How a French cleat changed everything!
Vložit
- čas přidán 18. 08. 2021
- They are popular, these days. But not everyone utilizes them fully!
EXPAND THIS SECTION for important information related to this video►
★THIS VIDEO MADE POSSIBLE BY★
Ridge Carbide (Use coupon code SNWJ10): goo.gl/z8TP0k
Please help support us by visiting this link website for a quick look around!
★OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO★
-More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/
-Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-sub...
-Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-catego...
★FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA★
-Instagram: / stumpynubs
-Twitter: / stumpynubs
-Facebook: / stumpy-nubs-woodworkin...
(If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
-123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij
-Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK
-Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv
-Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9
-Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg
-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
-Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC
-Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW
-Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam
-Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7
-Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv
-Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak
-Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI
-Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x
-Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M
-Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
-Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or
-Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz
-Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0
-Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3
-Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc
-Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6
-Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x
-Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS
-Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★
-Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8
-Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ
-Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF
-Router: amzn.to/3grD22S
-Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y
-Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm
-Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH
-Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr
-Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ
-Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY
-Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc
-Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★
-Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh
-Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI
-Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3yfLLLA
-Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh
-Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo
-Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq
-ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7
(If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission) - Jak na to + styl
EXPAND THIS SECTION for important information related to this video►
★THIS VIDEO MADE POSSIBLE BY★
Ridge Carbide (Use coupon code SNWJ10): goo.gl/z8TP0k
Please help support us by visiting this link website for a quick look around!
★OTHER RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO★
-More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/
-Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/
-Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/
★FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA★
-Instagram: instagram.com/stumpynubs/
-Twitter: twitter.com/StumpyNubs
-Facebook: facebook.com/Stumpy-Nubs-Woodworking-Journal-305639859477973/
(If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★
-123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij
-Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK
-Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv
-Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9
-Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg
-Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK
-Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC
-Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW
-Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam
-Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7
-Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv
-Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak
-Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI
-Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x
-Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M
-Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★
-Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or
-Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz
-Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0
-Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3
-Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc
-Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6
-Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x
-Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS
-Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★
-Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8
-Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ
-Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF
-Router: amzn.to/3grD22S
-Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y
-Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm
-Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH
-Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr
-Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ
-Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY
-Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc
-Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi
★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★
-Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh
-Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI
-Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/3yfLLLA
-Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh
-Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo
-Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq
-ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7
(If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission)
Thanks for the great idea to make my job easier and faster ❗️❗️❗️
Useful
I just saw both your videos on the DIY floating shelves and this one and now I'm wondering when and why to choose one over the other. Just from looking at it and thinking of the ease of building one myself I think I'd choose the french one. But can you tell me your position on this one, some pros and cons? I would be very happy hearing from you!
Are you using partial board with formaldehyde?
@@animalbeatsMe, no. It's been a while. I haven't hammered a nail, screwed a single thing, or sucked in anything I shouldn't except my dear wife in decades. I'm still 20th Century, which I helped build.
The "half width + half thickness" tip is beyond invaluable to people like me who are spatially challenged! Thanks so much.
yeah that's a gem i learned from this vid. It's easier for me to remember if I subtract the full thickness and the divide the board in half.
besure to take the saw blade width into account. normally 1/8th so you'd have to add 1/16th over and be left with 2" 5/16th each piece.
If you use this tip, be sure to use a bevel angle of 45 degrees exactly, not approximately.
@@JBV-vb4dq Hi, I'm not sure if I fully understand. His board is 6" long, and 3/4th thick, and we'll assume the sawblade's thickness is the usual 1/8th. He subtracts half of the length, which is 3", then half of the thickness of the board, which is 3/8th, and so he ends up at 2" 5/8th. You say to take half of the sawblade's thickness, 1/16th, and add it to the end result, right? Going either way, from 2" 5/8th, subtracting or adding 1/16th, you'd end up at either 2" 9/16th or 2" 11/16th, correct? I don't see how you end up with 2" 5/16th. I know you've got to be right in accounting for the blade's thickness, but something feels off. Could you please clarify?
