Neander' Project III Progress

[Erich Weidner]

Today I was able to work a good 12 hours in the shop and made some decent progress on my hand tool project number 3. This is a (Dutch) tool chest. If I'm going to have any hope of getting the table saw de-cluttered I need better storage. Hopefully this will help. (But I can already see I should have built the larger version... oh well).

A few days ago I got started... other than two practice dovetails, these are the first I've done in a decade. I'm pretty happy. (I don't have a coping saw, and my bowsaw wasn't having any of it, so I chopped them out with a chisel)

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I messed up somehow laying out/sawing the shelf dados...
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But dry fit went OK. The shelf will be nailed in from the side so... onward!

Glue-up of the shelf went OK. Almost square. I messed up by preparing the shelf to the exact dimensions on the cut list... should have make it oversize then trimmed to exact fit. Oh well, nails, right?
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Next I needed a 1/4" thick by 2" wide piece for the slide. After casting through the scrap and coming up empty, there was no choice but to resaw something. I was kind of dreading doing it and starting having thoughts of just maybe it was time to buy that bandsaw I'm pretty sure I eventually want... but since I vowed to do these three projects entirely by hand... I went for it.
I used my coarsest rip saw (7 PPI), which was pretty slow going... and I wasn't able to completely hold my line, but it came out a little thicker than 1/4" in all but one tiny spot.
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[Erich Weidner]

It planed out pretty good. Just a minor spot where I sawed too thin to make the 1/4" desired thickness.
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Now, examining the dovetail glue up... this was hidden previously to me by the clamps.
The board had some twist or cupping which I had a heck of a time dealing with. I thought I had it licked, and I thought that the little bit of cup would be taken care of by the clamps... Nope. The other side looked like after planing would be just fine though.
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Last thing I had time for today was to cut the boards for the tongue and groove back.
A lot of ripping here. It actually went pretty quickly, though I still have a lot of skill development to do as I wasn't able to keep on the line or keep the cut straight. Always tended to wander towards me about 2/3rs of the way into the cut. I lack the control, but once the saw was near vertical and in a two handed grip it ripped through the panel fast. Way faster than I thought. Maybe hand ripping isn't so bad (in pine). :)
436108 Lol. As I'm now reading this I realized I used my 10 PPI crosscut for the ripping, not my 7 PPI rip. Guess it should have actually gone even faster. Doh!

[David Eisenhauer]

Good progress Erich and nice work on the re sawing. Staying tight to a line on both sides of a board takes some experience (and a flat saw plate) and your work looked very well done for someone who claims not much prior experience. I like the setup of your end vise for re sawing. Don't sweat the short spot of <1/4" thick you show in the first couple of photos. I find that I can keep my saw square to the cut (90 deg) in the horizontal plane without too much effort, but can get off square in the vertical plane when I am working (huffing) away vigorously and trying to make some progress. When I allow my saw to roll over slightly, things start heading south in a rapid fashion. Looks like you get to practice fixing up joinery gaps :). Have you noticed that the 7th Gate of Hell has been opening up a little wider lately? It is in SW Austin anyway. Thanks for sharing.

[Jim Koepke]

Erich, Looks good so far.

Your bench looks to be the same as mine. Here are links for things to help make the bench much more useable.

First is a weight under the tail vise > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?119667

A couple of 3/4" holes were drilled in the apron for holdfasts. Use them lightly as a hard hit with the mallet can cause the holdfast to split the apron wood. DAMHIKT! The holes can also be used with dogs and a squeeze clamp.

The other bench accessory that has been a great help is an anti-rack-spacer-stack > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?183743

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This has had a few changes since this was posted. All the leaves are original but some have had the top shoulders rounded to make it collapse quicker for storage.

There are a lot of 'standard' size spacers stored under my bench. Often a piece of scrap from the lumber being worked is saved for this task.

Here it is shown being used to prevent the vise from over squeezing some thin stock:

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A spacer stack is useful for more than just regulating a vise prone to racking.

