Progress on Carving Tool Chest

This is how I laid out the dovetails and the mitered shouldered dovetail for the bottom edge.

First I marked out the area that needs to be dovetailed and measured that with my dividers.

I wanted four tails, so I laid out the sector to fit the dividers at 8 ..

.. and then set the second set of dividers to 2 to be able to produce 4 tails.

Then I walked out the 4 tails adding a tiny bit to allow for pin spacing.

Ta da! 4 tails and pins.

This is how I cut the mitered dovetail to cover the slot that will hold the bottom of the cabinet.

And behold the mitered dovetail.

PS. Wanna know where to get a sector? Go here ->

CABINETMAKER’S SECTOR

Wanna know how to use a sector?? Or make a cheap one? Go here -> http://www.burn-heart.com/sector

Tool Box!

Original site: Rare 19th Century Fitted Tool Box

I found the link to the tool box on Musings from the Workbench.

Yippee Skippee! I’m having fun!

Woodworking is a ton of fun for me .. most of the time. 😀 The introduction of hand tools and the band saw to what I do has made it even more fun. Not sure I can really explain it, but there’s something about using an old tool or old technique that really makes my socks roll up and down. Perhaps its about being connected with the past and gaining an appreciation for the work that goes into making something. I don’t know.

Anyway, I’ve been trickin’ out my tool cabinet (finally!) with door tool holding racks. (No, I’m not procrastinating about the desk, I’m organizing the shop before the next big project .. OK, maybe a little. 😉 )

Here’s some of what I’ve done.

Drilling out the holes for the tools with the drill press.

I used my rasp to soften the ends and edges and add a little bit of decoration.

My newly refurbed # 3 did a nice job at removing the pencil lines and any tear out.

Brace and rasp holding on the right side door.

Spoke shave and small plane holder on the left side.

You can right click on the pictures if you’d like to see a bigger version.

Chocolate walnut and maple inside with a cherry outside ..

So the tool cabinet is finally finished. Outside dimensions: 35″ high by 29″ wide by 15″ deep.Glamor shots:

Outside

Doors have book matched white oak panels with cherry frame. I picked the panels up from Bell Forest. Handles are oil rubbed bronze.

Yes, I have gotten a few comments that this is too nice for a tool cabinet, but hey, at least now I know I can do the cabinets for the inside of the house.

The panels were run through a power planer because I was having trouble with the knots and the significant cup. Since then I’ve learned a few lessons from Joe and how to plane knots. I’ll try that next time.

Inside with Tools

Cubbies were sized for specific tools. Shelves are cherry with walnut dividers. The back panels are left over from another project tongue and groove fir boards that I purchased from a local lumber yard.

This is my entire arsenal of planes and I have a little room to expand but I’m hoping I’m done with major hand plane acquisitions. (9 planes, right?) Some of these will hang on the interior of the doors.

Cabinet Side and Door Grain Matching. I glued up the panels for the sides including the door width and then ripped out the door sides to make sure I had an appealing grain pattern.

Dove tail drawers – Maple and Walnut with a small bead on the top and bottom. These will hold my chisels and drill bits which I store in rolls. This allows me to pick up the whole roll at once and take it to the bench.

I still need to hang many of my tools. The brace, egg beater drill, spoke shave, etc. will be mounted later on the inside of the doors.

The Finish – I tried something new for this cabinet and really loved it. The pores on the doors needed to be filled (white oak) to get a smooth exterior finish. This wood filler worked wonders and dried clear. Then I added the wipe on, wipe off satin finish.. in my garage. No nibs and I couldn’t be happier with the results.I got the idea to use a transparent filler from Rob Bois’ butternut cabinet project.

From the Doh! Files
(a little reminders that I’m still learning not to make stupid mistakes)