LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Hand Tool Cabinet - Start To Finish

21K views 31 replies 8 participants last post by  RGtools 
#1 ·
Preparation

Now that my Jet 15" planer project is complete, my next dire need is a hand tool cabinet. This will be my first true wood working project utilizing both machine and hand tools, as this is a LONG overdue project. 2+ years since jumping into wood working, all my projects have been Home Depot lumber based (2Ă—4's, plywood, etc). It's time to mature and expand my experience. I foresee using my Peachtree dinky HVLP sprayer for the first time, working with hardwood, dovetailing for the first time using my Veritas dovetail saw AND Japanese goyuki saw, working with wood planes (sadly, I have never used one!.. which also means cleaning up what I have and sharpening with my diamond stones / worksharp 3000), same goes for my assortment of chisels.
This is just a hand tool cabinet that will win no awards, but it will give me the experience that I desire.

First up: selecting a species. I decided on Alder (in this instance, I am leaning towards Knotty Alder species for it's ease of use, expense, and rustic charm). I visited my local hardwood supplier to ask questions. 4/4 is $1.16 board feet, 8/4 is $1.87. 1/4" 4'x8' Knotty Alder plywood is $53, 1/2" is $84, 3/4" is $96. They carry two grades: Superior (less knots) and regular. And much much in stock of everything.

Second: re-visiting how to go about dovetails. Thru my time with auctions, I have acquired some DVD's. Cosman and dovetails, david charlesworth and precision dovetails, etc. I do remember a DVD that had a gentleman doing precision dovetails oh so achingly detailistic, such as how to stand, how to pare, etc… I really liked that DVD but can't find it now. argh. I will do the 30 day attempt of a dovetail per day (actually, more like 3 per week, but who's counting). I did purchase 4/4 rough stock of 6' alder premium just for dovetailing and planing practice. This will involve indepth needed experience with chisels, hand saws, and block planes (yay!).

Third: structure / style of the cabinet. Totally undecided and open. I'll be searching thru LJ projects of hand tool cabinets to see and read. Same for google. My base line is what I need for what I have (and what will have), but am open minded to add features not yet thought of. My initial consideration is wall mounted / french cleat and not touching the floor. I like when things do not touch the floor as it makes for easy shop cleaning.

Fourth: tools. I think i have what is needed, at least at the start. I'll buy QUALITY items as I progress.

I started this blog to show other's who are intimated about hand tools, don't know what to expect, what can & will go wrong as I'm sure to find out. And gives me inspiration to start, not give up, and complete because folks will read this crap :)
 
See less See more
#2 ·
Rehabbing Craftsman Block Plane for future dovetail work

One of the requirements for dovetailing, is to use a smoother plane or block plane to knock down the pins (or tails… unsure!). So I went to work on rehabbing a craftsman block plane I pick up recently. Mind you, I did not do a restoration like Doug did in his restoration project: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/48606 . One day, yes :) But for now, just need a 100% operational block plane for this hand tool cabinet. This would be the first rehab plane I've ever done. I am sure mistakes were made.
First, flattening the sole. Wow…this took alot of trial and error. Ended up having much better results on 80grit 8"x10" sandpaper than I did on my 120grit diamond stones. I assume it's because of the square area for each stroke is much larger on sandpaper than a smaller diamond stone…or maybe 80grit is much faster than 120grit.
Luckily, I had a 8"x10" engineering granite plate ($5 from auction, of course!).
Here is a picture of the 4 planes I recently acquired:
Font Auto part Metal Rectangle Fashion accessory


And a picture showing how the sole used to look:
Sleeve Textile Grey Hood Khaki


OK…was a good learning experience. Many more planes to tackle down the road, so best get alot of sandpaper! Next up, working the iron blade. Flattening the back was a challenge because so dinky in my big hands. Needed a solution. Aha! My dial indicator magnetic base! Worked all thru the grits (80, 120, 220, and 400).
Rectangle Yellow Wood Gas Flooring


For the sharpening of the blade, I did use my diamond stones and veritas mkii jig. Used 120,240,400,600,1200 (I know I didnt have to go above 240…but wanted to see the results). And set at 30degree angle (this might be wrong, will find out eventually). Tried to emulate the Paul Sellers way of doing planes & blades. Hand sharpened at the end using the lift up method and feathering the sides.

