# Making my own pegboard from plywood?



## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Wife and I bought our first house, it's brand new, so a blank canvas, but we are broke, so everything is also DIY. I am wanting to do something practical and maybe a bit dramatic for the back wall of my office, and I am considering doing the entire wall in pegboard, set off the walls by 1x2 spacer studs screwed into the real studs.

But I want a real wood face, not paint, and fiberboard just doesn't do it.

So my idea was this - get some nice sanded 1/4 inch 4x8 doug fir plywood (ceiling is 8 foot so the height is perfect) and use a 4x8 sheet of hardboard pegboard as a "stencil" (spray paint across it to get a clean stencil) and drill it out so I have some Doug fir pegboard. Gel stain, Danish oil, done.

Is my idea completely insane? Is 1/4 Doug fir ply just not gonna be strong enough vs hardboard? It's going to have shelves, but I won't be using it for super heavy duty stuff. I don't mind spending an afternoon with my drill and a bit guide, and I figured I could stack/clamp all four plywood sheets together with a fifth below to prevent tearout and just do the whole set in one go.

I could theoretically do the whole thing for $150, I have a jigsaw so cutouts for the 2 outlets on the wall would be easy (still debating on extending the outlet or not) and am also considering painting the wall behind the pegboard something fun like a red or blue to give some contrast/depth

Mostly I'm just looking for some insight on turning quarter inch Doug fir plywood into pegboard, but I'm just throwing my whole idea out there because while I am handy with a fair range of tools, I don't really yet trust myself with "an idea" on such a big task, so if anyone has any insight (like "an idea like that makes me throw up a little in my mouth") on the idea, I would appreciate it!


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

I would have two concerns - accuracy of the layout and keeping the holes good and perpendicular to the surface. Obviously a Forstner bit would be needed and you'll have to sharpen it often. How will you accomplish the layout for accuracy?

David


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

I've got a good set of forstner bits and can sharpen them just fine - but why would I need a forstner instead of laying up/clamping together four sheets of 1/4 inch ply with a sheet of 3/4 backing it to prevent tearout?

To make sure I'm square, my thought was to lay up a sheet of proper pegboard over it and use it, along with a drill bit guide (one of those guide blocks that just has a bunch of holes for various size fluted bits - like a kreg jig, but just for drilling square holes) so I'd just do it in this order

1.) sandwich all four sheets of 1/4in ply between a 3/4 inch sheet and a sheet of hardboard pegboard

2.) clamp it all together (could also screw them together and just plug the holes if it doesn't feel secure enough)

3.) using the template pegboard and a drill guide, just drill through each hole. The backing board and sandwich should do a good enough job not tearing out between sheets, correct? I can make sure my bits stay razor sharp and I have plenty of spares already.

I could further "anchor" the pegboard to the ply by just doing all four corners and then tossing a dowel in each hole to make sure that even if I bump the whole thing, it doesn't shift.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Honeybadgers said:


> but why would I need a forstner instead of laying up/clamping together four sheets of 1/4 inch ply with a sheet of 3/4 backing it to prevent tearout?


You can test it and see but a twist drill doesn't make a round hole. You need a Forstner for that. If you want to see it exaggerated drill some sheet metal with a twist drill. Now, it may certainly suffice for what you're doing and ganging them up certainly makes sense so a test is in order.

David


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## yomanbill (Jul 7, 2020)

Use a brad point drill bit. It should make good clean holes with no tear out. Get a spare one or two in case of dulling or breakage. It sounds like a lot of work, but doable. Even if the spacing is off a little, it shouldn't matter too much. My concern would be getting the doug fir stained to look the way you want. At best, I think the grain pattern will be quite contrasty. Maybe that is what you want. Also, be sure you get a grade that doesn't have the "football" patches. Be aware also that some plywood has a very thin top veneer that is very fragile and will likely have tear-out problems; if not when drilling, later when in use.

Something like this could help you keep the holes square to the surface.


