HSC tool/box/chest/cabinet idea's

[aney]

hi guy's I'm doing industrial technology woodwork in year 12 (in year 11 at the moment) and was wondering if you guy's had any idea's and/or pictures of tool storage that you think would work in the HSC and maybe some idea's for keeping the cost low as well.

any other idea's for projects welcome

[Pac man]

Do a search on the forum for tool storage and / or HSC project. After all you will need to find something that you want to do.

As you live in Nowra you should probably visit the Shoalhaven Woodcraft Society (http://shoalhavenwoodcraft.com.au/) They will know of the best suppliers in your area and promote excellence in woodworking.

One of the members Jim Davey (http://www.jimdavey-planes-sharpening.com/page1.aspx) is someone with a lot of knowledge in tools and sharpening ( and is a good bloke).

[ian]

hi guy's I'm doing industrial technology woodwork in year 12 (in year 11 at the moment) and was wondering if you guy's had any idea's and/or pictures of tool storage that you think would work in the HSC here's an option
Wish I cold claim it as my own, but it's not.
It's an example of the tool cabinet built by Students at the Sturt School for Wood

[aney]

As you live in Nowra you should probably visit the Shoalhaven Woodcraft Society (http://shoalhavenwoodcraft.com.au/) They will know of the best suppliers in your area and promote excellence in woodworking.

thanks for the idea i sometimes see them around and I'll look out for Jim next time it's not so much about the wood and supply's, it's just idea's about what you guy's thinks works as good tool storgae and pictures so i can compare, because a lot of the people have been doing woodwork a lot longer then i have and just wanted to hear and see your thoughts

i also have the toolbox book with the beautiful examples of fine woodworking if you want to reference

thanks Ian for the reply

[bsrlee]

Have a look at:
I Can Do That | PopularWoodworking.com (http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/icandothat)

Lots of projects made with basic tools from DAR timber. 'Someone' has to register with the site, but you can then download the .pdf's of the various projects for free (and convert them from Imperial to metric which is easy).

I am making a few of the 'Gent's Chest' project as small tool boxes and have decided to make the corner joints as rabbets rather than simple butt joints and make the bottom sit into rebates as well.

[aney]

thanks for the reply looks like a good website and thanks for the idea about the rabbit joints

[ian]

Aney,
as this is your HSC Major Project, I think you will have an opportunity to score a better mark if you work from a photo and work up your own plans.

Maybe discuss the examples covered in Jim Tolpin's book, Chris Schwarz's Anachist Tool Chest, those found on the Popular Woodworking site, and Fine woodworking.
Then go with whichever style you like and draw up your own plans

[aney]

yeah thanks ian i've started doing that with the help of my dad and pop and looking at all the great examples from other peoples tools chest it has helped a lot and also looking at a dream tool list of sorts also puts in perspective the volume needed for storing those tools or a fraction anyway

i'll keep the forum running and updating it as i go hopefully

[ian]

yeah thanks ian i've started doing that with the help of my dad and pop and looking at all the great examples from other peoples tools chest it has helped a lot and also looking at a dream tool list of sorts also puts in perspective the volume needed for storing those tools or a fraction anyway

i'll keep the forum running and updating it as i go hopefullyaney, have another look at the Sturt tool chest -- somewhere I have another photo. (found it)
these chests are made by students intending to earn their living as makers and contain a comprehensive essential tool kit

[aney]

thanks ian for the better photo
notice that he/she seemed to have a lot of marking gauges do you know the reason for this oh and the things on top dad had a look and couldn't work it out.

would you add any other tools to this ian or anybody else who wishes to comment

[ian]

thanks ian for the better photo
notice that he/she seemed to have a lot of marking gauges do you know the reason for this oh and the things on top dad had a look and couldn't work it out.

would you add any other tools to this ian or anybody else who wishes to commenthi aney

the things on top are called "marquetes" they're scale models used to help a designer arrive at the final design for a piece.

Marking gauges -- what's a lot? When you are making something it helps if you can set a marking gauge for a particular dimension and then not change the setting till you are finished the piece. Counting the mortice gauges, at last count I think I had six, one of which is double ended.


For your HSC project, I suggest you build a cabinet that will contain a basic tool set. The Sturt School cabinets are sized to do this.
However, there's no need to go out and buy the tools needed to fill the cabinet. Focus on the investigation that led you to the cabinet or chest design you ultimately settle on, the skills that each part of the cabinet/chest allows you to demonstrate. That's where the marks are.

