EC

Electric Comet

26/08/2015 4:58 PM

wood cleat tricks

i need to organize things and i want to make a shallow cabinet for the hand
tools

i thought that using a cleat would be the simplest wall mount to use

sometimes called a pinch cleat or a french cleat

but they are not earthquake ready and i could just blast a screw through
from the front through the cleat and into the wall but something about
that i just do not like

what other clever things have you done to fasten the cleats together
without driving a screw all the way through

i was thinking of making half-round grooves in each cleat and then once
the cabinet is hanging place a dowel into the full-round to marry them
together

maybe a square groove would be better













This topic has 46 replies

Sk

Swingman

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 1:08 PM

On 9/12/2015 8:55 AM, Jack wrote:
>
> If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
> hung via french cleats.

Most of the rest of the world has adopted the European 35mm cabinet system.

Guess what that system uses to hang cabinets ... a "Z" Bar.

AKA: French Cleat ... :)

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

JG

Joe Gwinn

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

04/09/2015 10:49 AM

In article <[email protected]>, Leon
<lcb11211@swbelldotnet> wrote:

> On 9/3/2015 2:02 PM, Swingman wrote:
> > On 9/3/2015 10:59 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> >
> >> A cleat and a screw doesn't even approach rocket science but it does
> >> provide for mobility as well as a certain measure of safety.
> >
> > I often use French cleats for mounting cabinets, usually because of the
> > possibility of future mobility ... I wanted to be able to bring these
> > with me if I moved the shop:
> >
> >
> > <https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopRetrofit2011?nor
> > edirect=1#5603815905293206226>
> >
> >
> > <scroll right>
> >
> > But sometimes, just for the added flexibility of being able to easily,
> > and more or less permanently, mount a cabinet in a precise location,
> > like perfectly centered when there are irregularly space studs and no
> > backer boards to screw them into.
> >
> > ... like this one so I could easily center the cabinet above the desk
> > for aesthetics
> >
> >
> > <https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopStickley708Style
> > WritingTable200402?noredirect=1#5679357761199011954>
> >
> >
> > Making a french cleat narrower than the cabinet can give you all kinds
> > of flexibility with regard to placement.
> >
>
>
> Precisely how these floating walnut wall panels were mounted, french
> cleats. I wanted to be able to remove them to run more hidden wiring
> behind them.
>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/10483001133/in/album-72157630857421932/>
>
> The method and process of mounting parallel and evenly spaced.
>
> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/9658177806/>

What I've done for wall-mounted speakers is a pair of french cleats,
top and bottom, with opposing slanted faces. One removed the speakers
by sliding them sideways. They could not be removed by lifting them
off the cleats, so there was no possibility of accidentally knocking
them loose.

For cabinets, an interrupted opposing french cleat on the bottom would
allow the cabinet to be slid say six inches to one side, and then
removed.

The opposing bottom french cleat could be the underside of a standard
bottom french cleat board, so we would have two standard french cleats,
top and bottom, plus an upsidedown french cleat at the very bottom.

Joe Gwinn

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 5:03 PM

On Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 7:09:45 PM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 12:32:53 -0700 (PDT)
> DerbyDad03 <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Why would you have to "blast" the screw into the wall? It only needs
> > to go into the wall cleat to secure it. Besides, you will already
> > have holes in the wall from mounting the cleat, what's one more hole
> > from the securing screw going to matter?
>
> it is sort of six of that and a half dozen of the other but my shop right now
> is unorganized and i am trying to organize it but i will no doubt move the
> tools around as i get to the workflow that i like
>
> for those reasons i could have a lot of holes which is not a huge problem
> but just would rather not
>
>
> > I guess the real question is this: What is the "something" about that
> > method that you "just do not like"?
>
> so i would like to place the cleats and just pull out a peg from each end
> of the cleat to remove the cabinet from the wall
>
> > If you have room to slide the cabinet in from the side, use a
> > "normal" cleat at the top and an "inverted" cleat at the bottom. Once
> > slid into place, the cabinet won't go anywhere unless the room falls
> > over.
>
> now that is an idea

...snip...

I was kind of hoping that that would be your response.

You are concerned with putting too many holes in your walls, yet you like an idea that requires a minimum of 4 holes better than one that only requires 2.

Interesting.

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:39 AM

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 10:27:47 AM UTC-4, Jack wrote:
> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>
> > FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little cabinets
> > full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French cleat, earthquake
> > or not.
>
> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then you
> have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw the
> thing to the wall, as is normal.
>
> If you have an earthquake that raises the cabinet up enough to jump off
> the cleat, you probably will be worrying about far more than that
> cabinet, but I'm guessing, I live in earthquake free zone:-)
>
> If it's not uncommon for earthquakes in your area to jump up and down
> 1 1/4" or so, one screw in the bottom is sufficient to make sure the
> cabinet and wall jump in unison, then all your worries can be focused on
> the wall.
>
>

Standing up for EC, I'll offer this:

He wants to use cleats so that he can easily rearrange the cabinets as he
plays around with various organization ideas. He may start with a particular
arrangement this week but decide on a better one later on and then again on
another one a few months from now. In the meantime, Mr. Richter might pay a
visit and he wants to be able to welcome him into his shop safely.

EC is essentially looking for a temporary way to protect against the worst
case yet make it easy enough to rearrange the cabinets at various - and
unknown - points in the future.

As others have suggested, a single screw into a cleat should be enough to secure the cabinets yet allow for fairly easy movement.