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## TomCT2 (May 16, 2014)

before you start drilling . . . . make sure you can get pegboard hooks that will accommodate the thickness and hole diameter.

many of the 'on the shelf' hooks now-a-days are meant for the thin tempered hardboard. I have a old sheet of thicker tempered hardboard and finding pegs/holders for that is more difficult.


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## Zeus_cat (May 1, 2020)

Finding hooks that work would be my main concern too. 

I hot glue my pegs into place so they don't fall out every time I lift a tool off the pegs.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Pegboard is relatively cheap, and this is your wall, so it might be worth a little investment to get it right. Here is my untested idea:

In addition to the plywood for your wall, also buy:
Three or four sheets of cheap pegboard.
Several (a bunch?) brad point drill bits that match the pegboard hole size. It would be better to switch out more drill bits early than mess up your nice wall.
One cheap MDF, particle board, or plywood backer.
Four long machine screws that match the diameter of the pegboard holes, along with 8 matching washers and nuts.

Lay down the backer, the nice plywood, and then stack the multiple pegboards on top of that.
Tape or clamp them together, so that everything aligns perfectly. Take your time. This step is important. Better to use too much tape or too many clamps. You can insert the screws from the top as a temporary solution to help align the pegboard holes.
Carefully drill the four corners through the aligned pegboard holes, the nice plywood and into the backer, making sure to keep everything in alignment.
Move the backer aside and drill through the rest of the backer to make through holes in the corners.
Insert a screw with washer underneath and thread it upward through the layers. Top with a washer and a nut. Tighten them well, but don't overtighten them. Repeat for each corner.
At this point, all the sheets should be aligned and locked in place with the screws and nuts.
Drill the rest of the holes, using the stacked pegboard sheet holes as drill guides to keep your drill bits straight.
-> Change out the drill bit any time you think there may be resistance or burning.


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## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

Honeybadgers said:


> Wife and I bought our first house, it's brand new, so a blank canvas, but we are broke, so everything is also DIY. I am wanting to do something practical and maybe a bit dramatic for the back wall of my office, and I am considering doing the entire wall in pegboard, set off the walls by 1x2 spacer studs screwed into the real studs.
> 
> But I want a real wood face, not paint, and fiberboard just doesn't do it.
> 
> ...


Not exactly insane but getting there. Make a jig at right angles out of scrap wood that the brad point bit nests against each side. This keeps the drill bit square to the plywood. A brad point drill will suffice. A piece of pegboard for the template should last for many holes if you are careful to center the bit in each hole.
Back the plywood up with scrap so the point doesn't tear out the underside of the hole.
Take a lot of breaks as this is tedious work.
You need to extend the outlet. The plywood will be fastened to strips to have room for the hooks.
One other thing, DO NOT STACK THE SHEETS TO DRILL. If you do you will be sorry. Try stacking 4 scrap pieces of plywood and I think you will then drill 1 at a time. 
I was working on a construction site where 3/4" plywood was used to form the walls for concrete. I watched a carpenter lining up 4 sheets and tacking them together. He laid out the holes and was going to drill thru all 4 sheets with a 6" augur . I tried to stop him, told him the layout would only be accurate on the top sheet. He did not listen, he screwed up the 3rd and fourth sheet real bad. Some holes were off by 3/4" . This did not ruin the plywood but made it harder to install the ties. If you are off by 1/16" with 1/4" holes 2" on center it will stand out like a sore thumb.
mike


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## m.n.j.chell (May 12, 2016)

Just go with a "French Cleat" wall. Looks nicer for an indoor space.


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

Honeybadgers said:


> Is my idea completely insane?


Yup... 

Seems like a tremendous amount of work to me, paint the standard peg board black and call it good...

I'm not a peg board fan, if I were inclined to use it, I would get the metal version, it raises the cool factor a LOT.


