Sometimes I just stare at a project for a long time and wonder what the heck to do next.
This morning I tried to figure out how to get the saws onto the lid of my traveling chest. Layouts. Drawings. Staring. A long walk to pick up some Dogfish Head. And this is what we have.
These three rabbeted cleats are only screwed to the lid in case I change my mind. The tool rack on the front of the chest? Ditto.
— Christopher Schwarz
The cleats work and they look good. What happened to if it looks fair, it is?
Striving for perfection is a nice goal, but often unattainable.
Don,
It’s not perfection I’m worried about here. It’s making sure the saws are undamaged in transit and easy to insert and remove. The cleats don’t look fair to me. But dang do they work.
Even after adding the bead detail, you still don’t think they look fair?
The cleats are too wide. And they end in too square a fashion. OK for a tool chest. Not so for a piece of furniture.
60, 90, or 120?
What an elegant setup! The yin-yang of saws.
I do love me some Dogfish Head, best craft brewery going right now. IMO.
Have you looked at Tony Konovaloff’s toolchest lid? If I counted correctly he had something like 15 saws on it. Might not work for you since his lid isn’t a flat panel like yours. When I build my own ATC I’m thinking of making that design change for that reason.
BTW, I just received my copies of Tony’s book and also ‘Mouldings in Practice’. I’ve only been able to get started but what I’ve read so far is golden. Kudos!
I think the cleats look nice.
Do you plan to make some sort of locking device to prevent the saws from falling out during transit?
Maybe you can make some sort of quaker lock (I think that’s what it was called in the article about making secret compartments)
I actually think that I will copy your cleats for my travelling toolchest (the Roy Underhill version)
Mount a leather strap to wrap over the heel of the saw and snag it on a stud at the end of the cleat. No saw exiting that till without permission.
Gravity keeps the saws in place — there is really no need for any keeper. You can slam the lid all day and the saws won’t move.
Chris – As a true connoisseur, what is your favorite Dogfish brew? Along the Front Range here in CO, I miss the Shelter Pale Ale, but I can get the Midas Touch if I beg loud enough!
We don’t get the full selection here in the Middle West. I like 90 Minute and Raison D’Etre. I had some of the more exotic collaborations during a tasting, but I tend to prefer the stuff I can buy at the grocery.
I love the idea of the saw brackets. Very elegant. Your wonky, diagonal photography made me seasick though – next time FIRST photography, THEN beer.
Ditch the tool rack – the drilled holes look too “peg board in the garage”. I’m not sure what will go there – chisels? All the holes are the same size. Maybe your crayons? (Sorry…just funnin!)
Love the crab lock – too bad all that beauty is hidden on the inside.
Ryan,
Once the tools are in the rack you will not see the rack. The holes are 1/2″ in diameter and spaced even across the rack (thanks to dividers). The rack is a good thing. It holds the little stuff (gauges, dividers, chisels, screwdrivers) that clutter up the sliding tills.
Nice solution for the saws . If you do find that you have trouble with the saws sliding out in transport, you could always add a couple of quick leather straps with snaps (i.e. Roorkhee scraps).
oh nevermind, someone beat me to the punch made the same comment, err (*forehead slap*).
The problem with the slide in cleats is that they need to be chunky to allow the depth of the saw handle to pass the dust cover with ease. I have a small late Victorian oak tool chest (fitted for pattern making I think) that has the saws fitted where your tool rack is.
The mounting for these saws is great for a top too, it is a block with a trench cut for the tip of the saw on one end. The other end is a block with a cut out and pivot point (slotted screw) that goes through the handle and is twisted over to lock the saw in place. Quick and simple solution, easy to use and looks the part.
Can take some pics tomorrow if you like.
Do take photos. Always like to see other solutions.
Oh, and the dust cover is not a problem. Because the blades are tapered in width, they release after moving the tote an inch or so. So you can pull the saw out even if the side of the chest is against the wall.
They function well. Very well. They are just a little on the chunky side.
An inch or so? Keep that in mind as you load the hatchback so when some jag-bag cuts you off and you slam on the brakes you dont hear an ominous thunk-boiiiiying sound from the chest. Or when you (6′-3″) lift one side and meagan (5′-a wee tad) carry this up a flight of stairs. Traveling chest, traveling chest.
Ever the contrarian, it looks to me like the new lock is in the way of where the saw till goes. I agree that it’s a beautiful lock, but it’s in the way. Now a 1/2″ thick externally mounted lock/lockplate would fix that.
Sometimes the answers to the most daunting and perplexed projects and problems are simple ones . The cleats fit the bill perfectly , they add a nice clean look to the chest .
Detail the square corners so the rabbets don’t truncate so abruptly? Cyma recta on the center batten corners and cavetto for the outer battens? Lamb-tongue-chamfer off the corners for a more faceted appearance?
Yeah, this morning I was thinking of that — perhaps using something like the ends of my Anarchist square….
De-bulk your cleats. Eliminate the beading detail and plane down the upper corners, creating chamfers and a trapezoidal or half-trapezoidal appearance. Visually, less bulky but still the same amount of holding surface area. Or go one step further and use your #4 or #6 round and add a little more eloquence to the appearance. You might even be able to convince people that you have read Matt’s book.
I was looking at the design and if you close up the short ends and add a few other touches, it kind of looks like the Superman “S”. In this case it would be the Schwarz “S”.
You’re going to have to replace the screws in those cleats with wooden pegs before a long road trip, or at least before you’ve extracted and replaced the saws a few dozen times.
Best beer in the world is Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute Imperial IPA. Flying Dog Gonzo Porter comes close, but it’s seasonal, and really difficult to find. Dogfish’s Red and White is wonderful, if you can find it, but it pushes (or even violates) the definition of beer. My everyday beer is 60 minute IPA–the local Costco stocks it.
Awesome chest. I’m just finishing up The Anarchist’s Tool Chest and would like to know the difference between the standard tool chest and the traveling tool chest. Is it just the height? The smaller size may work out better for me in my limited-space shop.
It has a slightly smaller footprint. But it is mostly the height and some subtle proportioning.
http://blog.lostartpress.com/2011/11/07/download-plans-for-the-traveling-tool-chest/