“Words are wind, and the only good wind is that which fills our sails.”
— Victarion, “A Feast for Crows” by George R.R. Martin
During 2012 I’ll be teaching three classes in building a traditional tool chest. Students will be able to build either the full-size chest from “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” or the slightly smaller chest shown here that is designed for traveling.
This chest is based on a historical example I own, and I’ve been surprised at how many tools it can carry. It will hold almost all the tools of a full-size chest, but getting to all these tools isn’t as easy as it is in a full-size chest.
But this smaller chest will fit in a hatchback – something a full-size chest can’t do.
This chest has some interesting features worth exploring. Let’s take a look.
• There are two sliding trays for your small tools, which slide on runners that are screwed to the inside of the chest. In the original, these trays are nailed together (not dovetailed). When I build this chest for my own travels, I will dovetail the trays together.
• The trays are ingeniously positioned so you can fit moulding planes and typical bench planes below the trays without interfering with the way they move. The downside is that the planes must be stored with their soles against the floor of the chest – so you won’t be able to see the profiles of all the moulding planes.
• The back wall of the chest has a tool rack that is pierced with 1/2” holes on 1-1/2” centers. This little rack gives you lots of space to store screwdrivers, awls and other tools with narrow blades. But if you fill the rack you will limit the travel of the sliding trays.
• The sawtill at the front of the chest is a single piece of wood. It holds three saws easily and without taking up much space at all.
• The real downside of the chest is that it is only 15-3/8” high. So if you store it on the floor, you’ll be doing a lot of crouching or bending over. If you store it on your benchtop, I hope you have a huge bench. When I had a bench this size, I stored it on top of a wooden crate that was about 12” tall. That worked.
• The original chest was made of pine boards that were nailed together. I changed the joinery to dovetails. Also, though I don’t show it in the drawing, I recommend you dovetail all the skirting around the shell of the chest – just like I did on the full-size chest in the book.
You can download the plans for this chest for free from Google’s 3D Warehouse. You need Google SketchUp to view the files, but it’s free, too. And if you haven’t gotten your feet wet in SketchUp, I highly recommend you do so – it’s become the design language for woodworkers. [Editor’s note, 2021: The product is now owned by Trimble. There is still a free version available, though it is significantly less robust than the subscription versions.]
Click here to download the plans.
— Christopher Schwarz
Several readers have asked where I’ll be teaching classes in 2012 on how to build a tool chest, so here is an update.
A couple notes on the class itself. If you don’t like cutting dovetails, you might want to reconsider. A good chunk of the class is a Bataan Death March of sawing and chopping. But by golly, you will be able to cut dovetails in a coma when it’s over.
It’s absolutely OK if this tool chest class is your first project. You’ll do fine.
If the class is filled up and you really want to attend, please sign up for the waiting list. Classes always have “churn.” Some people drop out because of a family event (marriage, surgery, divorce, graduation etc.). Others misread the class description (“I thought it was the ‘Anachronist’s Tool Chest,’ and I wear my +1 chainmail to bed”). So if you get on the waiting list for the class, there is a good chance you’ll get in.
And lastly, you will have a choice as to which chest you build: the full-size chest illustrated in “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” or the traveling-size chest I posted in this blog entry.
So here’s the line-up:
Feb. 20-24, 2012, at The Woodwright’s School. Roy’s calendar shows slightly different days, but he hasn’t updated his online calendar yet.
July 30-Aug. 3, 2012, at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking. This class is listed as full, but get on the waiting list if you are serious. Trust me on this. “I thought it was ‘The Atavist’s Tool Chest.’”
Sept. 6-10, 2012, at The Woodwright’s School.
And if your year is already full, I’m working on my 2013 schedule and already have plans to teach this class in Connecticut and am negotiating with some chaps/blokes in Australia.
— Christopher Schwarz
We are closing the Lost Art Press warehouse (my basement) for the Thanksgiving holiday. So any orders placed after 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, will not be mailed until Monday.
My family and I are headed to Charleston, S.C., for Thanksgiving, which I am certain will involve grits, beer and long walks along the Battery.
The other good news is that I’d like to welcome Highland Hardware as one of our retailers for “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest.” We are cautious about who we work with, but when we were approached by Highland Hardware, it was a no-brainer.
I used to visit the store every other year when I had to attend the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Ga., and I also stopped by several times on my way through the city. Highland Hardware is where I first met Roy Underhill about 1996 or 1997. He won’t remember it.
Roy was giving a demonstration on turning at the store and I was just too star-struck and shy to even introduce myself.
In any case, Highland Hardware is one of the more influential independent stores that have always gone the extra mile to keep the craft alive, especially handwork. I bought many of my hand tools there, and the staff has always been friendly and patient.
I got to meet Chris Bagby, the owner, this year at Woodworking in America, and I now have plans to teach down there in early 2013.
Right now Highland Hardware (aka Highland Woodworking) is stocking “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest”; click here to visit their store.
— Christopher Schwarz
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