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

Everything’s better with a face frame even the view from above

I’ve gotten as far as the front face frame. I still need to do a frame on the other three sides and then on to drawers and doors. Click on picture to enlarge.

Dutch gettin’ ready for painting.

The Dutch Tool Chest case is done. All I need are the hinges and a lid. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the details.

I used my hand plane to shape the battens.

And then attached it to the fall front.

Here it is in place, locked in and cleaned up for painting.

Flattening the bench

I noticed while I was putting together my six board chest that it was wobbling on the bench. Uh oh .. need to flatten.

Unbeknownst to me, some one else was also flattening his French Robou Oak Bench yesterday.

Now my bench isn’t made of incredibly old oak cut from monster slabs. It’s a bunch of Douglas fir 2×4 laminated together and it’s pretty nice stuff. I haven’t had the problems with fir that Joe has had with his bench and fir and, based on his experience, I’m glad I got the nicer stuff. Anyway, I really like my bench even though its only got a 3 1/2″ top. But I have to admit, I wish I was going to WIA so I could see the FORB landing. 😀

Doh! Shop Space epiphany!

I was watching Richard The English Woodworker making a cup board and I noticed the nook that he was working in. I was thinking that I had put my work bench against the wall and it didn’t work partly because I was also in a nook. Then I realized .. “Hey! he has his back to the wall instead of the work bench against the wall. That would work. And all my tools would be in easy reach then! DOH!”

The new set up and so far .. I love it. And look at all the room in front of the bench where I can set my project.

My back will be to the tool cabinet ..

instead of toward the camera.