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

11/09/2015 8:17 AM

On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 3:34:27 PM UTC-4, Swingman wrote:
> On 9/10/2015 11:38 AM, Jack wrote:
>
> > Also, you need to attach 3 extra boards, two for the cleat and one for
> > the spacer, if your cabinets have backs.
>
> Easily solved. ;)
>
> Since almost all shop built cabinet have "tack strips" incorporated into
> the cabinet for both structural integrity and mounting to a wall, all
> you have to do is rip both tack strips in half on a 45 degree angle.
>
> This instantly creates both halves of the french cleat, using the exact
> same amount of material as the original cabinet:
>
> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopJigsFixturesMethods?noredirect=1#6192969033686152210


Plus the cabinet itself is lighter. ;-)

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:55 AM

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 11:44:43 AM UTC-4, Mike Marlow wrote:
> Mike Marlow wrote:
> > Jack wrote:
> >> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
> >>
> >>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
> >>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
> >>> cleat, earthquake or not.
> >>
> >> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
> >> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
> >> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw
> >> the thing to the wall, as is normal.
> >>
> >
> > That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to
> > each other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof
> > installations. You can have both without defeating the purpose of
> > each. This is a way over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to
> > decide what means most to him and just do it.
>
> Sorry - should have said You can't have both...
>
> --

Sure you can, as long as you are willing to settle for somewhat less mobility as opposed to no mobility at all. The concept is not binary.

Slatwall-type systems are designed for versatility/mobility, yet you can purchase locking fixtures for security (and safety) purposes:

http://cdn.displays2go.com/downloadablefiles/securityhookinstructions5.pdf

Slatwall-type systems are essentially nothing more than a "cleat" system.

ww

whit3rd

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 10:24 AM

On Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 5:01:49 PM UTC-7, Electric Comet wrote:
> i need ...a shallow cabinet for the hand
> tools
>
> i thought that using a cleat would be the simplest wall mount to use
>
> sometimes called a pinch cleat or a french cleat
>
> but they are not earthquake ready and i could just blast a screw through
> from the front

In addition to the cleat, you could screw a block or board to the wall
above the cabinet, so the cabinet cannot be raised off the cleat.

If appearance doesn't matter, there's also steel rail solutions (Unistrut/Superstrut)
that will hold in any quake that doesn't break walls.

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:59 AM

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 11:49:14 AM UTC-4, Mike Marlow wrote:
> DerbyDad03 wrote:
> > On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 10:27:47 AM UTC-4, Jack wrote:
> >> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
> >>
> >>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
> >>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
> >>> cleat, earthquake or not.
> >>
> >> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
> >> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
> >> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just
> >> screw the thing to the wall, as is normal.
> >>
> >> If you have an earthquake that raises the cabinet up enough to jump
> >> off the cleat, you probably will be worrying about far more than that
> >> cabinet, but I'm guessing, I live in earthquake free zone:-)
> >>
> >> If it's not uncommon for earthquakes in your area to jump up and down
> >> 1 1/4" or so, one screw in the bottom is sufficient to make sure
> >> the cabinet and wall jump in unison, then all your worries can be
> >> focused on the wall.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Standing up for EC, I'll offer this:
> >
> > He wants to use cleats so that he can easily rearrange the cabinets
> > as he
> > plays around with various organization ideas. He may start with a
> > particular
> > arrangement this week but decide on a better one later on and then
> > again on
> > another one a few months from now. In the meantime, Mr. Richter might
> > pay a
> > visit and he wants to be able to welcome him into his shop safely.
> >
> > EC is essentially looking for a temporary way to protect against the
> > worst
> > case yet make it easy enough to rearrange the cabinets at various -
> > and
> > unknown - points in the future.
> >
> > As others have suggested, a single screw into a cleat should be
> > enough to secure the cabinets yet allow for fairly easy movement.
>=20
> And in the end - even the most hard fastened approach does not present mo=
re=20
> than a few minutes worth of effort to move about. The french cleat does =
not=20
> really offer a huge amount of time saving. These are simply cabinets.=20
> We're making too much rocket science out of a simple project. Happens he=
re=20
> from time to time...
>=20
> --=20

If I was moving cabinets around in my shop, I'd sure rather remove 1 screw,=
lift the cabinet off the cleat, move it and reinstalled the single screw t=
han try to remove all the screws holding the cabinet itself to the wall and=
then reinstall them. That is not typically a one man operation, unless I'm=
using bracing, etc.

A cleat and a screw doesn't even approach rocket science but it does provid=
e for mobility as well as a certain measure of safety.


ME

Martin Eastburn

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 8:28 PM

And made with fiber board that melts down when in high humidity.

If the sawdust board makers used a water proof resin or glue - it would
improve their product.

Martin

On 9/11/2015 10:17 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Thursday, September 10, 2015 at 3:34:27 PM UTC-4, Swingman wrote:
>> On 9/10/2015 11:38 AM, Jack wrote:
>>
>>> Also, you need to attach 3 extra boards, two for the cleat and one for
>>> the spacer, if your cabinets have backs.
>>
>> Easily solved. ;)
>>
>> Since almost all shop built cabinet have "tack strips" incorporated into
>> the cabinet for both structural integrity and mounting to a wall, all
>> you have to do is rip both tack strips in half on a 45 degree angle.
>>
>> This instantly creates both halves of the french cleat, using the exact
>> same amount of material as the original cabinet:
>>
>> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopJigsFixturesMethods?noredirect=1#6192969033686152210
>
>
> Plus the cabinet itself is lighter. ;-)
>

Sk

Swingman

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 2:02 PM

On 9/3/2015 10:59 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:

> A cleat and a screw doesn't even approach rocket science but it does provide for mobility as well as a certain measure of safety.

I often use French cleats for mounting cabinets, usually because of the
possibility of future mobility ... I wanted to be able to bring these
with me if I moved the shop:

https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopRetrofit2011?noredirect=1#5603815905293206226

<scroll right>

But sometimes, just for the added flexibility of being able to easily,
and more or less permanently, mount a cabinet in a precise location,
like perfectly centered when there are irregularly space studs and no
backer boards to screw them into.

