommended to me.
Love the single dowel idea, and a small screw that goes into the wall cleat works great, too. Don’t forget that you can also insert the dowel just below the wall cleat to accomplish the same thing-more options if a fixture prevents one method or a person has French cleats with a wider spacing.
Agreed on all points. The screw on the face of the fixture just drives me bonkers though lol
When I saw the start of the other video, the first thing that popped into my head was just to use a screw, then next thing to come to mind was to us a bit of hangar with one end twisted into a semi circle so you have a handle to grab, and a slightly undersized hole predrilled so friction keeps it in place.
I think the dowel has the potential of being much prettier, but the bit of rod would seem to work as long as it is close to the enough to the bottom of a cleat so there is no room to bend.
I use wood golf T's. Cut them down to length, easy to grab and super cheep.
That's just........super simple and smart. Bonus points if you're a golfer too because then you're adding some of that aesthetic to your shop. I dig it Zio, thanks for sharing!
I used your idea! I built a single 4' cleat setup in the basement, and three 15" square 1x4 frames to hold golf bags upright. Locked the cleats/bag frames in place with tees. My wife thought it was funny, and ironic considering we have two, one gallon ziplocs full of them.
I'm going to use it, thanks
Cool idea... I golf. Perfect. One question.. Do you think it would work with just one tee instead of two?
@@raylewis1355 For me everything have use just 1 golf T except my router bit storage use 2. I have a lot of router bits.
It is cool that you admitted this guy’s idea was better in some ways and certainly easier. Props to you for that!!! Appreciate the honesty.
I love watching human ingenuity, reduced to its most simplest (and eye pleasing) forms:) The best is seeing everyone come together to share ideas and brainstorm. and of course the comment section bellow! btw, ammo casings is an amazeballs idea! and never, "too sexy."
How often does a guy publicly state that someone else’s idea was better than his own? Respect, and I’m now subbed.
Go a step further on the dowel method and make them out of a darker wood. Make them stand out and be a feature on each piece. I think it'd look cool. It'd sort of be like making screw hole plugs on a piece of furniture, from a darker/lighter wood, to accentuate them as a feature.
Bravo for your honesty and humility. One dowel only for me . Bravo!
Hey @Craftswright
I found your French Cleat videos searching for exactly this kind of problem.
I really liked your first video with your keys.
And I am absolutely loving the fact, that you take suggestions of your community and show it to all of us. That is just great!!!
Greetings from Germany.
This is cool; another advantage of the dowel method is that you can cut it long, and you now have a post to hang even more stuff, like cords, accessories, etc.
Double use! I dig it
I must say, after having watched your first video, this dowel method seems ever so much easier! For a shop project, seamless appearance isn't as important to me. Plus, I would think that having the slot cut in the fixture backing so you can reach behind & get the key (as per your first video) detracts from a seamless look anyway. Unless I just missed something, of course, with that. Anyway, thank you for showing this updated version. I'll definitely keep this for when I do french cleats. Hope you have a great day!
I have been looking at mass producing so i can upgrade my toolboard, and the best I've come up with and it works, is:
1-Saw the dowel in the middle just enough of a cut to embed/lay down a brad that is trimmed to stick 3mm on each side of dowel, if you can saw on the edges and leave the center alone, the sawed part is to nail the brad tru (like a targetting channel if you use the nailer that leaves some meat). Or saw straight lay it down on the cut and go to nº3.
2-Put the brad nail straight tru the dowel near the edge.
3- Add some epoxy on top of the brad/pin/wire and make sure it coats enough of the channel, sand a bit. If you didn't leave the center add a couple staples (just make sure they stay as embedded in the wood as possbile - this might be necessary for bigger diameters mine are small, so i added 1 on the prototype, didn't trust the epoxy)
4- Draw the Diameter of the dowel + the nail sticking out (about 6mm total) to the back of the fixture by carving a relief cut of that size +1mm extra or so (i used a rotary tool/dremel type with the router head- don't need to be pretty is just deep enough to hide the nail tips when you pull, leaving the back of the fixture flat)
5-Add a pull tab or a screw with the hook end/eyelet on the outside of the dowel.
PS:I used a circle cut out of some plastic i had on hand instead of making the dowel like a bench dog, just glued and then the hook screw on outside. Creates a flat positive stop, not necessay if the cleat bottoms out as it should, its more for when you move it around so the dowel stays captive, and i don't plan on removing them.