@@jonathanalexander9562 yea his math threw me off
I’m a professional cabinet guy, and the problem with cleats is that walls are rarely flat. They have humps and bumps, and when a cleat system encounters these, the alignment advantages go out the window, and you spend a lot of time trying to figure out what went wrong. Here’s a simpler way to hang cupboards, if your working alone and don’t have cabinet jacks, etc.: screw a temporary strip of wood along the wall where the bottom of the cabinet will be. This will carry the weight, hold the position while you screw the carcass to the wall.
just add a shim if you really need to. French cleats are very forgiving though they typically make up for these variance better than the back of a cabinet imo.
I guess one could test it out taking six foot long level or other straight not too flexible long object to get an idea of how flat their wall is before trying this. You also don't want it to extend too far away from the wall by adding spacers because the forces increase and make it more prone to failure. Cabinets already kinda make me nervous as it is 🤣 just chillin there full of dishes and jars of food. But I guess the way they are constructed and using the right fasteners makes it strong.
Removing the cleats won't magically flatten the wall. If this is a problem with cleats it's the same problem without.
@@christianbarnay2499 Other systems won't magically fix your problems, but french cleat could cause additional issues. An uneven wall might prevent your cabinet from fully seating in the cleat, also causing height differences.
@@danielrose1392 Only if you force the cleat against the uneven wall.
If you cut your cleat straight and place it along the wall with no pressure it will automatically show you the gaps and allow easy measurement to cut spacers for your screws.
I've seen dozens and dozens of French Cleat videos over the years. This is the first one ever to explain how to find the middle of a board for an angled rip cut. Before, I've measured and marked the middle, then used my speed square to find the 45° intersection, and fudged around with my fence for the cut. This formula is so much quicker and easier.
Yes, and so simple too! I just cut my peices oversized and had some waste to deal with. Using this next time.
Duuuuuuude!!!! This just change the way I do the cleats. Even my wife was wide eyed at how easy this method made finding the center. :-)
Check out Chris over At a Glimpse Inside, he shared the formula quite some time ago and as of a couple of days ago shared it again. He goes as far a subtracting half the blade kerf.
Yep this was the game changer for me!
Yup, that tip was definitely worth more than the price of admission!
"Oh, why would I want to watch a woodworking video..."
"Okay, that is literally the best thing I have seen all day. :like:"
This is one of the best carpentry channels on the internet. No stupid fluff just well presented information, explained simply and completely. Thanks so much!
@J Hemphill God bless your little heart.
@J Hemphill God bless you big man.
Wow!!! First video on you tube to actually tell you how to cut a cleat down the middle. Thank you so much.
So good
To get it truly in half you have to take half of the Kerf of the blade as well. I documented this on my channel previous videos
Can't believe its so easy to do it this way. So informative.
@@davidward5968 I remember the first time I tried "cutting down the middle". So much wasted wood.
I like to trim the point off the cleat, just a couple mm, helps the cleat lock in tighter. The small imperfections in the wall can prevent it from sitting all the way into the cleat otherwise.
Nice tip. Surprised it didn't get covered in the video considering how useful it is.
I've been using french cleats for decades and the method continues to be my favorite way to hang cabinets. Don't be afraid to shim the wall cleat out from low spots in the wall surface. This will make hanging and joining multiple boxes much easier. A trick I use is to stretch a string line along a very long cleat to ensure it's nice and straight. Additionally, there are commercially available extruded aluminum cleat systems that have a much thinner profile. The aluminum cleats are used in commercial applications and are great problem solvers, especially in metal stud framed walls. Next time you're on an elevator that has nice interior panels, take a close look at the edge of the panel as the door opens, and you'll see it. Great job, Stumpy!
I ran into the bowed wall problem when I attached an antique solid pine cabinet to a wall. The cleat on the cabinet was straight, but the cleat on the wall had to be shimmed a bit for the cleats to interlock. I have plans to make some more cabinets to be hung by the FC system. One end of the old cabinet has lead in it, which I think is a bullet. From looking at the end grain, the tree was harvested a hundred years or so after the bullet lodged in the tree. Part of it was cut away at the sawmill and planing mill. Looks like a knot at first glance. Wish that bullet could tell the story of how and when it got there.
@@debluetailfly yep...a lot of old things could tell stories and more stories.