... like this one so I could easily center the cabinet above the desk
for aesthetics

https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopStickley708StyleWritingTable200402?noredirect=1#5679357761199011954

Making a french cleat narrower than the cabinet can give you all kinds
of flexibility with regard to placement.

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 9:22 AM

On 9/12/2015 9:11 AM, Leon wrote:
> On 9/12/2015 8:55 AM, Jack wrote:
>> On 9/10/2015 2:54 PM, Leon wrote:
>>
>>>> It's simple to hold the cabinet to the wall, exactly where you want it
>>>> and screw it into studs. It's how kitchen cabinets are hung all over
>>>> the world. French cleats require screwing into something solid just as
>>>> attaching the cabinet directly.
>>>
>>> Well, simple to say but to do is another matter. I am not a full time
>>> kitchen remodeler but I do have a few under my belt, 10 IIRC so that
>>> probably 80 or 90 cabinets.
>>> And while you are correct, most kitchen cabinets are simply hung on the
>>> wall with out French cleats, they are generally mounted on top of
>>> temporary ledger boards to hold them in place while the tops of the
>>> cabinets are attached with screws/bolts to the blocking boards between
>>> the wall studs.
>>
>> I have built and installed a number of kitchens myself, the easiest part
>> was hanging the cabinets. I've also done a number of cabinets with
>> French cleats, and the measurements were more difficult, so if you have
>> trouble measuring for wall studs, you will have even more trouble
>> measuring for wall studs and french cleats.
>
> Typically you don't measure for wall studs. There should be blocking
> behind between all of the studs. this is pretty much standard practice.
> Either way wall studs are easily found with a stack of rare earth
> magnets to locate sheet rock nails or with a good electronic stud finder.
>
>>
>> If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
>> hung via french cleats.
>
> Do you know that they are not?

And to add to that a bit, IIRC many homes in Europe do not include
kitchen cabinets. You bring your own and hang them when you move in and
you take them with you when you move out. I highly suspect that the
upper cabinets are hung on some type of cleat.




Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 9:11 AM

On 9/12/2015 8:55 AM, Jack wrote:
> On 9/10/2015 2:54 PM, Leon wrote:
>
>>> It's simple to hold the cabinet to the wall, exactly where you want it
>>> and screw it into studs. It's how kitchen cabinets are hung all over
>>> the world. French cleats require screwing into something solid just as
>>> attaching the cabinet directly.
>>
>> Well, simple to say but to do is another matter. I am not a full time
>> kitchen remodeler but I do have a few under my belt, 10 IIRC so that
>> probably 80 or 90 cabinets.
>> And while you are correct, most kitchen cabinets are simply hung on the
>> wall with out French cleats, they are generally mounted on top of
>> temporary ledger boards to hold them in place while the tops of the
>> cabinets are attached with screws/bolts to the blocking boards between
>> the wall studs.
>
> I have built and installed a number of kitchens myself, the easiest part
> was hanging the cabinets. I've also done a number of cabinets with
> French cleats, and the measurements were more difficult, so if you have
> trouble measuring for wall studs, you will have even more trouble
> measuring for wall studs and french cleats.

Typically you don't measure for wall studs. There should be blocking
behind between all of the studs. this is pretty much standard practice.
Either way wall studs are easily found with a stack of rare earth
magnets to locate sheet rock nails or with a good electronic stud finder.

>
> If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
> hung via french cleats.

Do you know that they are not?



>
>>> The french cleat adds measurement difficulty if you want the cabinet an
>>> exact distance from the ceiling, in that both the wall cleat and the
>>> cabinet cleat must be exactly right,
>>
>> Not really, simple math and that calculation pretty much works for all
>> of the cabinets unless the tops are not all the same.
>
> In the words of my favorite cabinet maker, "Well, simple to say but to
> do is another matter." :-)
>
>
>>> Standard cabinet hanging techniques are about as simple as it gets. On
>>> a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put hanging normal kitchen cabinets as 1 and
>>> using french cleats as 1.3.
>>>
>>
>> Now while I have never used french cleats to hang kitchen cabinets, up
>> to this point, I will strongly consider using them should I have another
>> remodel come my way.
>
> There is a reason you have installed 10 kitchens and not once used
> french cleats. It's the same reason no one else uses them in kitchens,
> it's not easier and there is no reason to make it more complicated for
> no reason.

The last kitchen job that was completely my kitchen job was 8~9 years
ago. I really had not thought of using french cleats up until that
point. The rest of the kitchens I was not the one in charge and I did
the work as instructed.


> I suspect you won't use them next time either.
>
Time will tell.

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 12:32 PM

On Wednesday, August 26, 2015 at 8:01:49 PM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> i need to organize things and i want to make a shallow cabinet for the hand
> tools
>
> i thought that using a cleat would be the simplest wall mount to use
>
> sometimes called a pinch cleat or a french cleat
>
> but they are not earthquake ready and i could just blast a screw through
> from the front through the cleat and into the wall but something about
> that i just do not like

Why would you have to "blast" the screw into the wall? It only needs to go into the wall cleat to secure it. Besides, you will already have holes in the wall from mounting the cleat, what's one more hole from the securing screw going to matter?

I guess the real question is this: What is the "something" about that method that you "just do not like"?

..snip..

If you have room to slide the cabinet in from the side, use a "normal" cleat at the top and an "inverted" cleat at the bottom. Once slid into place, the cabinet won't go anywhere unless the room falls over.

Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 6:01 PM

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 6:50:44 PM UTC-4, Mike Marlow wrote:
> DerbyDad03 wrote:
>
> >
> > I don't think there is any argument as to the versatility of using
> > cleats, but there are some in this forum that seem to feel that
> > adding a screw or 2 to the cleat as an "earthquake protection
> > measure" defeats the entire purpose of the cleat. I believe that your
> > second picture puts that argument to rest. Am I correct in assuming
> > that the centered cabinet is screwed to the cleat to keep it in it's
> > current position?
>
> Not sure if you're making reference to my comments, but in case you are - I
> can't see why anyone would want both mobility and the ability to secure it
> against earthquakes at the same time.. That is indeed, two ideas that are
> at odds with each other.
>

Just like vehicle's transmission and brakes are at odds with each other. One supplies mobility when you want it, the other provides security against movement when you don't. Removing the security measure reinstates the mobility.

