Tool Cabinet Build

[Joe A Faulkner]

I had some left over rough sawn 3/4" cedar (I think it is eastern white cedar) from some exterior trim done on the house a few years back. I decided to use it as the main lumber for a tool cabinet build. Progress on the cabinet is slow. My first attempt at hand cut dovetails. The cedar does not pare easily. The fibers are like brittle straws. I initially was chopping the dovetails, but then switched to the coping saw. Fit and finish is not great, but things improved as I moved from the carcass joints to the joints for the sides of the door frames. I had some spalted maple I salvaged from a down tree branch in the back yard a few years back that I decided to incorporate into the door panels. I still have a lot of work to go, but the project is starting to take shape. 34" tall, 32" wide, 15" deep. Photos of the door fronts don't do the spalted maple justice. I'll have to go for nicer pics once the project is finished. Primarily designed for planes, chisels, and a few back saws.

[Winton Applegate]

Joe,
Looks like a pleasing and useful project.
I like it.

[Richard Hutchings]

What a great looking combination of materials. Way too nice for a work shop.

[Mark Stutz]

My only concern would be that it's too small!:D Nicely done. I like to look at nice things in the shop!

[Stew Denton]

Joe,

The project is neat, and although I can see details it looks fairly nice from what I can see. It looks like it is coming along nicely.

The wood selection looks great together, and it is even neater that it is lumber you had left over from work on you house and the spalted maple from a tree limb from your back yard is way cool. I love it.

Your dovetail job is looking pretty good IMHO, especially for a first set. I hope to make a somewhat similar cabinet myself, but it will have to wait. I am still restoring planes and chisels, and getting them sharp. Then clean up a work area in my garage. Lots to do before I can get to the place of making one myself. I will get there though, Lord willing.

Thanks for posting the photos.

Stew

[Joe A Faulkner]

Thanks Stew. I know a bit about the effort and elapsed time to convert the garage to a workshop:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?149984-Hoosier-Workshop-Make-Over.

Some say the shop is the one project that is never finished. I'm beginning to buy into that line.

[Mike Allen1010]

Joe, very nice-I LOVE the spalted panels! Cedar is a tough wood for hand tool joinery-brittle and not very forgiving. I'm sure you're next set of DT's will be a lot easier.

Thanks for sharing the picks. I look forward to seeing the final result.
Best, Mike

[Joe A Faulkner]

My daughter got engaged in May, and we agreed to host the wedding on our property, so most of my discretionary time over the summer was spent getting ready to host 240 wedding guests. In addition to sprucing up the yard, I needed to mow and trim to provide parking for 100 cars. As a result the tool cabinet build has been collecting dust, but this weekend I spent some time in the shop. I plan to store a few small backsaws in the cabinet which has lots of storage reserved for yet to be acquired molding planes. The shop floor mess goes to show that I actually did some handwork on this build. Most of the curlies were made planing the four dividers in second shelf.

[Frederick Skelly]

Nice cabinet Joe! Can't wait to see it with those lovely spalted maple doors attached.

Congratulations on your new son-in-law!

Fred

[ken hatch]

Joe,

Nice use of the spalted Maple, the center stile does a good job of breaking up the figure so it doesn't overpower.

BTW, when I first opened the thread I was surprised to see the post from Winton, then I noticed the date, shame I miss his posts.

ken

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Slowly and surely it keeps looking better and better!

[Mark Almeidus]

Realy nice work, and inspiring.

[Joe A Faulkner]

I still have some work to do on chisel racks and the rack for holding my dovetail and small tenon saws, but the cabinet has a finish on it, and is now up (French Cleat). I think I'll store a few braces and other tools as well - more storage tweaking to follow.

[David Eisenhauer]

Go Joe from the Kokomo. looking very good.

[Bruce Page]

I really like the care you took on the dividers. Very nice.

[Stanley Covington]

Nice job indeed, Joe. You need a super sharp chisel when doing joints in cedar. Please keep us posted as the project progresses.

Stan

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for the update. It's really coming out beautifully!
I'm with Bruce on the dividers.
Fred

[glenn bradley]

She's a beauty Joe. A fine home for your fine tools.

[Mike Heaney]

loving those doors- nice wood choice.
I have a question for you on mounting this on the wall- I have just finished a slightly larger unit (48" wide about 28" high), that I intended to use as a bookcase in the workshop. I am now trying to work out the safest way to mount to the wall- are you planning a french cleat on the back, or angled support underneath, or something else?
good luck with the rest of the build

Mike

[Bill Adamsen]

Nice choice on the cedar ... that should be gentle on the blades and bodies. Inspirational.

[Joe A Faulkner]

Thanks Bill. Mike, I did go with a French Cleat. Prior to this cabinet, I used these book shelves which also are mounted using French Cleats for my planes. I really like using French Cleats in the shop.

[Mike Heaney]

Thanks Joe- how meaty did you go with the cleat approach- is 4/4 with 2 1/2" screws enough, or do I need to be thinking lag bolts?

thanks again

Mike

[Joe A Faulkner]

I used 3" #12 wood screws (two per stud about 2" apart) attaching the cleat to the wall. I pre-drilled to avoid splitting the studs. The cleat attached to the cabinet is attached to a hanging rail with #8 wood screws, one every four inches. I wanted a little extra shear strength over a standard 2 1/2" screw used for hanging kitchen cabinets. This site (http://www.screwdoctor.com/application/home/selection_guide/technical_data.aspx) rates their #12 general purpose screws at 720 lbs.

[Mike Allen1010]

Sweeeet Joe! Somehow the spalted maple and cedar doors seem very Krenovian ( there must be a similar looking piece in Cabinet makers Notebook - probably just dating myself). I also really like the dividers-classy!

Thanks for sharing the picks. Best wishes to your daughter and her husband for much happiness :).

Cheers, Mike

[Mike Heaney]

Thanks Joe- I appreciate that info!

best wishes

Mike