So now I have 1 serviceable block plane. Doesn't look too pretty. That will come one day.
Eye glass accessory Jewellery Fashion accessory Personal protective equipment Metal
 

Attachments

#3 ·
Rehabbing Craftsman Block Plane for future dovetail work

One of the requirements for dovetailing, is to use a smoother plane or block plane to knock down the pins (or tails… unsure!). So I went to work on rehabbing a craftsman block plane I pick up recently. Mind you, I did not do a restoration like Doug did in his restoration project: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/48606 . One day, yes :) But for now, just need a 100% operational block plane for this hand tool cabinet. This would be the first rehab plane I've ever done. I am sure mistakes were made.
First, flattening the sole. Wow…this took alot of trial and error. Ended up having much better results on 80grit 8"x10" sandpaper than I did on my 120grit diamond stones. I assume it's because of the square area for each stroke is much larger on sandpaper than a smaller diamond stone…or maybe 80grit is much faster than 120grit.
Luckily, I had a 8"x10" engineering granite plate ($5 from auction, of course!).
Here is a picture of the 4 planes I recently acquired:
Font Auto part Metal Rectangle Fashion accessory


And a picture showing how the sole used to look:
Sleeve Textile Grey Hood Khaki


OK…was a good learning experience. Many more planes to tackle down the road, so best get alot of sandpaper! Next up, working the iron blade. Flattening the back was a challenge because so dinky in my big hands. Needed a solution. Aha! My dial indicator magnetic base! Worked all thru the grits (80, 120, 220, and 400).
Rectangle Yellow Wood Gas Flooring


For the sharpening of the blade, I did use my diamond stones and veritas mkii jig. Used 120,240,400,600,1200 (I know I didnt have to go above 240…but wanted to see the results). And set at 30degree angle (this might be wrong, will find out eventually). Tried to emulate the Paul Sellers way of doing planes & blades. Hand sharpened at the end using the lift up method and feathering the sides.

So now I have 1 serviceable block plane. Doesn't look too pretty. That will come one day.
Eye glass accessory Jewellery Fashion accessory Personal protective equipment Metal
I like the fact you are taking the time to rehab tools. This gives you a real idea of "how & what" the tools will do. MOST people do not do this.
Tools do NOT have to be pretty to be functional. Some people have the pretty tool sitting on the shelf and NEVER gets used, others have tools in their tool box that always get used.
I like old tools, so for me to take the time and remove the rust is always a joy.
Keep posting your journey . Always enjoyable to read.
 

Attachments

#5 ·
Dovetail practice

For this hand tool cabinet project, I know dovetails will be included. Having only done 1 dovetail my entire life (2 years ago, just for giggles), there is a strong need for practice and learning and experience. I have dimension'd some premiere alder down to 3/4". Also, I have in my tool arsenal what I think is a complete set for dovetail work (moxon vise is future project for sure!): marking gauge, dovetail marker, block plane, 3/8" and 1/2" chisels, dovetail saw, mallet, divider, scribing knife, mechanical 0.4mm pencil.
Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood


My first attempt was half assed:
Wood Rectangle Brick Wood stain Beige


My second attempt, used a backer board to assist with straight cut lines. Also, for me… it's easier to follow vertical lines if I cut the dovetail saw at a 45 degree angle. I am not yet concerned about blow out from chisel work, nor using the block plane to flatten things. For time being, cutting with the saw to minimize gaps is my practice priority. I am using my chisels to work out the waste instead of using a coping saw. It's slower but does leave a nice wall foundation.
Wood Art Hardwood Natural material Composite material


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Drawer Plank Wood stain


And to note: this Lervand wood working bench is horrible on my 6'1" frame :) Better than no workbench, but will be looking at a split top roubo in the near future, for sure.
 

Attachments

#6 ·
Dovetail practice

For this hand tool cabinet project, I know dovetails will be included. Having only done 1 dovetail my entire life (2 years ago, just for giggles), there is a strong need for practice and learning and experience. I have dimension'd some premiere alder down to 3/4". Also, I have in my tool arsenal what I think is a complete set for dovetail work (moxon vise is future project for sure!): marking gauge, dovetail marker, block plane, 3/8" and 1/2" chisels, dovetail saw, mallet, divider, scribing knife, mechanical 0.4mm pencil.
Hand tool Wood Tool Wood stain Hardwood