My shop is not fancy, if its cheap and it works it leads.
--------------------------------------
I think thats it for me on this one, its simple, cheap, and uses minimal materials to get the job done. Craftswright, you probably can come up with something a bit more elegant. Hope this helps everyone to upgrade.
Awesome breakdown and attention to detail MC! I never would have thought to make the dowel key captured in some way (otherwise I would have included it in the video) so that alone makes your comments worth their weight. Don't go anywhere, we need minds like yours in this community! Cheers friend
@@Craftswright Thank you for the kind words, hope more people see it and find it useful. I'll be glad if someone makes a video with this method, just so its out there (video tutorials are not my thing).
I'm super happy with this, already made a bunch of new locks for what i have and now, no more falling tools. I did have to beef up and double on the dowels and a stronger pin for a heavy tool holder and i'm going to make some of mine like yours extending longer than i need so i have a bit more room to put the dowel locks in, that way i can lock it up or down from the tool like yours. Cheers.
I like the dowel idea. Simple to make, and quite effective.
I like Jeff's suggestion. And your take on it. The shape makes total sense and blends with the hat and coat hanger. It will also work if you make a caddy with dowels to hang tools or tape or wire. The dowel makes total sense, ease of use and produce. Metal threaded would give an industrial feel, wood gives it a natural feel.
I like the look of Jeff's suggestion. It is clean and utilitarian. The convenience justifies the appearance.
I think both are very valid improvements. I will be incorporating both in my new wall. The key in the back is nice for semi permanent fixtures while the dowel method is nice for fixtures that might move or slide occasionally. Well done
Scrapwood backer is good but if you also increase drill press rpm you'll get less blowout. Faster is almost always better when dealing with wood. I only ever slow down my rpms when drilling metal with larger bits. Also, good on you for sharing this improvement! Awesome!
I just came from the other video when I saw this in the recommended list. Dang. Pretty blown away at the even easier solution!
my son and I are about to upgrade the basement shop. cleats with pins looks to be the way for us. not sure yet why two are needed, at least on a narrow or small fixture. thanks for all the tips and ideas. makers make great stuff, are profoundly good at problem solving, and I so enjoy the creativity I see on so many maker's channels. maybe use the scored dowel pins commonly used in making dowel joints. and, a bench dog and a sharp handsaw might be as quick, less noise, and even safer.
Simple and elegant. The only downside depends on what you want to put on the wall and if you don't have a good spot to locate the pins.
True
Damn. That is a pretty great solution to a common problem. I like it. Thanks for show-casing it in detail, even though you didn't come up with it yourself. That just shows how great of a guy you are. Proper attribution is also a valuable skill.
I watch both of your videos and I love both designs. I am about to make and install my own French Cleat wall! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the video. Locks are important for those of us that live in earthquake country.
Been watching tons of videos on french cleat systems, I'm going this direction, both lock ideas are cool, I think the dowels will require less work. Thanks for the time you put into your videos.
Both are very good ideas, to have two solutions that work so simply does not mean one better than the other, creativity is a luxury
You sir got a subscription from me...I've been debating on French cleats for my garage but like you stated, have concerns about them falling off...I love the dowel idea and am going to pull thr trigger on my new storage solution. Thanks bud
Cheers Stephen glad I could help!
No mid roll adverts. You get a comment and a like.
Plus good info thanks
Genius! If you want to keep the dowels flush with the face of the cleat just drill a small hole in the center and run a screw into it, then remove the screw. make a small knob with the same screw protruding, and just a turn or two into a dowel should be enough to grab and pull it out. I like the idea of walnut, or stained dark for contrast too. Slick idea!
I really like the dowel method. Also, if the sole purpose is to prevent accidental un-hooking, a single dowel in the center should do the trick.
I watched both of your locking cleats in the correct succession (shear dumb luck on my part) and locked both of the ideas. I will be using both on my french cleat wall! Great stuff, love that you created another based off Jeff's idea and suggestion. Got my Sub and like just off the open collaboration. Keep up the great work and thanks for the perfect keys for my wall!
Awesome Richard, glad to hear I could help! Happy building of your new wall 😊
This dowel method is the best I've seen. It's simple, very easy, very cheap, and completely effective. And honestly, you don't even need to add the grip relief to the ends, just make sure that enough of the ends sticks up to grab them with fingers or a pair of pliers.