[aney]

thanks ian
at the moment for the design i've got dado's (for the shelf's) , through dovetails (probably machine cut, for the bigger draws), domino joints for the frame and for the smaller draws, miter joints and of course all the other work all preparing and finishing. do you thinks that enough, what your thought's about machine cut dovetails because i think it will save time, but don't really like the look

[ian]

aney
questions you need to pose and answer
how heavy is the cabinet likley to be when loaded with tools?
how will you attach it to the wall?
the answers will help you define what joints are good enough for the carcass

machine dovetails are possibly slower than doing them by hand as you have to factor in the setup time.

as to other details -- what skills are you looking to demonstrate?
Phoebe's cabinet has frame and panel doors which are show veneered on the outside; a frame and panel back; solid wood panels for the sides, bottom, top and shelf; finger jointed drawers; plus hand carved pulls on the drawers and doors

[aney]

thanks Ian for the insight oh and raising the issue about the doors because i haven't really though much about them

[aney]

Hi I've recently finished doing work on a CAD program for the design of my tool cabinet and if i can work out to post the photo i'll put them up and was wondering if i could get some feed back the dimensions are roughly 1238 tall x 938 wide x 400 deep also the draws are dovetailed half blinded on the front and through on the back

[ian]

Hi Aney

as a means of displaying your skill as a dovetailer and drawer builder, that's a pretty good cabinet

but you asked for feedback


at 400mm I think it's maybe 100 too deep -- stuff will get lost at the back of the upper portion or there will be a lot of unused volume within the finished cabinet. In respect to your portfolio, think about how easy it will be to reach into the cabinet if it is hanging on the wall behind a standard depth bench
The complexity of the internal layout leads me to suspect that you will struggle to finish the piece within the time available
you need to decide if the cabinet is utilitarian tool storage or a piece of "furniture" which displays to potential customers your skills

[aney]

Thanks Ian for replying was under the impression no might seeing it's been a while

With regards with it being 400 deep the doors(100mm)+sides(300mm) and the bottom are only that deep the sides and top are 300 deep so I've talked over with dad before i posted this and I'll talk to my teachers at school about it today but at this point I'm under the impression that it should work (also a good point)

you made a good point about the standard bench depth but at the height that i think it works best at is about 800-850mm (so i can get to the planes in the bottom and don't have to get up on my tip toes to reach to stuff up the top) from ground to the bottom of the cabinet so i don't think that it would work hanging on a wall behind a bench(seeing that around bench height) and if i was to hang it behind a bench it would need to be small in height i think.

that's one that I've been worrying about but my teacher and dad reckon i should be able to get it done if a use a dovetail jig (hopefully i get the Leigh one so i can do the variable spacing also the set up time be less of a percentage because i've got multiples of everything except 3 things (that was from an older comment) ) and also my time effectively

well i think I'm going to use Australian red cedar(Caracas, door(excluding the panel) and draw fonts) sliver ash (shelves) and a veneer for the door panel covering ply so hopefully it should be part tool storage and part furniture after all the course that I'm doing is industrial technology timber and furniture (although you probably didn't know that)

I'm sorry Ian if it seemed like i shut you down on your feedback their are some very insightful comments there and it has only been through long winded conversation with teachers, my dad and my pop that i was able to able to come up with response without really doing any research so thank you (i really did like the comment about the bench hadn't though of that)

do you think i should make a stand for it to go on not sure because of time and also money and what veneer would you possibly use for the doors (thinking that i don't really want to change the colour when picking the finish(clear coat))

also before i glue the Caracas what do you think i should do for prep work for finishing and is there such thing as a pre-finish becasue i think it's going to be hard to get it smooth and ready for finishing if i don't

(anyone can answer the question's)

[ian]

No worries Aney

In part I'm trying to avoid providing a direct answer as you will learn more and possibly score better with your portfolio if you work out the answer for yoursef. Remember my earlier comment about drawing your own plans rather than following bought plans?

in terms of the dimensions you have designed, you might say --
"I intend building a cabinet that can hang on the wall behind a work bench
"Here is my first design.
"I used a piece of chalk to sketck it's basic shape on teh wall behind my bench
"Having done this I found I couldn't reach the top row of tools without standing on tip toes and really stretching
"I then reconsidered where the cabinet could be positioned
a) beside my bench at a lower height, or
b) on a separate stand
I decided on ... because ... "


take a really good hard look at how long the cabinet might take to build

timber choice?
I'd be thinking Hoop Pine before Aust Red Cedar

[aney]

hi i got my wood from my pop. who had some nice wide boards of kalantis (basically Australian red cedar) but i had to cut them in really rough sizes to get them to school and now one half of one board is really pretty deformed and was wondering if anybody had any ways of un-warping it my teacher recons the rollers on the thicknesser may flatten it as i put it through but no grantees and it a nice board to waste. another thing that i thought of with a bit of help form my dad was to change the through mortise and tenon into a sliding dovetail to pull the board squarer in constuction but i still need to get it thicknessed to size. any ideas

[ian]

hi i got my wood from my pop. who had some nice wide boards of kalantis (basically Australian red cedar) but i had to cut them in really rough sizes to get them to school and now one half of one board is really pretty deformed and was wondering if anybody had any ways of un-warping it
my teacher recons the rollers on the thicknesser may flatten it as i put it through but no grantees and it a nice board to waste.
another thing that i thought of with a bit of help form my dad was to change the through mortise and tenon into a sliding dovetail to pull the board squarer in constuction but i still need to get it thicknessed to size. any ideasHi again aney

firstly have you marked out which board will be used for which part of your cabinet?