> Pick one, or the other.

I do, over and over again, day after day.

Read Swingman's posts re: securing cabinets that are hung on cleats with screws or dowels. I quote:

"All this is to SIMPLY and EASILY provide either a permanent, or semi-permanent installation, simultaneously ... your choice. "

I'm really surprised that you feel that the addition of a single screw into a cleat somehow negates all of the other advantages of using them. All it takes is the removal of the "brakes" to re-establish mobility.

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:18 PM

On 9/3/2015 10:38 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
> Jack wrote:
>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>>
>>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
>>> cleat, earthquake or not.
>>
>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
>> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
>> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw
>> the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>
>
> That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to each
> other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof installations.
> You can have both without defeating the purpose of each. This is a way
> over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to decide what means most to him
> and just do it.
>


Actually it is a hell of a lot easier to mount a board, french cleat, on
the wall exactly where you want and hang the cabinet on that than to
mount a cabinet to the wall with or with out a ledger on the bottom.
Then add a screw to make it semi-permanent.

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:15 PM

On 9/3/2015 9:27 AM, Jack wrote:
> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>
>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>> cabinets
>> full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French cleat,
>> earthquake
>> or not.
>
> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then you
> have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw the
> thing to the wall, as is normal.

FWIW, It is many times easier to mount a french cleat on the wall and
hang a cabinet on the cleat and add a single screw to secure it than to
hold the cabinet up against the wall and level and at the correct height
while adding multiple screws and hopefully into something solid.



Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

28/08/2015 11:18 AM

On Friday, August 28, 2015 at 11:44:19 AM UTC-4, Electric Comet wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:03:03 -0700 (PDT)
> DerbyDad03 <[email protected]> wrote:
>=20
> > You are concerned with putting too many holes in your walls, yet you
> > like an idea that requires a minimum of 4 holes better than one that
> > only requires 2.
>=20
> =20
> imagine you have 4 shallow tool cabinets that are meant to be open most
> the time
>=20
> now imagine you hang them with cleats at top and bottom as you proposed
>=20
> i can move them around without any additional screw/unscrew for securing
> or removing

Even though the double cleat was my idea, I don't mind poking holes (pun in=
tended) in it.

Keep in mind that you will need open wall space to slide the cabinets on an=
d off. Depending on your layout, you may need as much open wall space as ca=
binet space. Or maybe just one cabinet's width space so you could slide all=
of the cabinets off into that one open space and then slide them back on i=
n a different order, i.e. multiple moves.

'Twere it me, I'd grab my screw gun, remove the single or maybe even 2 scre=
ws and just lift the cabinet off the single cleat. Is it worth wasting the =
wall space and/or having to move cabinets around more than actually necessa=
ry just to avoid the use of a couple of screws?

In my case, I don't have a single inch of open wall space available, let al=
one multiple cabinets width's worth.

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

13/09/2015 5:05 PM

On 9/13/2015 10:27 AM, Jack wrote:
>
>>> On 9/12/2015 8:55 AM, Jack wrote:
>>>> On 9/10/2015 2:54 PM, Leon wrote:
>
>>>> If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
>>>> hung via french cleats.
>>>
>>> Do you know that they are not?
>
> Just a suspicion.
>
>> And to add to that a bit, IIRC many homes in Europe do not include
>> kitchen cabinets. You bring your own and hang them when you move in and
>> you take them with you when you move out. I highly suspect that the
>> upper cabinets are hung on some type of cleat.
>
> OK then, I'll change that from "kitchens across the world" to kitchens
> where the kitchen cabinets are not moving in and out with the
> homeowners.:-)
>
> I hope when they decide to move, they move into a home with the same
> kitchen size and design as the previous home.

You know, even some of those homes have no closets. When you move, your
regular furniture has to fit also. I doubt kitchen cabinets will be an
issue especially since they are designed to be moved.




Dt

DerbyDad03

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 12:14 PM

On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 3:02:26 PM UTC-4, Swingman wrote:
> On 9/3/2015 10:59 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>=20
> > A cleat and a screw doesn't even approach rocket science but it does pr=
ovide for mobility as well as a certain measure of safety.
>=20
> I often use French cleats for mounting cabinets, usually because of the=
=20
> possibility of future mobility ... I wanted to be able to bring these=20
> with me if I moved the shop:
>=20
> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopRetrofit2011?=
noredirect=3D1#5603815905293206226
>=20
> <scroll right>
>=20
> But sometimes, just for the added flexibility of being able to easily,=20
> and more or less permanently, mount a cabinet in a precise location,=20
> like perfectly centered when there are irregularly space studs and no=20
> backer boards to screw them into.
>=20
> ... like this one so I could easily center the cabinet above the desk=20
> for aesthetics
>=20
> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopStickley708St=
yleWritingTable200402?noredirect=3D1#5679357761199011954
>=20
> Making a french cleat narrower than the cabinet can give you all kinds=20
> of flexibility with regard to placement.
>=20
> --=20
> eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
> Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
> https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
> https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
> http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
> KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Nice pictures and cabinets.

I don't think there is any argument as to the versatility of using cleats, =
but there are some in this forum that seem to feel that adding a screw or 2=
to the cleat as an "earthquake protection measure" defeats the entire purp=
ose of the cleat. I believe that your second picture puts that argument to =
rest. Am I correct in assuming that the centered cabinet is screwed to the =
cleat to keep it in it's current position?

