Since the release of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” book in 2011, customers have asked for a DVD that explains how to build the English tool chest featured at the end of the book.
To be honest, we resisted making this DVD for one reason: It’s a complicated project to film, and we didn’t have the equipment, personnel or skills to produce the DVD to a high level of quality.
With the fifth anniversary of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” however, we decided to make it happen with a production crew from Popular Woodworking Magazine. It was an excellent partnership. I could focus on how to present a lot of complicated woodworking tasks to the viewers, and the crew could figure out how best to translate my ideas to video.
The result is the new “Make a Traditional English Tool Chest” DVD, which presents the construction process for the Anarchist’s Tool Chest exactly as it is drawn in the book. During the last five years, I have built dozens of these chests, and I have collected a lot of small tricks to make the construction process a lot easier for new woodworkers.
The DVD begins with dovetailing and ends with outfitting the interior of the chest. It is designed for a woodworker who has already built a couple projects. We don’t cover basic stock preparation, but we do cover dovetails and all the other joinery with detail that is suitable for a beginner.
Here are some of the operations we cover on the DVD:
- Cutting through-dovetails
- Cleaning up and assembling large carcase work
- Adding dovetailed skirting to a carcase
- Making tongue-and-groove bottom boards
- Affixing cabinet parts with traditional nails
- Shooting pieces to perfect length
- Making through-mortises and tenons
- Creating a traditional raised-panel lid
- Installing butt hinges and fitting a lid
- Building sliding tool trays
- Making tool racks and saw tills
The DVD is 3 hours and 40 minutes and is on two all-region DVDs. It is $30, which includes free domestic shipping.
— Christopher Schwarz
I know it would be really large, bur will there be a streaming/downloadable version?
A downloadable version is available through Shopwoodworking.com
Did I read somewhere that you were going to have a five year edition of ATC with a different color cover and an addendum? If you are, I would like to pair it up with the DVD. They would be a great bundle.
We are releasing a red cover copy of ATC for the fifth anniversary in June, but it is the same text.
Will there be an updated list of tools in your chest?
Not on the DVD. We will do an updated list of tools in June for the fifth anniversary and post it free for everyone here on the blog.
I downloaded last week following a blog post on the Popular Woodworking site.
It is truly amazing. The level of detail you go into on cutting through dovetails is fantastic.
I watched it from start to finish in one sitting, accompanied by some fine English ales !!! It was an easy watch, made more so by clever pace setting.
I know I will watch this over and over before I get to building one of my own.
Ditto. And I wrote a glowing review on shopwoodworking.com the next day, which they have yet to post. I complained to them today. I think Chris Schwarz has taught this so many times that he now can thoroughly anticipate the questions one would ask, and he answers them all as he narrates his work. It’s an incredible amount of knowledge he shares in the almost 4 hours. Worth many times the price. If I’d wanted the DVD, I would have bought it here at LAP. But as noted above, if you want the downloadable files, you have to get it at FW’s site. There are two MP4 files, 1.3 GB and 1.6 GB respectively.
Sorry! It’s up now. And thanks.
Thanks fitz! :>) (I had to reply to myself – wordpress wouldn’t let me reply to you)
Is this build as it was done in the book or does it include the things you’ve learned/changed over the years?
The dimensions are as per the book. The techniques have been refined during the last five years. Nothing earth-shaking – mostly little tricks to make things easier to fit (especially the skirting).
Perfect. That is what I was asking about. Off to order it. Thank you.
I bought a chest much like this one from Polly Stevens in Whitefield NH in 75′. It was painted battleship gray, and he said that it was a first mate’s tool chest from the U.S. navy. The patent date on the mortise lock is 1869, and it came with a key. Which is funny because it had a pad lock hasp. It was pretty beat up inside, broken slide rails .After repair I had to add thumbtacks to the tray bottoms to allow them to slide because the rail screw heads had cut into them. I built a low pedestal frame so the top would be level with a work bench. I couldn’t agree more with the tool chest benefits. Top leans against a wall that displays the chestnut panels, much like the mahogany card/occasional tables. Nice mix of woods, bird’s eye maple panels in top tray, curly maple trays, ash top skirting, phenominal 1″ thick x 2′ wide virgin pine sides, maple stained mahogany for lower skirting, and flame grain chestnut in the top panels. Cast bronze handles on the sides are original, have hair line splits. Fully dovetailed inside and out. Steel top perimeter. Very much the same interior, but with a secret drawer, where the key was.