Almost done my hand tool cabinet!

Dominic Greco

Member
Messages
149
Location
Bucks County PA
Here are some photos of my progress with my hand tool cabinet project.

I completed and attached the doors with piano hinges. The doors are just 3" deep boxes with dovetailed joints. They each have a 1/2" thick plywood panel.

The infamous "reverse dovetail" drawers were installed as well. They got stopped dados cut in the sides and poplar drawer slides were installed for them to ride on. The drawer pulls are walnut and were turned on the lathe. I WAS going to buy them but couldn't find ones that were the right size. It only took me 6 to 10 minutes a drawer pull to complete each one (I made 16. 4 extra in case I messed up!)

I need to install a small cover plate in the front that is about 2" wide and as tall as the doors. This will cover the gap between the doors when they're closed. Mostly it's a retainer for when I add the lock. The Gap Plate (as I'm calling it) will have a 3/8" wide strip on walnut inlayed down the center. This will break up the doors and make it more symmetrical. It will give the illusion that there is no break in the lines of the doors. I cut the rabbit and glued the walnut in place tonight.

I need to cut and install the french cleats. Then I will sand and seal the entire thing. After that I'll give it a couple coats of wipe on poly and hang it. Then I can work on the tool/plane holders.

toolcabinetdrawers1.jpg
toolcabinet1.jpg
toolcabinet2.jpg


See ya around,
Dominic
 
Looking good there, Dominic. :thumb: If I had a cabinet that nice, I'd then need a bunch of good handtools to fill it with.
 
Dominic,

I'm with Ron on this one - Too nice for the shop!!:thumb: (mine at least:D) It's looking great, and I suspect it will work as well as it looks.

Wes

PS will you be making room for your dolls in it as well?;)
 
Dominic,

Good looking case. Looks like you'll need a lot of tools to fill that up. What wood did you use for the face of the drawers? Is that spalted maple?

I guess I'm too new here or have missed a previous post, so do you mind filling in the reference of the "infamous reverse dovetails"? I've never seen them used in that orientation.

Look forward to seeing the cabinet after the finish is applied. Keep up the good work

Regards,
 
Dominic, that is one fine tool cabinet, you do very good work sir :thumb:

Love the reverse dovetails, don't see that every day! :)

Thanks for taking the time to share it here with us, such inspiration! :clap:
 
Ambrosia maple

What wood did you use for the face of the drawers? Is that spalted maple?

Thanks Lee. The wood I used for the drawer fronts is Ambrosia maple. It's very common around here in PA. It's "soft" maple and very prove to tear out. While working with it I got very proficient using my scrapers! But my oh my what figure! :D

And as far as the "reversed dovetails" go, I should have put the pins where the tails are and vice-versa. That's the way a traditional dovetailed drawer is oriented so that it resists the stress of the drawer being opened.
 
Hi Dominic :wave:,
Very nice piece. The fronts of your drawers were well thought out for making use of that wood. Beautiful.
Are your dividers above the drawers solid stock or 1/4" ply?
It will be a great piece for the shop. I will have my brother from Pendel, Pa. come by to make sure they are in "The Shop!":eek::rofl:
Thanks for showing this nice project.
Shaz :)
 
Last edited:
1/4" hardboard

Robert,
Thanks for the compliments!

The dividers are 1/4" hard board. I WAS going to use 1/4" hardwood (cherry) but decided to go with the hardboard since hand planes will be bumping into it all the time. If I find that I can't live without 1/4" cherry dividers, :D I can always take off the back of the cabinet and replace the hardboard ones.

You wrote:
"I will have my brother from Pendel, Pa. come by to make sure they are in "The Shop!"

OK, you stumped me. Call me dense (go ahead,...others have) I've been trying to figure out what kind of joke you were going with here but can't figure it out.:confused: :huh:
 
Hi Dominic :wave:,
As mentioned before, the looks of your cabinet make it worthy of "in" the house type furniture. :thumb: Since I have a brother in Bucks County I thought I would connect with you and kid you by saying in other words, "I would have him see if they were really going to be shop cabinets", being as they were so pretty.
I am glad you asked, some people would be offended not knowing I was just kidding.:D
So congratulations on this project! What's on the burner for the next build?
Shaz :)
 
Well Dominic, since you screwed up those dovetails, I guess you should just ship that shoddy piece of workmanship to me and built yourself another!:rolleyes:

Beautiful work. You must be going for a studio instead of a shop!
 
Shop versus "Studio"

Thanks for the compliments!

Yeah, I'll call my shop a "studio" when I start wearing a black beret (artfully sitting off to the side of my head), a cape, smoking imported cigarettes through a holder, and refering to myself in the third person. :D

That is to say NEVER!!!!:rofl:
 
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