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Metal pegboard would easily, easily make the cost of that wall over a grand, maybe pushing two. It would also make the room look completely insane with a solid metal pegboard wall (same for black, that would look awful)

I'm not adverse to making/modifying pegboard brackets myself. I can bend mild steel rod and tack weld it into shapes. I actually planned on doing that for many of my mounts to make interesting pieces to mount/move around

I don't quite follow why you guys think I wouldn't be able to keep the hole square. I'm literally drilling one single inch total thickness, and will be using a steel bit guide. I can get pretty darn square holes in a single inch hole by eye. And absolutely precise roundness (I have brad point bits) is again not something I think really matters on a pegboard/



https://www.amazon.com/Milescraft-1312-DrillBlock-Handheld-Drill/dp/B00F1ZJFZK/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=drill+bit+guide&qid=1615344083&sr=8-13



I have one of these, but bigger to accommodate a 3/4 inch augur bit and it put absolutely ARROW square dog holes in my 4 inch thick workbench top. That job was an absolute cinch. It would literally be me sliding that across the "stencil" pegboard until my bit drops into the hole and then pushing straight down. It's exactly like a kreg pocket hole jig.

Also, does the squareness of the hole even matter? I don't see how pegboard brackets really care about anything other than the spacing, they're made for a LOT of slop.

*My main question was strength, that there isn't some severe strength difference between hardboard and 1/4 inch doug fir ply, or if I should make any special prepwork for the pre-sanded plywood for stain, like roughing it up a tad with 120 or 220.*

As i understand, gel stain works pretty reliably on doug fir plywood. I don't really mind splotchy/uneven results, the thousands of tiny holes should break up that issue. I can already get very reliable results with baltic birch plywood though.

As for the little "portable drill press" I actually looked into them for my workbench dog holes and THOSE things have some scary bad runout. I honestly can't find one that doesn't have a rather obscene amount of runout, which is why I just resorted to a drill block and augur bit for my bench dog holes


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## _Ogre (Feb 1, 2013)

I despise pegboard, my father had it all over his shop. Easy to find tools, but it's one layer. A $100 toolbox will hold more than a 4x8 sheet. Grab a tool and then the hook falls out, just not a fan. 

1/4" plywood is nowhere as strong as hardboard, hardboard doesn't dent or tear out easily. Bad idea


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

Honeybadgers said:


> Metal pegboard would easily, easily make the cost of that wall over a grand, maybe pushing two. It would also make the room look completely insane with a solid metal pegboard wall (same for black, that would look awful)
> 
> I'm not adverse to making/modifying pegboard brackets myself. I can bend mild steel rod and tack weld it into shapes. I actually planned on doing that for many of my mounts to make interesting pieces to mount/move around
> 
> ...


Good luck to you, PB will never have a place in my home, a wall in the office doesn't produce a dramatic feel at all.

It does inspire some mouth vomit though...


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Honeybadgers said:


> *My main question was strength, that there isn't some severe strength difference between hardboard and 1/4 inch doug fir ply, or if I should make any special prepwork for the pre-sanded plywood for stain, like roughing it up a tad with 120 or 220.*


Come on guys, he isn't asking if anyone likes pegboard. He's asking about the strength difference and prep work between hardboard and Douglas Fir plywood.

David


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## Dave McCann (Jun 21, 2020)

_Ogre said:


> A $100 toolbox will hold more than a 4x8 sheet.


HUH???? So you are suggesting he use a tool box to store the items he wishes to display on the walls in his office? How does that help him?


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Alternative idea if the plywood won't handle the stresses of being pegboard-

Buy hardboard and veneer it, then just carefully drill out the holes from the back?


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

I would use veneered hardboard. Should be readily available.
johnep


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## shoot summ (Feb 21, 2014)

Honeybadgers said:


> so if anyone has any insight (like "an idea like that makes me throw up a little in my mouth") on the idea, I would appreciate it!





difalkner said:


> Come on guys, he isn't asking if anyone likes pegboard. He's asking about the strength difference and prep work between hardboard and Douglas Fir plywood.
> 
> David


He actually did...

I wouldn't have walked through that door if he hadn't.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

What you want to do does not make sense practically or economically. 

