67 Comments

  1. Hi guys, it must be true that great minds run on the same track–well kinda. Just this morning I was thinking about asking you about making a Shaker-style cherry medicine/wall cabinet with shelves and drawer. Lots of them have been promulgated over the years but the Sellers boys always make them better. It would probably look a lot like a smaller single-door version of the tool chest.

    Happy Holidays,

    Wayne

        1. Hi Jon,

          Sorry to disagree with you on this one, but I think Greg’s color renderings are a particular pleasing aspect of this site. Real art in their own right. Art that communicates from the maker’s perspective following in the best Aldren Watson tradition. I feel however, that your feedback as to how to improve this form of communication will be well received and considered. I would miss the color though, as I think it personally moves us hand wood workers away from the rigid ASME Y14.5M world without a huge loss of clarity. Better still it stops us devolving into slaves of those soulless sketch up models.

          All the best Martin.

          1. Coloured Artistic rendered technical drawings for me too.
            The shading in particular adds clarity to the construction method

            Nice Work Greg – your input is appreciated

            Steve

  2. I already bought wood! I really like the joiners tool chest. I can get a lot of things in there but not everything. My wooden planes take up more room. I was thinking about building a larger chest but this will really work out great!

  3. As having had one for a number of years and everything is in easy reach I still find them impractical and space consuming to have. The tool box is still the best option to store your tools, with a tool box you can easily transport it and they take very little floor space. As soon as I get time to build one I will be replacing my wall cabinet.

    1. I disagree with you on this one for a couple of reasons.

      First, not everyone needs to transport their tools so mobility is no advantage.
      Second, while a toolbox might not take up much floor space (3ft.sq.?), it’s only 12 to 18″ tall and you can’t put anything on top of it so there’s a lot of dead space above it. I’d rather take up 4 or 5ft.sq. and have the cabinet 6 or 7ft tall to maximise storage.

      I think the Dutch style chest is an exception but if you don’t need mobility, a cabinet is the way to go in my opinion.

      I’m going to be building one of these with the cabinet underneath. I can’t hang something that heavy on the wall in my shop and the cabinet will be handy for lesser used power tools, cans and bottles of finish, etc.

      1. I actually agree with both of you because it really comes down to how you work. I have built crude shelves in a floor to ceiling skinny cupboard. In there I have stacks of various wooden boxes with all my tools. It kind of works except it’s to small and to get to the tools I need I have to take out heavy boxes often from over my head. I would love to have the cabinet from this project. Mobility is very important to me as most of my work is not where I store my tools. Having smaller boxes within my tool cupboard is modular so I can quickly pick up a couple boxes and head out. The main issue that I need to sort out is a trolley system to cart them out to my car. A few boxes get heavy really quickly especially when I bring my sash clamps.

    2. It’s a matter of preferance. If you are fortunate enough to have enough tools to have “Shop Tools” and “Travel tools” you might need both a cabinet and a tool chest. I haven’t gotten good enough at this to be taking my tools anywhere to work. Mine stay in the shop all the time but I use the Joiners tool box because I like it. I’ll probably build the wall cabinet at some point and replace the crude shelves I am using now.

  4. My hand tools are stored willy-nilly under my bench. I worry about nicks on my chisels, bent teeth on my saws, etc. I’m looking forward to this build but I will probably modify it to fit under my bench. Or I may build it as Paul does and (gulp) design another to fit under the bench. Neither one will happen soon for me because I make Christmas gifts rather than buy them and my next Master Class project is the Dining Table and chairs. Paul, you are very much appreciated out here in the wood craftsman wannabe world. Thank You!!

  5. Hello Paul!

    May You consider adding a moulding to the top of the cabinet, just like yours has? I’d really like to see, how to design one (proportions, profile), design the piece to accept the moulding (additional height, face frame…etc.) and attach it.

    Kindest regards,
    Lukasz Budzynski.

      1. Thanks Steve. I had seen that video and do use many French cleats in my small shop. For sometime I have been wondering how to incorporate one into a cabinet like this so the cabinet sits flush with the wall and also would provide enough support for such a heavy load.
        I just noticed on the temp drawing that additional material will be needed for shelf and brackets. Perhaps it just sits on a shelf with a means on the top to secure it to a wall to prevent tipping? We shall see.