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

10/09/2015 1:54 PM

On 9/10/2015 11:38 AM, Jack wrote:
> On 9/3/2015 9:15 PM, Leon wrote:
>> On 9/3/2015 9:27 AM, Jack wrote:
>>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>
>>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
>>> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then you
>>> have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw the
>>> thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>
>> FWIW, It is many times easier to mount a french cleat on the wall and
>> hang a cabinet on the cleat and add a single screw to secure it than to
>> hold the cabinet up against the wall and level and at the correct height
>> while adding multiple screws and hopefully into something solid.
>
> It's simple to hold the cabinet to the wall, exactly where you want it
> and screw it into studs. It's how kitchen cabinets are hung all over
> the world. French cleats require screwing into something solid just as
> attaching the cabinet directly.

Well, simple to say but to do is another matter. I am not a full time
kitchen remodeler but I do have a few under my belt, 10 IIRC so that
probably 80 or 90 cabinets.
And while you are correct, most kitchen cabinets are simply hung on the
wall with out French cleats, they are generally mounted on top of
temporary ledger boards to hold them in place while the tops of the
cabinets are attached with screws/bolts to the blocking boards between
the wall studs.



>
> The french cleat adds measurement difficulty if you want the cabinet an
> exact distance from the ceiling, in that both the wall cleat and the
> cabinet cleat must be exactly right,

Not really, simple math and that calculation pretty much works for all
of the cabinets unless the tops are not all the same.


not to mention you can't hang the
> cabinet closer to the ceiling than needed to lift the cabinet over the
> cleat, assuming you don't have space to slide the cabinet sideways,
> seldom the case. Also, you need to attach 3 extra boards, two for the
> cleat and one for the spacer, if your cabinets have backs.

Typically you don't mount the cabinet against the ceiling anyway, hardly
any ceiling is perfect and you don't want your cabinets to follow an
irregular ceiling. Leave a gap, 3/4 will be plenty and cover the
irregular width gap with a molding.



>
> Standard cabinet hanging techniques are about as simple as it gets. On
> a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put hanging normal kitchen cabinets as 1 and
> using french cleats as 1.3.
>

Now while I have never used french cleats to hang kitchen cabinets, up
to this point, I will strongly consider using them should I have another
remodel come my way.


Sk

Swingman

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 1:18 PM

On 9/12/2015 1:08 PM, Swingman wrote:
> European 35mm cabinet system

Typo: 32mm, not 35mm

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)

Ll

Leon

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 8:08 PM

On 9/3/2015 2:02 PM, Swingman wrote:
> On 9/3/2015 10:59 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
>
>> A cleat and a screw doesn't even approach rocket science but it does
>> provide for mobility as well as a certain measure of safety.
>
> I often use French cleats for mounting cabinets, usually because of the
> possibility of future mobility ... I wanted to be able to bring these
> with me if I moved the shop:
>
> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopRetrofit2011?noredirect=1#5603815905293206226
>
>
> <scroll right>
>
> But sometimes, just for the added flexibility of being able to easily,
> and more or less permanently, mount a cabinet in a precise location,
> like perfectly centered when there are irregularly space studs and no
> backer boards to screw them into.
>
> ... like this one so I could easily center the cabinet above the desk
> for aesthetics
>
> https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopStickley708StyleWritingTable200402?noredirect=1#5679357761199011954
>
>
> Making a french cleat narrower than the cabinet can give you all kinds
> of flexibility with regard to placement.
>


Precisely how these floating walnut wall panels were mounted, french
cleats. I wanted to be able to remove them to run more hidden wiring
behind them.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/10483001133/in/album-72157630857421932/

The method and process of mounting parallel and evenly spaced.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lcb11211/9658177806/

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

26/08/2015 8:49 PM

Electric Comet wrote:
> i need to organize things and i want to make a shallow cabinet for
> the hand tools
>
> i thought that using a cleat would be the simplest wall mount to use
>
> sometimes called a pinch cleat or a french cleat
>
> but they are not earthquake ready and i could just blast a screw
> through from the front through the cleat and into the wall but
> something about that i just do not like
>
> what other clever things have you done to fasten the cleats together
> without driving a screw all the way through
>
> i was thinking of making half-round grooves in each cleat and then
> once the cabinet is hanging place a dowel into the full-round to
> marry them together
>
> maybe a square groove would be better

You have too much time on your hands to come up with these questions.
Perfectly acceptable solutions exist but you "don't like them". Geeze...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 11:11 AM

On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:57:29 GMT
[email protected] (Scott Lurndal) wrote:

> Once it is hanging on the cleat, drive a screw through the back of the
> cabinet near the bottom.

that would be the simplest and i may do so but i may move the cabinet or
cabinets around if i decide i want a different cabinet in that spot











EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 11:17 AM

On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 10:24:57 -0700 (PDT)
whit3rd <[email protected]> wrote:

> In addition to the cleat, you could screw a block or board to the wall
> above the cabinet, so the cabinet cannot be raised off the cleat.

that would do too and is simple

i wanted something that i could attach and unattach without screws so if
i realize i want a different cabinet there i could just remove the dowel or
block


i am trying to organize a shop that has never been unorganized

> If appearance doesn't matter, there's also steel rail solutions
> (Unistrut/Superstrut) that will hold in any quake that doesn't break
> walls.

i saw some of these solutions
one called z bar i think

but i am much too cheap to do that and i have plenty of wood so i will use
it up











EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 4:06 PM

On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 12:32:53 -0700 (PDT)
DerbyDad03 <[email protected]> wrote:

> Why would you have to "blast" the screw into the wall? It only needs
> to go into the wall cleat to secure it. Besides, you will already
> have holes in the wall from mounting the cleat, what's one more hole
> from the securing screw going to matter?