You can purchase pegboard that looks just like wood for about the same price that you would pay for the plywood. 

Many years I purchased a new property into which I moved my business. the old property was a gas station/convenience store. Except for the new area that I had added to the building, the interior walls were concrete block. Not what you want in a retail business. As you plan to do I secured 1x2 strips to the wall to which the pegboard was fastened.

I purchased a pallet of fancy pegboard. I am sure if you look you can find something you like without having to drill each hole.

george


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## Bernie_72 (Aug 9, 2020)

Honeybadgers said:


> I don't quite follow why you guys think I wouldn't be able to keep the hole square. I'm literally drilling one single inch total thickness, and will be using a steel bit guide. I can get pretty darn square holes in a single inch hole by eye. And absolutely precise roundness (I have brad point bits) is again not something I think really matters on a pegboard/


I think the people who have responded with concerns about keeping the holes you drill square aren't talking about whether you drill each hole at a perfect 90 degree angle. I believe they're talking about keeping all of the holes you drill lined up correctly, both horizontally and vertically.

I routed out 105 twenty millimeter holes into this 2.5' x 5' piece of plywood to use for the top of a workbench. I used a template system where you drill about 6 holes at a time and then keep moving that template around the sheet until all the holes are drilled. In my case things went pretty well but the holes are not 100% square with each other. I think it came down to not cleaning every speck of dust out of the router template I was using. That made some of the holes a little too tight and the pattern eventually wandered a bit causing a slight variance.

If I were to do this again I'd probably just have this CNC'd to make sure everything is perfectly squared. It was also a very time consuming process for me to drill just 105 holes. I imagine you'll be drilling hundreds if not over a thousand holes for your pegboard setup. If it were me I'd just purchase the pegboard and not deal with the hassle of drilling it out yourself. 

There seem to be a lot of inexpensive options out there for 4' x 8' pegboards in material ranging from metal to hardboard to baltic birch (and other plywood variants). The hardboard/plywood options are all under well $100 for a 4'x8' pegboard (most are under $50). I haven't specifically seen a Douglas fir pegboard listed but I wouldn't be surprised if you find one with a little searching.

Good luck!


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Okay now you guys have my attention (you've all been helpful, critical or not! The criticism has absolutely helped me look at the project in different ways)

Several of you have mentioned that hardboard or even pegboard can be found in veneered sheets. I totally wouldn't mind that option. I need 4x8 sheets (4x4 in a pinch), assuming that is possible, where can I find them? "Readily available" meaning where? I'm not attached to using Doug fir, I only mentioned it as it was one of the cheapest nice looking presanded ply's I could find. I genuinely can't find a veneered 1/4 tempered hardboard, much less a pegboard.

I don't want that big chunky pattern pegboard with holes the size of bench dogs. it has far too much of a "look what mom did at home with her ikea drill" aesthetic. I am after the tight, small hole pattern of traditional pegboard.

I am confident at this point I can easily get the holes very quickly. I have an old quarter sheet of peg and laid it down on a scrap chunk of half inch ply doubled up to mimic the thickness. I first clamped the pieces together with welder's clamps, then drilled one hole in the center, dropped a dowel in to hold the sheets together, drilled one at the top center, bottom center, left, right, etc. Then I went from the center out, sliding my drill block across the pegboard with my drill in it until the bit "dropped" into the pegboard hole, which instantly had everything centered and square. quick drill down and a 24x24 grid came out crisp and clean, each hole took about five seconds to drill, with another two to set up the next hole. A 4x8 sheet of peg is, oddly enough, 48x96 in holes. If I average about 7 seconds total from one hole to the next, it's about 9 hours of continuous work. I'm one of those lunatics who enjoys french polishing, so a couple lazy afternoons in the cool PNW spring sun with a lovely beverage, my corded drill and a box of sharp brad points has me happy with drilling holes. And tearout between sheets and out the back was very, very minimal (the drill block and my weight sitting on top of the hole really kept things tight.)

So now I'm comfortable with that. But if such a thing as "wood veneer pegboard" exists, I'd totally go that option, and if wood-veneer hardboard sans pegs exists, I'd also be happy (as long as the cost isn't too prohibitive) and again, I've only heard one person comment on the strength of 1/4 inch ply vs hardboard, which was not positive.

Whatever option I do choose, I'll share the results here (and if I'm drilling holes, I'll share my setup)


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## Tetis (Oct 17, 2020)

Bernie_72 said:


> Я думаю, что люди, которые высказали озабоченность по поводу того, чтобы отверстия, которые вы сверлите, оставались квадратными, не говорят о том, просверливаете ли вы каждое отверстие под идеальным углом в 90 градусов. Я считаю, что они говорят о том, чтобы все отверстия, которые вы просверливали, были выровнены правильно, как по горизонтали, так и по вертикали.
> 
> Я проделал 105 отверстий диаметром двадцать миллиметров в этом куске фанеры размером 2,5 на 5 футов, чтобы использовать его в качестве верхней части верстака. Я использовал систему шаблонов, в которой вы просверливаете около 6 отверстий за раз, а затем продолжаете перемещать этот шаблон по листу, пока все отверстия не будут просверлены. В моем случае все прошло хорошо, но отверстия не на 100% совпадают друг с другом. Думаю, дело в том, что я не вычищал каждую пылинку из шаблона маршрутизатора, который я использовал. Это сделало некоторые отверстия слишком тугими, и узор в конечном итоге немного сместился, что привело к небольшому отклонению.
> 
> ...


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## Dave McCann (Jun 21, 2020)

Honeybadgers said:


> I need 4x8 sheets (4x4 in a pinch), assuming that is possible, where can I find them? "Readily available" meaning where?


One such source, I'm sure there are others.
DPI 3/16" x 4' x 8' Windsor Cherry Pegboard Panel at Menards®


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Dave McCann said:


> One such source, I'm sure there are others.
> DPI 3/16" x 4' x 8' Windsor Cherry Pegboard Panel at Menards®


HOW did you find that?! Menards won't ship to Washington State, but that looks dead-on perfect for what I need.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

Wow! Hundred bucks for five is unreal! I don't need any but now I want some - LOL!  

David


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

No kidding, I'd gladly pay another hundred in shipping for a stack of five.

I emailed DPI about it, because I see that item listed on walmart and amazon, but both are out of stock. their website says they sell through lowes and HD, but I don't see their products there.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

if I could find that pegboard here locally, I think I would be hard pressed to build a new workbench to match it !!


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

I'll reply with what DPI says. I asked if it was discontinued or out of stock, and if it was just OOS, where I could go about sourcing it. They have some photos of it in use on their site, and _wow_. I kind of hate veneer, my personal limit is usually non-veneered plywood, but these look GOOD.

I did call menards, and they will ship it if you order by phone (website just said "lol no.") But it'd be $522 to ship the minimum order of 5 from their nearest store to washington state, so I'm back to waiting on hearing back from DPI themselves about sourcing it locally. But I will chase that option all the way to the bottom of the hole, because it's _EXACTLY _what I'm looking for, the color itself is even good enough - though I wonder if it's properly veneered or if it's just laminate, and how thick/sandable/stainable the veneer is. But if they get back to me, I'll ask those questions followup.


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## Bernie_72 (Aug 9, 2020)

That is a pretty good deal. I'm going to finish my shop in cherry so this would be a pretty good fit. I hate buying anything from John Menard but I might have to make an exception for 5 of these.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Go to your local lumber supplier(s) and ask what they can get. You may be surprised that they can get exactly what you want.

George


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> Go to your local lumber supplier(s) and ask what they can get. You may be surprised that they can get exactly what you want.
> 
> George


I might check it out, but the several lumber stores in my area have been pretty astoundingly disappointing in terms of their wood supply. Seems like all the ******** out here only care about construction lumber.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Honeybadgers said:


> I might check it out, but the several lumber stores in my area have been pretty astoundingly disappointing in terms of their wood supply. Seems like all the ****** out here only care about construction lumber.