It can also be used when setting the fence on a plow plane.

jtk

[Erich Weidner]

I find that I can keep my saw square to the cut (90 deg) in the horizontal plane without too much effort, but can get off square in the vertical plane when I am working (huffing) away vigorously and trying to make some progress. When I allow my saw to roll over slightly, things start heading south in a rapid fashion. Looks like you get to practice fixing up joinery gaps :).

Yes looks like I do. I guess since part of the point of a tool chest is to keep dust, critters, and moisture out; I need to do something. I was actually contemplating epoxy... but that may spoil some of the old school purity of the project. But I guess if I apply it by hand I'm still sticking to my hand tool project vow. :) Otherwise... how to fix? Trying to cut exact sized banana shaped wedges doesn't sound fun. (I used liquid hide glue)


Have you noticed that the 7th Gate of Hell has been opening up a little wider lately? It is in SW Austin anyway. Thanks for sharing.
Yes indeed! I'm up in the Round Rock area. I smoked a small brisket and ribs yesterday (as per usual the brisket took 3 hours longer than planned, but I digress), it was stupid hot and the stick burner needs attention every 20-30 minutes during the smoke so I was outside most of 2PM to 7PM. Got sunburned and a bit dehydrated, but many beers later I was tip top again (well, except for the hangover today).

[Erich Weidner]

Erich, Looks good so far.

Your bench looks to be the same as mine. Here are links for things to help make the bench much more useable.
First is a weight under the tail vise...

That is definitely a problem with this bench (and I have come to hate the bench quite a bit...).
My original solution was to bolt it to an full sheet of plywood so my body weight kept it in place. That worked decent, but I kept tripping on the plywood sheet and when I moved my tools from the spare bedroom to the garage I ditched the plywood. Right now I have a bunch of clamps, bench hooks, and offcuts underneath on the shelf. For the most part it doesn't move except in heavier planing. I am definitely going to build a bench this year, but first have to get my skills up a bit.


...The other bench accessory that has been a great help is an anti-rack-spacer-stack...
A spacer stack is useful for more than just regulating a vise prone to racking.
It can also be used when setting the fence on a plow plane.


I've so far just been using offcuts/scrap. That has worked for the most part. I like your solution, and the fence setting idea is great. I'd never have thought of that. ;)

[David Eisenhauer]

Joinery gaps equal thin ended wedges that get pushed into (with a little glue smeared) the gaps and then cut/chiseled/planed flush with the drawer side after the glue dries. Just pick up a small cut-off of the project (small, thin block) that is the same width (or cut it to make it the same) of the gap and push/hold one end of the block against one of your bench hook fences. Use a chisel to pare away at the end pushed against the fence to create a wedge shape thin enough to enter into the gap, then tap it home. On a dovetail gap, it will result in an end grain repair wedge going into an end grain gap - no show! From here, it looks like the big one on the left is really the only one that would be a candidate for repair as the others are small-small gaps that could be filled with a glue/sawdust paste if you really want to exorcise some anality.

[Erich Weidner]

Not much progress today. But definitely learned some lessons about drilling pilot holes for forged nails... had two of the boards split a teeny bit. (I caught it as it was starting, pulled out the nail and widened the pilot holes.
Then back to the test board. I was able to get away with a step smaller bit on the test board, but it split on the actual piece. (Test board was an off cut of one of the panels). I was not having a clear thinking day and messed up layout lines for nails, then almost nailed into the dovetail... so I have several gratuitous nail pilot holes.

At any rate the back is nailed in place except for three more across the bottom.
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[Erich Weidner]

Tonight went better. I was more on the ball for sure.

Some discrepancies between (what I thought I heard on) the video, the 2013 PWW article and the sketchup drawings left me a bit confused as to exactly what width the front panel should be... So I just went for making it flush with the bottom of the shelf. That meant my nails are too close to the beading on the bottom edge of that panel. It looks like the sketchup drawing has the bottom of the shelf 10-1/2" from the bottom. I thought I heard 10" on the video and that's what I did. So the 7-1/2" wide shelf doesn't hang down. Hopefully not a big deal. I think I like the look of the shelf being flush with the front panel. But I'll probably have to modify the dimensions of the tip out front panel.

Also I managed to drive a big splinter into the exact place I sliced my pinky on the plane edge yesterday. Fortunately the big ones are easier to remove. But... "ow".

