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  1. 18th August 2021, 03:58 PM #1
    genericuid
    genericuid is offline Novice
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    Default How to attach french cleat to back of cabinet?

    Hey guys; I'm going to build a wall-hanging whiskey cabinet, and I'm wondering what is a good way to attach a French cleat for hanging.

    Specifically, how do you join the cleat to the carcass?

    The assumption is that the back of the cabinet is plywood (either in a groove or a rebate), so you can't really screw/glue the cleat to that.

    You could cut an angled lap joint in the walls of the cabinet, and slide the cleat into those. It would work and would sit flush - but the side of the cabinet would show a bunch of end-grain of the cleat itself.

    Similarly, if you used screws from the side then they would be visible from the side.

    Am I missing something obvious?
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  3. 18th August 2021, 04:20 PM #2
    China
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    Why can you not screw to the carcass?
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  4. 18th August 2021, 06:42 PM #3
    elanjacobs
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    Depth of rebate for back = back thickness + cleat thickness + 1mm. Screw the cleat to the back from behind, then it has 1mm of space to pull up tight against the wall; no visible screws, no gaps.

    EDIT: it just occurred to me that you might be using a thin back, hence the reason you can't screw into it. The solution to that is to use a proper 16mm panel for the back. Alternately, dowel the cleat in between the sides during assembly.
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  5. 19th August 2021, 09:42 AM #4
    genericuid
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    Thanks Elan! I've never considered using a thick back; that definitely makes some sense. If you do that, I assume you're not using a groove for it, just a rebate. How do you fix the back to the rebate such that it (via the cleat) holds the whole weight of the cabinet? Just glue?

    Dowels are also a recent idea; they would be visible but not unpleasant!
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  6. 19th August 2021, 03:04 PM #5
    havabeer69
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    Screws your cleat into the sides and top of the rear of the cabinet. Pocket holes work well for this.
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  7. 19th August 2021, 06:37 PM #6
    elanjacobs
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    Quote Originally Posted by genericuid View Post
    Thanks Elan! I've never considered using a thick back; that definitely makes some sense. If you do that, I assume you're not using a groove for it, just a rebate. How do you fix the back to the rebate such that it (via the cleat) holds the whole weight of the cabinet? Just glue?
    I would skip the glue altogether because any squeeze out inside will be a massive pain to clean. I would be cutting the rebate to leave about 4mm on the outside; that should give you enough space to screw the back in with 50mm screws. Pre-drilling is a must because you'll be very close to the inside face and the board will split without pilot holes.

    Dowels are also a recent idea; they would be visible but not unpleasant!
    Why would they be visible? You drill the holes on the inside before you assemble it, not all the way through.
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  8. 21st August 2021, 07:39 AM #7
    genericuid
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    Quote Originally Posted by elanjacobs View Post
    Why would they be visible? You drill the holes on the inside before you assemble it, not all the way through.
    Ok, that makes a ton of sense. That's my favourite.
    Really appreciate the good ideas.
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  9. 21st August 2021, 09:14 AM #8
    bruceward51
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    I watched a guy on YouTube last night who looked at a whole lot of issues and solutions for French cleats. Worth a look in your situation. Only 5 minutes.

    How a French cleat changed everything! - YouTube

    Bruce
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