French Cleat Design

What is a French Cleat?

A French cleat is a method of securing items to a wall or other flat surface. It consists of two interlocking pieces of material, usually wood. One piece, known as the cleat, is mounted on the wall at an angle, typically 45 degrees. The other piece is attached to the item being hung, with a matching angle. When the item is placed on the wall cleat, the angled surfaces lock together, providing a strong and secure means of support.

French Cleat Design

A french cleat is typically made on a table saw. For the standard design shown below, rip a 6" wide board from 3/4" plywood. For dimensional accuracy, add the kerf of your blade (typically 1/8"). Then set your table saw blade to 45° and rip the 6" wide board in half. This will produce two matching French Cleats. Remember to break the edge of the cleat for best results.

The beveled design below is even easier to make on a table saw. Simply set your blade to 45° and repeatedly rip 3" wide boards from 3/4" plywood. Remember to break the edge of the cleat for best results.

French Cleat boards are typically mounted in a vertical array. Many choose to mount the french cleats to a backer board, typically plywood. The spacing between each board is up to the end user. In many cases, a cutoff piece of the French Cleat board is used as a spacer, producing a spacing that is equal to the height of the board (3" in this case).