French Cleat Hacks for Small Workshops

Stop tripping over once‑a‑year tools – park them on the wall with simple cleat hacks instead of building over‑engineered holders.

The “rarely used tool” problem

Tools that you only use every few months (if that) end up in drawers, under benches, in random cupboards, or on some shelf or another. In short, they don’t have a home.

This is worse in a small workshop because you end up with wasted space, visual clutter, and time lost hunting for tools that you know you have, but can’t lay your hands on.

But a few dead‑simple French cleat hacks can get these tools off the floor and onto the wall without fancy holders.

French Cleat Hack #1 – Heavy benchtop tools on cleated platforms

A blue Scantool bench grinder mounted on a plywood base, sitting on a wooden workbench in front of a French cleat wall with hand tools neatly organized in laser‑cut plywood holders. — This benchtop grinder used to live in a cupboard. It was always buried under other stuff, and it was heavy to drag out.

A person in a black sweater holds up a plywood platform with a French cleat attached, standing in front of a white workshop wall covered in evenly spaced wooden French cleat rails. — I screwed a sturdy plywood base (12 mm / ½”) to the tool.
And fixed two French cleats to the back side of the base.

A person in a black sweater stands in front of a French cleat wall, gesturing with one hand while a blue bench grinder mounted on a plywood French cleat platform hangs neatly on the wall behind them. — It’s easy to take on and off the wall, and it’s not buried in a cupboard

A blue bench grinder mounted sideways on a plywood French cleat panel, hanging on a workshop wall above a metal vise and surrounded by other wooden tool holders and clear storage boxes. — I keep it out of the way, but it has a home, and I know where to find it quickly

When I need the grinder, I just grab it, clamp it to my bench, use it, then hang it back up. I’ve freed up space under my bench and I always know where it lives.

A person in a black sweater steadies a metal chop saw sitting on a green plastic base on a wooden workbench, with a neatly organized French cleat tool wall full of plywood holders in the background. — I’ve done a very similar thing with this chop saw.
The plywood is attached with 4 T nuts and bolts.

A person in a black sweater lifts a metal chop saw mounted on a wooden cleated base off a wooden workbench, with a neatly organized French cleat tool wall and a bench grinder visible in the background. — I then added two French cleats.
This hangs on the wall and is ready when I need it.

French Cleat Hack #2 – Keeping things simple

I see a lot of over-engineered French cleat tool holders for tools that aren’t used very often. Take this reciprocating saw for example. These are not tools that are used very often.

A person in a black sweater holds a large yellow reciprocating saw with its power cord draped across their hands, standing in front of a French cleat wall with bare wooden rails. — This bulky saw was living under the bench, it was awkward to pull out, and it eats storage space.

But this tool (almost all power tools in fact) came in a purpose-made plastic box.

A person in a black sweater holds a large black plastic tool case with a wooden French cleat strip screwed across the back, standing in front of a bare French cleat wall. — I opened the box and screwed a French cleat to the back

A black Falke-branded plastic tool case hangs neatly on a French cleat wall, with a person in a black sweater standing to the right side of the frame. — It hangs on the wall, along with a selection of blades.

I’ve used this method to hang various nail guns and staplers, my biscuit jointer, a socket set, my big hammer drill, and other tools. It only takes a few minutes to attach a cleat, and each tool hangs on the wall, along with any accessories that come with it.

A workshop corner with a green screen on the left, a row of brightly coloured plastic tool cases hanging from a French cleat wall above a large glass‑topped CNC enclosure lit with purple LEDs, and additional cleated storage with safety gear and small plywood cubbies on the right.

French Cleat Hacks #3 – Kits and sets near the work zone

This method of attaching French cleats to cases isn’t confined to power tools. I’ve used the same method for hanging other items and accessories.

A person in a black sweater holds a large blue Beslaco hole‑saw kit case in front of a French cleat wall, showing the product label and photo of the open set on the front. — Take this hole saw set as an example

A person in a black sweater holds a large blue plastic tool case, showing the back where two wooden French cleats are screwed on for hanging on a cleat wall. — I just screwed a couple of cleats to the back

A person with grey hair in a black sweater stands at a French cleat wall, opening a blue hole‑saw kit case that hangs from the cleats and selecting one of the blue hole saws from the foam insert. — I can access the hole cutters when it’s on the wall

A compact workshop corner with a pillar drill in front of a window, surrounded by a French cleat wall holding a Beslaco hole‑saw kit, a wall‑mounted chop saw, abrasives, glue, switches, and neatly organised drill bits and clamps. — Here it is, right next to the pillar drill where I use my hole saws.
The chop saw that I mentioned earlier is stored above the hole saws.

Choosing locations in a small shop

Use “redundant” wall zones: high rows, above machines, and the ends of benches.
Group by frequency:
- Daily‑use tools at easy‑reach height.
- Rarely‑used cases up high or over secondary machines (e.g. above a small laser).
Keep the rule: everything has a visible home; nothing lives on the floor.

How to implement these French Cleat Hacks in an afternoon

Quick step list:
1. Walk the shop and list tools you use < 4× a year.
2. Identify a spare wall zone and mark a cleat row.
3. Cut a stack of short cleats and small plywood plates.
4. Mount cleats to tools/cases; hang and shuffle until it feels right.

Beyond the Hacks: Maximizing Every Millimeter

“These simple hacks are the fastest way to get your once-a-year tools off the floor. But in a small workshop, space is your most expensive asset. If you rely on ‘random’ spacing for your primary wall, you inevitably end up with Dead Zones—wasted gaps that could have held another five or six tools.

That’s why I moved past ‘Hacks’ and engineered the NFC Master System.

I replaced the tape measure with a Digital Grid. By leveraging a laser as my ‘Invisible Apprentice,’ I’ve mathematically synced every wallboard and holder to a 0.01mm standard. In a small shop, this level of precision is the difference between a wall that is merely ‘organized’ and a wall that fits twice as many tools in half the space.

If you’re ready to move past ‘close enough’ and upgrade to a professional, zero-clutter modular shop:

UPGRADE TO THE NFC MASTER SYSTEM HERE

What do you do?

If you use a different method of storing these types of tools, I would love to hear about it.

Please leave a comment below

If you want to go beyond quick hacks and build a full cleat wall, here’s where to start…

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Neat French Cleat Master System 200+ Plans

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The master system includes wallboards, shelves, nests, and specialized tool holders, all based on a modular series of fixed dimensions. This system is designed to make your workspace neat and efficient. Whether you’re looking to organize tools or just need a smarter storage solution, our products can help.

About the Author

Alan is a maker, woodworker, and creator of the Neat French Cleat system. After years of trial and error (and a few walls that didn’t quite work), he developed a modular approach to French cleat storage that prioritizes efficiency, aesthetics, and real workshop workflows.

Find more plans, videos, and workshop organization tips at neatfrenchcleat.com