Thread: WIP John's Tassy Oak Tool Chest

Cheers

The hinges are on and the lock has been fitted. I still need to find some brass chain to use as a stay.

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I still have to make the 3 draws and the saw till. I'm using a piece of 50x30 pine with cuts in it to hold the saws at the moment!

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Does anyone know where I can find brass chain? Also, I had thought of a handle of some sort to assist in lifting the lid...any ideas? Had thought about gouging a couple of indents to each short side of the lid so ur fingers have something to grab.

I'd be going for handles, rather than some indentations for fingers. Gravity would be strong and sweary if your fingers were to slip

Beautiful work John,
It would be nice if you could have a handle for the lid that just swept up out of the jarrah on the lid just made out of a matching piece of jarrah so it would just disappear whe you looked down at it. I would not want the look and the good lines of the work to be changed by a contrasting handle. Again that is a great piece of work.

Originally Posted by Old Osage

Beautiful work John,
It would be nice if you could have a handle for the lid that just swept up out of the jarrah on the lid just made out of a matching piece of jarrah so it would just disappear whe you looked down at it. I would not want the look and the good lines of the work to be changed by a contrasting handle. Again that is a great piece of work.

I definitely need a handle. Can u post a hand drawing of what your talking about pls?

I've ordered brass chain from a horse supply place in the US. I've managed to find 30' solid brass chain at an ok price.

I've begun working on the draws also.

Originally Posted by johnredl

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Does anyone know where I can find brass chain? Also, I had thought of a handle of some sort to assist in lifting the lid...any ideas? Had thought about gouging a couple of indents to each short side of the lid so ur fingers have something to grab.

how about something like the handles used on a campaign chest

Originally Posted by ian

how about something like the handles used on a campaign chest

Thanks for ur reply Ian. That'd be cool for the sides, but I'm not sure if they're small enough for the lid. The sides of the lid are only 1 1/8" deep

Originally Posted by johnredl

Thanks for ur reply Ian. That'd be cool for the sides, but I'm not sure if they're small enough for the lid. The sides of the lid are only 1 1/8" deep

This type of handle should sit nicely if you recess it into the top of the front edge, say just 'above' where the latch is.
This would leave you with a flat top surface, should look neat and balanced, and be easy to use with the movable handle.....

just my 2c worth.

I am going to give this a go to see if I can get a sketch posted. What I had in mind is a handle on the top edge of the chest set in so it looks like it is just sweeping up out of the jarrah. These chests are generally on the floor or low wheels because of the weight, so you would look down at it. You also need something substantial if you add saws or something to an already heavy lid. I'm guessing 10" long and 2" high with an inch space for a grip about 5" wide. I hope this helps. It is not very different from handles normally found on the sides of these chests. I would also suggest that you set it in a 3/8" or so mortise and use some good screws so it stays put.

I quite like the idea of a jarrah, sweeping handle. I'll have a play around sometime & keep this thread updated. Still haven't received the brass chain tho

Great looking tool chest.

Originally Posted by Christos

Great looking tool chest.

Thank you Christos . The other day I caught myself telling my 4 year old fairy princess to be careful not to scratch it!

I've managed to find some more brass for my tool chest! Of all places, I brought them home from a recent trip to Latrobe, Tasmania. There's a great shop called 'Reliquaire' that has an extensive restoration section. They don't have an online shop, but the manager said that if I emailed a pic they can see if they have it. (No, I don't have a financial interest, I was just excited).

I bought 6 polished brass ring pulls for the 3 draws:

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Some brass chain that, in hindsight, is probably too chunky, but at least I can use it to hold back a horse if I ever need to. Also a couple of brass hooks that I'm bending into eyelets:

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And a couple of polished brass handles (that will go on the front, not the top). But I'm torn between mounting 1 centrally, or 2 (as per pic). I'm thinking that 1 gives better visual balance?

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FYI...to keep the handles on, I was thinking of recessing some flat steel into the inside of the lid and tapping holes for bolts. Thought that would distribute the force better than a nut and washer.