Hanging tools and jigs on walls is a sensible way to make use of available shop space. But the sheer weight of tools calls for a solid connection to the wall. If the wall is a conventional wood-framed structure, be sure to drive screws through the wall surface and into the studs behind. Avoid drywall fasteners, such as molly bolts, because they don’t have the necessary shear strength for holding the weight of most shop gear.

These self-tapping masonry screws save a lot of headaches when it comes to attaching stuff to cinder-block, concrete, or stone walls. You drill through the workpiece and into the wall with the supplied masonry bit, and then, without moving the work, you simply drive the screw home.

When attaching to cinder-block or masonry walls, there are many systems and fasteners to choose from. One of the easiest and strongest types is a self-tapping screw sold under various trade names. The beauty of this system is that there’s no mounting and  remounting of the work on the wall to locate and install the fasteners, as most other systems require. With self-tapping screws, it’s an easy, one-shot affair. The screws come in a box in convenient Phillips-style or hex head, with the appropriate-sized carbide-tipped masonry bit. Drill pilot holes through the work you want to attach, hold the work in position on the wall, and drill through the holes and into the masonry with the bit. Then, without moving the work, drive the screws with a Phillips- or hex-head driver bit into the work and the wall for a simplified and worry-free connection.

Long clamps with protruding heads, such as pipe clamps or Bessey K Body® bar-style clamps, are a cinch to hang between wooden brackets because you can space the brackets as needed. The author built brackets using lumbercore plywood for strength, then screwed them soundly to the wall.

Andy Rae lives in North Carolina, where he makes custom furniture and teaches and writes about woodworking.

Photos: Andy Rae © 2006 by The Taunton Press, Inc.; drawing: © 2006 by The Taunton Press, Inc.

From Workshop Idea Book, pp. 140-141

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