I also don't think the dowels break up the clean look of the fixtures. They're an extra surface detail, to be sure, but adding a little detail doesn't necessarily make a workpiece look cluttered or less clean. Often those little details add to the aesthetics of a piece. So I like the dowels sticking out as a decorative detail.
Just ran across your site and had to review both your videos on using french cleats. Am in the process of remodeling my shop after 20+ years and feel french cleats will really clean up my wall-space. Anyway, I liked both videos, but after watching the first I got to thinking about coming up with a simpler locking system. Too late. Jeff already figured out a simple, elegant system that I like. My comments are that while I like the wooden pins, I think for me I will cut them to a standard length [need to set up a cutoff jig as I will need dozens of these plugs - 2 per fixture], add the shallow cuts at one end for pulling on them and then stain them prior to using. A dark or contrasting color stain will add, I think, a nice contrast to the multiple and various sized fixtures back plates. As noted, I expect to make several dozen fixtures and to make the plugs look aesthetically pleasing [with or without staining], and I should also make a simple drilling jig to fit over the corner in order to place the holes the same distance from the two adjacent sides on all the fixture back plates. A benefit of using your layout overlapping the bottom of the horizontal slat above the one the fixture is hanging on. Looking forward to reviewing your other videos soon.
About 8 years ago I used metal 1 1/2-in Floor Edge (the stuff used to cover the transition gap at a door and carpet ) as french cleats. Found it better looking than wood and able to hold a lot of weight. I found using a simple wood screw like you used the dowel was the easiest way to lock fixtures
That's an interesting idea 🤔
Throwing ideas off one another is awesome!
Personally, I do not mind Jeff’s idea, with your spin on it, using only one dowel in the centre, instead of two.
Great stuff guys 👌😇🤌
This and its companion video about making French cleats are so informative! I was wondering what would happen with just one dowel key in the middle? The fixture can't rack with one key holding it down. Do we really need two? Thanks for both of these videos, and I agree collaboration and learning from each other is essential. These 2 vids got me to subscribe. Thanks!
Hi. Many thanks for sharing. I followed your cleat board instructions and I'm so happy with the results The pins locks are better. In the end, we are dealing with tool hanging not an art exhibition. Thanks again for taking the time to teach us.
Actually starting on one of these now, this was right on time. I think I like the dowels
Great idea! Thanks!
It’s amazing how such brilliant “why didn’t I think of that” solutions can be so simple after someone points you in the right direction!
If you don’t want the pins to show so prominently, put them against a lower cleat. They don’t need to be equidistant or even on the same cleat. Just set them to accommodate the tools you expect to hang on them.
Both ideas are great! And I agree, a mix would probably be my favorite.
Great idea. You could even use a contrasting color for the pins. I saw one video where the pins were below the back rail.
I mentioned in your previous video, using a cam wheel. One, centered, rotate 180 degrees or until it binds and your done. No parts to drop or lose.
Excellent share!! I am bldg my wall now so timing is great. I really like the dowl. Reason...just like when you are bldg a table etc and you have your dowl or dove tail stained a different color to show it...that is what I want to do w the dowels. Accent color of my shop or the wood itself.
Single centre dowel! But depends on the tool/cleat use. 👍 😎
I’ll have to give it a go!
Brilliant. I plan to do a French cleat wall this year and I’m gathering ideas. Your two videos are a great help
Getting ready to make my wall, and I am thinking of some kind of off set circle lock. Maybe through the backing board of the tool holder or on the side somehow. Going to play with that idea as no one has seemed to try that yet. Great vid by the way!!!
I agree, utilize the best of both worlds depending on the need. Both are great ideas, thanks!
You are so welcome!
Yeah I'm going with Jeff on this one. Imagine if you used needless Walnut! Add some class to that wall.
Well heck, I have been kind of putting off doing a full cleat wall but this comment and these videos. Heck yeah. No reason you can't make it look good too.
Hey, I saw your previous video and even the idea was good I also thought it was a bit too much work, now you really got it simplified mate, congrats never give up! I'll use it for sure 😉👍
I definitely love the look of this! Only downside is that it requires every holder to be taller--rendering that top bar useless to hang even more things. I agree with some other commentors that locking it on the same bar (bottom flat side of the cleat) would be better.
Wonder if a cam like lock might work something moved by magnet or wood key but removable leaving the cam in place. The key is used to unlock as well all from the front face with a cam mechanism on the back
I prefer the look of the dowels! Like it much better then hidden. This is after all in a workshop on a slat wall.