My first attempt was half assed:
Wood Rectangle Brick Wood stain Beige


My second attempt, used a backer board to assist with straight cut lines. Also, for me… it's easier to follow vertical lines if I cut the dovetail saw at a 45 degree angle. I am not yet concerned about blow out from chisel work, nor using the block plane to flatten things. For time being, cutting with the saw to minimize gaps is my practice priority. I am using my chisels to work out the waste instead of using a coping saw. It's slower but does leave a nice wall foundation.
Wood Art Hardwood Natural material Composite material


Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Drawer Plank Wood stain


And to note: this Lervand wood working bench is horrible on my 6'1" frame :) Better than no workbench, but will be looking at a split top roubo in the near future, for sure.
So far so good. And I hear you about the bench being too short. I'm 6'2" and have raised my bench twice. It's SO much better than before, I may even add another block under it yet!
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Dovetail practice 2

Trying to figure out which saw suites me better: the Veritas Dovetail Saw or Japanese Dovetail Saw. Made 15+ strokes of each to find out. I actually prefer the Veritas because less strokes and less tearout on the frontside (or maybe it's my sawing technique).
Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Flooring Wood stain Floor Plank


--------
This weekend was set aside to learn dovetail freehand saw skills. I still have a ways to go, but I am getting more comfortable cutting along the lines. I still have a problem when it comes to laying out the pins. Laying the tails on top of the pins all nice and flush, then using my dovetail marking knife, I "lightly" score the top but sometimes, the knife has a minds of it's own and goes awry. I might resort to using my pencil instead.
I also have a problem keeping flatness between the tails. I use my marking gauge to set a cut line for the chisels so I have a knife wall all set. I even over tilt the chisel slightly to 91 or 92 degrees. To my eyes, it looks flat. But then I assemble and a noticeable gap appears sometimes. I'll try clamping a 2"x 2" block of wood to assist with keeping 90 degrees.
I know this will be cured after more weeks of practice.
(don't mind the inaccurate heights and super-gaps, my marking gauge slipped 1/8" and the super gaps were from the false pin knife scores)
Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank
 

Attachments

#9 ·
Dovetail practice 2

Trying to figure out which saw suites me better: the Veritas Dovetail Saw or Japanese Dovetail Saw. Made 15+ strokes of each to find out. I actually prefer the Veritas because less strokes and less tearout on the frontside (or maybe it's my sawing technique).
Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain Hardwood


Wood Flooring Wood stain Floor Plank


--------
This weekend was set aside to learn dovetail freehand saw skills. I still have a ways to go, but I am getting more comfortable cutting along the lines. I still have a problem when it comes to laying out the pins. Laying the tails on top of the pins all nice and flush, then using my dovetail marking knife, I "lightly" score the top but sometimes, the knife has a minds of it's own and goes awry. I might resort to using my pencil instead.
I also have a problem keeping flatness between the tails. I use my marking gauge to set a cut line for the chisels so I have a knife wall all set. I even over tilt the chisel slightly to 91 or 92 degrees. To my eyes, it looks flat. But then I assemble and a noticeable gap appears sometimes. I'll try clamping a 2"x 2" block of wood to assist with keeping 90 degrees.
I know this will be cured after more weeks of practice.
(don't mind the inaccurate heights and super-gaps, my marking gauge slipped 1/8" and the super gaps were from the false pin knife scores)
Wood Rectangle Wood stain Hardwood Plank
Practice , Practice , Practice ,

At least that's what they always tell me …
 

Attachments

#13 ·
Dovetail practice 3

I finally found the DVD I was looking for that would further my education on precision joinery for dovetails. I bought a bunch of wood working books/magazines/dvd's at a past auction and this was in one of them. By David Charlesworth "Chisel Techniques For Precision Joinery" including both dovetails and mortise/tenons. The key thing I learned: do NOT touch the knife walls until the last precision cut. And some other nifty things that I will incorporate into my techniques (from Paul Sellers and Rob Cosman as well). Knowing I will be eventually tackle blind dovetails AND I really need true dovetail chisels so not to damage/bruise while paring, I went ahead and bought "Narex Pair 1/2" and 3/4 Dovetail Japanese Style Chisels and "Narex Right & Left 12 mm 1/2 Skew Paring Chisels . I personally buy from Amazon alot of items just because fast / free shipping (one of the amazon warehouses is 30min away).
And this was the first tryout of my refurbished and sharpened block plane. Just had to take picture of the shavings. Planed down one side of the joint, leaving the other as a before/after look.
More practice is needed, and the picture makes the joinery look 35% better than in person. I did not concern myself with sawing past the knife wall, but I really should start learning not to. And I truly favor knife walls before sawing. I tried with and without. The knife wall helps alot with a straight cute (you have a reference) and the exact start of a cut. I also toss in my weekend's worth of amateur saw technique cuts.
(and yes… I did a booboo on the first tail). Also learned NOT to have the tails so close together. I could not get my chisel in vertically.

