Thread: WIP Tool drawer organiser (Paul Sellers design)

Hi George

Thanks for posting a photo.

That's a great idea on the router plane. Especially the Allen key. And being held solidly with the coach bolt. 1200 would be more than sharp enough I would think as that's as far as I go with the Veritas.

Seeing as it works well, you could easily run that plane over the base. Pretty sure that's all you'd need to do. Probably better with some harder wood for longevity. Or at least until you have a collection of all kinds

Lee Valley / Veritas stuff can be hard to get. I've been told by a retailer that they don't really get much control on ordering their stock. Maybe different in Vic. Have you tried online? You can order directly from the Lee Valley website but postage may be free a bit high for a larger heavier item. I recently ordered some saw files and it was $20 but it was quick.

Regards Adam

This is the router plane I have and I also brought the smaller one which I think is good for smaller work. When younger and money tight it is amazing what you will make to get a task done.

Thanks for the comments, interestingly I had been in touch with Veritas in Canada and received an email overnight re availability of their router plane. According to the email Veritas has no stock and neither do Lee Valley. They are unable to ship to suppliers for about another month.

No wonder used Stanley 71's are selling for silly prices on eBay.

George

Apart from a few days away over Easter I've been in the shed as much as possible and have finished the building phase and now just need to finish. I'm going to use what I've done in the past as it's easy for me and I like the result - 2-3 coats of Danish oil and furniture wax.

With the carcass finished I started the drawers. I used Huon Pine for the fronts - same as the top - and Tas Oak for the back and sides.

First up I prepared more of the rough-sawn Huon Pine board I used for the top. I had to take off about 1/2" in thickness to get to the same thickness as the carcass. I had to be careful with the width as I only had about 1/4" to get down to the drawer height of just over 3". One piece had to be scrapped as I didn't have enough material to get a consistent edge (the board varied in width and thickness in some places which I didn't account for).
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Lots of shavings after that session, Dallas!
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Then I cut with fronts to width, squaring up (or 'unsquaring' to ensure they matched the carcass).
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Next I prepared the 90 x 13 Bunnings DAR stock. I decided to plane it down to width (~80mm), more practice! Got some great end-grain shavings from the block plane.
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Time to start cutting the dovetails. I started with a rebate on the tails pieces as recommended to help with marking the 'pins' (not sure what they're called in a half-blind dovetail?). First drawer I angled the router plane as shown but it was the wrong way. Although nice and crisp at the edge, there was some roughness due to tear out in the centre of the rebate. The second drawer I angled and pared towards the outside edge and this resulted in a much smoother rebate.
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On to cutting out the tails. I used a fret saw to remove the bulk of the waste.
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Using the rebate to mark out the pins and then the cuts.
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A half-blind dovetail! I found this easier to cut than normal dovetails due to being able to split cut the waste.
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After the other dovetail was done, I cut the grooves for the drawer bottom and the housing dado for the back. I had to use my router table for the grooves as I don't have a plough plane or narrow enough blade for my router plane (now on the shopping list!). The housing dado was done with chisels.
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After sanding the inside and cleaning up a bit, I was ready for the glue up.
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I used two layers of 3mm plywood with a layer of split pig skin as a liner. I cut the ply with a knife - took a few passes but was very easy and neat. Laminated together using spray adhesive. I had to bevel the edges slightly to a nice fit. I didn't glue the bottom, just used two screws to attach it to the underside of the back of the drawer.
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Next was a stage I was not looking forward to - cutting a 1" x 1/8" mortise for the leather strap/handle. After all the work on the drawer so far, I was worried of ruining all of that with a sloppy mortise, tear out or wayward angles. Took me a while and I was hunched over the piece as I worked - lots of focus and attention to detail for this. Pushed through the leather and secured with two screws inside.
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After the second drawer was finished, I planed the sides of both, cleaning up and adjusting to fit. The drawers open smoothly and seem to be a great fit. Nice little vacuum created when sliding one of the drawers.
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Last step was to attach the drawer stops. Paul Sellers used an off-cut that was the same thickness as the drawer front but I didn't have such a piece. Instead of planing down a piece I just used a couple of squares. One to measure in from the side and the other set to the thickness of the drawer front. Super glue and it was done.
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Final clean up, removing hard edges and sanding and it's all done! I'll do the finish over the next few days and it will be ready in time for my son's 18th birthday.
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Regards Adam
(P.S. this post took me nearly as long as building the actual thing! )

You have got to be very proud of what you have achieved so far. Your attention to detail is first rate and for someone who has only got into woodwork in recent times you produce magnificent work. I am envious of the Huon you planed up for the draw fronts, I just loooooove the smell of that stuff. By the shavings on your Block Plane you have obviously got your sharpening technique down pat. Thanks for the photo of the shavings, love it and again it would smell great. Your son should be very proud of you when he gets the finished article.
Can you post a link to the Paul Sellers series on this build as I can't seem to see it.

Nice work
Regards
John

Thank you very much Dallas. Sincerely, your words are very kind.
I guess I am a little 'chuffed' at how it came out. Lots learnt along the way with this project too. That's the best part for me . I just wonder why I never got into woodworking sooner as it's the most enjoyable hobby I've ever had.

I love the smell of Huon Pine also. And I really enjoy working with it. Whatever cut I'm making in it, it feels so wonderful to do in Huon compared to the (very limited) timbers I've worked with. Preparing the drawer fronts (and the top) certainly got the heart pumping and I built up a sweat...lol
I recently started sharpening my Stanley No. 4 plane freehand but was a little hesitant to attempt on the new tools (for fear of botching them up!) so stuck with the guide. But once built up the courage and started to freehand sharpen these, it not only became faster (a lot!) but the results were better than with using the guide. I think I said it in a previous post, but it really was a revelation for me. So now I sharpen much more often and I get better results. I guess that's the whole point.

This project is one on his woodworkingmasterclasses.com website but it is a 'paid' one. I don't mind paying for his lessons as they are 'top notch' in my opinion and I'm happy to support his work. He's the reason I got into woodworking and his approach really resonates with me.

Thanks again Dallas, it's really encouraging to hear your feedback .

Regards Adam

...with a week to spare! Lol.

Just used 2 coats of Danish oil and furniture wax.

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Time for the next project!

Regards Adam

Excellent result all round. A beautifully finished piece and finished with a week to spare. I hope your son appreciates the care that has gone into this organiser and you should also be proud of what you have achieved.

You should be really pleased with that. Your attention to detail has really made it a remarkable piece, well done! One of my (many) current learning curves is on achieving a good finish, so will be keen to pick your brain on your experiences of oil and polish down the track. Later this morning I hope to post details a box I finished on the weekend using French polish, but boy was that a lot of work!

Lance

Thanks a lot, Dallas

Regards Adam

Thanks very much, Lance

I think I'll need to pick your brain on achieving a good finish! As oil/wax is all that I've used. But look forward to discussing regardless. I remember you mentioning the effort involved with your initial French polishing efforts. It's something I'd like to learn too.

Regards Adam

Adam,

That is a really first-class result. Congratulations, and thanks for allowing us to come along on the journey with this build. Love your work!



Brian

Thanks for your kind words, Brian

Regards Adam