317. Forget screws...this trick is genius! (french cleats)

[Make Things]

[rgsparber]

So my mother in law bumps the bottom on the cabinet and it falls off the wall. Hmmm. I like the idea but would add a screw to prevent accidents.

[mklotz]

A somewhat smaller scale of this is an excellent alternative to pegboard wall storage. Customized shelves, boxes, hangers, etc. can be hung from a wall mounted set of rails and moved about easily when necessary.

[Toolmaker51]

A somewhat smaller scale of this is an excellent alternative to pegboard wall storage. Customized shelves, boxes, hangers, etc. can be hung from a wall mounted set of rails and moved about easily when necessary.

Mr. K; I can report our 9' kitchen cabinet hangs on such a cleat.
Wife's insatiable penchant for coffee mugs and dishware met it's match. I didn't use it for mobility feature, it beat locating studs for unattractive lag screws in the back of cabinet. The cleat fasteners are set into studs, greatly eased setting the monster in place.
The cleat and mount were ripsawn from the same 1''' x 4'', from an 8 footer, mounted with same orientation end for end.
I see below where the application isn't ideal for earthquake susceptible areas. At lower back side edge are two small blocks of the same thickness. Sort of creates a tripod for stability, forcing the angled portion (cleat & mount) maintain near 100% contact.
Missouri has very few fault lines, and there's no memory of earthquakes locally.

[mklotz]

Mr. K; I can report our 9' kitchen cabinet hangs on such a cleat.
Wife's insatiable penchant for coffee mugs and dishware met it's match. I didn't use it for mobility feature, it beat locating studs for unattractive lag screws in the back of cabinet. The cleat fasteners are set into studs, greatly eased setting the monster in place.
The cleat and mount were ripsawn from the same 1''' x 4'', from an 8 footer, mounted with same orientation end for end.
I see below where the application isn't ideal for earthquake susceptible areas. At lower back side edge are two small blocks of the same thickness. Sort of creates a tripod for stability, forcing the angled portion (cleat & mount) maintain near 100% contact.
Missouri has very few fault lines, and there's no memory of earthquakes locally.

My wife has the same obsession with heavy china so our kitchen cabinets are also hung on French cleats - done by the kitchen remodelers, not me. They too installed the "leveling shims".

LA is definitely earthquake country but in 60 years of living here, the only damage we've sustained is a broken water heater pipe during the Northridge quake. Compared to the damage from hurricanes , tornadoes and floods elsewhere in the country, a little shaking is very tolerable. Downtown LA is a much different story. In 1957 they removed the 150 ft height limit that effectively restricted buildings to 13 stories and now we have 107 buildings over 300 feet with the tallest reaching 1100 feet. The next "big one" may well provide a domino collapse of monstrous proportions.

[Toolmaker51]

My wife has the same obsession with heavy china so our kitchen cabinets are also hung on French cleats - done by the kitchen remodelers, not me. They too installed the "leveling shims".

LA is definitely earthquake country but in 60 years of living here, the only damage we've sustained is a broken water heater pipe during the Northridge quake. Compared to the damage from hurricanes , tornadoes and floods elsewhere in the country, a little shaking is very tolerable. Downtown LA is a. much different storyIn 1957 they removed the 150 ft height limit that effectively restricted buildings to 13 stories and now we have 107 buildings over 300 feet with the tallest reaching 1100 feet. The next "big one" may well provide a domino collapse of monstrous proportions.

an excerpt;
Desperadoes Under the Eaves Song by Warren Zevon ‧ 1976
"And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing
Until I pay my bill...."

[Saltfever]

I have always liked the system but it is not a good idea in earthquake country! Some secondary attachment is also needed.