I don't think the thicknesser will do much for your warped board other than turn it into lots of chips and a thin warped board. You might be able to recut the warped board and use it for the drawer fronts

Have your boards been across the jointer to get one face flat and one edge square? This should be your first step.

in terms of pulling the board flat -- a through mortice and tenon will be as effective as a sliding dovetail and a whole lot easier to make

do you have photos of your boards with markings showing which one goes where?

[aney]

i did have them marked but most of them are gone after i thicknessed some of the smaller ones at home and other then that the bigger boards i know where they are going it just the smaller ones that lost there marks but they are pretty easy to work out seeing i cut them to a rough width. . yeah as i said i got all the boards form my pops and i kind of feel bad graping another wide one after all it probably would have cost close to 2 grand if i got it from a store and dressed all round so that is why i don't really want to turn it into draw fronts if i can avoid but I'll see how it goes and the sliding dovetail shouldn't be to hard if i get the liegh dovetail jig but as yo siad with the through mortise and tenon should be pretty easy and no i don't have any photo's as of yet of the marking out but as i said shouldn't be to hard to work out

[aney]

hi I've staring working on the tool cabinet now and was just going to do an update
so I've done a couple of practice dovetails with he jig, i thicknessed the other carcase boards and just ended up plane downing the warped board as the jig un-warps the board when you put it in the clamping system. At the moment I've had no real problems with anything, although i have to watch how much time I'm spending on some things as i might end up rushing towards the end to get things done but other then that everything is going well. I'll also attach a practice of what the carcase dovetail joints will look like comment on them as i still have time to change them. I'd also like to ask a question i'm doing a through mortise and tenon joint for one of the shelves and was just wondering what peoples preferences on whether they would make it flush or would having it protruding like in the pictures on the previous page i still haven't made up my mind and once I've done the dovetails that is the next thing to do.

thanks aney

[aney]

just another quick update

so i have cut the dovetails although i did have a bit of a problem with the warped board but that got fixed up when i clamped and glued it altogether. i have also cut the through mortises and tenons they came out a bit ugly so i have though of a couple of ways of hiding them. like putting down a thin rubber mat to hide the worst of the mistakes on the inside and saying it's there for protection of the tools and also to hide the mistakes and maybe capping the outside of the tenon and saying i didn't like the contrast on the outside.(because i decided to have it protrude not flush).

i did have a couple of problems with the glue up as i decided to use a polyurethane glue because of the warped as it has a stronger bond and i though it might help but it wanted the job to be clamped within ten minutes of the application of glue so i was rushing around trying to get it glued up within that time and clamped not really realising that i got some on my hands:doh: (ps wear gloves when using a polyurethane glue make it a lot easier to clean hands afterward learned that the hard way) then put my hands on the job so now i've got little finger prints all over it and some in pretty hard places to clean up anyone got any ideas on how to clean it up easily (it's also chemical resistant according to the bottle). then because the woodwork room got flooded the day before and the clamps had been sitting on the floor they had surface rust on them so i was running round trying to find paper to but under them to stop it going on to the wood and leaving\ marks. so i guess the moral is be really organised before glue up

[ian]

hi I've staring working on the tool cabinet now and was just going to do an update
so I've done a couple of practice dovetails with he jig, aney

I'm curious where your practice DT piece would go in the finished cabinet

[aney]

sorry Ian ( and thanks for the reply) I'm not quiet sure what you are asking are you asking if I'm going to display it for the marking or if it is a part of the actual job. I'm thinking it is if I'm going to display it and i probably won't depends if i need those bits some where else (incase of mistakes) but i will definitely make mention of it in the portfolio. or are you asking where those dovetails go in the job if that's it then they are the carcase joints of the cabinet. you can just make them out in one of the previous photos in my last post.

[ian]

sorry Ian ( and thanks for the reply) I'm not quiet sure what you are asking are you asking if I'm going to display it for the marking or if it is a part of the actual job. I'm thinking it is if I'm going to display it and i probably won't depends if i need those bits some where else (incase of mistakes) but i will definitely make mention of it in the portfolio. or are you asking where those dovetails go in the job if that's it then they are the carcase joints of the cabinet. you can just make them out in one of the previous photos in my last post.Hi Aney

what caught my eye was the apparent length to width ratio of your trial dovetail joint
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f251/253129d1360143919-hsc-tool-box-chest-cabinet-ideas-photo-2013-02-05-14.58.jpg
although I can see that the grain runs in the right direction, for constructions like your tool cabinet, I'm used to seeing the dovetails on the shorter side of a piece with an aspect ratio like you've displayed.

