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Thread: Hand Tool Storage Cabinet (long post with pics)

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Falls Church, VA.
    Posts
    104

    Hand Tool Storage Cabinet (long post with pics)

    Good evening again!

    I have been working recently on a hand tool storage cabinet for the shop. The project is copied from C.H. Becksvoort's example in the FWW Winter issue from a few years back, but sized to fit my walls and tools a little better. To this point, the drawers still need to be made (currently under construction!) , but everything else has been completed. I left myself a little room for collection... I mean "purchase of new, and absolutely necessary" additional tools.

    It is made with solid cherry except for the door fields and plane ramp, which are cherry ply. I finished the outside of the cabinet and doors with a General Finishes mixture. I also finished the inside of the main cabinet, but have not put finish on the inside of the doors, nor on any of the pieces built to hold the tools. Not sure why, but I don't know if I will ever finish them.

    The hand plane ramp has rare earth magnets epoxied beneath each plane to make sure the planes or stored safely and securely. In the case of the wooden planes and the brass planes, I placed the magnet under the plane iron, but not touching it. It still works well enough to hold the planes in place. The ramp took an inordinate amount of time to complete because each of the rails was hand cut and mortised into the joining rails (don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon).

    The ramp is hinged at the top with a piano hinge, with storage underneath for seldom used items. The Lie-Nielsen 98 and 99 planes are recessed into a holder on the ramp to hold them securely.

    The chisel storage unit is held in the door with rare earth magnets also, just in case I decide to move it elsewhere to support the purchase of "new and absolutely necessary" additional tools.

    Gimme some gentle feedback! Let me know if you think the unfinished wood is something that would bother you in your shop. I may just have to pull those pieces and put some finish on them, then do the doors!

    Have a great night!

    MW

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Falls Church, VA.
    Posts
    104
    Pics attached...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Falls Church, VA.
    Posts
    104
    A few more...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  4. #4
    I've been pondering making a similar cabinet for my hand tools. Do you really thing the magnets are needed for the planes even with that angle? I've been eyeballing Beckvoorts cabinet also wondering about the planes and their ability to stay put. I don't think you left enough room for expansion, there are alot of necessary tools out there. How about some pics of the chisel rack.

    Oh, and nice collection of LN tools.
    Jim

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Falls Church, VA.
    Posts
    104
    Hi Jim -

    You are right, there are a lot more tools out there that are necessary. Must be time to build a bigger shop! I'm trying to attach a couple more pics (including the chisels), but seem to be running into problems. I may restart the PC and try again, or load them tomorrow some time.

    Regarding the magnets, the planes seemed OK without them but I could just picture myself banging up against the cabinet with a 4x8 sheet and causing one or more of the planes to fall. It really is just a security measure.

    Have a great night,

    Mike

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Falls Church, VA.
    Posts
    104
    One more try at posting a few more pics...
    Attached Images Attached Images

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Knoxville TN.
    Posts
    2,667
    Beautiful cabinet Mike. You sure did it right, very nice job.
    Dick

    No Pain-No Gain- Not!
    No Pain-Good

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Philadelphia, Pa
    Posts
    2,266
    Mike,
    Nice piece of work there. I wish you might consider posting pix of a larger size so that we might see details more clearly. What are the dimensions, inside and outside, of the cabinet? What is the angle of the plane ramp? I am outfitting 3 cabinets right now, 18 x 36, and I too am fighting through the fitting process. I wish I had made them a bit wider. The fitting out is a labor of love.

    My cabinets are not in the way where they might get banged, and I hate magnetized tools since sharpening swarf, etc., tends to stick to metal tools, so I won't use the magnets, but I am sure they are effective. I like your method of handing your squares, etc.
    Last edited by Alan Turner; 03-21-2006 at 5:48 AM.
    Alan Turner
    Philadelphia Furniture Workshop

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    3,789
    Well designed and well built Mike. I must add that your certainly have some nice tools.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Spokane, Washington
    Posts
    4,021
    Very nice looking cabinet, I need to make one of those too. I would echo Alans concern about the plane irons becomming magnetized over time. The other thing is that some say to insulate the soles of planes from prolonged contact with plywood, something about the plywood offgassing causing the metal in the soles to rust. Others have used cork sheet for this purpose with good effect.

    Dan
    Eternity is an awfully long time, especially toward the end.

    -Woody Allen-

    Critiques on works posted are always welcome

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Monroe, MI
    Posts
    11,896
    Very nice cabinet. Since I've built mine a year or two ago, I've moved things around a couple times to make new aquisitions fit better.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Grand Marais, MN. A transplant from Minneapolis
    Posts
    5,513
    Beautiful home for some real nice Occupants
    TJH
    Live Like You Mean It.



    http://www.northhouse.org/

  13. #13
    Mike, great looking cabinet and excellent tool collection. The rare earth magnets wer a nice addition to the CHB design. Good job!

  14. #14
    Looks great Mike!


  15. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,694
    Very nice cabinet, Mike. Beautiful, actually!
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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