Opinions for tool cabinet woods

[Adam Cruea]

Soliciting opinions here for a tool cabinet.

I seem to have a small plane problem. Until I build a tool cabinet, SWMBO has put the kibosh on buying any more planes.

As some of you know, I built a bench out of hickory. Yay, right? Let's just say it's satisfied my desire to work with hickory on a large scale for a long, long time, so I'm looking for suggestions to build a tool cabinet to hold my planes, saws, rules, and other hand tools. I think I'd like to make it out of birch, beech, or maple, buuuuuuut. . .I'd like opinions on those who have worked with them for the stability, how they were finished, etc. I don't really want to use Borg pine because, well, I want experience working hardwoods.

I started to make this thing from hickory, but after planing a 5 foot long piece that was 2 inches wide, forget it. It's overly hard for a cabinet, stringy, and a pain in the lily white buttocks to work with. So, from the 3 previous selections, any suggestions? The cabinet will be going in a basement, so I'd like to keep it a light wood to keep the basement atmosphere light, but at the same time, I like to use any project as a learning experience on how to finish, etc, so *technically*, any wood is open to suggestion.

TIA, y'all.

[David Weaver]

I would make it out of poplar.

If not poplar, common cherry (as in not FAS)

And if not common cherry, soft maple.

What part of the country are you in? If you're working it by hand, none of the above should be too expensive unless you're in the PNW, west or southwest.

Beech is out unless it's quartersawn, and even then, you don't need something with that kind of hardness, it will just be very heavy on the wall. Anything traditionally jointed will be strong enough.

I have never made a legitimate "fancy" tool cabinet, though. Instead, I bought the plastic and metal racks at home depot (type depended on what goes on them). If my wife ever wants them enclosed, I'll literally staple off white curtain material to a piece of plywood that's the same dimensions as the rack surfaces and drape it from the top.

[Adam Cruea]

I'm in MD.

I had actually thought of cherry, but I was afraid of the pink tint it can have. Poplar crossed my mind, but I was unsure if that would be too soft for a large floor-standing cabinet and it might eventually start to sag.

*snerk* My wife would *not* be happy with something like that. Believe me, I've tried. lol

[Tony Wilkins]

I was thinking poplar when I read about the go with so much hickory. Do you need it all to be the same wood? I was thinking of suggesting soft maple for the carcass and any high stress shelves etc and white pine or poplar for any secondary woods or where ultimate strength isn't needed.

[Adam Cruea]

Nah, it doesn't need to be all the same. My stuff in my workshop is the "mad alchemist experiment" area. Everything there is where I learn how to finish, etc, so if it turns out looking like crap, there's no loss. Thus far, most of the things I've done are from hickory, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of it. It's stringy, overly hard, but extremely good for shock-resistant objects (benches/mallets).

[Bill Haumann]

Poplar takes paint very well and works very easily, it's a common secondary wood for drawers and such.
I agree with the posts above on beech, and haven't worked birch very much myself.
As to maple I would definitely suggest soft maple.
Personally, I would rabbet and nail a poplar cabinet together and move on to buying more planes to fill it, but a fillister plane would make quick work of the rabbets, and a dado plane for the shelves, and side rabbet planes to make them wider if need be . . . (oops, sorry!)

[Jim Stewart]

I vote for Poplar as well. It is fun to work. Reasonable cost. It can be beautiful as well. My nephew has a Poplar cabinet that is 1800's and it has a beautiful bronze hue to it.
I can relate to the Plane disease as well. Man that new #607 is really running sweet.

[Chris Griggs]

Poplar would be my choice unless you specifically want something for appearance, or something a little harder just because. In that case I'd go with what others said and use cherry or soft maple. But really, poplar is just so nice and easy to work I'd rather use that. I'm sure its plenty strong enough for a tool cabinet, and like others have said it paints nicely if you choose to go that route.

My stuff in my workshop is the "mad alchemist experiment" area. Everything there is where I learn how to finish, etc, so if it turns out looking like crap, there's no loss.

I believe you described my living room....ugly stained pine end table (my 1st project), big sorta ugly red oak coffee table (my 2nd ever project), and then several other nicer but in no way matching things...curly maple cabinet...painted pine bookshelf..etc... I've decided from here on out I just need to make everything that will be out and visible in the living area's out of cherry, so there is at least some aspect of the furniture coordinating.

[David Weaver]

If it's going to be a big freestanding cabinet that has to look relatively pretty, but is still shop furniture, I'd build it out of cherry and soft maple, just my opinion. Both of those woods are fairly easy to work as long as they're proper from the mill and take a nice surface finish.

If it didn't have to be that pretty, I'd go poplar, just because you should be able to find good 4/4 poplar for $1.50 a bd foot. Around here, the store price for cherry is $5 a bd foot for ho hum, but you can always find some for a couple of bucks on craigslist (though it sometimes is not in quantities that you want).

Anything that would cause sagging in poplar could be designed out or built out.

[Gordon Eyre]

Alder is a decent looking wood and is easy to work with. Either that or poplar would be my choice for a cabinet in my shop.

[Stew Hagerty]

Just my 2 cents... I like Butternut. It's relatively soft which makes it easy to work. It's also reasonably stable which is always a good thing. And it can be very beautiful when finished.

[Frank Drew]

Adam,

Of the three woods you mentioned, and depending on availability, I would go with birch for both appearance and workability. Sugar (hard) maple is very attractive but a bit harder to work. I am not a big fan of poplar except as a secondary wood or painted.

[Steve Voigt]

Adam,
Your wife has ordered you to build a tool cabinet!?! You're a lucky man…
Do you have any small sawmills in your area? If so, I suggest you take a drive, and see what's plentiful, cheap, and good-looking, before you settle on a species. I'm planning a tool cabinet build myself, and recently picked up some great-looking EWP, 11 1/2 wide by a full inch thick, for less than a buck a board foot. The only problem is that this material has not yet spontaneously formed itself into a tool cabinet, but is just lying passively on a shelf. Very disappointing.

-Steve

[Adam Cruea]

Well, looks like it'll probably be poplar, as I can get that (4/4) at 2.20/bf. Everything else is at least $4/bf, but at least with poplar, I can get a carcass made and then go from there.

Thanks for the suggestions, y'all!

[john davey]

Adam, I am in MD as well. Cherry up the road a bit in PA is dirt cheap. Check CL for adds. Like mentioned earlier it does not have to be FAS. I purchased a truckload of the stuff for around .75 a BF a few years back. About 75 minutes drive each way (I am in College Park). All boards were air dried on the guys land and were all 6' long and various widths from 3 to 9 inches. All slightly over 1 inch in thickness. I am still working on that pile and it stands nicely in the corner of my shop in the basement of the house. meaning I did not need a lot of space to store it....John