I am impressed how when some woke gave you a suggestion you were quick to expand on it but not ignore it. Thanks for sharing. You made a subscriber out of me.
Just found and subscribed to your channel. Living in an earthquake zone (Victoria, BC) one of my concerns has been how to keep my french cleat fixtures from potentially popping off the wall if a mild tremor occurs (nevermind the Big One). I think either your key or dowel system would help, thanks! Now to find a convenient way to keep the tools on the fixtures...
Welcome fellow Canadian! (I'm dual citizen, family is from mostly Alberta, but I have some living in Victoria as well). I haven't started to tackle tool locks on the cleats yet, but that does sound like an interesting challenge..... Cheers!
@@Craftswright always nice to chat with another Canuck!. Keep up the good work, looking forward to more videos. PS nice touch adding the math descriptions, it’s an overlooked detail.
I like it!
You could also use a square peg in the same way (kinda like a mortise and tenon), but it's harder to make a square hole unless you have one of those special square drills. But if you wanted to stay with right angles and the square look, it's an option.
I think I'll try the dowel method though. And maybe stain them a contrasting color for a neat look.
Hahaha I need to get my hands on one of those special square bits (or a mortising machine in general)
If you can beat em, join em! Or in this case stain them. I like it!
with the cleat running all the way along the back, you really only need one locking pin in the middle (or anywhere really), since the cleat can't rotate. it'll rack a little bit because of the tolerances, but won't come out.
Good point! I think I went with two because I hadn’t thought of just one, and the symmetry 😁
@@Craftswright Hadn't seen this video when commented on the other one, but i was experimenting with the one i have, and found something that works better than just pulling it out, a piece of metal on the inside tip of the dowel, a flat piece or a nail sideways on the very tip to form a T or an L, make enough relief on the fixtures back for it to lay flat once you pull the dowel outwards, and that way it never gets lost or falls off. Its not much work and it gets the button lock effect. a bit like those old car door locks that you had to pull up.
Very clever MC! A small brad nail or the like on the back side to keep the dowel captured, I dig it!
@@Craftswright Thats what i used to test and it seems plenty, just make sure to not use a very long one so its less work carving, since you have to carve all around in case it twists. I'm playing with the idea of screwing a hook screw or whatever they are called so i can hang something from it and still use it to pull. Will depend on application. But this seems like a solid way to go. Can't think of a single thing that needs improving.
Keep up the good work MC and keep us posted!
I like the peg better. I wasn't crazy about the look of the slit and seemed a little awkward to get in and out. But, seemed worth being able to lock. The pegs look good to me. BTW your video is my absolute fav for diy french cleats thus far and believe me I have watched quite a few. Thanks.
I like the pins, seems simple enough. However, my first thought on this is to integrate the pin with a pull or push button effect which you don't need to fully remove to operate the locking mechanism. Something that like a one inch dowel that you can turn a quarter turn and it locks the hanger? I can't yet visualize this mechanism, but I'm still thinking about it. A sliding bar accessible from the front on angle to the wall that you can just slip in and out, moving about two inches? It doesn't have to be thick- it could be a flexible thin piece, like a paint stick, that slide in a slit in front... lots of different approaches to this.
Got it! Below the area that needs "locking" is the back of the cleat from which the panel is mounted and there is room to cut into this and create a zone for which you can make a latch lock.The pin is only used to turn a hooked sliding bar upward that has a gravity latch, basically a shim with an exaggerated back stop that catches on the support cleat's top end, to act as the locking mechanism, very simple to make, and would slide along straight paths not hard to batch out for everything.
You're the master! And I really like Jeff's method👍
Hey now, I already have a big enough ego as it is.... hahaha
@@Craftswright 👍🙂
I like the idea of French cleats, they help to stay organized and keep your tools available and visible. Out of sight out of mind! The cleat key is also a good idea. The last thing you need is something coming off your beautiful wall when you're on a roll focused on a project when you grab something quick.
How about a dowel key which uses a cutout piece from the top of the cleat. When turned 90 degrees swivels the cutout up to lock in its respective cleated unit. Turn back 90 degrees unlocks the unit to be moved. This approach is a safety feature used in kids' toys, for unpacking the toy, the battery compartment, this is so small pieces aren't lost or come loose. This would avoid a lot of trouble like spilling your coffee when the cup gets stuck in your cleated cup holder and the unit is pulled from the wall at the same time.