it is sort of six of that and a half dozen of the other but my shop right now
is unorganized and i am trying to organize it but i will no doubt move the
tools around as i get to the workflow that i like

for those reasons i could have a lot of holes which is not a huge problem
but just would rather not


> I guess the real question is this: What is the "something" about that
> method that you "just do not like"?

so i would like to place the cleats and just pull out a peg from each end
of the cleat to remove the cabinet from the wall

> If you have room to slide the cabinet in from the side, use a
> "normal" cleat at the top and an "inverted" cleat at the bottom. Once
> slid into place, the cabinet won't go anywhere unless the room falls
> over.

now that is an idea
this could allow a totally flush mount

if the room falls over than i probably will have other things on my mind










dd

"dadiOH"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

28/08/2015 6:03 AM

Electric Comet wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 12:32:53 -0700 (PDT)
> DerbyDad03 <[email protected]> wrote:

>> I guess the real question is this: What is the "something" about that
>> method that you "just do not like"?
>
> so i would like to place the cleats and just pull out a peg from each
> end of the cleat to remove the cabinet from the wall

So what's stopping you from doing that?

EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

28/08/2015 8:40 AM

On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 17:03:03 -0700 (PDT)
DerbyDad03 <[email protected]> wrote:

> You are concerned with putting too many holes in your walls, yet you
> like an idea that requires a minimum of 4 holes better than one that
> only requires 2.


imagine you have 4 shallow tool cabinets that are meant to be open most
the time

now imagine you hang them with cleats at top and bottom as you proposed

i can move them around without any additional screw/unscrew for securing
or removing












EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

28/08/2015 8:46 AM

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 06:03:16 -0400
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:

> So what's stopping you from doing that?

i am in no hurry
since it is long term getting alternative ideas is important

maybe someone has a clever or novel approach

how did you hang your cabinets
did you hang them permanently or did you consider that you might move
them around

or maybe you just have another workflow in your shop
some people like a rolling cart so they have everything at hand











dd

"dadiOH"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

28/08/2015 1:12 PM

Electric Comet wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 06:03:16 -0400
> "dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> So what's stopping you from doing that?
>
> i am in no hurry
> since it is long term getting alternative ideas is important
>
> maybe someone has a clever or novel approach
>
> how did you hang your cabinets
> did you hang them permanently or did you consider that you might move
> them around

Wall cabinets are fastened to the wall. I have no interest in moving them.

I have two 6' x 4' x 16" cabinets with interior and door shelves. The
shalves are moveable, cabinets are not.

I have a 6' x 2' x 37" table/cabinet. It has 12 drawers in which I keep
smallish hand tools...wrenches, saws, bits, screw drivers, chisels, planes,
etc. It is on casters so it can be moved. I have never done so in the last
15 years.

> or maybe you just have another workflow in your shop
> some people like a rolling cart so they have everything at hand

Most of my stationary power tools are on wheels, the exceptions being the
RAS and cabinet saw. The only reason they are on wheels is so I can pull
them out from the wall a bit if the need arises.

I have two 4' x 1' x 37" high tables on casters. I use them for
routing/planing/sanding/assembling/finishing things and as stock carts to
hold boards near a tool. There are a tray shelves at the bottom full of
pipe clamps, F-clamps, hand screws, C-clamps, etc. They roll but not
easily. Someday I'll rebuild them with larger casters.

FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little cabinets
full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French cleat, earthquake
or not.

Jj

Jack

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 10:27 AM

On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:

> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little cabinets
> full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French cleat, earthquake
> or not.

French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then you
have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw the
thing to the wall, as is normal.

If you have an earthquake that raises the cabinet up enough to jump off
the cleat, you probably will be worrying about far more than that
cabinet, but I'm guessing, I live in earthquake free zone:-)

If it's not uncommon for earthquakes in your area to jump up and down
1 1/4" or so, one screw in the bottom is sufficient to make sure the
cabinet and wall jump in unison, then all your worries can be focused on
the wall.


--
Jack
Add Life to your Days not Days to your Life.
http://jbstein.com

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 11:38 AM

Jack wrote:
> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>
>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
>> cleat, earthquake or not.
>
> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw
> the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>

That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to each
other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof installations.
You can have both without defeating the purpose of each. This is a way
over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to decide what means most to him
and just do it.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 11:43 AM

Mike Marlow wrote:
> Jack wrote:
>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>>
>>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
>>> cleat, earthquake or not.
>>
>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
>> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
>> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw
>> the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>
>
> That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to
> each other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof
> installations. You can have both without defeating the purpose of
> each. This is a way over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to
> decide what means most to him and just do it.

Sorry - should have said You can't have both...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 11:48 AM

DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 10:27:47 AM UTC-4, Jack wrote:
>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>>
>>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
>>> cleat, earthquake or not.
>>
>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
>> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then
>> you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just
>> screw the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>
>> If you have an earthquake that raises the cabinet up enough to jump
>> off the cleat, you probably will be worrying about far more than that
>> cabinet, but I'm guessing, I live in earthquake free zone:-)
>>
>> If it's not uncommon for earthquakes in your area to jump up and down
>> 1 1/4" or so, one screw in the bottom is sufficient to make sure
>> the cabinet and wall jump in unison, then all your worries can be
>> focused on the wall.
>>
>>
>
> Standing up for EC, I'll offer this:
>
> He wants to use cleats so that he can easily rearrange the cabinets
> as he
> plays around with various organization ideas. He may start with a
> particular
> arrangement this week but decide on a better one later on and then
> again on
> another one a few months from now. In the meantime, Mr. Richter might
> pay a
> visit and he wants to be able to welcome him into his shop safely.
>
> EC is essentially looking for a temporary way to protect against the
> worst
> case yet make it easy enough to rearrange the cabinets at various -
> and
> unknown - points in the future.
>
> As others have suggested, a single screw into a cleat should be
> enough to secure the cabinets yet allow for fairly easy movement.