[aney]

as i said it was just a trial. I used the scrap from the actual boards that i used in the carcase as it allowed me to set up the jig. then route all the carcase dovetails because the boards were then the same thickness. The kalantis costs a fair bit and everying thing worked out in the end so no real worries. thanks for the reply ian much appreciated

[aney]

so on the weekend i got my back pieces for the cabinet cut to size and also put in the rebate to join both together and on Friday i routered the rebate in the back of the carcase for the back ( the slots in the back are the tool hanging slots as seen issue 71 of Australian woodsmith). as i have changed the design slightly compared to the cad drawings i put up so next I'm going to put the draws and plane till in a kind of box so later on if i don't like the lay out i can take out the 'inset' and change it then put a new one in if i need or want to.

[aney]

hi
so i've started making the insert i have cut the rebates and all the dado's for it and now I've got to start making the shelves for the draws. for the dado's i have attached a picture of how i did it. so i got a straight edge clamp that i think my dad picked up from carbatec (i think it is meant for cutting plywood). i also had a scrap bit of plywood from the back i then put the straight edge clamp on the plywood and put the router bit i was going to use to cut the dado in the router set the depth so that i would cut all the way through the plywood. this gave me the off set of the bit and also mad it easier as i could run the edge up to the mark out line and then just cut instead of having to measure the offset, a longer run area for the router base so it didn't tip as i came off the edge (i have a bad habit of doing that), the clamp gave me a straight edge to run the router along.

[aney]

So i haven't posted on here as much as i would have liked but heres an update since last time.

i've finished making the shelves for the insert, glued the insert and the shelves into the carcass i wasn't going to originally going to do this but was wasting to much time trying to make it slide in and out and there were some pretty big gaps forming. i put in the draw dividers in using glue and nails. i cut and then dovetailed (using the Leigh dr4 pro jig) the draws i haven't fitted the backs (just going to be a housing joint) yet or cut the plywood bottoms. i put a banding or trim around the front of the insert to cover those gaps i was talking about earlier. i've cut and shaped the plane dividers, i cut off the through tenon bit that was sticking through the sides it was just to much of a hassle i kept bumping it and it was annoying to have to sand around. i've cut and then dovetailed the doors (again using the jig) i rebated the fronts so i could put the plywood in for the tool hanging and glued them in

what i've got left to do in 14 days (with other school assessments and the portfolio to finish)

cut the backs and bottom for the draws then glue them together
glue in the plywood backs
hang the doors
make a frame for the doors to hide the join between the door frame and the plywood
sand (almost everything)

luckily i don't have to apply a finish by then it's the school assessment but they don't want us making dust after the 14 days

i'll attach a picture of what it kind of looks like now

[ian]

Hi aney

It's looking pretty good from here

best of luck for making the deadline

[RedShirtGuy]

Looking pretty swish. Well done :2tsup:

I'm amazed at what I see turn up here for HSC/VCE. I took woodwork at school from '87-'92 at both a private and public school and we never did stuff like this. It wasn't really until '92 when I changed schools that I did actual woodwork instead of just farting around doing whatever I wanted for the whole class with little to no guidance or instruction, but even then it was more self-guided than anything and the teacher was pretty much only there to cut stuff up for us. Besides my year 12 CAT (an electric guitar that promptly got smashed rock star style after assessment) I don't recall EVER making anything "proper".

[aney]

278317278316278315

finished with a fair few coats of shellac then Georgian mahogany wax on the cedar and neutral wax on the pine that was buffed out :U oh yeah and i made a stand for it with some really nice wood (thanks pop)

[hadoanngoc]

thanks for replied :D

[aney]

Sorry about not updating this back when i got my results but now is better late than never, so it ended up getting into Intech (it was at the Sydney working with wood show in 2014), and it been happily storing tools since there is just one small problem i didn't make it big enough....400029

[TermiMonster]

Looks great. Tools look pretty impressive too.
TM

[aney]

thanks

[AlexS]

Congratulations - great piece of work.

[ian]

Sorry about not updating this back when i got my results but now is better late than never, so it ended up getting into Intech (it was at the Sydney working with wood show in 2014), and it been happily storing tools since there is just one small problem i didn't make it big enough...
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=400029&stc=1
Now that's a pretty impressive collection of tools you have there.

Did some come from your Pop?

and can we look inside the drawers?

[aney]

As share some of the tools with my farther, he doesn't really want me too, but yes the drawers do have tools in them And yes some did come from my pop.