I really love how this community comes out and shares all of their great ideas. Really neat to see different minds work and you're no exception to that Paul, thanks for the feedback!
Hey, Merry Christmas. I watched your original locking Freedom-Cleat system when you posted it... and now this one from Jeff R. Frankly both have their advantages and disadvantages.
I like yours because it doesn't provide the eye anywhere to note something "sticking out." I like his because it solves a potential problem with a minor nit about dowels sticking out (this time literally).
In my head (which means I want to imagine it, but my hands lack the skill to transfer it to wood exactly as I envision it yet) I would like a hanger system that prevents both vertical motion (both your solutions solve that) AND ALSO horizontal motion. If I reach for an item in a Freedom-Cleat mounted box I don't expect that box to move with my swiping motion...
This could be solved by making the underside of the upper wall-mount piece... instead of being straight... being a bunch of upside-down half-holes. The "Jeff R Dowels" would then fit partially in them, still preventing upward (vertical movement), and also preventing side to side (horizontal) movement. While that would limit where on a mount a shelf might go from infinite 1/10000th" slots to N slots... it would make the cleat system more like a conventional shelf that doesn't move up, down, left, or right, until and unless you remove the dowels.
Bonus thought: You will now know the interdowel-spacing so you can create "handles" that are a horizontal piece that have two or more dowels. Insert dowel, move hanging piece right or left untl handle goes all the way in... piece is now horizontally+vertically locked and instead of two sticking out dowels with a "fingernail grab" cutout, there's a real handle.
Probably I've spent more time explaining it than it would take to make one, but of course batching this is the bear. The amount of time to cut the half-holes in the bottom of the hanger above... would be the part of the process that could be improved... Maybe Rob Cosman has a jig for that... [respectfully!]
Ehud Gavron
Tucson AZ US
Helicopter pilot who does what he dreams
Woodworker who dreams amazing things and makes refrigerator art in the shop
Jeff is a genius. This is perfect for what i was looking for and i have the tools to make this. Perfect!! Thank you Sir.
I’m looking to have my cleats further apart so I will probably be putting the pins/ keys below the wall cleat.
I’ve been wondering how to keep stuff on the wall! Love it, thank you!
Another idea you might consider, is to use dowels that go into pre-drilled holes in in the cleat. If you do that, you won’t need both a cleat below, and a cleat above to hold it in place. Or, alternately, a dowel pinning it below the cleat.
I'm a little late to this party, and a new subscriber but these are all great ideas and something I'm going to try setting up in my "new shop" that I'm constructing. Thx.
I like it! I particularly like the half-moon cam idea as expressed further down in the comments. I'd also put a kerf into the visible end of the dowel oriented vertically when the cam is in the locked position. Since vertical is also the fully open position (180 degrees away) you can write two letters with a Sharpie on either side of the kerf to denote the locked position. "L | L" or "U | P" would work for this. The kerf can then be "keyed" with a wide-bladed screwdriver if it ever becomes too tight to turn by hand.
I love ideas like these! Thank you for sharing! (And thanks to Jeff, also!)
Jeff's idea. it adds to the look like anything with studs like motorcycles, bracelets, leather or even a magnificient burgundy padded door
Just recently found your channel. Enjoying the vids I’ve seen so far. Nice work!
There are many options here, I made a similar suggestions to Jeff’s last time. Regardless, something soft like rubber or cork or a spring clip or maybe even cardboard on the back as the lock where it resisted but did not inhibit the removal of the fixture would be great. Then again if we put a rabbet on the lower part of the bottom wall part and a lip on the cleat so you had to push up and pull out at the same time may work as well. Personally I like the dowels where needed. Thanks, love these videos.
Subscribed. Short video, shows how you learned from someone else. Saw your saw horse video and this was the clincher. Great content.
At 0:29 the unit on the right has a cut out for a separate key to slide into, but my thought is to make the key sit in the cut out. Then fit the key flush to the front of the slot and drill a hole into the top edge through both parts. Then insert a pin for the key to pivot on. Press on the right side of the pivot to lock and the left side of the pivot to unlock. This method has no parts to lose.
I really like the peg method and I think it looks great.
I just subscribed, so I'm kind of new here, but I really enjoyed the video and am sort transfixed by this topic. I've used French cleats for a number of projects (although I don't have a wall full of them yet) and I've never given the idea of a key any thought at all, so I'm really grateful to have that as an option from now on. It would certainly add a lot of security to hanging fixtures.