Beveling the front panel to the 30° angle with the jack plane was surprisingly easy (8" camber). I really think I'm going to like moving to a cambered jointer when I get around to resharpening it.

My ripping continues to be substandard. I can't yet figure out why my angle tends to shift off of 90° and to more of a 100° angle somewhere halfway and 2/3rds through the board. It then also tends to dive back into and across my cut line (waste being on the right of the cut). When ripping the bottom lip I caught this just as it was turning catastrophic. Flipped the board end for end and finished the cut from the other side. Saved it with just a little bit of bad area where the saw went too far. I oriented this to be facing the floor so I didn't bother cutting a new one.

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I ran out of wide boards tonight. I'm short by the Lid and the Drop-front panel. Trip to the lumberyard tomorrow. :)

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[Phil Mueller]

Looking good Erich! Long rip cuts can certainly be challenging. I’m still working on perfecting it myself. We have to keep in mind that as hobbyists, we aren’t ripping boards all day long to get the muscle memory.

I tend to get less than 90* as well, and it’s usually just because my arm has turned to the left (I’m left handed). I’ve gotten to where I know that the first knuckle on my thumb needs to be pointing straight up...if it shifts some, I’m off square. Kind of a silly crutch, but helps me. It also helps to look down both sides of the saw and especially important to start the cut square and keep it that way. I tend to start using more of the heel area of the saw to use the wider plate to hold the angle.

As far as moving off the line, most of your cut is pretty straight, so I’d say the saw is set up properly. Could just be loss of concentration, not letting the saw track itself, or some other technique issue. I find I move myself or the board frequently to keep my distance from the cut (and body/arm angles) consistent. I also probably drop the saw handle lower than normally advised to keep more of the saw plate in the cut line. With a well set up saw and good body mechanics you should be able to rip straight with your eyes closed. Believe it or not, I’ve tried that with scraps and it works surprisingly well. Not saying I do it for pieces that count, but it’s a nice way to force yourself to let the saw do the work and concentrate on body/arm mechanics.

There are far more experienced hand sawers here that will likely chime in as well.

[Mike Allen1010]

Looking good Erich! Long rip cuts can certainly be challenging. I’m still working on perfecting it myself. We have to keep in mind that as hobbyists, we aren’t ripping boards all day long to get the muscle memory.

With a well set up saw and good body mechanics you should be able to rip straight with your eyes closed. Believe it or not, I’ve tried that with scraps and it works surprisingly well. Not saying I do it for pieces that count, but it’s a nice way to force yourself to let the saw do the work and concentrate on body/arm mechanics.

.

+1 to Phil's comments. A big part of getting straight rip cuts is the fundamental set up:

1) saw bench knee-high so you can get your upper body over the layout line.

2) Good light so you can see the layout line.

3) Work clamped securely to the saw bench. For me, trying to keep the work piece still with just your body weight is recipe for disaster. Another argument for fairly heavy saw bench that will not move around under heavy work.

4) When starting your cut, use a square on the work piece to give you a visual reference of 90°.

5) For right-hander: with your upper body over the work piece, saw plate at 90° per square reference, align your right eye with saw plate and layout line. When starting your cut, use your left thumb to align saw plate with layout line, hold tooth line at a relatively low angle to the work piece, with no downward pressure to get the saw started exactly on the line. As you get cut established, you can raise the handle to a more comfortable/efficient 45° angle relative to the work piece.

6) As you progress with the cut, try maintain the fundamental body geometry you established at the start, particularly the right eye/saw plate/layout line alignment. Try and keep your right elbow fairly close to your side. The stroke is basically a tricep extension. Phil is right, well tuned saw should track dead straight – you shouldn't have to "steer" it. In fact, if you can "steer" your saw fairly easily off the layout line, you probably have more set in the teeth than you need.

Just my thoughts,YMMV!

Nice work Erich – don't give up you can definitely do it with a little more practice!

All the best, Mike

[Phil Mueller]

Funny, I just ripped two cuts in a 37” board and split the pencil line with one hiccup leaving a full pencil line in one spot. Of course, I was using a Mike Allen tuned Disston. Yes, a well tuned saw is a joy to use.

