Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: What lies behind drawer #1?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467

    What lies behind drawer #1?

    The underbench cabinet is done ....





    ... and now the drawers are being filled, starting with the centre drawer in the top row.


    There are 10 drawers in all, and the aim is to use the space as efficiently as possible. Into this cabinet will be those tools I want close at hand, and to access readily.





    The centre drawers in the top two rows are for marking tools. The top drawer will be for squares I use all the time.


    Opening the drawer produces a 300mm Starrett combination square, a 150mm Starrett double square, and a Veritas Sliding Square. these are french fitted into a Jarrah panel (more on the french fitting shortly). ...





    Now you know how I like secret drawers - well, if you slide this panel back ...





    ... you find the treasure drawer with a pair of Colen Clenton mitre squares infilled in Sheoak, and pair of Chris Vesper 4" and 7" squares infilled in Tasmanian Blackwood, and a 2x2" Bridge City saddle square ...





    The Jarrah panel for the latter squares is a loose fit, snug at the sides and about 5mm of expansion space at the end. At the right side of the photo are the rails, which were glued to the sides (but not the loose panel)








    Below is the upper panel for the Starretts and Veritas squares. The panel needed to be thin - it is 6mm thick - and cut outs made rather than french fitted. This was to save space by having the tools handing down rather than sticking up.








    The eagle eyed will have noticed that the rear of the drawer was cut away. This was to allow for the upper tray to slide past the drawer back, which takes advantage of the space behind the drawer when it is opened.


    There was a little extra shaping as the body of the Veritas hung down lower than the other squares.





    The upper tray runs on the Jarrah rails attached to the inside of the drawer sides. Finally, there is a rail added above the tray to prevent it tipping as it is slid back. This is in the same Tasmanian Oak as the drawer sides.


    The drawer manages about 90% extension without any support.


    Regards from Perth


    Derek

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,492
    Blog Entries
    1
    Super cool Derek. A fine home for some fine tools.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Interesting build details, thanks for sharing.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    South West Ontario
    Posts
    1,502
    Being able to find things when you want them and not have to be clairvoyant! Interesting concept. My filing system is not as well defined, tool tray, tool box then on with the hat. My workbench shelf is the closest I come to regimented as those tools are pretty much useless anywhere else.
    As a bonus you can easily remind yourself what you have: then again the surprise of discovering something you totally forgot about is rather pleasant!
    ​You can do a lot with very little! You can do a little more with a lot!

  5. #5
    Looks great and looks like it will work well!
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    Houston
    Posts
    241
    You’ve inspired me again. I’ve got a constant stack of cutoffs on the bottom shelf covered with dust and shavings.

    Your drawer pull rings look shinier than the previous posts?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    South Coastal Massachusetts
    Posts
    6,824
    You made drawer inlets out of Jarrah?

    Did you buy a waterjet without telling us?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Fairbanks AK
    Posts
    1,566
    This is an impressive thing. I got my layout tools out the other night to look them over. The number of layout tools I own that I think highly enough of to make a frenched drawer for in north american oak or maple is one. The rest of mine can rattle around loose in a drawer or maybe I might hack up some home store plywood.

    My chisels, yes, I can see doing something like this with my chisels, but to take on the whole enchilada I need more experience to know what tools work for me befroe I go nuts making homes for them.

    God bless you Derek, may the road rise up to meet you and the sun always shine and so on.

  9. #9
    Beautiful table ! And those thick tops are seldom warped by autoclave steam ! For the messy chisel cuts I’d cover it with thick plywood.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Matthews View Post
    You made drawer inlets out of Jarrah?

    Did you buy a waterjet without telling us?
    Ha!

    I am using scrap pieces inside the drawers. Expect to see other timbers.

    Waterjet?! This was a time I wished for a CNC machine. Perhaps one of those Shaper Origins would have been nice! I used a router with a 3/16" upcut bit on a straight edge.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Winners View Post
    This is an impressive thing. I got my layout tools out the other night to look them over. The number of layout tools I own that I think highly enough of to make a frenched drawer for in north american oak or maple is one. The rest of mine can rattle around loose in a drawer or maybe I might hack up some home store plywood.

    ...
    Thanks Scott. I am not a tool collector, but have acquired some beautiful tools over the past 30 years. Using them is a rush and inspires my efforts. Many have a story and a sentimental attachment. For example, the large Colen Clenton mitre square was a trade with Colen for a set of marking knives. He wanted the same set I made for Terry Gordon (HNT Gordon planes). Another was a prize in a tool making competition. Chris Vesper is a good friend, and would come to stay with us when the wood show was in Perth. I would spend a weekend demonstrating in his booth, and at the end of the show I would purchase one of his tools in celebration of a fun weekend. That is how I remember his squares.

    After 30 years, with retirement in a few years, and downsizing in mind, it is time to begin rationalising the tools I own, and decide which are the ones I want to keep.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    N CA
    Posts
    1,279
    Do you think you will need or want reliefs for your finger and thumb to get onto a tool to lift it? Beautiful work.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Perth, Australia
    Posts
    9,467
    Jack, there is enough of the side of the square to hold and lift. I did consider relief cuts, but found that they were unnecessary. If the french fitting had been deeper, then it would have been needed.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Lafayette, CA
    Posts
    832
    Derek, you continue to honor the craft with your ingenuity and respect for fine tools. Your most-favored ones are further celebrated by being ensconced under a secret slide. Delicious. You are a treasure in this forum.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •