“Your stuff tends to look like other people’s stuff because you have the same machines.”
— Jim Tolpin, Woodworking in America, 2009
Hardware for ‘The Anarchist’s Tool Chest’
There isn’t a lot of hardware for “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” but I definitely don’t recommend you buy the poorly made brasses at the home center. Unless, of course, you want to.
I purchased almost all my hardware from Horton Brasses Inc. with the exception of the chain and the casters. I bought the casters, somewhat ironically, from Home Depot.
Let’s talk about each element of the hardware for the chest and why I did what I did.
The Hinges
The hinges are the most important bit of hardware. I hate cheap hinges, and so I knew before I even began building the chest that I was going to use the Horton PB-409 brass hinges with slotted screws and a “dark antique” finish. These hinges swing without any of the annoying slop in cheap hinges. I use them all the time.
At first I thought that two hinges would be enough to keep the lid secure, and I was probably right. But after installing two hinges on the lid, I looked at the chest and decided to add a third. I don’t regret the extra purchase.
The Lock & Escutcheon
I ordered a lock from Horton and had second thoughts about installing it (I have an aversion to locks). But the chest looks wrong without a lock and an escutcheon. I used the CL-5 Chest Lock from Horton, which is a half-mortise lock. After installing some full-mortise locks in chests, I’m a half-mortise guy. The Horton example is nice. The only disappointment is the finish on the key. My key is shinier than the one shown in the photos and looks too shiny.
So I’m gonna sandblast the sucker. Some day.
The escutcheon is the FE-8 Keyhole Escutcheon in “dark antique” from Horton. It’s sweet. I love it so much I put it on the dedication page of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.”
Ring Pulls
A minority of tool chests use ring pulls on the sliding trays, but I really wanted them on mine. I’m glad I added them. For the top two trays I used the 1-5/16” RP-4 ring pull in “dark antique.” For the bottom tray, I used the 1-7/8” RP-6 ring pull in the same color.
The Lid Stay
I agonized over this for a few weeks. Ultimately I bought a couple brass eyelets and some brass chain from some jewelry supplier. I stripped them of their lacquer and dyed them to match the other hardware. It was a pain. One internet blogger called my chain “too twee.” I’d like to see a better alternative that really works and is as simple.
And the Casters
I didn’t want to buy rubber casters. Why? I don’t know. Sometimes I make these decisions after a couple beers. So I searched and searched and finally found the casters of my dreams at Home Depot. They are somewhat crude, but they look right.
So there you have it. The only other metal bits are cut nails from Tremont Nail Co. and slotted pyramid-head screws from Lee Valley Tools.
— Christopher Schwarz
Awesome Tool Chest Modification With – Cough – Scraps
Peter Follansbee has built a tool chest that shames us all when it comes to adding a little flash. No, he didn’t opt for the airbrushed Thundarr the Barbarian on the lid that I suggested. Instead he used “odd bits” guides for his tool trays.
These “odd bits” – pieces of oak he used in carving demos – are gorgeous, and especially fitting for a chest designed for a joiner, as Peter calls himself.
Visit his blog, Joiner’s Notes, for the whole story and more pictures of his fine piece of work. Peter, the joiner at Plimoth Plantation, says he’s not much for dovetailing; I think he’s being modest.
In any case, get a good gander at his carving – I think you’ll be seeing a lot more of that in the coming months with the release of the long-awaited book from Peter and Jennie Alexander, “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree: An Introduction to 17th-century Joinery.”
The book goes to the printer next Friday, and right now we are finishing up work on the index, the dust jacket and a few minor typos. When will it be on sale? We will start taking pre-orders in about a week. The book will ship in late February or early March, barring some disaster.
I’ll have complete details on the book next week, including pricing and (joy) an excerpt for you to download.
— Christopher Schwarz
The Dirty Secret of Woodworking Publishing
If you want to make good money writing woodworking books, you don’t need a lot of skills, tools or primo wood. You don’t need to know a lot of joinery or be a particularly good finisher. You don’t even really need a workshop.
During my 14 years at F+W Publications, I did a long stint as a contributing editor to the now-dead Woodworkers Book Club. As part of the job I had to read about 70 woodworking books every year and review them for the club’s bulletin. And I learned an awful lot about what makes a woodworking book sell by poring over the monthly financials.
Beautiful furniture projects do not sell. Books on building your skills don’t sell much. Books about wood and its properties – no sale. Books on hand work? Nope.
The woodworking books that make real money are birdhouse books. They outsell other kinds of woodworking books about three-to-one.
While this surprised me at first, it makes a lot of sense. Birdhouse books appeal to the non-woodworker, the dead-nuts beginner, the Boy Scout troop leader and the birder, to name a few. And they appeal to me as well.
I’ve seen a lot of crazy birdhouse books. Sure, there are lots of books out there that try to build houses actually intended for birds that pay attention to wood selection, house placement, opening size, etc. And then there are the ones that look like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater or a giant uterus.
I’ve always wanted to write a birdhouse book – one of the crazy ones, of course. My first inclination was to build birdhouses while channeling a famous furniture-maker:
“James Krenov Crafts Houses for Birds” – All the birdhouses would be chests on a stand, have gorgeous dovetails and be made from olive wood. And they would be too nice to put outside.
“G%$#@& Birdhouses by Gary Knox Bennett” – All the birdhouses would be covered in bent nails and roach clips.
“Sam Maloof, Birdhouse Builder” – All the birdhouses would be rocking chairs.
And so on.
Well one night my wife, Lucy, and I had a little too much wine to drink at dinner and we started brainstorming ideas for the most ridiculous birdhouse book we could think of.
The title: Killer Birdhouses
The concept: Birdhouses made to look like things that normally kill birds.
The projects: Birdhouses in the shape of a…
Blender
Frying pan
Sliding-glass Door
Oscillating Table Fan
Cat Mouth
Shotgun
Jet Engine
Stump and a Hatchet
Worms with a Cannon (my favorite!)
ICBM
Oven
Bucket of KFC Chicken
That reminds me, I need to get Lucy a fresh box of wine. We need to come up with some more book ideas.
— Christopher Schwarz
Harder to Kill
“Technical knowledge is harder to kill than any other kind, and is seldom subjected to religious, political, or military persecution.”
— John Gloag, “A Social History of Furniture Design: From B.C. 1300 to A.D. 1960” (Crown)