[David Eisenhauer]

Given that the saw is set up so that it is not pre disposed to cut to one side or the other, I've always felt that: if you start the cut on/next to the line - keep the saw plate vertical - and keep the saw rotated at 90 deg to the material - then the cut will follow the line. I typically don't watch my lines when cutting tenons or dovetails without any issue and get offline when making long rip dimensioning cuts when I start "driving" or "pushing" the saw to hurry the cut instead of letting it set the pace. When I "drive" the saw, I tend to overpower with my right hand (I am right handed) and roll the saw slightly off dead solid vertical. It is the same when a person is shooting handguns - if you grip the gun too hard, a right hander will push the shots to the left and maybe down some as well. Phil or someone above mentioned that we don't typically do that much rip sawing for dimensioning and don't develop or maybe retain the muscle memory as well as we need for continuous good performance. I agree with that - muscle memory is a key point of many physical activities. You're getting there and I don't think the bench is really out of reach or not that far away at any rate.

[Erich Weidner]

When I "drive" the saw, I tend to overpower with my right hand (I am right handed) and roll the saw slightly off dead solid vertical. It is the same when a person is shooting handguns - if you grip the gun too hard, a right hander will push the shots to the left and maybe down some as well.

This may be where I'm going wrong. The wandering only happens after I've started more vertical power strokes (the saw takes a new life and starts really ripping through the material... pun intended). Somewhere after that as I'm gazing down at the majesty of that saw sailing through the rip cut... things go awry.

By the time I got home from 2nd job today, I didn't have the motivation to go out and work. But I'm enjoying a beer and reading the forum, so still fun.

[Erich Weidner]

Tried following Mike's advice. Still not out of the woods yet...

Started off OK...
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But now I've crossed the line from waste side to keeper side...
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I've wandered off of 90 degrees again...
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[Erich Weidner]

About 9 hours in the shop today. Somehow between obsessing, watching and rewatching a portion of the tool chest build video, all I managed to get done today was to cut another bead detail on the bottom lip and build and fit the fall out front panel.
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My 1/4 thick sliding "lock bar" was fine until I decided to use a brace and 1" auger to make a finger hole. I didn't think to drill a pilot hole for the auger screw and it promptly split the board about 5 inches down. :(
Not a complete disaster as I made a big pilot hole clamped the board to keep it from splitting further and finished the auger. Some CA glue in the split and clamping seems to have remedied the split. Now I know I have to learn more about when to make pilot holes for auger bits. I wonder if you always need to in hardwoods?

I cut two boards to rough length/width to glue up for the lid. Will flatten those boards and glue them up tomorrow.

[Erich Weidner]

Today was for the lid. Couldn't find any pine earlier in the week at the lumberyard of the requisite 16ish inches in width, so I had to glue up from a 1x12"; so cross cut, rip, flatten.
Flattening the big board went fine. The second was a failure. I don't know what I did, but somehow the board although flat transversely in the long direction I had either a bow or I somehow reduced the left side of the board too much. By the time I got it flat I'd eaten off the better part of 1/4"

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... Since I had purchased "just enough" 1x12" I was able to use the offcut as the second board. However, again the saw wandered and I ended up 1/4" not wide enough. So will have less of an overhang than the plans call for, but I think I can live with it. Will see how the panel glue-up went tomorrow when I remove the clamps.

I cut two rot strips/feet for the toolbox out of white oak scrap. Granted these are short rips (12") but there were dead on the cut line. Saw did angle out of 90 degrees again, but not by much.
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I'm reminded when I ordered the saws the seller/sharpener filed them for hardwood work which is what I specified. Never thought I'd be doing so much with pine. :)
Also when ripping the pine today the saw plate bound up and I had to use a wedge to complete the cuts. Maybe I need to get another rip saw setup for softwoods?

I fitted the hinges to the case. Not sure I did it right. But I followed the video along all the way. (They even look like the same hinges from the video).
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[Jim Matthews]

Now I know I have to learn more about when to make pilot holes for auger bits. I wonder if you always need to in hardwoods?



