Anarchist Tool Chest Build

[James Pallas]

Well done Mike. The work and the write up are very good. Thank you for sharing.
Jim

[Megan Fitzpatrick]

Very nice! I like your tray modifications (I'm a sucker for cubbies...)

[Doug Hepler]

Mike,

Very nice job and write-up. I made one, but not as classy as yours. I was inspired by Chris Schwarz's article in PW and, like you, I made mine a bit larger: 26 x 18 x 20H, including a 2" thick lid. Smaller than yours, but still too heavy. It weights 40 lb. empty. I can't lift it very easily when it has tools in it. I thought that I would need it to ship tools back and forth across the country but now that I have one shop again it is a storage unit.

My point in writing is to say that I made a cart for it and it is now an excellent storage unit for frequently used tools. I like to have frequently used tools easily at hand. I use pegboards for that purpose, but for items that do not lend themselves well to hanging, this chest is really convenient Also, when I travel I can leave expensive planes, chisels, etc locked inside it. So, put yours on a cart to raise it up a foot or two and enjoy.

Doug

[Mike Wilkins]

Could not resist could you? Had to show us that thin shaving pouring out of the smoother. I admire your sharpening skills. I hope to get there some day. Guess I will just have to keep practicing.

[steven c newman]

Nice tool chest...needs something, though....
tool chest #2 opened.jpg
Ah yes, a saw till in the lid?

[Stew Denton]

Mike,

Beautiful Job, and the write up and photos were great.

Thank you,

Stew

[Chet R Parks]

Mike,
As the many have said, thank you for sharing your skills, methodology, and time. Another great build you have no idea how much confidence you give me. I really like the trays with all the little dividers, a lot of little detail work there. Again thank you.
Chet

[Mike Allen1010]

Love it! (As an aside, I first read the title as "Antichrist Tool Chest Build" which made me think, "what in the world?")

Kevin your comment scared the heck out of me! I'm entirely capable of making that kind of egregious spelling error -there are many in this post. Sometimes not sure if the auto spell correcter is a blessing or a curse.Glad to know I make this particularly horrible mistake.

Cheers, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Nice tool chest...needs something, though....
tool chest #2 opened.jpg
Ah yes, a saw till in the lid?

Thanks Steven for the suggestion. I love your toolbox! Chris Schwarz original plan calls for a saw till on the bottom of the chest along the inside front edge. I'm planning on doing something similar, but now that the "heavy lifting" part of the project is over, the chest is sort of languishing in the shop. I guess I'll have to decide if I'm going to finish out the final fitting for individual tools, or except the fact it's way too heavy for me to transport and and repurpose it for storing something else. I guess I'll have to see.


Best, Mike

[Mike Allen1010]

Thanks all for the kind comments.. Since I personally enjoy build threads, I assume it's okay to share mine.


Sometimes however, I wonder if I'm inadvertently giving the wrong impression; I surely don't mean to imply my projects are anything special. I make lots of mistakes and there are certainly better ways to do things then I know how to do. Feedback on my posts from my fellow Creekers give me some comfort that I'm not completely wasting everyone's time.


I really value the SMC community as a place to talk about and share things we enjoy about woodworking. I grew up well before the advent of the Internet. I confess I enjoy reading a actual hardcopy daily newspaper (which my Boys think is hysterical!). It occurs to me regularly that this online community of shared woodworking value/interests is a real blessing.


For the last 30 years I'm sure my neighbors have thought of me as "the weird guy whose always in the garage covered in sawdust". Who knew there would be a place where I could find other people also covered in sawdust, who were also truly interested in "really great shavings"? Cheers to the SMC woodworking community!


Now about all those sharpening threads…


Best, Mike

[Robert Hazelwood]

Thanks for sharing this Mike, and great job on the chest. I can tolerate any number of sharpening threads and which-plane-is-better threads so long as there are at least a few showing good work getting done, so as far as I'm concerned please continue to share!

[Jerry Olexa]

Very nice results.....Good pics too..Thanks for sharing with us.....

[Frederick Skelly]

Another great project Mike! I really enjoyed reading your build - thanks for taking the time to document it!
Fred

[Mike Allen1010]

Fabulous build Mike, many thanks as always for taking the time to share.

Agree with Bridger about the compass and lid, you can say that you really did know the way...

Will look forward to hearing whether you end up working out of it and what you think about a chest vs. wall storage (if you end up using it).

Best,
Chris

Hey Chris,


It seems the universal law that tools will always expand to fill the available shop storage space is in effect and some of my less frequently used that were previously hidden away in the back of head high rolling tool cabinet are finding a home in the new chest.While exploring the dark recesses of my original tool cabinet I was surprised by how many smaller/less frequently used tools I forgot about because her just not visible..


I still prefer having my frequently used saws, planes and layout tools hanging on the shop walls for quick access, but it's turning out the new tool chest is pretty handy.I put some fairly hefty rollers on the bottom of the chest and it's pretty easy to move around even on the rubber floor mats. Also, it seems CS was right when he said in his book it's pretty easy to flip open the top and slide the tills back and forth to quickly access the tool you're looking for.


Looks like this chest will become a regular part of shop tool storage. Unfortunately that means I still have to find another solution for transporting tools to work outside the shop.


Best, Mike.

[Christopher Charles]

Hey Mike,

Came across this post again and a couple of thoughts:

1) that is one radical plow plane, looks straight off the set of the Jetsons!

2) how do you like working out of the chest now that you've had a chance to break it in?

Best,
Chris