@@debluetailfly I once bought a used VW beetle that had a bullet hole in a fender. Didn't know it until two years later when I repainted the car. Someone in its past had shot out the left front tire, filled the hole with Bondo and did a crap job repainting the car in order to sell it and hide his crime. As you say, the stories things can tell...
I have twenty year-old cabinets in my laundry room that are falling apart that I have been avoiding replacing because of the installation. NOW I know what I am going to do. Thank you SO much
The French are genius! We Cajuns tried to introduce a similar system using our expertise for crafting things out of whatever is available. However, it turns out baguettes don't hold much weight beyond fried oysters and some condiments... but I digress. Great video James! Keep 'em coming!
I'll be there shortly to help test the baguette and fried stuff system... I think it needs more testing, lots of testing😁🙋.
Best reply ever
Leave to a cajun to turn a French cleat into something delicious!! Made me drool thinking about cajun fried Gulf oysters. I'm gaining weight thinking about it.
I laughed so had almost pissed myself thanks for the comment Pawpaw Stew. I had some of that there Cajun Coffee with baguettes years ago and the coffee held a fork straight up in the center of the coffee cup fairly well.
In France, we call them taquet-frites.
I'm always impressed with the fluency of delivery that James Hamilton possesses. Never an 'um' or an 'ah', just perfect clarity of message and the message always worth hearing.
As someone who has been hemming and hawing about how to hang my cabinets, this video has come to the rescue!
James you really are the number one woodworking channel for genuinely useful information lately. You have changed my approach to multiple workshop functions in a highly positive way. You are what we Kiwis describe as 'good value'. Even if you still use rods, palms, cubits to measure stuff. 13/64ths of a furlong @ 21 groats per league, worked out on a slide rule, is so yesteryear.
Are you using metric? I always think about switching but my brain is so used to ridiculous fractions now 😂
Remember we inherited this measuring system from the Brits. The ancient Egyptians built everything using cubits…
I've been meaning to make the switch myself. But the metric system does not have a unit capable of measuring freedom.
@@croe5357 The metric system itself is a unit of freedom. Freedom from fractions, freedom from division 😉
Of course being out by a factor of 10 every time you make a mistake will ruin your day...
Great video. The best one I've seen on CZcams about French cleats.
As always clear and simple advice with no nonsense and all the relevant information. Many people may know but fewer seem able to teach and that is a skill worth it’s weight. Thanks bro.
This is golden content. I will never do wall mounting the same again.
That calculation for splitting a bevel cut down the center is super useful
I work in construction, many times we have taken down old cabinets and installed new ones for our clients. What I’ve noticed is the millworkers will use 3” strips of plywood without the bevel more than they use the bevel style. It still holds them in place so they can be screwed but I personally would trust the stability of the bevel style. The one benefit of using the non-bevel cleat is to have the cabinets all the way flush to the ceiling.
From a carpentry perspective, even when installing high end custom cabinetry which is dead flat and square, often the buildings surfaces are not square, level, plumb, or flat. French cleats may get you part of the way, but make shimming and tweaking surfaces that much more difficult. Especially in historic homes which have lath and plaster wall coverings, and where custom trim panels and covers are used to scribe the imperfections in the walls. Thank you for the great overview video, great reminder to use these where possible.
My first encounter with French cleats was in museums. I used to work with exhibit designers, and they would often specify French cleats to hang heavy display cabinets and artifacts on exhibit walls. Not only were they sturdy, but they allowed the exhibits to be removed easily for cleaning, updating, or to access wiring and other utilities hidden in the wall. It's no wonder French cleats are so popular. They're really versatile.
If I watch enough of these videos, I may graduate beyond the point of using just a drill, a jigsaw and a radial handsaw. Seems tempting!
I had always thought the French cleats were a Shaker thing. How they mounted their huge wardrobes on either side of the large hallways in the classic shaker houses. They build everything to last and be secure. Well used, French cleats allow change while being secure. A French cleat around a room allows you to hang paintings and make cabinets and shelves safe from tipping over.
I love french cleats. I used them for the floating bookshelves in my daughter’s room and the floating headboard in our master bedroom.
Awesome. I want to make this also. How wide did you make the cleat and how thick was the board shelf?