Pine in North America is fast growing, with broad growth rings. It will "rive" along the junction between early and late growth, with the grain. If clamp a sacrificial backing board (preferably stable plywood) to the workpiece it will have more support and the auger screw will have something to pull the bit through to finish.

I was taught to flip the board over after the screw penetrates the workpiece, but now I do so only if both faces will show.

When tired, I tend to lean on the brace and force the bit through - this leads to splitting and "blow out".

[Erich Weidner]

Had fits with getting the lid/hinges positioned correctly. There must be a "proper way" to know where to position it for strap hinges that doesn't involve a dozen holes that seem to be in the right place until you close the lid.

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Up next: Painting the exterior and then the internal storage bins, etc. I can already see I should have built a bigger chest.

I still have my eye on the English tool chest, but:
A) Wanted to try a simpler project first, and to see if I like using a chest.
B) I had this idea I could put some angle brackets on the wall and set it on to make the chest into a sort of hybrid wall cabinet (that I can move around if I need to.d)

[Erich Weidner]

I almost forgot, After my glue up for the lid, I had little material to spare, and given my poor performance ripping on these pine boards, I pulled out a tool I'd not used in many years (and apparently didn't oil well either, ad it has some rust on it). My first LN purchase, this was a scrub plane. Before I knew about cambered jack planes, this was what I tried to use. It was generally too aggressive for face work. But for reducing the edge of the board today, it worked great.

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[Phil Mueller]

Looking good Erich! Every little “issue” becomes a lesson tucked away. Nothing wrong with that at all. When I first started out with handsaws, I would cut a 1/4” away from the line. Eventually, it got to where it was pretty accurate and then needed more time to plane it down to the line. Leave yourself some more wiggle room for now. As you’ve experienced, planning to the line is easy and enjoyable.

[David Eisenhauer]

Nice plane Erich. And the only guys that saw directly/perfectly/accurately/exactly/dead-on to the line are those internet wworking gurus and Mike Allen. The rest of us plane to it and you have a nice scrub plane to get there with. You may gravitate towards a smoother one day, or not. Your call. Tool chest is looking good and you better put some beef into the wall brackets if you are going to store it on a shelf. Shelf storage would save the back and be handier in general, just needs some beef to hold the weight. I'd make the angle brackets out of some 3/4" ply? solid wood? (not those el cheapo thin metal gizmos they sell at the borg) and plenty of them under the shelf.

[Erich Weidner]

Shelf storage would save the back and be handier in general, just needs some beef to hold the weight. I'd make the angle brackets out of some 3/4" ply? solid wood? (not those el cheapo thin metal gizmos they sell at the borg) and plenty of them under the shelf.

I've actually got 6 or 8 heavy duty metal brackets which I used to use to store my extra boards when I was getting started and using a spare bedroom as a workshop. As long as I can located them into studs, they should do nicely. (Not look so nice perhaps, but it's not like my shop (garage) looks rustic anyway.

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PS. I got these from Lee Valley. Just looked them up, supposed to be up to 1000 lbs for a pair of them. :)

[Erich Weidner]

After obsessing for a few hours over my paint sample boards, I went with the spousal choice. I was leaning towards grey myself, but I think this was a more "fun" choice.
1st coat done today. 2nd coat hopefully tomorrow.

436922...which one? Choices, choices.

436923 436924 436925...that's the color!

[David Eisenhauer]

Jeez Erich, even your paint sample board is better organized than my samples. This thing has rounded third and will be soon sliding across home plate. Please include a photo of it filled with tools when it is complete.

[Erich Weidner]

I guess another option would be to build a cabinet for the chest to sit on top of. I guess that would also gain me more tool storage space for less frequently used tools. I already feel like I should have built the bigger version of the chest.
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/dutch-campaign-tool-chest/

Decisions, decisions. But I can put the brackets on the wall in no time, and I want to build some other stuff before making more tool accessories.

[David Eisenhauer]

Not a bad idea. Put it on the wall for now, build some stuff, buy some more/different tools, see what tools you tend to use more and what you like to be easy to grab and what can go into "deeper storage", then down the road - build the lower cabinet if it moves itself to the top of the list.