Rectangle Blue Handwriting Wood Font


Wood Engineering Brick Plastic Recreation


Wood Flooring Rectangle Floor Wood stain
 

Attachments

#14 ·
Researching cabinet construction, design, functionality, fundamentals

I am now "somewhat" confident in my dovetail methods to proceed to the next step (I think I may master dovetails by the time I'm 90, so … best to work on other things while I'm learning). I spent the last week redesigning my 2 car garage wood shop since I have a newly acquired 15" Jet Planer and 8" GeeTech jointer (HVAC redesign, machine placement, bye-bye fliptop carts, etc). Though, I still have a Rockwell/Delta 6" to use while I await 2-3 weeks for the GeeTech parts to arrive such as the crank wheels, shafts, etc that were not present on this $50 8" auction jointer.

Here is my current Amazon shopping cart:

The Complete Cabinetmaker's Reference (Popular Woodworking) by Jeffery Piontkowski
Hardcover · Used, Good
$3.99

Illustrated Cabinetmaking: How to Design and Construct Furniture That Works (American Woodworker) by Bill Hylton
Paperback
$18.22

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction by Andy Rae
Hardcover · Used, Good
$14.99

Cabinets and Built-Ins: A Practical Guide to Building Professional Quality Cabinetry by Paul Levine
Hardcover · Used, Good
$6.99

The Complete Woodworker's Companion by ROGER HOLMES
Hardcover · Used, Good
$2.03

Joint Book: The Complete Guide to Wood Joinery by Terrie Noll
Spiral-bound
$9.88

Gorilla Gripper 44010 Panel Carrier by Gorilla Gripper
$46.48

I will start simple cabinet design around my drill press. Since I am abolishing all fliptops in my shop, my 10" Delta drill press currently sits … somewhere with no home. It needs a mobile cabinet cart made out of simple plywood. I do not know what is the best joinery methods for cabinets. So, research is needed. This will eventually lead into making doors from breadboards, flush, frame & panel. I am pretty excited to jump into this realm :)
 
#15 ·
Learning tongue & groove on Drill Press Cabinet

After many moons, I've been reading about cabinet construction. Some things were a mystery: why and when to dado, horizontal or vertical, ideal depth, other cabinet joinery, which joint works better here or there and why, etc. I purchased 5 cabinet books from amazon:
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction by Andy Rae
Cabinets And Built-Ins by Paul Levine
Illustrated Cabinetmaking by Bill Hylton
The Joint Book by Terrie Noll
The Complete Woodworker's Companion by Roger Holmes

I am more comfortable with plywood for cabinetry in my mind, and now to put to practice. I needed a drill press cabinet to store a majority of hand power tools, drills, forstner bits, etc. So off I went, with the "tongue and groove' method in mind. Of course, lots of learning mistakes were made. I now know to make a cut sheet, mark out the plywood and label them, measure twice and cut once. I did not follow these ideals when I started, only at the end :) Next will be cabinet organization with building some pull out drawers and deciding on which drill bits to keep, which to toss (I have way too many irrelevant drill bits), PVC pipe to hold the drills, etc. I had so much of this stuff laying here and there in my shop. This should help somewhat. No screws were used in this cabinet, all glue & tongue/groove with clamping. More experience coming up with the same as I must do the identical with my grizzly dual sander (you can see it partially in the last pic and the 4Ă—8 sheet of plywood). Will need to make a home for all my sanding tools, sand paper, worksharp 3000, etc.