And in the end - even the most hard fastened approach does not present more
than a few minutes worth of effort to move about. The french cleat does not
really offer a huge amount of time saving. These are simply cabinets.
We're making too much rocket science out of a simple project. Happens here
from time to time...

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 6:49 PM

DerbyDad03 wrote:

>
> I don't think there is any argument as to the versatility of using
> cleats, but there are some in this forum that seem to feel that
> adding a screw or 2 to the cleat as an "earthquake protection
> measure" defeats the entire purpose of the cleat. I believe that your
> second picture puts that argument to rest. Am I correct in assuming
> that the centered cabinet is screwed to the cleat to keep it in it's
> current position?

Not sure if you're making reference to my comments, but in case you are - I
can't see why anyone would want both mobility and the ability to secure it
against earthquakes at the same time.. That is indeed, two ideas that are
at odds with each other. Pick one, or the other.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 6:53 PM

DerbyDad03 wrote:
> On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 11:44:43 AM UTC-4, Mike Marlow
> wrote:
>> Mike Marlow wrote:
>>> Jack wrote:
>>>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>>>>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a
>>>>> French cleat, earthquake or not.
>>>>
>>>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet
>>>> from the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake
>>>> proof", then you have no need to complicate things with a french
>>>> cleat, just screw the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>>>
>>>
>>> That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to
>>> each other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof
>>> installations. You can have both without defeating the purpose of
>>> each. This is a way over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to
>>> decide what means most to him and just do it.
>>
>> Sorry - should have said You can't have both...
>>
>> --
>
> Sure you can, as long as you are willing to settle for somewhat less
> mobility as opposed to no mobility at all. The concept is not binary.
>
> Slatwall-type systems are designed for versatility/mobility, yet you
> can purchase locking fixtures for security (and safety) purposes:
>
> http://cdn.displays2go.com/downloadablefiles/securityhookinstructions5.pdf
>
> Slatwall-type systems are essentially nothing more than a "cleat"
> system.

No - you can't. You will either end up with mobility, or you will end up
with a secured cabinet. Think about it. Like I said - this has become way
too complicated. I'm begining to think that the OP is really Bill, posting
under a different name.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

BB

Bill

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

04/09/2015 12:05 AM

Mike Marlow wrote:
> I'm begining to think that the OP is really Bill, posting under a
> different name.
That was definitely uncalled for. Are you trolling me?

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

04/09/2015 7:47 AM

DerbyDad03 wrote:

>
> I'm really surprised that you feel that the addition of a single
> screw into a cleat somehow negates all of the other advantages of
> using them. All it takes is the removal of the "brakes" to
> re-establish mobility.

I guess my position has made me sound like I'm genuinely opposed to the
concept - I'm really not, in total. It's just that it seems to me that for
the amount of moving about that seems to be predictable, simply screwing
them in as one would normally do, does not create an undue level of effort
to move them. To each his own, though.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

MM

"Mike Marlow"

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

04/09/2015 7:51 AM

Leon wrote:
> On 9/3/2015 10:38 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
>> Jack wrote:
>>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:
>>>
>>>> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little
>>>> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
>>>> cleat, earthquake or not.
>>>
>>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet
>>> from the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof",
>>> then you have no need to complicate things with a french cleat,
>>> just screw the thing to the wall, as is normal.
>>>
>>
>> That was my original thought - the two concepts are in opposition to
>> each other. Either you want mobility, or you want earthquak proof
>> installations. You can have both without defeating the purpose of
>> each. This is a way over-complicated discussion. The OP needs to
>> decide what means most to him and just do it.
>>
>
>
> Actually it is a hell of a lot easier to mount a board, french cleat,
> on the wall exactly where you want and hang the cabinet on that than
> to mount a cabinet to the wall with or with out a ledger on the
> bottom. Then add a screw to make it semi-permanent.

I agree. All of my cabinets are hung on a cleat for this very reason. My
reason had nothing to do with mobility, and I guess that's the part that I
was just not getting my head wrapped around. I guess I look at cabinets as
more of a permanent thing, and don't look at their installation with an eye
towards moving them about in the future.

--

-Mike-
[email protected]

Jj

Jack

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

10/09/2015 12:38 PM

On 9/3/2015 9:15 PM, Leon wrote:
> On 9/3/2015 9:27 AM, Jack wrote:
>> On 8/28/2015 1:12 PM, dadiOH wrote:

>> French cleats are designed to make it easy to remove the cabinet from
>> the wall. If you screw it down to make it "earthquake proof", then you
>> have no need to complicate things with a french cleat, just screw the
>> thing to the wall, as is normal.
>
> FWIW, It is many times easier to mount a french cleat on the wall and
> hang a cabinet on the cleat and add a single screw to secure it than to
> hold the cabinet up against the wall and level and at the correct height
> while adding multiple screws and hopefully into something solid.

It's simple to hold the cabinet to the wall, exactly where you want it
and screw it into studs. It's how kitchen cabinets are hung all over
the world. French cleats require screwing into something solid just as
attaching the cabinet directly.

The french cleat adds measurement difficulty if you want the cabinet an
exact distance from the ceiling, in that both the wall cleat and the
cabinet cleat must be exactly right, not to mention you can't hang the
cabinet closer to the ceiling than needed to lift the cabinet over the
cleat, assuming you don't have space to slide the cabinet sideways,
seldom the case. Also, you need to attach 3 extra boards, two for the
cleat and one for the spacer, if your cabinets have backs.

Standard cabinet hanging techniques are about as simple as it gets. On
a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put hanging normal kitchen cabinets as 1 and
using french cleats as 1.3.