[David Bassett]

I guess another option would be to build a cabinet for the chest to sit on top of. I guess that would also gain me more tool storage space for less frequently used tools. I already feel like I should have built the bigger version of the chest.
https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/dutch-campaign-tool-chest/

Decisions, decisions. But I can put the brackets on the wall in no time, and I want to build some other stuff before making more tool accessories.

Saw one guy (blog? instagram?) who build a DTC that was completely modular. Each compartment was separate with it's own set of handles. His reasoning? He felt even the small version would be too heavy to carry comfortably for distances especially with stairs. (He also sized it so it was no wider than could comfortably be carried through a standard interior door width.

What's my point? I'm not sure, I guess that the form is flexible enough everyone should tweak it to their own needs. (And if you need bigger to hold everything maybe you should consider the ATC.)

[Erich Weidner]

Second coat of paint today. Then after that had two hours to dry, I attemped putting it all together. For some reasonk the left side of the fall front wouldn't close without force. I was about to plane away a 16th or so from the top when I asked the wife to look at it. (As usual, she figured out in short order how to fix it). Turns out the fall front was a bit thinner in thickness than the bottom lip. Somehow the geometry was causing binding when trying to install the fall front.

A washer on the bottom screw of the left batton between the batton and fall front fixed it. I guess the problem with S4S from the lumberyard is that you still have to fix it and some parts end up thinner than others.

437041Time to attach the handles. Needed to first cut the bolts to a less protruding size.

437042 Not super happy with how this looks on the inside; Maybe some brown paint?

437043 Handle installed.

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Now... all this stuff to try to fit. (I should have built this chest bigger I think.)

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[Tony Wilkins]

Looking great!

[David Eisenhauer]

Nice result Erich. Of course you should have built it bigger, but that rule always holds I believe and you have to cut it off somewhere. And I like the color/paint look combined with the black hardware. Looking at the finished product, I do see what you mean about perhaps a cabinet below this chest one day. Wheels underneath it for easy move around? Thanks for sharing the journey.

[Erich Weidner]

437189 Not as much room as I'd like. I was hoping to get my #6 in here as well, but if I'm going to do a backsaw till, there will only be enough room for two rows of planes. Row 1: #8, Row 2: #4 & #5.

437190 437191 Making the holes for the tool rack. These are 1/2" holes, bit & brace did fine without a pilot hole.

On some scrap, I tried various combinations of no pilot, 3/16" - 1/4" pilot holes. In the case of no pilot and 3/16 the auger screw spilts the wood (I'm so glad I tested on scrap first). With the 1/4" pilot the screw doesn't bite enough to pull the auger in. It stops cutting after about a quarter inch.
I need to make a few bigger holes for some tools... I may just have to use a multi-spur bit.

[Erich Weidner]

Now to get the interior fit out figured out.

So my panel saws, though both 22" in length (turns out this is the plate length), one doesn't have a hope of fitting in a lid saw till. Different model Disston saw. Due to where the handle/plate are attached... different overall length. Dumb on me for not measuring them both before the build.
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Also, if I put two rows of tool racks to get my chisels and misc. in... not enough room for the planes and a back saw till. I keep having to remind myself that unlike Mr. Schwarz I'm not building a travelling tool chest for jobsite/road show work. This is just to get my shop more organized and my tools more accessible. So I guess I need to focus on the chisels/misc. and planes.
I can still do the panel saws on the lid if I want to put a saw till there.

437281... The goal: Get rid of these wire shelves to make way for a new bench, and to be able to get to all my tools easily.

437282 The sizing template for stuff that doesn't fit in 1/2" holes. (Since this isn't part of my project, I cheated and used a cordless drill and multi-spur bits... the auger kept splitting the wood).

437283 Tool Chest Tetris, Act I.

437284 All the other guys that wouldn't fit into the main box... The Island of Misfit Planes? :)

437285 These guys I can't even reach due to the dust collector, air compressor, and table saw. Who knows where I'll put them. (The Kunz rabbet plane may just get donated... now that I have a Veritas Skew Rabbet).