I have used french cleats for hanging kitchen and workshop cabinets in my last couple of homes in England, also for hanging the home cinema screen.
Best French fleet video on CZcams
@Moredata
I don't know about that 🤔, I've seen some recreations of Napoleon's French fleet and they were pretty good as well 😊😊.
Informative and excellent as usual, thank you Stumpy😁!!
I.... cannot believe I've never heard of these before.... Time to redo all my wall space in my shop and shed with these cleats.
I've watched a lot of cabinetry construction and cabinetry installation videos. I've never seen one where they used French Cleats and always wondered why. I thought I may have been overstating the capabilities of French Cleats. Thanks for the information, as always, James.
Just discovered this use for french cleats a couple weeks ago installing cabinets build by a shop in Florida. Was truely a lightbulb moment when I realized what a game changer it really was for me
This is the first I heard of French Cleats. Wow! Not only useful, it is in my skill level. And my wife has a cabinet she wants to hang. Thank you.
And you'd better get to it. When she praises you, just say, "That's why you married me."
Thanks for that simple formula for ripping a board down the middle with a 45 degree bevel!
*An unmentioned benefit of this* - I was trying to figure out the best way to hang some old 3' by 3' cabinets strong enough that they wouldn't fall apart or pull from the wall when I loaded them up. I was already going to run a 2x3 under the cabinets to take almost all of the vertical weight, but needed a way to keep them from tilting forward - a cleat at the top, 1 ft. down, and 2 ft. down, held with 2 screws per cabinet side (12 screws per cabinet), and 2 more screws per cabinet to the wall to keep them from getting bumped up, will be more than strong enough, and a lot easier than anything else I was considering.
I install overhead bins and cabinets on walls everyday in the office furniture field. Cleats are mandatory. Our rule is minimum we hit at least 2 studs plus 3 X 250 lbs wall anchors per cleat. That way the only way the cabinet can ever come off the wall is if the actual wall / drywall fails.
Dude.
Listen.
I just want you to know I think your content and delivery are both absolutely spectacular. You ROCK. Keep it up.
I started my apprenticeship in the early 70's. I was given the task of demoing a floor in a high rise in Calgary. I started and was shortly introduced to French cleats. Thank you, Patella Millwork. Guess how long I've been using employing FC..
I have reached the end of every Stumpy Nubs video and found myself compelled to give it a thumbs up rating. Now I know that there are multiple ways to do nearly everything, but James Hamilton ALWAYS pick a fine solution to the problem being addressed and shares it so very well.
Just when I was getting ready to build some cabinets for my shop this video pops up. I have been on the fence about how I'm going to mount them to the wall and now I know exactly what I'll use! The French cleat system is amazing and this video was very informative. I thank you very much for doing it Stumpy! The tip about being able to rip a board exactly in half for a French cleat is definitely a gold nugget!! Thank you again sir!!
We had a house built in 1953 with metal kitchen cabinets. There were hung using this technique but with metal plates screwed to the wall. I'd never imagined such a thing but does seem brilliant.
Cleats, toast, and kissing. The French have brought us so much!
😂 And don’t forget fries and the Dip!
I've used French Cleats and come to the conclusion that ideally the acute angle of the bevel should less than forty-five degrees. Forty or 35 provides a longer friction surface on the bevel and there times - I built a rack for hammers - that the extra works very well. Even with a spacer, the weight of the hammers in the rack caused it to actually "climb" out of position. Believe, there's nothing like a rack full of hammers falling on you to lead to serious thought about the design.
I noticed this as well, mainly on my clamp rack (which was the heaviest tool holder on my cleat wall). Next time I'll make the angle closer to 35 or so for sure. It will also hopefully reduce chipping along the edge. Despite plywood's alternating grains, at 45° the tip may just be a single ply which is easy to damage.
Thanks for sharing. Good info
I had no idea there was any other way to hang a cabinet. How would the whole "hold 'er up, I'm tryin' to get 'er level" thing work? Seems like a good way to start a fight
Ive been working in the cabinet industry (both commercial and residential) for 7 years. I have never hung a cabinet without French cleat. They are such a life saver when it comes to heavy particle board and laminate cabinets. The best thing we have done to hide the French cleat was to dado a ¼" groove ¾" from the back on the inside of the sides and bottom of the cabinet. Slide a ¼" piece plywood of your choice as a backing. Insert cleat between sides of the cabinet with a notch under like shown in this video. No notch for the finished ends, butting right up to cleat on the wall.
