Tool wall french cleat plus

 Always trying to clean and organise my shop so I decided to build a larger tool wall. Having many tools and picking the ones I use most is always handy and keeping them at arm's reach. This is what I call a French Cleat Plus system, because you can make tool holders that slide or hang. I like to be able to move tools around so you can add take away or rearrange any time. 



                                            Check out the build video here

 To start the wall I used 1/2" baltic Birch. I cut it to 60"x40" to fit the space I had, which was between two tool cabinets. The black will be a good contrast with the light wood. 

I found the wall studs and screwed the board in with 9-2" screws.



I cut 12  boards L 28" x W 5", they were all cut all 45 degrees. To cut I kept the tablesaw fence the same and just kept flipping the boards



The layout for the boards took some time to get everything symmetrical but worth it.



I attached the boards with my nail gun using 2 inch brad nails. Each board was carefully installed using guides levels and measuring tape. This ensures a precision job.






Time to make the tool holders.





Two types are made, one that slides in the slots and will not fall out and the other can be easily put on and taken off.  






Here you can see the two types of holders. Making the holders and filling the tool wall takes time but is very pleasing.

 Conclusion

Depending on your needs  both holders will work fine, both have their pros and cons, make whatever works for you. I like them both.  Making the dowels any length and size is handy and convenient to fit specific tools.  



See also:

                             Small tool holder

Tool wall organizer

In the garage you can use your walls as storage space.  Keeping tools organized and the right tools at hand is important. Making these tool holders is easy and will look great in your shop. 

Watch the video here.

                               

I did not have a piece of birch plywood that was thick enough so I made my own by glueing two pieces of plywood together. One piece was a 5/8th" cheap plywood and the other was a 1/8" piece of Baltic birch.

  

  To measure the width of the wall where I wanted to put my tool wall I used my Dowel stop gauge. 

I transferred the measurement over to the table saw. Very simple and works accurately every time.

A notch was cut in the back board, this was for the Knife Switch. I made the switch for halloween a few years and found it very handy in the workshop so I left it up.

To make the tool blocks I will use a 2x4. This will be inexpensive but will look good and  work fine. First I will cut a couple of blocks to the approximate size and I will make sure to avoid most of the knots.

After the blocks were rough cut with the jigsaw I cleaned them up using the table saw.

 One of the tool holders I wanted to  make a little different. I cut 2 strips of Brazilian cherry and glued them on the top and bottom, this will give it some nice contrast.

 Here the ends are carefully marked and then drilled out with a 3/4" Forstner bit, this will be for the 3/4" dowels. 

I used my bandsaw sled to cut 6  3/4" inch dowels.

 The tool blocks are placed on the backboard and are squared up then the dowels are marked and ready to be drilled.






Time must be taken to space the holes for the Forstner bits. To do this I laid the block on its back and spaced the bits on the table then marked them.

 Here are the tool holders for my Forstner bits and screwdriver bits. This is what I wanted for now but the holders could be used for any tools you would like. 

Conclusion                                                                                                                                            

These tools holders are very easy to hang and move around the shop, they can also sit on a workbench.

It would be a good idea to make many of these blocks and use them for many different types of tools. Also 2 dowels can be placed anywhere in your shop and the blocks can hang  wherever you need them.                                                   

                                                                                                                                        

See also                                                                             

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