Every so often, someone in the Neat French Cleat community builds an xTool S1 French cleat wall that stops me in my tracks.
Gavin is one of those people.
Based in Spain, Gavin spent several months transforming his workshop from a cluttered pallet board wall into one of the most considered, precisely executed NFC builds I’ve seen. He documented every step — and was kind enough to share it all.
This is his story.
The Problem: A Pallet Board Wall That Wasn’t Working
Before converting to the Neat French Cleat system, Gavin had what a lot of makers start with — a pallet board tool rack on the wall. It worked, up to a point. But it was difficult to keep clean, difficult to make holders for, difficult to keep those holders secure, and it wasted a huge amount of space.
He knew he wanted to use French cleats. He’d already used them successfully to hang headboards, so the principle was proven. What he needed was a system.
Searching for French cleat tool holders online, the image below stood out. Precise, orderly, practical — and aesthetically pleasing in a way most workshop organisation isn’t. This image led him to neatfrenchcleat.com.
He had reservations. He got in touch. We chatted. And then he committed fully.
The Laser: Building an xTool S1 French Cleat Wall
Gavin bought his xTool S1 40W diode laser in November 2025 — specifically to build this project. Not as a general-purpose machine. He bought a laser cutter because he wanted to build a Neat French Cleat wall.
That says something about how seriously he was taking this.
One week after buying it, he found the same machine heavily discounted by xTool. He contacted them. They honoured their fair price policy and refunded him the difference. That kind of customer service matters — and it’s worth noting for anyone considering the S1.
One important note from Gavin: the 40W xTool S1 cuts pine ply effortlessly, but Baltic birch is a different material entirely. A lot of test cutting was needed to dial in the settings above. If you’re using the S1 with Baltic birch, start here and adjust from your own kerf tests.
His laser settings for Baltic birch (6mm):
- Power: 93%
- Speed: 5 mm/s
- Passes: 2
- Kerf offset: 0.15mm (outward)
- Focus: stepwise, initial focus 3mm, descent interval 1, final focus 6mm
The Build: How Gavin Approached It
Gavin’s workshop has reinforced concrete walls — not ideal for drilling into repeatedly. His solution was to build a wood backing board system using OSB, painted satin black so the wall behind the cleats effectively disappears.
He routed channels into the rear of the OSB boards to house electrical wiring, giving him plumbed-in electrical outlets within the wall itself. Both sides were varnished to prevent warping.
The wall cleats were cut from 17mm pine ply at 45 degrees, sanded, stained on the visible side, and varnished on both sides. Getting the first rail perfectly level was the most time-consuming part of the entire build. After that, Alan’s spacing jig made the rest straightforward.
Gavin pre-stained and varnished all his plywood sheets before cutting — a deliberate choice to prevent the blonding and yellowing that UV light causes even through UV-rated varnishes. The staining also reduces the contrast between the laser-cut edges and the face of the board, making any minor imperfections virtually invisible.
The tool holders themselves took approximately three weeks of nearly eight-hour days.
The Customisation: Almost Everything
When I asked Gavin which holders he customised, his answer was characteristically direct: “The only designs I didn’t customise were the shelves.”
He approached customisation in three ways:
Dowels for hammers, pliers, and similar tools
Gavin laid his tools out on pre-measured boards, marked their positions by hand, drilled dimples with an 8mm bit, then through-drilled with 2.5mm and countersunk both sides before inserting pre-stained 8mm birch dowels.
He found 4.5cm to be the optimal dowel length for most tools and built a simple jig to standardise them. The cut ends were ebonised with a Sharpie to match the overall aesthetic.
Magnets for knives, saws, and planes
For tools with metal components, Gavin cut simple squares with holes for 20mm 10kg magnets. Silver magnets where they wouldn’t be seen, black where they would — consistent with the overall dark aesthetic of the build. For his wood planes, he shimmed the magnet holders to get the magnet level with the baseboard.
LightBurn for internal design changes
For more complex modifications — custom hex cradles for his Wera screwdrivers, a custom chisel holder, catch boxes for his bottle opener — Gavin used LightBurn. He found it reasonably approachable after a few YouTube tutorials, particularly for adapting existing Neat French Cleat files rather than designing from scratch.
For simpler additions, he used xTool Creative Space, though he notes it isn’t suited to in-depth design work.
The Result: Five Things That Changed
I asked Gavin what the biggest difference has been. He gave me five answers:
Finding tools — tools are grouped by application. You always know where to look.
Removing tools — the Neat French Cleat holders are designed for horizontal removal, so you don’t need dead space above each tool. More wall space, more holders.
Cleaning — Gavin pin-nailed his holders in place so he can blast the entire wall with compressed air and vacuum it down in one pass. If a holder needs repositioning, the pin nail comes out with pliers, and nothing is damaged.
Returning tools and keeping track — anyone can be directed to the Neat French Cleat wall and find any tool. The system creates accountability.
Pride — this is the one that resonates most. “It has created a sense of pride that has encouraged me to work neater. Not only am I working neater, cleaner and more accurately, but it has also encouraged me to keep the tools themselves in top nick.”
He’s been using rust remover on old tools and cleaning handles with baby wipes. The wall changed how he feels about his workshop, not just how it functions.
Gavin’s Advice for Anyone Starting an Neat French Cleat Build
Plan. Then plan some more.
Gavin planned extensively and still made mistakes — electrical sockets positioned too high, an early attempt with 5mm plywood instead of 6mm that resulted in holders scaled down by nearly 20% and tools that no longer fit. The project went on hold until he could source the correct 6mm Baltic birch.
Use 6mm plywood. Not 5mm. Not 4mm. 6mm.
And don’t rush it. “Above all, enjoy the process.”
A Final Word from Gavin
“Once again, I’d like to thank Alan, the designer of the Neat French Cleat system. It is ingenious, aesthetic, and transformational. Once you delve into the plans, you will understand all the engineering and the immense time and effort it must have taken to achieve this milestone work.”
Gavin Makes
Ready to build your own xTool S1 French cleat wall?
The Neat French Cleat Master System includes 200+ laser-cut holder files — the same files Gavin used as the foundation for his build, all designed to a 0.1mm tolerance and compatible with the xTool S1, Sculpfun, Atomstack, and all major diode and CO2 lasers.