Project Information
Started this project last August with a small stack of rough cut cypress. Now, just over 6 months later, a finished chest to hold all my tools. I made this primarily with the idea of being able to keep all of my hand tools in one place in case we had to evacuate. Just grab the tools, the cats, and the wife, and away we go.
Most of the work was done with hand tools. I planed the cypress boards to get one flat side and a square edge. I used a thickness planer and table saw to finish the other side/edge. I am not good enough at thicknessing by hand yet to risk wasting wood on mistakes! Aside from long rips on the table saw, all else was hand work. Along with the cypress a fair amount of pine went into the construction.
The box was made with 40 hand cut dovetails, each one a bit better than the one before it. Definitely a learning experience, one requiring no small amount of wood putty. But, by the end, I was cutting the dovetails in the 1/4 inch thick boards for the tills with no problems. Practice makes perfect! The bottom is tongue and grooved using my wooden planes, and attached with hand cut nails. The bottom moulding is cleated to support the bottom as well.
Each saw and plane has a nook and cranny to fit into, and the two tills hold all my odds and ends. All that is needed is a pair of iron handles, a nice pair from Van ********************'s Restorers.
Finished it off with two coats of milk paint and water based poly. The logo on the lid I hand painted, it's my Chinese astrological sign, the rat on the beam.
Most of the work was done with hand tools. I planed the cypress boards to get one flat side and a square edge. I used a thickness planer and table saw to finish the other side/edge. I am not good enough at thicknessing by hand yet to risk wasting wood on mistakes! Aside from long rips on the table saw, all else was hand work. Along with the cypress a fair amount of pine went into the construction.
The box was made with 40 hand cut dovetails, each one a bit better than the one before it. Definitely a learning experience, one requiring no small amount of wood putty. But, by the end, I was cutting the dovetails in the 1/4 inch thick boards for the tills with no problems. Practice makes perfect! The bottom is tongue and grooved using my wooden planes, and attached with hand cut nails. The bottom moulding is cleated to support the bottom as well.
Each saw and plane has a nook and cranny to fit into, and the two tills hold all my odds and ends. All that is needed is a pair of iron handles, a nice pair from Van ********************'s Restorers.
Finished it off with two coats of milk paint and water based poly. The logo on the lid I hand painted, it's my Chinese astrological sign, the rat on the beam.