How to Build a French Cleat Organizing System

A French cleat system is great for organizing any wall. I'm building one for my shop, however I really believe this is an awesome solution to any space where you want things in order, no matter whether that's a craft room, office, kitchen, pantry etc...

I have a lot of different things that needed to be organized in my shop, so I decided to build a set of French cleats for the wall, and then to build a couple of different organizers to hang on the wall. In this instructable I will go over hanging the cleats as well as building the organizers.

French cleats work like this: You have a piece of wood with a 45 degree angle on the wall, pointing up. Then you have another 45 degree angle board that you can slip in and it stays put.

What's cool is you screw these cleats into the studs, and then you can hang things with a 45 degree wood back all across the wall without having to worry about attaching each one individually to the wall. You can attach anything to this board. A shelf, a cabinet, some kind of holder, anything. And you can move them around, change things up, do whatever you want.

For the French cleats, I'm cutting 4 inch strips of 3/4 inch plywood with one side at a 45 degree angle. How long you make the cleats depends on your wall!

Then I'm mapping out where I want them on the wall, marking out where the studs are and countersinking before drilling them into the wall. I'm making sure to use a level to get all the cleats straight.

I decided to make a grid of these cleats all over the wall, however you could certainly do whatever you find most appropriate for your setting. Perhaps you simply need one cleat on a wall, or you might need a section with a couple of cleats. I spaced out mine about 8 inches apart.

You could either leave them the color of the wood or the plywood, however I decided to paint my cleats so they blend into the background. That way, whatever I put on the cleats will "pop" more.

Now, we have the cleats, so what's really necessary are some storage units to hang on them. First of all, I decided to build a large screw organizer box to hang on the cleat. In this box I wanted to store all of my metal hardware in little cubbies so I built one large box, and 36 tiny boxes to go inside the big one using my new box joint jig that doesn't require a dado stack (video above). I created a separate Instructable about that build here: How To Make an Organizer Box for Screws

I needed to store miscellaneous tools and I wanted to be able to hold several things in one holder. So I built two of these, and you can use the concept and create one that fits your needs in terms of size, I built these out of 1/2 inch plywood.

I have one large back piece, measuring 12 x 9 inches, one front piece measuring 6 x 9 inches, and two side pieces 4 inches wide, cut at an angle between 12 and 6 inches.

I predrilled and secured the back to the sides, and then the sides to the front. For a bottom, I decided to use hardboard cut to size.

Also, I cut up a piece of 9 inch long french cleat board (4 inch wide with a 45 degree angle at one side.) I attached the cleat with the 45 degree angle pointing down, to create a gap for for the holder to slide onto the wall.

I loved the large box so much, I decided I might as well make another, but a smaller one to hang

with a shelf or two. This one measured 16 x 12 inches with dados cut out for two shelves. To build this box I used the same technique as the large screw organizing box, so please check that out for more information on the build: How To Make an Organizer Box for Screws

Once I had the box built, I again, attached a French cleat back measuring the width of the box.

I've been meaning to find a better place to keep the mallets I build, so I decided to build a hanger

for those as well. So, I got a board, the size of my wall, and then I marked out how far apart the mallets needed to be. I drew some lines, and sawed the holes with a panel saw, since it's such a long board. I chiseling out the backs.

Then simply putting on a back, and screwing the back onto a cleat, ready to put it on the wall.

This type of holder would be perfect to make to store any hammers, mallets or similar shaped tools.

I also wanted to fit some small clamps, so I used the same concept as the mallet hanger, however on a smaller scale and I cut it up on the bandsaw. Then attached a back, and a French cleat.

I sanded all the holders to remove any rough edges and then I spray painted everything white with an HVLP sprayer. You could of course leave them the color of the wood or the plywood, however I really like the fresh, clean look of the white. I also decided to paint the cleats themselves.

I also made a shelf for my small shop vac. This one of the reasons why I love this system: I want to be able to move my shop vac between my drill press and my CNC machine. So I attached a French cleat above the CNC, and then the drill press is located right below my French cleat wall. So now, I can easily move the shelf with the shop vac from one location to the other without any efforts at all, and it's off the floor and not in the way which is really cool.

When everything was ready I was so excited to put all the holders up. I love all the white, and it really looks more like a craft or maker space here than a woodshop really. It's so awesome how you can move things around.

And then putting on the big box. And I really like having the French cleat attached to the back of

the big box because then it won't ever fall over, so it's much more secure to the wall.

Then it was simply a matter of organizing everything and putting it up on the wall. I just think this system is awesome and this whole set up would be great for pretty much any hobby,

no matter whether you're into woodworking, electronics, or sewing, crafting, jewelry making.

For a much better perspective on the build and all the different parts, make sure to watch the video!