Tools to Build the Swedish Tool Chest

We’ve had a couple people ask what tools they need to make the cherry tool chest built by Whitney Miller in “Make a Swedish Tool Chest” (available at introductory pricing of $35 until Aug. 26) So, below is a list of every tool Whitney picks up on camera. To those you could add a jointer, planer and table saw if you’re going to prep your own material with the aid of power tools – though you could also carefully choose 3/4″- or 7/8″-thick S4S stock at the lumberyard, and glue up panels from that, resulting in minimal prep.

• Cutting or marking gauge (Whitney is using a Tite-Mark cutting gauge)
• Dovetail template (Whitey is using a 1:4 Crucible Dovetail Template, which matches the angles on the paper template included in the video)
• 0.5 mm pencil (Whitney is using…several – any will do, but my current faves are Graphgear and Ohto)
• Marking knife (Whitney is using a vintage Blue Spruce knife)
• Dovetail saw (Whitney is using a Lie-Nielsen non-tapered DT saw)
• Coping saw (Whitney is using a Knew Concepts 6-1/2″ saw with an aftermarket handle by Elkhorn Tools, which is no longer)
• The coping saw blade is a Pégas 18tpi skip tooth blade (which cuts slowly but cleanly in this 7/8″-thick cherry; the 10 tpi blade would also work, though it would leave a more ragged cut)
• Bevel-edge chisels (Whitney is using a 1/2″ Lie-Nielsen socket chisel)
• Crosscut saw (Whitney is using Chris’s vintage Wheeler Madden & Clemson)
• Mallet for dovetail chopping (Whitney is using a Blue Spruce 16-ou. round mallet)
• Smooth plane (Whitney is using a Lie-Nielsen No. 3 in bronze)
• 12″ adjustable square (Whitney is using a Starrett)
• 24″ adjustable square – not strictly necessary (Whitney is using a Starrett)
• Block plane (Whitney is using a Lie-Nielsen No. 60-1/2)
• Jack plane (Whitney is using a vintage Stanley No. 5; I think it’s a Type 11…for the tool nerds among us)
• Glue brush (Whitney is using a No. 2 Torrington glue brush. Along a Dixie cup that contains a few ounces of Piggly No Wiggly glue. For the drawers, we used Titebond Original PVA for its quicker setup time.)
• Rectangular mallet (In my brief appearance to help knock the case together, I grabbed the Blue Spruce 24-ou. rectangular mallet)
• Clamps (we used Bessey K-bodies, aka parallel-jaw clamps)
• Paraffin wax (I believe the brand is Gulf)
• Drill/driver (Whitney grabbed a 12-volt Milwaukee for light-duty needs, and a 20-volt DeWalt for heavier-duty needs )
• Drill bits (we swear by HSS Lipped Imperial Brad-Point Drills from Lee Valley – so I assume Whitney used these)
• Countersink (Ours are Insty-Bits)
• Slot screwdriver (Whitney used a Grace Gunsmith-style Slot Screwdriver)
• 16-ounce hammer (Whitney is using a vintage Plumb “Autograph”)
• Rabbet plane (Whitney is using a Veritas Skew Rabbet plane, which technically is a moving fillister plane)
• 6″ adjustable square (Whitney is using a Starrett)
• Plough plane (Whitney is using a vintage Record No. 043)
• Small router plane (Whitney is using a Lie-Nielsen No. 271 open mouth)
• Centering punch, not strictly necessary…but awfully fun to use (Whitney is using a Starrett No. 819 Automatic Center Punch)
• A pocketnife and needle-nose pliers (while installing the traditional ring pulls – I have no idea what brands)
• Also shown throughout are a Crucible Lump Hammer, Crucible Holdfasts and a Benchcrafted Moxon Vise. The bench is Christopher’s “Anarchist’s Workbench.”
  

I think I got them all – if I missed any, my apologies (and I’m sure someone will let me know).

– Fitz