Plywood for tool wall

[silentsam]

Saw this online and am wanting to make something similar to keep some of my tools getting lost in the bottom of tool boxes. Mostly hand tools as pictured. This looks like both the cleats and took storage is made from 18mm birch ply, thoughts on making this from either some 18mm or 12mm hardwood ply instead? Trying to save my wallet. I was thinking that maybe some 12mm hardwood ply might be suitable for hand tools and i have a local supplier who is pretty cheap for hardwood ply.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had to line my garage/workshop with 100mm PIR foam so I clad it with 18mm shuttering ply, ceiling to floor but hung from the top. It has all sorts of things fixed to it including hung kitchen units, no problem.

 

[EddyCurrent]

It might be an idea to look at retail shop fittings.

 

[Peterm1000]

I have this kind of setup. My guess is that unless you are hanging cupboards on the cleats then 12mm ply should be fine. I think 18mm would be better and (at Wickes at least) the price difference is very small.

The uncovered ends of those chisels look like an accident waiting to happen and a lot of those tools look like they would fall out of the holders if you knocked them.

 

[jcassidy]

I recently built a prototype storage thing, I made the mistake of putting drill bits below the chisels. Ouch. A very sharp lesson. Next version will have some sort of bar or socket to protect unwary hands from sharp edges.

Other than that, I'll refrain from commenting on what has clearly been a lot of thought and work, sure if the owner of this wall is happy, that's all that's important

 

[recipio]

I would think he will soon run out of wall space no matter what ply is used. Better to make cabinets with deep doors. Baltic ply seems a bit indulgent but you get what you pay for. I also find that acres of brown ply can really sap the light from a room so a white faced material might be better ?

 

[Sachakins]

Ply not ideal for the French cleats, it can chip and delaminate easy. Use solid wood for the cleats. 12mm ply ok if not hanging heavy stuff, but 18mm would be my preferred option.

 

[Doug71]

I'm currently doing a French cleat wall in my workshop, I used 18mm Birch ply as I love the stuff.

Still got to make all the holders but pleased with it so far.

 

[silentsam]

The uncovered ends of those chisels look like an accident waiting to happen and a lot of those tools look like they would fall out of the holders if you knocked them.

I recently built a prototype storage thing, I made the mistake of putting drill bits below the chisels. Ouch. A very sharp lesson. Next version will have some sort of bar or socket to protect unwary hands from sharp edges.

Haha, this was exactly my first thought when I saw these. I've seen similar things with perspex fronts to hopefully protect against any accidents.

I would think he will soon run out of wall space no matter what ply is used. Better to make cabinets with deep doors. Baltic ply seems a bit indulgent but you get what you pay for. I also find that acres of brown ply can really sap the light from a room so a white faced material might be better ?

I love cabinets but my little workshop is only 8ft wide and the tool wall will be above the workbench, having deep cabinets above the workbench wouldn't work and even a very narrow tool cabinet would probably take over the bench/space. I do have some satin white paint left over from another project that I was thinking of using to paint over the backing.

Ply not ideal for the French cleats, it can chip and delaminate easy. Use solid wood for the cleats. 12mm ply ok if not hanging heavy stuff, but 18mm would be my preferred option.

The place I buy cheap timber from do some decent 1" PSE timber as well so might look at that. In an ideal world I would have probably just done ply for the backer and solid timber for the cleats and holders but ply might be a bit more versatile for making all the different size holders.

I'm currently doing a French cleat wall in my workshop, I used 18mm Birch ply as I love the stuff.

Still got to make all the holders but pleased with it so far.

This looks brilliant!

 

[Freddyjersey2016]

Very very Instagram. It might be OK if you are in the workshop 40 hours a week and need instant access to 3 different sizes of scissors; but you would need arms like a gibbon to get the stuff on the top row of cleats. Which woodworker needs such quick access that they need to make holders for spanners or allen keys. Plus everything will get covered in dust unless you have really good extraction. Labelled drawers / cupboards seems simpler, quicker and far more flexible to me

 

[Linus]

Mine all go in a drawer....somewhere

 

[Oraclebhoy]

Mine all go in a drawer....somewhere

Same, that’s why it takes me ten times longer to do a simple task. Spend longer hunting for stuff.

 

[Jameshow]

I think my workshop needs a tidy up....
Cheers James

 

[johnny]

what about using shallow cupboards that open up to make a full tool wall so you fit tools to the cupboards and the doors which are identical depth . Everything will be kept clean and dust free when not in use andd easily accessed when doors opened .

 

[TheUnicorn]

what about using shallow cupboards that open up to make a full tool wall so you fit tools to the cupboards and the doors which are identical depth . Everything will be kept clean and dust free when not in use and easily accessed when doors opened .

A neat a tidy solution, certainly keeps dust and fingers out. The only problem is that it essentially takes up the same wall space, you cant put anything on either side or the doors can't open. Also it isn't modular at all, so if you want to add (or remove) a tool from the collection you haven't got the space (or left with any ugly unusable gap). That is the one overriding benefit of cleat walls, infinately changable as your tools and use evolves.

Personally I have everything in boxes, and things come out as needed, not an ideal solution for everyone, but as I do not have a dedicated workshop it works for me

 

[Peterm1000]

A neat a tidy solution, certainly keeps dust and fingers out. The only problem is that it essentially takes up the same wall space, you cant put anything on either side or the doors can't open. Also it isn't modular at all, so if you want to add (or remove) a tool from the collection you haven't got the space (or left with any ugly unusable gap). That is the one overriding benefit of cleat walls, infinately changable as your tools and use evolves.

Personally I have everything in boxes, and things come out as needed, not an ideal solution for everyone, but as I do not have a dedicated workshop it works for me

Unless you put french cleats inside the cabinet and limit the depth of the holders you put on them, but then you effectively have a folding french cleat wall.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Perhaps a better solution for maximising space is something like this...

taken from this video Google Image Result for https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7s4t68HVkCQ/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[MARK.B.]

If the doors of the cabinets were only half the depth for slimmer items like chisels etc then the space on the wall behind could still be used, again for less bulky items

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I am attracted by the idea of a tool wall with chisels, saws, screwdrivers, allen keys, spanners etc, carefully aligned large to small, of common design and brand.

But I get seriously worried about what happens when I need to buy (say) a longer screwdriver, inevitably with a different handle, design and maker.

What do I do with it - hang it on the wall and spoil the carefully thought through aesthetics, hide it in a drawer, and if so which drawer.

On balance it may be best to forget the appearance and go for functional. Use a tool wall for those tools you need to routinely access. Even better - put them in a cupboard whose beauty is only compromised when it is opened - at least tools don't get so dusty!!

 

[beech1948]

12mm ply would work...sort of. The problem is most hardwood 12mm ply is a bit wavy and certainly not flat. It can be worked around with a little extra effort but why take a risk. 18mm hardwood ply ought to be flatter and more useable.