After looking at the Stock List, I started looking for wood that I could use for the case. I went out to my woodshed and found a panel that I had forgotten about. It actually came with the house that I bought in April of '09, so I don't really know where it came from. The good news was it was 19 7/16 x 51 1/8, which is good enough for the top and 2 sides (dimensions slightly smaller than stock list). The bottom would have to come from another source. Maybe, I'm making a mistake here? The not so good news is it is veneered in Mahogany with real Mahog. on the front edge. The core stock is poplar and it is 3/4 of an inch thick. Let me know what you think.

Now for some more "good news". The panel is smooth on one side and veneer is in good shape, but the back side has real Mahog. applied molding.

Setting the panel on my deluxe work bench in my garage, I started to remove the moldings. I am removing small sections at a time, so I don't mess up the veneer, even though it will be the inside of the case. As Tommy says, I was "sneaking up" on the mark with a shaaaarp chisel.

So far so good; I think. Veneer looks good. Old finish is crispy and will come off with a scraper. What do you guys think?

Busy time of year, with Easter coming and Spring chores calling me away from my Tool Box Project. One set back was I had to refurbish my lawn mower. Man the grass is growing already! I had to build a set of steps and a hand rail for my father-in-law, who is pushing 90. But first, let me show you why I need a tool box.

When my son became a journeyman carpenter and went into business for himself, I gave him all my tools, including an old tool box that I had inherited. Gradually as a homeowner and someone who like woodworking I started to reacquire basic tools. I put them in cardboard boxes that copy paper comes in. I cut them to size and printed labels. This has been my tool box for the last 10 years! When I saw Tommy's videos, I noticed a tool box in the background, the NBSS box, and said, "That's the tool box for me". I bought the DVD and now you know the rest.

I was eager to get back to the tool box project, but I thought the folding table, that I was using as a work bench, would need to go. For the last couple of weeks, I have been building a small bench, 4' x 2'. It only has a plywood top, but it is a big improvement on what I had. Since I am 6'3" tall, that folding table was killing my back, so I made the bench higher. Works for me.

After building the bench, I wanted to add a vise, but I wasn't too keen on the quick release types. I did find an older style vise and it works fine. I had some real old pine that I cut for vise jaws. The way the grain flows on the boards, will help to maintain their flatness.

Now that I had a more stable work surface, I got back to stripping and sizing my sides and top. The mahogany looks pretty good. I have to cut the pieces to their final depth, but I am waiting to do it when I have finished glueing up some stock for the bottom, so they all can be ripped with the same setup. I put some blue painter's tape on the one true edge, now that the board is in three pieces. With the recent delays, I'm not sure when I will get back to the project, (it could be days or weeks) and I don't want to put the wrong edge against the fence.

I did say I'd get back to it in a couple of weeks. Let's see last post in March and it's mid July now. Forget about it. This week I finally got back to work on the tool box. I completed the dovetails.

Cut the dados and glued it up. It came out close to square! Now, I'm working on the dividers. I think it was that post about the drawer proportions that got me motivated.

This past week I worked on the dividers. Fitting them into the case has been a slow task. I don't want to take off too much, and when I plane the sides of the dividers, I don't want to chip out the end grain. Maybe the fact that it has been hot, may have something to do with it. I can't start on the drawers until those blasted dividers are done. Does anyone share my opinion on dividers?
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While I'm complaining, working with the mahogany veneer has slowed me down too. Not the wood of choice, but it was what I had. Anyway, had to be careful when sawing the dovetails, not to chip or lift the vaneer. No tear out on the veneer; I was lucky or in the old days they really knew how to apply veneer. I know that it is too soon, but I had to see what it was going to look like, so I applied some stain and a coat of varnish. Mahogany looks good. I'm going to wait before I apply more coats.

Still working on dividers. I only have two, because I only have 3 drawers - determined by the length of Mahogany that I had at the start. At least my hand plane is getting some use.

I've got to get as much done as I can this week, because the county fairs, Frederick and Loudon (both in Virginia) start next week. I make carriers for fancy poultry.

Hey Dyno looks like youve been talking to yourself. looks good so far keep up the good work


P.S. I like the bird cage.

DYNO,

Your tool box is looking great. Although I haven't posted any comments, I've followed your post with keen interest. I really appreciate how you have 'repurposed' the wood to make the carcass. Keep up the good work and your posts.

Bruce

Looks good, dyno. I'm not up to the frames yet--hoping to get there soon.

Finally started on the drawers. First time for blind dovetails. Wow, totally different. Had trouble cleaning out the nooks and crannies of the pins. Even my trusty 1/8" chisel couldn't get in there without compromising the pins. So I took out my mini chisel, possibly the world smallest. Sharpest too!

hey Dyno

get some "el-cheapo" chisels and grind them as left/right skew chisels
those are great for cleaning up in the "sockets" for HBDT

-Rondo

Thanks for the suggestion Ronaldo. I got a chance to work on the tool box this week, but I only finished one drawer. Those half blind dovetails took me too long to complete. They were the first ones that I have tried, so maybe the next ones will go faster. Got to stop working on the tool box to build more chicken crates. Don't know when I can get back to it. Oh well, I'm excited about my crates too.

