Not a fan of Peg Board Hooks for Tools

[capncarl]

I liked Adam Savages pegboard tool hanging cart, but after a while you will have a shop full of carts, like the router station cart, tool cart, glue up cart, grinder station carts, mobile wood rack, outfeed table etc. I'm still in the process of deep cleaning my shop so I have all the mobile tools that live in the 12x24' woodshop room of my shop rolled into my 24'x24' automotive /metal working room of my shop, where my tablesaw and outfeed table is set up. These tools, clamp cart and work cart completely takes up all of my room. I don't see how you guys with a small shop can fit the tools in. No more carts for me!

[tfischer]

My current garage came with a bit of pegboard pre-installed. Years ago I bought a starter set of pegboard hooks that came with plastic locking clips. In general, they work great and keep the hooks from coming off every time you grab the tool. In more recent years I got some long, heavy duty hooks that I even hang things like C-clamps and quick grips from... 5 or 6 per "peg". Many of my go-to hand tools are on the pegboard as I just have to walk over and grab them.

[leehljp]

I almost posted this last night but got side tracked. Yesterday, I took time to re-organize the peg board hooks/tool layout. It made all the difference. By aligning some of the larger tools so that they "leaned" against the frame, they needed only a single hook and it looks better organized. The bracing against the frame makes them steadier also and opened up some space for me to move my measuring tools to the area. I took photos so that I can remember the layout and I will mark the hooks and space for future reference. (Couldn't find my markers last night!) It was my intention to make 1x4 wood "shelves" with cutouts for hanging each item, but for now, I will wait and see how well the re-organizing works.

[Pappy]

like most, I have trouble keeping the hooks from coming off the peg board. My solution is to secure them with 4" or 5" zip ties. A bag of 100 in either size is $1.99 at HF. On cabinet doors this is easy. On wall mounted boards it is a bit trickier but the end of the tie will bend and hold the shape enough to thread/fish it through 2 holes.

[LCHIEN]

Try a spot of Hot melt glue on those hooks. Usually they have a tail that can be glue to the board. The tail limits the amount the hook can sag, but If the tail can't lift up they won't fall off.

[mpc]

A lot of the cheaper pegboard hooks are nothing more than bent-metal rods and only engage the pegboard at the very top end. Better hooks have a welded-on nub that engages a second pegboard hole below the top hook. This nub, on the Stanley set I linked to in my earlier reply, is a tight fit into the pegboard hole and holds the hook to the pegboard very securely. In fact, it can be pretty hard to insert initially.

Matching the pegboard hole size to the hook metal diameter is important too; a lot of hook kits say they're compatible with 1/8th or 1/4inch pegboard holes. That means they are 1/8th inch metal and will be stupid loose in 1/4inch pegboard (the more commonly available pegboard) without some add-on piece like the plastic clip that comes with the Stanley hook set.

Compare this simple/cheaper style: Amazon Link to simple/cheaper hooks
to the better Stanley ones at: Amazon link to better Stanley hooks This is what I use in my pegboard "book" page setup.
Compare specifically the "J" and "L" shaped hooks in the lower left of the cheaper set to the ones in the center of the better Stanley set picture.

The cheap set does include the plastic clamp piece (black "W" shaped thing above the "L" hooks) to lock the "J" and "L" hooks in place but it uses 2 adjacent holes in your pegboard, blocking them. If you need to use 2 "J" or "L" hooks to hold a tool (e.g. the handle of a nice hand saw) there may not be sufficient space/holes for "W" clamps too. I prefer the Stanley style nub. It uses a hole already blocked by the hook and tool anyway and it has a stronger grip than the "W" too. And, not being plastic, it won't get brittle with age like the "W" might.

For both sets, the long straight arms only mount with the top ends of the arm... neither has the extra nub to engage the next lower pegboard hole. Too bad too. And the arm poking down - the arm that keeps the hook perpendicular to the pegboard surface - is (stupidly) too short for the "W" clips. A trick recently published online or in one of the magazines (user submitted trick) is to slip a short length of metal tube onto the arm poking down extending it enough for the plastic "W" clamps or a zip-tie. Such metal tubes are readily available in soft (easily cut) brass from home centers and hobby shops.

The pliers hook (the very bottom/left "C" shaped one in the pic of the cheaper set) never stays put in pegboard. The rubber hand grips on most pliers grip this fat "C" shaped thing and lift it right out of the pegboard. There's nothing to add a zip-tie to, a nub to, etc. to help The Stanley version is a bit deeper... they could have added a nub to this one but didn't. Too bad too. A dab of hot-melt glue would help hold it yet allow the hook to be removed in the future.

mpc

[leehljp]

MPC, the hot melt glue is a great idea. I'm going to do that! In a couple of cases, I might use some zip ties and holt melt.

BTW, I am using the right size ones in most cases. I am using a few light weight ones where strength is not important. The hot melt will secure the light weight ones.

[mpc]

To complicate things... Amazon's "new recommendations for you" email today had something that I don't need but some of you might:
double-hook for drills and other similarly sized tools

Zooming in on the second picture - the manufacturer's label tag - indicates this example tool hook is designed for the 1/8th inch pegboard holes and it includes the plastic "W" bits to clamp it to 1/4inch holes. Not exactly inexpensive but it is a workable option.

mpc

[leehljp]

I have 3 or 4 of the double hook types. I also bought me a very good hot melt glue gun, not the cheap $10 kind my wife likes. The hot melt works great!