Where I live, there seem to be two different kinds of lumber stores. I buy from both types, but I know what they each type carries, and go to one that has what I need. I have seen both types of stores with the word "Lumber" in the their names, but not always.

One kind is focused on construction lumber and materials - just like the ones you described. They sell basic plywood, what I call "SPF" dimensional construction lumber like 2x4s, 4x4s, 1x8 boards, etc. They also sell MDF and similar sheet products, and many carry MDF and wood moldings. I wish they sold Baltic Birch, but they don't. I like a nearby smaller lumber store like that, but the description also fits the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. You may find small pieces of overpriced oak at the largest stores, but not much hardwood. (SPF = spruce or pine or fir, a mystery wood)

The other kind is focused on the kind of hardwood that woodworkers want for furniture, etc. They sell common hardwood boards like oak, maple, cherry, walnut, mahogany, etc. and usually carry more exotic hardwoods as well. Some also sell plywood, but usually only high quality sheets like hardwood veneers, Baltic Birch, etc.

There doesn't seem to be much crossover between the two types.

(There is a third type, which are the woodworking stores like Rockler and Woodcraft. They sell hardwood boards (at somewhat higher prices), plus small, expensive pieces of hard-to-find woods for turning and pen blanks. They also carry Baltic Birch and veneer plywoods, but not in full sheets.)


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Weather has not cooperated, so I decided to start in the kitchen and be VERY CAREFUL. The doug fir ply was also absolute garbage (wood supplies here in the PNW are getting really weak) so I opted for some much nicer looking oak. Only 3 ply, but the top/bottom oak veneer is _very_ thick.

almost done with the drilling (about 10 more of the short rows to go) but it's been remarkably smooth and easy. 

I laid all four sheets up on a half inch sheet of cheap sacrificial MDF, then a sheet of sacrificial pegboard over that.

I drilled through the stack in the center and then about 20 more around it, and placed dowels in each hole to keep it all square and in place.

Then I measured the depth and made a "stop collar" with a bunch of tape, and used a hardened steel drill guide to make sure all my holes were straight and square.

I started with my cordless drill but moved to a big heavy 18v corded ryobi that was more comfortable and easier to control. Moved in a zigzag pattern because the sawdust was building up between holes enough to keep the guide from sitting square.

Only real issue I've run into is with my squishy human body. My palms are getting a little bruised drilling nearly five thousand holes, lololol. Only really seem to have needed two drill bits too. My box of quarter inch brad points has been kind of u

Once I'm done, I'm going to soak the sheets in medium walnut danish oil to get some varnish on that soaks into the fibers and hopefully brings up the toughness. Then I may do some matte wipe on poly over that to improve the durability further.

I like the oak, the sheets I got were really pretty, but I am not super in love with the 3 ply count. I do kind of wish I just spent a little more on 5 ply Baltic Birch. I'd have felt more confidence in the success of that material. But the hole pattern is looking NICE and clean.


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

Boards are all drilled. I got a lot more tearout than I wanted towards the end, but that was just down to me being in kind of a rush because I was having to do it in my kitchen and not out in the yard where I wasn't preventing use of half our living space. So I got an annoying amount of tearout on one section that will be the bottom anyways, so not really visible.

I finished up one of the boards a couple days ago by sanding it with a 150 grit palm sander (the tearout shards were literally SHREDDING my orbital sander pads instantly. The palm sander sheets lasted about 1.5 sides) and where the tearout caused a visible loss of veneer between the oak and the under board, I just CA glued little pieces of veneer that got thrown around to disguise the damage and it worked a treat (again, if I could do this again, I'd have spent more money on good baltic birch 5 ply, but this was such a gamble to start with, I didn't want to risk throwing away that much money) 

I then went back over them with 320 on the orbital and hit both sides with two coats of medium walnut danish oil. Here's another issue I had, in that I feel like it came out darker than I wanted. The first coat was perfect, but with such a large area filled with holes, it was too hard to get a perfectly even coat on a single pass, so I had to just do two with the walnut. It's not TOO dark, just not as dark as I hoped. My wife thinks it looks fantastic, and that my turquoise-blue paint choice for the wall behind them will pop more, but we'll see. Either way, gonna have to live with it (maybe in a year or two if I still love it but want it lighter, I'll do it again in baltic birch if wood prices stop being so abhorrent.)

