| Project by Steamdonkey | posted 678 days ago | 1598 views | 20 times favorited | 34 comments | ![]() |
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So I have a few hand tools, and I needed to get away from keeping them all over the shop on shelves and any other cluttered surface. I decided I needed to build a cabinet to hang on the wall near my bench. Since I have a ton of walnut I decided to build the case out of that. For the panels in the doors and the back I used VG fir and mahogany veneer glued to baltic birch ply. The inside is all vertical fir which I like for the light color. The tool “hooks” are all made from some curly maple scraps I had laying around.
A common problem I have is getting stuff I build for myself about 80% done before moving on. This project is no exception. I still need to add the finish, add a few more storage options, and add the remaining hardware. Fact is once I got it to this point I wanted to see how it looked with a bunch of tools in it and I haven’t looked back.
































34 comments so far
GaryK
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9549 posts in 887 days
posted 678 days ago
Great looking cabinet. Lots of hand tools, that’s for sure.
-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.
airfieldman
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71 posts in 710 days
posted 678 days ago
I hope you’ve included a small kneeling bench in front of it to pay proper homage each morning.
Very nice cabinet. Someday when I own my house, I’ll hope to have a shop that is comprable to this.
-- Do what you love, the money will follow --Marsha Sinetar
mot
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4904 posts in 935 days
posted 678 days ago
Nice collection of iron there, hos!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
Jeff
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997 posts in 993 days
posted 678 days ago
Outstanding cabinet and collection! I like the hangers for the planes. It took me a second but then I noticed how deap the slots were for the knobs and then it made sense. Out of curiosity, where did you acquire most of your hand tools?
-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN
Steamdonkey
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16 posts in 703 days
posted 678 days ago
Most of these came from farm auctions, some from swap meets, and some from friends, you could say I’m always looking. I think the first plane I bought was 13 years ago… if I had known what I know now I woud have bought more back them when they were easier to find and cheaper. In the last couple years I have been buying mostly new LV planes and replacement irons for the older Stanleys. Many of these in the cabinet still need to be fettled and some day I’ll get around to it, however you won’t see me getting as into it as many with repainting, etc., as long as they are tuned to work and flat I’m good. Those that have been tuned up really work well, but I prefer the newer A2 steel in the LV planes because it holds an edge longer and they are so close to perfect right out of the box.
rikkor
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11335 posts in 773 days
posted 678 days ago
Nice toybox, and nice toys in it. Good job.
Bob A in NJ
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532 posts in 898 days
posted 677 days ago
Wow, enviable colecction, nice job on design and construction.
-- Bob A in NJ
jeffthewoodwacker
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487 posts in 703 days
posted 677 days ago
That is quite the cabinet. You must spend a little time on the sharpening stones to keep up with all those planes.
-- Those that say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.
Jiri Parkman
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603 posts in 712 days
posted 677 days ago
That is really nice cabinet.
-- Jiri
SPalm
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951 posts in 781 days
posted 677 days ago
Very nice. But I will contest you as I always thought I was the king of 80% done.
Great collection.
-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon
Thos. Angle
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4013 posts in 861 days
posted 677 days ago
Well done, now finish it and show us the photos.
-- Thos. Angle
Scott Bryan
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20780 posts in 721 days
posted 677 days ago
That is a really nice project to store and organize your hand tools. Without this you would be storing them (as I do) in drawers, the back of cabinets or they would be taking up scarce bench space. Great idea.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
Peter O
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1027 posts in 773 days
posted 677 days ago
Based on the plane sitting on top of the cabinet, I’m guessing your collection continues to grow! Better start building another case! It’s really amazing how much can be stored in a fairly small space when it is well organized.
-- http://www.north40custom.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --
RobS
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1243 posts in 1205 days
posted 677 days ago
Quite a collection and great storage solution.
-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX
Paul
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607 posts in 991 days
posted 677 days ago
Nice arrangement and great cabinet!
-- Paul, Texas
dennis mitchell
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3791 posts in 1213 days
posted 677 days ago
I’m suffering from just plane envy! Maybe a bit of chisel envy too.
-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com
Gary
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446 posts in 1223 days
posted 677 days ago
Nice cabinet. I need one of those but it’s gonna have to wait ‘til I expand the shop and make an area dedicated to handtool work.
Is it correct to think that the plane hooks have a decent space so that the front slides up and then tilts out to make removal easy?
Nice collection of user tools.
