Base Cabinet for Tool Chest (Dutch)?

[Thomas Crawford]

36" tall in the back
12.5" deep
32" wide

It's not tippy in common use, which is just me grabbing it by a handle and moving it on smooth concrete. But if you push on it from the top to move it back and the casters happened to catch on something it might go over. I had it do that one when it was thankfully empty. Its better or worse depending on the weight distribution at any given time.

I never got around to building the drawers but the spots are there. I would say the way I use it in my shop only the fall front is more of a pain then a feature, I'd rather have 2 doors. I also don't think the slope on the lid needs to be quite so steep, but as I mentioned I need it there or I'll stack stuff on it.

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[Scott Winners]

I think this thread has previously inspired a thing I haven't actually built yet. I am going to - wood is here and seasoning.

I am going to make basically a book case, dovetailed box, about 36" wide and finished height about 40", 12 inches deep. When "parked at home" it will fit on the wall under my saw till. 5" casters on the bottom.

I am thinking three shelves, so counting the floor board four flat surfaces to store stuff on. Cut nails and other heavy supplies on the bottom, my growing collection of milk paint powder on the next shelf, and finally my joinery planes on the upper shelf.

For the bottom two shelves I am thinking small boxes to hold reasonable quantities of the various things, I picked up close to 50# of cut nails from craigslist some time ago at a price I could not pass up. So a box maybe two inches wide, four inches tall and close to twleve inches deep. "tight" seasonal clearance to the shelf above, but when I am using whatever sized nail I can just pull that box off the lower shelf to the bench top in use. Getting my fingers down into 2" wide drawers to grab the last nail isn't going to work, so maybe 4" wide with a central divider to hold two sizes of nails.

In my wildest fantasy I will put "drawer fronts" on all the boxes so when everything is put away in order it looks like continous grain across the front. I don't plan to roll it around a lot, but I do want it up off the floor.

I wonder what Eric ended up doing.

[Erich Weidner]

Thanks. I see now, you have a single large chest. I was thinking you made a separate base "chest" for the Dutch chest to rest on. That is where I'm headed as I already built the smaller size Dutch chest.

I've started gluing up the panels. In the end I decided to make it 18" deep. This is the depth of my Craftsman metal base cabinet, which has a Craftsman tool chest on top (which is 12" deep, same as my Dutch tool chest). It doesn't get tippy. So I figured what the heck, I'll just do that depth.

I'm still not sure what to do about the front. I am definitely making drawers, and the fall front would help with dust entry and keep everything looking the same. However, I can see where it would be a pain to have to take off and store someplace while working out of the chest. Doors I don't think will work for me as I'd forever be tripping on them. With the fall front, I also get some extra rigidity with the 1-1/2" rails across the top and bottom front of the case.

[Scott Winners]

I wonder if a case like Thomas' could have a shelf sticking out the back at the base to hold the front panel up off the floor and out of the way when the case is open. Maybe a bungee cord or a hook and eye like for a screen door?

[Thomas Crawford]

18" is going to be good I think. If I ever rebuild it I'd probably do it in 2 parts. Fortunately I have more specialty tools in the bottom so I don't tend to work out of it as regularly.

[Erich Weidner]

I wonder if a case like Thomas' could have a shelf sticking out the back at the base to hold the front panel up off the floor and out of the way when the case is open. Maybe a bungee cord or a hook and eye like for a screen door?

I thought about embedding rare earth magnets in the back of the chest and fall front for this purpose. Not very 18th century... but I still might do it.

[Tom Bender]

Here's my solution. It maximizes storage in a modest footprint. It does use plywood for drawer bottoms and side and back panels. The fronts are steam bent Ash.

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