Wood Flooring Floor Wheel Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Window Fixture Wood stain


Wood Engineering Machine Electrical wiring Toolroom
 

Attachments

#16 ·
Learning tongue & groove on Drill Press Cabinet

After many moons, I've been reading about cabinet construction. Some things were a mystery: why and when to dado, horizontal or vertical, ideal depth, other cabinet joinery, which joint works better here or there and why, etc. I purchased 5 cabinet books from amazon:
The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction by Andy Rae
Cabinets And Built-Ins by Paul Levine
Illustrated Cabinetmaking by Bill Hylton
The Joint Book by Terrie Noll
The Complete Woodworker's Companion by Roger Holmes

I am more comfortable with plywood for cabinetry in my mind, and now to put to practice. I needed a drill press cabinet to store a majority of hand power tools, drills, forstner bits, etc. So off I went, with the "tongue and groove' method in mind. Of course, lots of learning mistakes were made. I now know to make a cut sheet, mark out the plywood and label them, measure twice and cut once. I did not follow these ideals when I started, only at the end :) Next will be cabinet organization with building some pull out drawers and deciding on which drill bits to keep, which to toss (I have way too many irrelevant drill bits), PVC pipe to hold the drills, etc. I had so much of this stuff laying here and there in my shop. This should help somewhat. No screws were used in this cabinet, all glue & tongue/groove with clamping. More experience coming up with the same as I must do the identical with my grizzly dual sander (you can see it partially in the last pic and the 4Ă—8 sheet of plywood). Will need to make a home for all my sanding tools, sand paper, worksharp 3000, etc.

Wood Flooring Floor Wheel Hardwood


Rectangle Wood Window Fixture Wood stain


Wood Engineering Machine Electrical wiring Toolroom
Good job Holbs!
 

Attachments

#27 ·
working on the hand saws

I am hoping to REALLY start my hand tool cabinet as my next project. Before I do, I have work to be done. First up, refurbishing tools that will be used to make the tool cabinet. I'll try to use the hand tools as a primary. Saying that, hand saws will be used. Here is my current collection I have acquired:
Wood Table Flooring Automotive design Art


--------
The 3 Veritas saws (dovetail, tenons) are good to go. The Stanley, Disston, and Japanese saws need help.
Lots of rust on the Disston so electrolysis to the rescue:
Electrical wiring Gas Wood Composite material Bumper


----------
And this weekend, I am starting on a saw vice nearly identical to Brit's Saw Vice
------------
And now, of course… I am keeping eye out for Disston hand saws all the time :)
 

Attachments

#28 ·
more saw clean up

I can not tell the name brand of this saw I am working on. It does not have a disston name on it anywhere. Maybe a Vermont American or something. But here is before & after pix of electrolysis and ROS with WD40. In the middle of my saw vice but had to call it quits for the day. Should finish the saw vice tomorrow.

Wood Floor Flooring Beige Road surface


Electrical wiring Gas Wood Composite material Bumper


Wood Bumper Rectangle Automotive exterior Gas
 

Attachments

#29 ·
Saw Vice completed

made a saw vice for sharpening hand saws. I plan on doing as much hand sawing as my elbow joint will allow for my ever hopeful hand tool cabinet and other projects. If you are diving into hand tools, like chisels and saws, you kind of need to sharpen your saws just as you need to sharpen your chisels.
 

Attachments

#30 ·
Saw Vice completed

made a saw vice for sharpening hand saws. I plan on doing as much hand sawing as my elbow joint will allow for my ever hopeful hand tool cabinet and other projects. If you are diving into hand tools, like chisels and saws, you kind of need to sharpen your saws just as you need to sharpen your chisels.
Plumbing fixture Wood Gas Machine Tool
A good saw vise is worth its weight in gold. Nice work.
 

Attachments

#31 ·
Attempting a saw bench...

I had some spare 4/4 red oak and decided to use this to make a saw bench. In my desire to walk down this hand tool path, a saw bench is essential. I tried my best at using a hand plane, and it "almost" worked making jointed edges. More experience is needed as I do not have it down yet. Keeping the planes level, keeping the wood pieces square are things I have to get better at. After some fun hours with the hand plans, the sun was setting. In the end, went power jointer/planer.
Wood Gas Soil Metal Shadow


------

Next will be the dovetails, base, & stretcher.
Table Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain
 

Attachments

#32 ·
Attempting a saw bench...

I had some spare 4/4 red oak and decided to use this to make a saw bench. In my desire to walk down this hand tool path, a saw bench is essential. I tried my best at using a hand plane, and it "almost" worked making jointed edges. More experience is needed as I do not have it down yet. Keeping the planes level, keeping the wood pieces square are things I have to get better at. After some fun hours with the hand plans, the sun was setting. In the end, went power jointer/planer.
Wood Gas Soil Metal Shadow


------

Next will be the dovetails, base, & stretcher.
Table Wood Floor Flooring Wood stain
Nice work. I like your bench.
 

Attachments

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top