Gary
-- Gary, Florida
Karson
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25811 posts in 1299 days
posted 677 days ago
Great looking cabinet. Nice job on it.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
mgradwohl
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190 posts in 712 days
posted 677 days ago
Gorgeous cabinet and great set of tools
Kerry
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131 posts in 689 days
posted 677 days ago
That’s a really nice cabinet. What a timely post too, I’m about 75% done a cabinet myself and can sympathise well with the storage problem you’re solving here.
I just wish I could say “since I have a ton of walnut” too :-(
Nice job, – I hope you’ll show it again when you get some finish on it.
Kerry
-- Alberta, Canada
cajunpen
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5968 posts in 965 days
posted 677 days ago
Nice looking cabinet – It must be nice having that much Walnut lying around, of course I wouldn’t kjnow how that feels :-))
-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/
TomFran
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2515 posts in 893 days
posted 677 days ago
Great cabinet! It’s got to be nice to have “a bunch of walnut laying around” to make tool cabinets out of.
Can’t blame you for being anxious to “move into” the new home for your tools.
-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28
relic
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342 posts in 835 days
posted 677 days ago
Thats a nice looking collection, The cabinet is looks great.
-- Andy Stark
Steamdonkey
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16 posts in 703 days
posted 677 days ago
About 3 years ago I fell into one of those deals you just can’t pass up. I probably had 800 board feet of walnut that I had collected from auctions and from a mill shutting down. Then I found this…

This stack was a little more than half of what I bought. 1700 board feet in total. I figure I’ll be in walnut for the next 20 years.
Partridge
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221 posts in 855 days
posted 677 days ago
i did the same with maple
-- Do it right the first time. Becuase fixing it is a wast of time.
Tomcat1066
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776 posts in 695 days
posted 677 days ago
I must hate you now. Jealousy has that affect on me after all.
Great cabinet and wonderful “collection” of tools. Collection is in quotations because I’m sure you’re not a collector, but a user ;)
-- "Give me your poor tools, your tired steel, your huddled masses of rust." Yep, I ripped off the Statue of Liberty. That's how I roll!
schroeder
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514 posts in 1024 days
posted 677 days ago
Beautiful! Outstanding design & workmanship! – But if you run out of room – I’ll be glad to store some of those planes for ya! ;)
-- The Gnarly Wood Shoppe
DrSawdust
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231 posts in 997 days
posted 677 days ago
I love the cabinet. You did a great job executing your design. That stack of walnut is very impressive as well.
-- Making sawdust is what I do best
Dorje
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1767 posts in 896 days
posted 677 days ago
I really like hanging tool cabinets and this one hits the spot!
Here’s one of my favorites.
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
Steamdonkey
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16 posts in 703 days
posted 676 days ago
Dorje, thanks for the link. That is a great looking cabinet. One of these days when I have as much time as I have planes and wood, I’m going to remake some things. I have yet to make something that I don’t look back on and say, hmm I wish I had done this differently.
As for the walnut, don’t hate me people. It really is is a symptom of my addiction. As for storage, yes that may become a problem. My wife would certainly agree that I have too much of everything. She is an organized person, and I’m basically a junk man at heart.
Yesterday I got down to the shop for a couple hours to sharpen some plane irons and do some drawings for my next project, which will be made out of cherry… no walnut at all! I must say I like the way that cherry planes! Either I need to trade out some walnut or I need to find another deal I can’t pass up.
Dorje
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1767 posts in 896 days
posted 676 days ago
What’s next on the slate?
-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA
MsDebbieP
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14181 posts in 1059 days
posted 675 days ago
nice stack of wood!!!
now.. when is the finishing session?
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Steamdonkey
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16 posts in 703 days
posted 675 days ago
Dorje, I’ve got two projects in the shop right at the moment that I’m actively working, the first one is a walnut chest/table for the shop. I’m down to building the drawers, the case is complete to the point of cleaning up the glue squeeze out and a little final sanding. The other project is a new base cabinet for my kitchen rolling island. That project will be cherry with spalted sycamore panels with a maple top. I’m in the milling phase with that piece.
MsDebbieP, the finish maybe a couple months out… I have to complete a couple of projects for the shop and for my wife before I want to take that on. Plus the shop is about 45 degrees right now, so I’m mostly sticking to calorie burning activities to keep warm. I’ll be sure and update the page through with some new pics.
Recycler
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40 posts in 663 days
posted 591 days ago
That’s one nice cabinet! I’m taking notes, because i’m running out of room to pile my hand tools, too.