My suggestion (still untried, as it is minutes old) is based on a something I ran across some months ago while looking for a way to make some little locking buckles for utility straps - something that would be easy to unlatch with one hand. In my musings, I went back to a simple spring latch in a necklace box clasp that I'd seen. It could be modified very simply to fit onto the key slid in from the side, or possibly on the dowel. It would just take a little fiddling to adapt it to the latter. All you need is a short piece of spring steel with a slight bend at one end where it is attached to the key. The spring sticks up at an angle and bends again just at the end of the key. As you slide the key into its channel behind the fixture, the spring compresses and holds the key in place. If you pierce the spring, say, half an inch from the end and insert a small screw head in the spring that would pop into a small hole in the back of the fixture, the key stays in place and still allows you to slide the whole back and forth across the cleat. To release it, you just push down on the small bit of spring that protrudes at the end, the screw is recessed, and you can pull the key out. The spring just needs a small, decorative knob and a bit of a channel in the key to lay down in, allowing the screw head enough clearance for withdrawal. An alternative would be to just leave a hole in the fixture where the locking screw head sits, and you can use any kind of pin to push it down as you withdraw the key. There is lots of room for variations, but the overall idea eliminates a need for a long key the full width of the fixture. A knob on the end of the key or on the spring itself would fit into the gap behind an adjoining fixture butted against the first one, and that could be made out of a small wooden bead about the same diameter as the key's width. The spring steel wouldn't necessarily need to be annealed or anything for such simple bends, and a pin hole for the release would barely be noticeable. Anyway, it would be something to mess around with, and making a release mechanism would not add a whole lot of work to making a key. Several could be made at once with a simple jig for marking the locations of a screw or two, and the channel for the spring could be cut with a narrow chisel in no time at all.
No wonder you don't have a wall full yet....
Hey, great content. I’m gonna suggest you put a small part temporary fence on that miter saw so your dowels don’t go flying or tear out.
I agree with Jeff, personally id have a rectangle or trapezium shaped pin in the middle. But the cleats look good
great vids, put one dowel behind the mallet handle on lower cleat then it would be hidden. for me i rarely have wood above top cleat anyway
I enjoyed this and the previous video. I also loved your work on Captain America.
What about countersinking a screw and then being able to cover the head with wood filler? You could then make it flush to be able to remove with a magnet, but it would blend in.
Or you could also just put the screw in from the back side...as long as it was close enough the the surface to attracted to the magnet.
DUDE YOU TOOK THIS TO A WAY HIGHER LEVEL THAN I EVER WOULD HAVE.... I LIKE IT I LIKE IT I LIKE IT !!!! MAYBE PUT A STRING ON THE DOWELS DO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM WHEN YOU REMOVE THEM... OR PUT A PIECE OF METAL IN ONE END AND HAVE A MAGNET TO HANG THE DOWELS WHEN YOU REMOVE A TRAY !!!!
YOU KEEP DOING THIS YOUR HAIR WILL GROW BACK !!!!
Congratulations! At last a really neat and simple solution! A lot of the videos I see seem to be massive projects in their own right rather than an extension to their tools for the purpose of doing work more effectively. Like becoming the objective instead of the means! My variation of your idea is even simpler - drill a hole (like you) but slip in a nail (cut to the appropriate length). This also has the advantage of magnetic extraction if necessary. Most people will think the nail-head was intended to be there, so it doesn't look unsightly. Incidentally, this system works just as well where the width of the cleats and size of the gaps are different. (Note: there is no rule that says these all have to be exactly the same size! wall cleats can be randomly moved about, taken down, added or added to, as and when needed. After all, we're not playing Tetris here. ;-) Cheers and keep up the good work. Also, well done on putting forward an ideas you acknowledge as possibly being better than yours. That got my attention!
What about a steel strip embedded along the wall cleat side (painted to choice to class it up) and neodymium magnets on the fixture backs? Adds some visual contrast & keeps it clean looking at the same time. Also, no little parts to keep track of.
I do like the simplicity of a single dowel/toy axel peg, but the key is much cleaner looking.
best and most usefull way in my opinion, would be to make a slot in the back with a router, but (not all the way trough) this way the key can go fully in side. now you just have to drill a small hole in the middle and put a screw insert in it. now put a bolt trough with a washer on the key end so it can totate in the key but can't move forewards or backwards. (kind of like a wood clamp) now when you turn the bolt the key automaticly gets pushed in to the rail and get pulled back out when you turn the bolt the other side.