I have a very large, and extremely heavy, framed mirror. I've been nervous each time I hung it, because the typical drywall anchors eventually started to work their way out.
We're in a new house and I was racking my brain about how to mount it, when I remembered having seen this video a while back and eureka!
Thanks for the rescue!
I love French cleats and I use them all the time and didn't think that this video would teach me anything. I'm glad I watched. Even if I don't use anything directly from it, it's getting me to think outside of the box a little bit which is equally as useful to me. Good stuff as usual 👍🏾. This is coming from Grenada, West Indies btw.
You're the first poster I've ever seen from those beautiful islands! I biked around the big island in 89' and fell in love with everything. Best wishes from Denmark!
I got a massive blackboard for doing my math masters, and I spent weeks trying to figure out how to put it on the wall. I ended up using some Z-bar, but now I know what this mounting style is called. Thanks!
I took an old giant map off the wall from work several years ago that used a 1/4" ply french cleat. According to my co-worker, it had been hanging since he started. He retired in 2014 after 40 years of service.
Finishing our kitchen remodel. Never felt confident in how the previous owners mounted the cabinets with the 'ol screw through the back. This new magical way of mounting is going to have to happen.
When I moved into my house 8 years ago I put french cleats on two entire walls. It's been fantastic. On the opposite wall I hung two large cabinets that hold a lot of weight. Works great as well. Go Cleats!
Always fun seeing my French cleat wall make a cameo in other videos!
Lol I knew that was your cleat wall! I watched you build it. I've made plenty of things in my house using French cleats but I have yet to build a cleat organization wall in my shop...I procrastinat🤦♂️
To be fair when it comes to woodworking someone has made it a hundred times before you and a hundred after with little tweaks here and there. Ideas are built ontop of other ideas
A needed a french cleat once to hang a heavy mirror. I'm wood-working-challenged, so while at the big box store, I had great idea: Shiplap! I bought one piece, cut it in half, and used it as a french cleat! Worked like a charm.
Finding the true center of the board to cut the bezel was slick, all this time I have been marking it and eyeballing the blade point of contact. Subbed just for that.
I remodeled some shop cabinet system using French cleats a few years ago. And you are right! Very few (I found none at the time) mentioned the gap or ways to deal with it. After a few mishaps and problems I added the bottom spacer you showed now. Much better results. You have probably saved someone else from picking up his items from the floor. Thanks
Great video. The most sincere complement…. I was disappointed when it ended! Thanks again for useful information that I will use!!
As a professional framer, I have used this method to hang large mirrors for many many years. It's the only way to be safe.
When making kitchen wall cabinets I cut the mating shape into the 2 sides of the cabinet. This is incredibly strong, the strongest way I can think of hanging wall cabs
Hello James, I just want to say thank you for these amazing contests.
I'm a new woodworker myself and really helped by your channel 👍👍
Keep up the awesome work!
Great technique, I've been using this for years installing cabinets and things like large framed mirrors etc. I think I got it from Norm Abrams.
You are an excellent steward of the wood working teacher role
I recently hung (hanged?) a floating media cabinet with a French cleat. They're dead useful.
I used French cleats to hang a murphy computer desk in my room just the other day. It makes hanging things up on the wall just so much easier.
I would like to know more about the murphy computer desk.
@@jim7smith its a box that hangs on a French cleat. The front of it folds down using a piano hinge. There are chains in each corn that help keep it level. I would post pictures of it, but I don't think you can do that here. So if you google murphy computer desk, there will be alot of examples.
I've always hung cabinets with French cleats. I wonder about the sanity of those that don't use them.
In general, hanging anything heavy on drywall will benefit from a single strip of 1/2" or 3/4" wood in the back. The use of French Cleats is really nicely shown here.
This is so powerful. There are basically limitless applications for this. Now if only I was actually a wood worker/carpenter.