  6. Forgive me if this has been asked before.
    I have completed a few of the smaller projects now, dovetail box, mallet etc but this will be the first large project that I have attempted.
    I have just bought some nice, rough boards of Sapele and can’t wait to get started.
    Am I best to cut and prepare all the pieces on the cut list before I start on any joinery work or should I prepare the wood as I go along?
    Sorry if it sounds like a stupid question.

  7. I believe Paul has mentioned on several occasions that all of the wood in each aspect of the project should be prepaired together before beginning the joinery. In many cases parts are compaired for consitancy. I can see where you could prepare each peace as you need it but you might lose accuracy and consitancy that you wouldn’t see until you start putting your project together. I would be cautious however in preparing exactly to a cut list as your project may vary in size. Use the cutlist as a guide and adjust accordingly. My humble opinion….

  8. Hi Paul,
    I made the winding sticks and they came out great and the plans were very helpful and well done
    Thanks to Gregory Merritt my question is will there be drawing for the tool cabinet available the same way or for purchase ?
    Thank You,
    Robert

  9. Hi Paul,

    I noticed the cabinet behind you sits on a base cabinet.
    Do you have any videos or plans relating to this base cabinet?
    I would really like to build both.

    Thanks for the great work you all do.

    Leon

    1. Hello Ray,
      We tend to only provide the cutting list as on the drawings as the amount of stock needed depends very much on the size and thickness of the various stock you are working from. Sorry not to be more helpful,
      Phil

  10. Would it be possible to make the cutting list publicly available? I’d like to subscribe and make this, but it might take me some time to pull the materials together (good wood is expensive and hard to come by in New Zealand), so I’d like to get my ducks in a row first.

    Thanks!
    Jay

  11. Hello, Jay
    I commented yesterday outlining the whole project as it’s available to paid members, saying that the PDF od the drawings and cut list is part of all that.

    Regrettably, the whole thing has been ‘Moderated’ for some reason and is unavailable for you to view…….
    You could send me a pm with your comments on it

  12. Question for the Brains Trust.

    First some background.
    I have been a Luthier for the past 30 odd years and now that I am sort of kinda almost but not quite retired (as in the jobs list from the Wife is growing at an alarming rate), I want to explore Furniture making, which is a completely new set of skills and knowledge to learn..

    So, my question is.
    Can I get away with using 15mm thick boards for the carcass of the tool cabinet?
    (I have a few planks of American White Oak lurking in my wood stack that if I rip them down I can get enough boards at 15mm to build the carcass if this is thick enough).

    Cheers,
    Phil

  13. White oak is very strong and dovetails are stronger. I think you’d be fine with using 15mm since it’s what we use for tool chests.

    As Paul said about the work bench, you can use thinner stock but the thicker stock makes the piece feel that much sturdier.

  14. Hej Phil,

    Having but three neurons remaining – only working in concert on Tuesdays – and being far from the front of woodworking, it’s probably presumptuous for me to answer. So, probably more prudent to formulate a question?

    Could using thinner stock result in bowing of the drawer casework, and would anything be gained from utilising stopped sliding dovetails for joining the drawer divider to the frame (would call for a solid board and not a frame construction) as well as to the bottom?
    (A piece of veneer could hide the endgrain from the divider).

      1. It’s a fair question: Hand-milling is actually hard to learn and can make a project like a cabinet seem unapproachable starting from rough lumber. Many lumber yards will mill lumber for you. Sometimes, there is a fee. I’ve not done this much, so I wonder whether some toss the wood into a planer and then flip it rather than actually jointing the first face. Somehow, you need to establish they actually joint a face. Also, you will want to have them leave things thick so that there is room for the wood to move after you get it home and acclimated to your shop. You’ll need to hand plane to final flatness and final thickness. One down side here is that they are going to process the full width and full length of the board, which increases how much of the thickness goes to waste vs. cutting to length first (reduces the effect of twist) and rough ripping (reduces effect of cupping). So, you’ll need to think about getting the full thickness you need or adjusting if it comes up thin.

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