I like the dowels. Supper versatile.
Depends on how you mean to lock it. My thought was a metal bar on the back you could push in with one pin and that would swivel up to lock into the top cleat. It would just need to be the right shape, like a quarter of whatever size dowel you have. You could springload a knob on a shaft to make it more decorative. This would also free one hand and keep from dropping/losing dowels.
Sounds advanced!
@@Craftswright
Sorry. It's the machinist in me.
Nothing to apologize for friend, I dig advanced :)
I’d love to get my hands on a mill one day and try out some machining, always peaked my interest but never gave it a shot
@@Craftswright
I guess I watch too much This Old Tony.
If you don't want to expand the fixture so high above the cleat on which it hangs, you can also place your pin beneath the cleat. Thinking about it, what if you used a slot with a flat tab rather than the pin?
Good idea Ben! I run the back of the to over ~1/2" on both top and bottom wall cleat, then make the tool sit well below the top of the back of the fixture. I do this so that I can tightly stack fixtures vertically and still be able to both remove the fixture from the wall without having to move it sideways and it gives me ample clearance to access the stuff in the fixture without the one above it interfering. Granted this wouldn't be necessary with cleats that weren't so tightly packed (2" tall, 2" of space between them) but then you'd lose the versatility.
Can you elaborate on the slot with the flat tab a little more? I'm having a hard time visualising it and I want to!
@@Craftswright Sure. I'm thinking rather than drilling a hole, use a router to cut a slot horizontally next to the bottom of the cleat you're locking against, then take a rectangular piece of material and push it to the slot so that is locks against the bottom of the cleat. Bore a hole at the mid point of the slot and you could have the tab sit flush with the face with enough room to get your fingers in to pull it back out.
Something like this imgur.com/a/5SFmGBK
LOVE the dowel locks!! ❤️
Both ideas are great. When I started to watch your video I thought you were going to use a small dowel to slide the key out. Kind of cross between the two methods. But then I saw your design worked very well. So it comes down to personal preference. Nice job though and thank you for demonstrating the other idea.
Thanks for the comment Jim, glad I could help 😁
Both methods work, so I would use the most convenient for the situation at hand.
I like the dowel keys, and the 'blending-in' look of them. I can envision an entire wall of such fixtures, all with the 2 7/16" top-corner dowel keys. One thing I'd add is a 'keeper system': Get a $10 tube of 100 of those 1/8" x 1/16" rare earth button magnets, drill a 1/8" hole in the end of the dowel that you insert, keeping the 'head' clear, and epoxy 1 magnet in the end of each dowel key. Cut a 1/8" groove near the top of the French cleat wall, and embed/epoxy a length of coat hanger wire. Now you have a place to keep spare dowel keys, or keep them temporarily while moving/reorganizing fixtures on the wall.
OK, this is addictive, thought of another one.... :) Cut a flap out of each end of the backer, aligned with how the original flat key went in. Drill down through the top of the backer and through the middle of this flap, and insert a bamboo skewer, finishing nail, etc., as a dowel pivot pin. Now the end of each flap can simply be pushed into the gap to lock, or its other end pushed to re-align it with the backer and allow removal of the fixture. Assuming the fixture is such that the backer is exposed in this way, it's an instinctive lock, plus retains the key in the backer.
Both ideas seem effective. I would assume you could incorporate both in conjunction with each other.
Jeff is a GENIUS!
Truth!
Looks like the dowels could also be placed below the French cleat instead of between 2 French cleats.
I came to say the same thing. This works when the cleat is on the top row or if there is only one cleat (let's say to hang artwork).
this would make the system more universal (i.e. independent of the spacing between cleats), and also obviate the need for the excess length on the top part of the fixture.
Instead of dowels (which may easily be too tight or too loose), one might also use a nut (force fit into a hole) and then a screw. But it's not as elegant:)
We could take it one step further, and somehow turn the dowel into a cam lock. Twist it to lock it in. Maybe that could be accomplished by having the wall-side of the dowel shaped like a cam (shaved in a slight spiral shape), and the person-facing side have a slot that a screwdriver could twist.
So for that to work, I think the dowel hole would have to very slightly overlap the underside of the cleat.