Thread: WIP John's Tassy Oak Tool Chest

Originally Posted by johnredl

I ended up facing the plane 90 deg to the grain and planing on a 45 deg angle. A bit confusing, but it worked out well.



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I'm slowly getting a mental picture of that.Takes a while these days

Originally Posted by Peter36

I'm slowly getting a mental picture of that.Takes a while these days

I stood behind the plane in the direction that it is lying in the pic, and pushed it in a 45 deg angle to the right

Originally Posted by johnredl

I stood behind the plane in the direction that it is lying in the pic, and pushed it in a 45 deg angle to the right

Got the picture now .
Some nice end grain shavings .
Cheers John

Like the carcase, LUV the clamps!!

Originally Posted by artme

Like the carcase, LUV the clamps!!

Thanks. Superb clamping force.

I've got a question. I've used old bed slats for the base, which Ive joined by lap joints. I know that tongue & groove would have been better, but I don't have either the plane or router bit. So the bottom isn't 100% flat.

Should I leave it (as its really just the base of a tool chest)?
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Ok...make that 2 questions!

I've been nice enough to volunteer to make my wife a new sewing station, and of course she'd like it made out of my tassy oak!

So, if I'm going to have enough to make her sewing station, I may not have enough to do the lid and skirt of my toolchest.

Just a thought, but how would a jarrah skirt and dust seal look do you think? Also with the panel frame lid, maybe jarrah around the outside and an Oak panel on the inside?



I know it's personal preference, but its always nice to get other's opinions

I've started working on the skirt. I've decided to use jarrah. Here is my 1st attempt at the mitre dovetail joints (handcut). (They still need to be trimmed with the plane)



The pins and sockets are cut on the opposite sides than they were on the frame. So, the frame side that had the pin has the docket on the skirt. The reason why is that the mitred section will be facing upwards and will be either chamfered or cut with a roman og bit (haven't decided yet), and this way you aren't cutting thru the middle of your dovetail.

Why? According to Roy Underhill it makes the box more "bullet proof"!

1 skirt attached...check!

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Here's a close up of my first attempt at a mitred dovetail (yes, I know that it has a small ding taken out of it, but its small and its a long way down to the floor, so you should see it once its finished!)

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Nice work
I really like the jarrah/oak contrast.
And the mitred DTs...great job. It's well worth going that little bit extra.

Today has been spent finishing the top skirt. It's basically the same as the bottom except the chamfer is facing down. This leaves me with a flat 90 degree face at the top for the lid to deal against.

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Next is the lid and hinges. Piano hinge or butt hinges?

Very nice. Do you hppen to know how much it weighs (thus far) ?

Originally Posted by Ozziespur

Very nice. Do you hppen to know how much it weighs (thus far) ?

No, but I was thinking of weighing it.

I know that Roy Underhill and Chris Schwartz say that it should be light in case you get sacked u can move it, but I don't think that my wife is going to sack me! At least not before I make her a new sewing cupboard/station! I'm having increasingly more trouble lifting it onto the workbench tho!

Originally Posted by johnredl

Next is the lid and hinges. Piano hinge or butt hinges?

I have just caught up with this project. I would probably go for a brass piano hinge, and a brass stay of some sort.
A framed lid might be better, less chance of warping, or at least cleats on the underside.
I think you should have handles at each end, maybe Jarrah, plus a mate to shift it around the workshop!. It must weigh a fair bit now, it is going to be darn heavy with a lid, a tray or three and half a dozen tools or so.

I'm impressed with the hand cut dovetails, something that I am not about to tackle in the near future (Too many opportunities for error in my case).

Good luck with the project, it will last a lifetime or two.

Alan...