--
Jack
Add Life to your Days not Days to your Life.
http://jbstein.com

EC

Electric Comet

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

11/09/2015 5:29 PM

On Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:12:16 -0400
"dadiOH" <[email protected]> wrote:

> FWIW and IME you are obsessing about a very simple thing. Little

funny, not obsessing at all but apparently you are obsessing
that is known as projecting

> cabinets full of hand tools are not going to go flying off a French
> cleat, earthquake or not.

sure thing













Jj

Jack

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

12/09/2015 9:55 AM

On 9/10/2015 2:54 PM, Leon wrote:

>> It's simple to hold the cabinet to the wall, exactly where you want it
>> and screw it into studs. It's how kitchen cabinets are hung all over
>> the world. French cleats require screwing into something solid just as
>> attaching the cabinet directly.
>
> Well, simple to say but to do is another matter. I am not a full time
> kitchen remodeler but I do have a few under my belt, 10 IIRC so that
> probably 80 or 90 cabinets.
> And while you are correct, most kitchen cabinets are simply hung on the
> wall with out French cleats, they are generally mounted on top of
> temporary ledger boards to hold them in place while the tops of the
> cabinets are attached with screws/bolts to the blocking boards between
> the wall studs.

I have built and installed a number of kitchens myself, the easiest part
was hanging the cabinets. I've also done a number of cabinets with
French cleats, and the measurements were more difficult, so if you have
trouble measuring for wall studs, you will have even more trouble
measuring for wall studs and french cleats.

If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
hung via french cleats.

>> The french cleat adds measurement difficulty if you want the cabinet an
>> exact distance from the ceiling, in that both the wall cleat and the
>> cabinet cleat must be exactly right,
>
> Not really, simple math and that calculation pretty much works for all
> of the cabinets unless the tops are not all the same.

In the words of my favorite cabinet maker, "Well, simple to say but to
do is another matter." :-)


>> Standard cabinet hanging techniques are about as simple as it gets. On
>> a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put hanging normal kitchen cabinets as 1 and
>> using french cleats as 1.3.
>>
>
> Now while I have never used french cleats to hang kitchen cabinets, up
> to this point, I will strongly consider using them should I have another
> remodel come my way.

There is a reason you have installed 10 kitchens and not once used
french cleats. It's the same reason no one else uses them in kitchens,
it's not easier and there is no reason to make it more complicated for
no reason.

I suspect you won't use them next time either.

--
Jack
Add Life to your Days not Days to your Life.
http://jbstein.com

Jj

Jack

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

13/09/2015 11:27 AM


>> On 9/12/2015 8:55 AM, Jack wrote:
>>> On 9/10/2015 2:54 PM, Leon wrote:

>>> If french cleats were simpler, then kitchens across the world would be
>>> hung via french cleats.
>>
>> Do you know that they are not?

Just a suspicion.

> And to add to that a bit, IIRC many homes in Europe do not include
> kitchen cabinets. You bring your own and hang them when you move in and
> you take them with you when you move out. I highly suspect that the
> upper cabinets are hung on some type of cleat.

OK then, I'll change that from "kitchens across the world" to kitchens
where the kitchen cabinets are not moving in and out with the homeowners.:-)

I hope when they decide to move, they move into a home with the same
kitchen size and design as the previous home.

Sounds ridiculous to me, crazy damned Europeans.

--
Jack
Add Life to your Days not Days to your Life.
http://jbstein.com

Sk

Swingman

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

03/09/2015 3:03 PM

On 9/3/2015 2:14 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
> I don't think there is any argument as to the versatility of using cleats, but there are some in this forum that seem to feel that adding a screw or 2 to the cleat as an "earthquake protection measure" defeats the entire purpose of the cleat. I believe that your second picture puts that argument to rest. Am I correct in assuming that the centered cabinet is screwed to the cleat to keep it in it's current position?

Yes, that one is with a single screw to prevent lateral movement, and
the applied crown certainly keeps it from falling off in one of the 500
year Texas earthquakes.

As in all shown uses, if you do not want the cabinet to move, one or two
1 1/4" #8 woodscrews are all that is necessary, or a decorative,
contrasting dowel with/without a cap.

Location of same can be done for esthetics, as well as countersunk
and/or plugs if fit 'n finish is important.

All this is to SIMPLY and EASILY provide either a permanent, or
semi-permanent installation, simultaneously ... your choice.

99.99% non issue ... for the other .01%, the excessively anal are
welcome to spend their blessed little hearts out for countless other
cabinet hanging solutions.

--
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Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
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sS

[email protected] (Scott Lurndal)

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

27/08/2015 2:57 PM

Electric Comet <[email protected]> writes:
>i need to organize things and i want to make a shallow cabinet for the hand
>tools
>
>i thought that using a cleat would be the simplest wall mount to use
>
>sometimes called a pinch cleat or a french cleat
>
>but they are not earthquake ready and i could just blast a screw through
>from the front through the cleat and into the wall but something about
>that i just do not like

Once it is hanging on the cleat, drive a screw through the back of the
cabinet near the bottom.

Sk

Swingman

in reply to Electric Comet on 26/08/2015 4:58 PM

10/09/2015 2:34 PM

On 9/10/2015 11:38 AM, Jack wrote:

> Also, you need to attach 3 extra boards, two for the cleat and one for
> the spacer, if your cabinets have backs.

Easily solved. ;)

Since almost all shop built cabinet have "tack strips" incorporated into
the cabinet for both structural integrity and mounting to a wall, all
you have to do is rip both tack strips in half on a 45 degree angle.

This instantly creates both halves of the french cleat, using the exact
same amount of material as the original cabinet:

https://picasaweb.google.com/111355467778981859077/EWoodShopJigsFixturesMethods?noredirect=1#6192969033686152210

--
eWoodShop: www.eWoodShop.com
Wood Shop: www.e-WoodShop.net
https://www.google.com/+eWoodShop
https://plus.google.com/+KarlCaillouet/posts
http://www.custommade.com/by/ewoodshop/
KarlCaillouet@ (the obvious)


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