When you're a man of a certain persuasion (mid-thirties, homeowner, married to a woman), you inevitably start thinking about organizing your ever-growing tool collection. And once you start looking into this, YouTube is then quick to recommend videos about a so-called French cleat storage system, which is like catnip for woodworking YouTubers. All you need to get started is some multiplex plywood and a circular saw to make straight cuts at a 45-degree angle. Screw one side to the wall and the other to whatever fancy tool holder you feel like making. The opportunities for #Content are endless! Here are several of these videos I've watched, ranked from best to worst:
"They're Wrong About French Cleats" by Scott Walsh
Scott not only has a great video explaining exactly what you need to get started with a French cleat storage system, but he's also the only YouTube woodworker I've found to recommend putting spacers between the cleats and the wall. This simple fix means dust can fall through instead of collecting between the cleat and the wall, which is brilliant. The editing is superb as well, and I've actually watched this video three times already.
"10 Practical French Cleat Tool Holder Ideas" by Evening Woodworker
Very cool list of useful tool holders, and I'm definitely planning to build several of these! What I like is that he stresses that you don't need good materials to get started; you can literally use any piece of scrap wood you have lying around.
"Amazing french cleat wall with 10 important tool holders" by Desire to Inspire
Doesn't show anything new or interesting, and doesn't explain anything either. What's funny is that he only shows the assembly of the holders and not their actual construction. My guy, why would you skip the interesting bits?? I don't need to see someone glue a hundred pieces of wood together!
"Building My Dream Hand Tool Wall" by Daisy Tempest
Girl, what is you doing?? I've never seen someone double-space the offset between the cleats and create gigantic tool holders to fit between them. This makes them top-heavy and likely to topple over! You're supposed to attach the holder directly onto the cleat to prevent this. The wall looks nice; I can't fault her for that.
"Best Wall Storage for Makers?" by Fix This Build That
But what if French cleats are too simple for your tastes? What if you could make wall storage out of expensive 3D-printed plastic instead of whatever wood scraps you have lying around? Well, have I got the video for you!