For Christmas I received a nice piece of art. I instantly knew this is how I would put it on the wall.
As a professional cabinet maker I would dado in my back panels 3/4” in from the back of the cabinet to hide my construction rails. When doing wall cabinets I just simply replaced the top constitution rail with a 45 mitered rail for use as a dovetail cleat. Then I would include an additional dovetail rail 3/4” shorter in length to mount on the wall. ( the 3/4” difference is to allow the cabinet to be shifted side to side on the wall allowing for a better fit.)
Pro tip: One simple screw thru the back panel into the cleat mounted on the wall will lock the cabinet into place and keep it from shifting and coming off the wall. Perfect for use with small light cabinets in high traffic areas.
i like how these videos get STRAIGHT TO THE POINT
efficiency 100%
In the 90s I worked for a cabinet company and that was the way we hung all of our upper cabinets. Most of what we did was the office laminate-type cabinets but we did do some wood veneered cabinets. One time I was loading a solid wood door onto our truck and dropped it. It hit right on the corner and smashed a good inch of that stained finished door in. Thankfully our finish guy was able to fix it like new and I didn't have to pay for a door. Anyway, back to the French cleat topic. In the field, the installers would use liquid nails then the cleat and screw it into the wall.
This is the Best Explanation of not only how to make and use French Cleats, but also how to rip them! Stumpy Nubs Is THE BEST!!!!
I could listen to this guy's voice all day
I've tried it and you are not lying.
@@StumpyNubs Hahaha seriously though. I love your channel. So informative and always manage to learn something new Keep it up buddy. Your awsome!
This man is a national treasure. Keep posting fantastic videos, and I’ll keep watching.
I was considering using a French cleat to hang a cabinet in my office just a few days ago, and after watching this video, I will be using that method for sure. I didn't know what it was called, but I should have realized that there was a pre-existing method. Funny how the right information can come along at just the right time.
I only discovered these because in breaking down an old shelf at my work I saw how they mounted it with a cleat. I built several shelves for my finished garage wall, and did as you showed in one example here. I inset the cleat flush into the back of the shelf (a slightly narrower cleat on the wall) so when it hung it was perfectly flush. Never considered doing it another way actually, LOL!
The only thing I didn’t know how to do was rip the cleat board at 45 degrees perfectly in half, so only eyeballed it to get it close. This formula (1/2 width, 1/2 thickness from board width) is very helpful for next time I rip with a bevel, thanks!
I used to install art at large museum and we used french cleats for all kinds of things, even large sculptures!
Hi Brian from Denmark here. In Denmark, we install all kitchen upper cabinets with French cleats. We have done it for years and it is the standard way of fitting kitchen cabinets in Denmark today.
What an excellent video! I began woodworking back in the early 70's. Later, in the 80's I got a job that required a lot of travel. My love of cabinetmaking had me admiring different kinds of furniture on the road. My first exposure with the French Cleat system came from the way hotels hung headboards for their beds.
I used French Cleats to hang my cabinets in my workshop months ago. Pretty cool seeing this video now.
The best way to hang cabinets. So many advantages. Easy to run wiring for under cabinet lights.
We was taught this in highschool back in teh early 80s in woodshop class.
But our teacher called them a French bracket
So i have been using them now for over 37 years it sure makes it easy to hang things even photos.
The strip at the bottom is good. It gives you the channe to shape it with with a belt sander, to make it conform perfectly to the wall with no gaps.
Thank you, Mr Nubs, sir. A gold star from NZ.
One addition (which some people may find obvious but should probably still be said): You mentioned it's a "good idea" to screw down your cabinets in addition to just the cleat, but if you are working anywhere that has the possibility for earthquakes, you _absolutely must_ screw them down. Do not rely on only the cleat to hold them on the wall, or the whole thing could potentially come crashing down (along with everything in it) when the next earthquake hits.
I have a kitchen where no surface is flat and level ... I have despaired of ever getting a fitted kitchen that is not all out of square ... now I think I see a way! Thank you, sir.
Oh whoa, I only knew about French cleats for cabinets haha - I love this cleat wall idea
You save my day in the retrofit of some old kitchen cabinets. Thanks buddy.
