Making Slatwalls for Dummies

Homemade slatwall idea

It bugs us no end here at the Antisocial Network to see the mess some freelancing J-school grads make out of heartfelt requests, messes made simply because the freelancers have no friggin' idea what they're talking about. Let's take a simple example: some poor schmuck went to Google and searched for "How to Make Your Own Slatwall With a Table Saw." The nice people at eHow.com snapped up the questions and sent it to their "contributors," one of who wrote what she thought was an answer. The post by Sanne Godfrey is now at HomeSteady.com.

Never heard of slatwall before? well, you've almost certainly seen it: slatwall is a storage system in use in millions of stores, a plain white or gray wall with horizontal grooves four or five inches apart. Hooks and other fixtures fit into the grooves for hanging merchandise or other items. What we figure is that the OQ wanted to know if it's possible to cut the grooves in a panel with a table saw or, perhaps, shape narrow boards with a table saw and install them separately with a "slat" between them.
Both are possible... but Godfrey never said that. No, what Sanne said to do was,

"Cut the slatwall panels to size with a table saw to make sure they fit into the desired space for the panel. Before you cut the panel make sure the blade of the table saw is sharp and the blade guard is functioning properly..."

Really? that's how Goldberg says to MAKE slatwall? Buy panels and cut them with the saw?

Well, no: In theory, you could make the stuff with a table saw and a T-track molding head, but that would be a darned sight easier to use a router and a keyhole bit; assuming that you're trying to make panels out of ¾-inch plywood. If you're dead set on using a table saw, use a dado blade to cut rabbets on both sides of 1-by-4 stock and install them, rabbet to the wall, half an inch apart.
Or something like that... Whatever, it's a damned sight better than "buy panels and cut them with a table saw," like our Dumbass of the Day says to do.

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DDIY - STORAGE