I've been letting it cure for 72hrs before a couple wiped-on layers of matte poly just for good measure, but as for the wall hooks, I ordered a cheap amazon 100-something set, and on the bottom board where there was the most "wandering", all but a TINY number of holes (like less than ten on a 4x8 sheet of wood with 4,096 holes) were DEAD square to each other, and the pegs hang perfectly. This should absolutely be strong enough to do what I want as long as I do a good support structure (gonna start on that once I have all 4 boards done and ready to mount to the wall) 

This brings up my next question - I got some cheap whitewood firring from Lowes and despite picking pretty much arrow straight pieces, they all went absolutely freaking INSANE as I let them acclimate in my house for a few weeks.. I tried clamping them together and just squaring them all up with a hand plane, but I'm worried that they aren't going to want to sit flush with the wall when I only have one screw going down the center into the studs (so much twist, warp and cup that it beggars belief)

So I am going to find an alternative. I am thinking PVC, but some cedar planking (which I could leave natural) or ripping down a sheet of 1/2 inch ply isn't expensive either. Only concern is thickness. I like the idea of only using the minimum gap possible between the pegboard and the wall to both not lose "space" (it's not a large room) and the closer to the wall, the more the color will show through. How thin can I get away with? 1/2 inch? 1/4? I'm thinking a half inch is the least I can get away with, but I can't seem to find PVC trim boards in that thickness, everything is 3/4. Price wise, a sheet of 1/2 inch ply would net me about 20 (after losses) strips of 2 inch wide by 8 foot long boards. Is 2 inches wide enough to mount through to the 2x4 stud and then be the edge mount for the vertical 4x8's? Or should I do 3 or 4 inch wide strips? I am going to do a strip down every 1 or 2 studs, and then one cross-member every few horizontal studs as well (depends on where those studs are, I may just anchor them to the drywall with toggles.)

Should I secure them with just screws to the studs, or also use some construction adhesive to make sure the edges stay flush to the drywall? This is the kind of DIY part that I am super unsure of how to do in a way that gives me the most security with supporting the pegboard and ensuring they are square with each other edge to edge.

I'll post a picture of the finished but not-polyurethaned board I have tomorrow morning if I remember. I think y'all are gonna be impressed! In the meantime, I'd love advice on the smartest way to actually mount them to the wall.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Honeybadgers said:


> HOW did you find that?! Menards won't ship to Washington State, but that looks dead-on perfect for what I need.


Go to your local building supply houses and ask them to research what they can order. I will bet that you can find multiple sources for what you want. Do not do this by phone. Use shanks mare and the personal approach. A little persistence also pays off.

george


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## Honeybadgers (Nov 16, 2017)

well it's been a year, but I finally got the wall done tonight.

I decided against doing the whole wall, I am going to paint the empty section a brighter color to give some contrast (the idea of paint behind the board just wasn't going to show up unless I backlit the whole thing - possible, but not right now.

there's over four thousand individually drilled holes in each of the two 4x8 sheets. I can see only one single hole in the whole thing that's out of alignment.

I just finished tonight, so will be decorating it soon, but here's how it looks!

I'm honestly pretty stoked on how it turned out. Oak ply, 2 coats medium walnut danish oil (honestly would've gone with non-colored danish oil if I did it again, it's a tad dark) and after a few weeks to cure, 2 coats of matte water based poly. It seems to be holding everything I've tried putting on it with zero issue.


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## yomanbill (Jul 7, 2020)

Wow. That is a lot of drilling. Good job. Looks good. I''s a shame to cover it up with hanging stuff.


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