437286 The Tool rack Mk. I. There is enough room for a second offset row of holes... Or I can just cut it shorter to make more space in the chest... don't know which yet.

437287 The Tool Rack Mk. II in its formative stage. This will have a single row of holes, but sized at 3/4" and 7/8" for my pig-sticker/English mortise chisels.

[Erich Weidner]

Lots of fiddling with these racks. I'm glad I followed the advice of another on the web about making some scrap wood pillars to test out the height of the tool trays.
I had to make 3 height adjustments before I was able to get the lid to close. :)
What started out as a tiered arrangement ended up flush after finally getting the lid to close.
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Also, in hindsight I initially just drilled the author recommended 1/2" holes for the tool rack. But my tools don't fit well in them. Many need a 3/4" hole to seat well.
At this point, I'm fitting each tool to its place and the hole or slot is dictated by the tool. Very time consuming. But it'll be a better result in the end.

437430 I was puzzled as to how I was going to cut out the slots for the combination square blades to fit in as none of my hand saws had a wide enough kerf. Then my brain came back online and I realized this is just a thin mortise. (Previously I'd have tried to somehow do it with a circular saw or the tablesaw... not likely a safe operation either way).
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[Jim Koepke]

[edited]
437042 Not super happy with how this looks on the inside; Maybe some brown paint?


You might try acorn nuts:

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These should be available at any hardware store or Big Box Store. You might have to cut some length off of the bolts.

jtk

[Erich Weidner]

More fiddling... The combination squares (12") wouldn't both fit without wedging. Had to pull the racks back out to widen the mortises for them three times before I got them with enough slop to fit once the rack was screwed in place.

Also, I solved my issue with the exposed steel nuts by fitting a cover (nailed in place) with a slot to hold more stuff. Given the minimal clearance between the case sides and the Jointer plane this might affect the ultimate plane layout. (Thanks for the acorn nut suggestion Jim, but I think this will mean I can safely ding the plane on the block of wood). I used a forestner-ish bit to cut out the hole for the nut/bolt to be hidden in.
This I did on the drill press.

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I already am really liking just being able to grab a plane out of the box and use it, vs. the old way (reach across my bench to the wall shelf, fish it out of the plane sack, toss the plane sack back on the shelf.)
Only thing is I'm so used to the old places where the tools where (which were in 3 places in the shop) I am still automatically walking over to the Craftsman tool chest for example (which is on the other side of the garage) before I remember that tool isn't there anymore. :)

Next is plane Tetris and some dividers. Then to decide If I'm going to try to mount my backsaws to the lid, or just plan on building a saw till on the wall... I kind of like all the saws to be together.


PS The 1" and 3/4" bit and brace kept splitting the test boards, if I got the pilot hole big enough to prevent the split, the lead screw would stop advancing about 1/3 into the hole. I ended up using the cordless drill with multi-spur bit for them.
I guess I've lost the hand tool purity of the project. I'm now only 99.5% neander on this one. Oh the shame!

PPS I know it doesn't really matter if I used a few power tools, but forcing myself to use hand tools for every operation definitely pushed skill development and forced me to think about the approach to solving problems.
I know if I was just doing a power/hand mix, I'd probably have missed out on the hand sawing skill development. I was so predisposed to view hand sawing (especially ripping) as supremely painful to do by hand, that I doubt I'd have done more than one or two then given up and went back to the tablesaw. As it is, I did easily three dozen rips if not 50. First time ripping on the tablesaw, looks as good as the 1,000th. 1st time ripping by hand was horrid. Number 30 is multitudes better.
I still am not good at ripping, but I'm discovering that it really doesn't take that much time to do. I think I want some more rip saws. Especially one setup for pine.

[Erich Weidner]

I got the internal dividers put in today. (Nailing inside the case was not easy).
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I loaded up all but my hinge mortise and shooting plane into the lower compartment (all in plane socks), they are just stacked up in there. (No photo)
But this did allow me to dismantle most of the Elfa wire shelving I had on that wall, which is one of the goals of this project. Now the bench can get closer to the wall, and I can continue to carve out space in the shop (garage) for the big 8' bench I want to build.

Now, I need to start craigslisting/ebaying all the stuff I no longer want.