Hello everyone. Over the past few weeks, I've started building a replica of the famous H.O. Studley Tool Chest. I, like many, have been fascinated by this piece since it appeared on the back of Fine Woodworking in 1990. I was only 10 at the time, but the impact of that image stayed with me throughout the years. My decision to begin this project now is directly related to the passing of my father, one year ago. The man who taught he everything about woodworking left behind his knowledge and his tools; neither of which will be expanding in the future. Almost everything (toolwise) my father owned I have purchased for myself over the past 25 years which left me with a dilemma of what to do with his collection. Wiping everything down with camellia oil annually and storing them away didn't seem to appropriately honor such a wonderful man. Although he was not a pianomaker/tuner, his collection does overlap much of what is contained in the Studley Chest, with a few additions and absent items of course.
My intention is to replicate the cabinet to exacting detail, no shortcuts. Some areas of the cabinet will contain different tools than Studley's. What I hope to achieve however is a replication of Studley's ingenuity, precision, and journey toward perfection. When I think of how long this project will take, 3 years seems to instantly come to mind (more or less). Some machinery will be used, however, I expect upwards of 90% of the work to be completed with handtools.
Before I started on the casework, I built the oilstone box from a piece of macassar ebony we purchased 15+ years ago together. The aluminum insert in the top will be engraved along with 2 other plaques in the cabinet. The inlays are MOP.
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