Shopsmith Forums

IMHO french cleats are superior to hooks.

These are not cordless but this is how I stored my drills in the old shop.
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In the new shop they are still under a random "piling" system.

I still intend to store almost everything on roll around tool towers, each one dedicated to a different series of tools. The shop is 48' long and "flexible". I don't want to be walking the length of it 6 times going after first one item or another. In my old shop most machinery was a little limited in location and stuff hanging on the walls was just a few steps away. Not so now. I also have a bunch of stuff in cases and I am prone to keep such tools and their accessories in their original cases especially if they have a lot of giblets. Items like these:
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Now some items may get separated. For an example the Ryobi 18V 1/2" drills will be on a drills tower but the matching circle saw will be on a saws tower.
For me flexibility is key... As I build these towers (I am now up to about 10 on my list) I must allow for additional tools to be acquired along with an occasional retirement of a tool. I never want to set up a tool storage system based solely on what tools I have now like I am locked in with them forever.
I did love that American Woodworker link and have bookmarked it...

robinson46176 wrote:I did love that American Woodworker link and have bookmarked it...

I agree there is a ton of great ideas in that article.
I still like French cleats better and I'm pondering French cleats as the drawer pulls instead of the hooks.

I really liked the drawer idea and the pull out separators

Lot of good ideas! I also like a french cleat!

I would make the wall slats with a 'modified' french cleat. I would cut the 45 bevel so that it starts 1/8" in from the front. I would then cut a rabbet on the back side 1" x 5/32". That would allow using the french cleat on heavier items, and also use his 1/4" hook for smaller/lighter items, but without the need to shave the spacer which would need to be 1/2" rather than 3/4"(-). The hook would be 1" deep. The wall slats would be 3/4" x 3" x ??.

I believe his slat spacing is 9"(6" space between).

Geez do I ever need something like this(super flexible/modular).

Reminds me of some of charlese's cabinets.

Wow! I saw this thread just in time. I have been pondering the reorganization of my shop for a few weeks now. Small place much stuff. I got a couple of Woodsmith books on shop storage and found a few things I liked. But I really like the ideas in the American woodworker article. I had not seen that before. Now all I have to do is clean out the stuff I really do not have to keep and get to work. I think I can fine at least one thing I do not have to keep. Maybe!

JPG40504 wrote:Lot of good ideas! I also like a french cleat!

I would make the wall slats with a 'modified' french cleat. I would cut the 45 bevel so that it starts 1/8" in from the front. I would then cut a rabbet on the back side 1" x 5/32". That would allow using the french cleat on heavier items, and also use his 1/4" hook for smaller/lighter items, but without the need to shave the spacer which would need to be 1/2" rather than 3/4"(-). The hook would be 1" deep. The wall slats would be 3/4" x 3" x ??.

I believe his slat spacing is 9"(6" space between).

Geez do I ever need something like this(super flexible/modular).

Reminds me of some of charlese's cabinets.

Okay I know I'm as thick as a brick but I can't get my head around what you are saying.

The wall slates are 3/4 with 1/4 standoff and the hook is 3/4 with 1/4 lip. Can you reexplain your idea. What size wall slates are you using and where is 1" by 5/32 cut being made?

Thanks

so here is the next question - how to safely rip a bevel on the boards =)

The rip would be 45deg on boards 4' or more. it would be nice to do it on 6" or 8" wide boards to end up doing half the number of cuts (or cutting the matching pieces at the same time)

Ed in Tampa wrote:Okay I know I'm as thick as a brick but I can't get my head around what you are saying.

The wall slates are 3/4 with 1/4 standoff and the hook is 3/4 with 1/4 lip. Can you reexplain your idea. What size wall slates are you using and where is 1" by 5/32 cut being made?

Thanks

Gotta unnerstand what his original design was.

He made the wall slats from glued strips of 3/4" and 1/4" ply. The 1/4" was 1" narrower than the 3/4" and was aligned flush with the bottom as it mounted to the wall. When on the wall the top rear of the slats have what amounts to a 1" x 1/4" rabbet. That allows the 'hooks on the gidwhichets being hung to slip into the rabbet. The hooks are again made from 3/4" and 1/4" ply, but the 1/4" is 1" wider than the 3/4" and is glued flush with the top. The pair is glued to the gidwhichet.

IIRC he 'milled' the wall slat to increase the 1/4" 'rabbett'.

Lotta noise re preferring french cleats so I propose the following(its rough, but I hope it comes across).

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The top left shows a typical french cleat that would be attached to the back of a large gidwidget. It is essentially a beveled cleat with the bevel facing down and with the longer side away from the gidwidget. Gidwidgets are larger and heavier that gidwhichets.

Just below that is the 'modified' cleat. It is simply a 'normal' french cleat with the bevel starting 1/8" in from the edge but with the rear side having a 1" x 5/32" rabbett.

Off to the right and slightly up is the 'modified' hook. It now consists of a 1/2" and a 1/4' ply strip glued to the gidwhichet.

Or in Elmer Fudd's case a Wabbett.