Dyno, Nice job on the HBDT's. And that wood for the drawer is awesome. Did you consider putting the lighter color to the top?

Thanks FLWoodRat. Yeah, I did consider turning the drawer front 180 degrees, but I want to make the middle and top drawers out of poplar that has similar purple coloring. The wood for those drawers is mostly purple with some green, so I was trying to connect the lower drawer color with that. I don't know how it will turn out, but I plan on using some BLO to bring out the colors. It might be too much contrast with the mahogany, but I started building this tool box out of necessity. I want to put my planes in the lower drawer, chisels in the middle, and layout tools in the top. So if it looks a little extreme, it will function better than cardboard boxes. Maybe this winter, I'll have time to make another one. Here's a look at another "fancy poultry carrier" that I made. It has two compartments for carrying a "trio". Gotta keep the rooster away from the hens, so they don't get their feathers ruffled. If you don't need to separate the birds, the partition is removable.

Back to work on the toolbox, after taking a year long break! No lie, I have been busy with other projects. I decided to put two drawers on the top level, like the one in the video. This week I finished the two drawers.

The wood for the drawer fronts was poplar, that was all heart wood with a greenish purple color. Stuff was more dense that regular poplar. I found the centers of the two top drawers, and after installing them and the bottom drawer, I was able to transfer the positions to the bottom with a framing square.

I have only got one more drawer (the middle one) to go. Should have it done in time for the Jefferson County Fair.

This was really fun for me to read... Thanks for sharing and sorry I have not been very active or encouraging around here lately....it's good to see the forum keeps going the wat it does!!

Dyno,, I never thought I'd say this to another man.. but Nice Drawers!!. Good job on those DT's. Now, get that tool box finished and show us the results.

Thanks for the comments guys. Boy, I'm getting close to finishing the toolbox. Today I made the last (middle) drawer, and was in the process of fitting it into the case. After a little sanding of the blades, I was able to get the drawer all the way in. I was delighted that all four corners were flush! It was actually better than the first 3 drawers. Now the bad part. I couldn't get the drawer out!! Having recently glued the drawer together, I didn't want to stress it. Since the back was off, I looked and at first couldn't see anything wrong. Upon closer inspection, I found the problem.
Originally, I had configured my toolbox with just 3 drawers. Recently I started working on it and decided to divide the top into 2 drawers, making a total of 4. To accomodate the 2 smaller drawers I added a runner to the top drawer frame. Since the drawers ride on the top of the frame, I made sure the "T" joint was flush on the top. I did not notice that the runner was not flush on the bottom by about 1/32". Was that enough to catch the drawer? Wait a minute that wasn't the whole problem. The frame actually "sagged" a little (about 1/16") at the back. That was the real problem.
My solution was make a vertical piece at the back to "hold" the frame up to the proper height.

You can see my two different drawer bottoms. One is pieces of poplar that I glued together that were the size of the groove. The one on the left is made up of pieces of pine that were thicker than the groove. Both worked. Here's another view from a different angle

Not fine woodworking, but it worked.

Finished, two days before the fair begins. It only took about 2 years.

Knobs: top 1 1/2", middle 1 3/4", and bottom 2".

I included the shiplap back, similar to the video. I think it gives it more authenticity, than a piece of plywood.
Now, off to the fair. Maybe this winter, I'll make another. Maybe.

Dyno,

Nice job... who cares how long it took you. You finished it. I do think it might look better with smaller knobs though...Have fun at the fair.

18 Months to finish from the time of your first posting. Don't feel bad. I have a wooden pail that I made in the mid 90's that only needs a little more done to it. Its still sitting on the bench waiting for me!

x2 on the knobs. A little oversized.

What kind of finish did you use?

I sorta agree with you on the size of the knobs. Maybe I'm taking this "repurposing" thing too far. I had some old knobs that I had taken from pieces of furniture and had two 1 1/2" and two 2" knobs. Home Depot had 1 3/4" wooden knobs that were similar. I would have liked to have six smaller knobs, but I couldn't find anything locally that I liked. I really didn't have time to order from Lee Valley, and maybe I'm just cheap.
As far as finishing goes. Top 2 drawers and middle drawer - shellac. Bottom drawer BLO. The outside case polyurethane.
I am glad that it is done, and I learned a lot. Got a lot of other things I want to build. So many projects, too little time.

Just a quick update. I use my tool box all the time. I keep it on a rolling chest, so it can be positioned where I'm working. My layout tools, chisels, and planes are one step away. Very handy! In the image, it is supporting one of my poutry carriers, while I'm holding a top for a larger, 6 cu. ft. model.