Absolutely love the computer setup at 2:22
I live in a very old house. Several of the original horse hair plaster walls have survived, but at one time the house was moved so nothing is square, plumb, level or flat any more. French cleats are excellent for this situation as it is also much easier to shim the cleat than to shim the whole cabinet (just as levelling is easier as mentioned in the video).
I didn’t even know these things existed, now I think my world has just changed 🤯🥳 thank you :)
What... Is this channel? Why was it recommended to me? Why does it rock so hard??
I just built a wall cabinet and was concerned about hanging it by myself. The French cleat saved the day. Thanks James for the reminder
I'm not even a woodworker but this channel is fascinating
Those French are so ingenious!
I clicked for the lulz in the title and stayed for the great piece of info. Thank you!
I made a flatscreen wall mount out of scrap i had laying around using french cleats. Easy project that saved me a little dough
You can buy aluminum French cleat material that is only 1/4" thick which helps get around any gap issues when using 3/4 ply. They're plenty strong for hanging cabinets. I have a concrete and walnut headboard that's probably 400lbs that is hung on aluminum cleats.
The biggest issue with using cleats for cabinet installation is that it doesnt really allow you to properly level a cabinet if the wall is out of plumb. If the wall is leaning out at the top, you can't easily shim behind it to get it back to plumb. If the wall is twisted, the cabinets will follow that shape which can lead to door alignment and adjustment issues.
Besides tool walls, imo, the best use for French cleats is on things like large artwork or framed, heavy mirrors where screwing the item itself to the wall isn't an option. French cleats have their place, but it would never be my go-to choice for nice cabinetry. Ymmv.
Build commercial cabinets, we only use french cleats! Great information! Also, GO REDWINGS!!!!
I have a house with every room has its walls completely covered in a french cleat (except where there are window and door frames). Using 2 1/2 by 5/8 inch trim with the same shape as my other molding around the windows and doors, I level it with the top of the window and door frames. I put the top of the trim 7 foot up from the floor and stained to the same color as the window and door frames. Before mounting the trim I use a 45-degree router bit to create a french cleat 1/2 inch on the back of the top of the trim. With that cleat, I can hang everything that is usually screwed, velcroed, or hung on a wall. Picture frames? A half-inch thick by 3 inch long by 1 1/2 inch (1/2 inch french cleat in the bottom) piece of oak as the mating cleat with a 1/4 by 3/4 inch stick (either painted to the wall color or stained to the trim color) screwed to the picture frame and a 5/8 inch thick by 3/4 inch wide offset at the bottom to make the whole thing hang vertically. The picture can easily be moved up or down by making the stick longer than needed, is always straight, causes no holes in the wall, and can be moved from one place to another in an instant. If you hang a heavy speaker say, just screw the trim into a couple of studs to take the added weight instead of a nail. Whiteboards, cork boards, lightweight shelves, hangers for my 2-foot long model airplanes, posters (I spray glue the poster to a foam backer then mount it with a couple of plastic clips), LED floodlights that shine onto the ceiling, LED strips mounted to a couple pieces of trim that are used for a wall wash, electrical cord covers, the list goes on. All of this can be made in batches with differing lengths for hanging large and small items. Hint: use felt behind the cleats and offsets to avoid having the cleat wedge remove paint when moved.
your concise clarity and accuracy with language always impresses me
This and cooking methods are the only French exports worth mentioning
One of if not the best carpentry channels on CZcams
Glad I got my dad research done for today
I am one of those who covered their entire shop walls in French cleats and I wish I had had been smart enough to figure out this myself: Half the width of the board about to be cut into two cleats PLUS half the thickness. What a time and wood saver.
Thank you so much.
Couldn't agree more! I have this incredibly heavy mirror that my wife and I struggled to hang for the better part of an hour in our last place with its stupid cross-shaped holes in four corners. Never actually managed to get hardware in all four of them. When we bought our house and moved, and I had to hang it again, I thought better of it and just attached a French cleat up top and a spacer down the bottom. No problemo! Was done in minutes without any help. The gap is barely noticeable because the mirror is close to the trim around our closet and also to the adjacent (perpendicular) wall.