Tool Chest - Wood Selection

[Khendon]

Hi all,

Now that I have my bench and some completed small projects behind me I want to make myself a tool chest to store my nice tools in at the back of the garage.

My problem is wood selection. According to the internet pine is the thing, cheap and lightweight and strong.

Most chest seems to be 3/4" thick, but quite wide and deep so I assume I'll be having to edge joint a fair number of boards to do the casework.

My problem is, all the 3/4" pine I have bought and used (joinery grade scandinavian redwood) seems to cup an awful lot, even if i sticker it in my garage for a few weeks before I use it.

I don't have a planer/thicknesser so I'll be doing everything by hand.

So should I go pine? If I do is there anything I can do to prevent the cupping or make it less of a problem for edge jointing? Should I buy thicker boards, let them acclimatise and possibly cup, then flatten them by hand and reduce the thickness?

Every chest you see someone else makes all looks dead straight and true so I assume people are compensating for this somehow...

Thanks and Regards

Dave

 

[custard]

Dave, as a rough rule of thumb softwoods warp more during the drying process than hardwoods, but once they're truly dry softwoods tend to be more stable with a smaller movement range than hardwoods. When you look at antiques you see it was common to lay veneer onto a solid wood ground. Sometimes these veneers run cross grain, and when they do the veneers laid on a softwood ground tend to survive with less splitting than the veneers laid cross grain on a hardwood ground.

You should use softwood for your tool chest, but rip it down into slightly narrower pieces to better preserve the thickness when you plane out the cupping.

Good luck!

 

[Khendon]

Thanks Custard!

 

[undergroundhunter]

I made a smaller version than the typical "anarchists/Chris Schwartz" tool chest mine is 32 3/4" x 13 11/16" x 12 3/4 it has two sliding tills and plenty of space in the bottom for saws and planes. The plans are on woodworking masterclasses, you could sign up for a month and get all the plans for all the projects on there. Its made from 9/16" redwood and has been pretty stable. As custard has said softwood is more stable when fully dry, I would let the wood sit stickered for at least a month before you start to use it and it you have to leave the jointed boards don't leave them flat on the bench of they will cup (I learned this the hard way).

Matt

 

[custard]

Incidentally Dave, if you need Oak for drawer runners, tills, skids, or any other bits of hardwoods then drop me a PM, I'm sure there'll be something in the off-cuts bin.

 

[Mike Jordan]

Hi
When you say a tool chest do you mean somthing like this?

 

[Mike Jordan]

The above are my method of hand tool storage. Its based on the joiners sutcase style of toolbox which I originaly had 57 years ago as a apprentice. In those times a joiner would travel to a new place of employment with his tool case standing on his bicycle pedal with a bit of string securing the handle to the crossbar. The box was the full height of the two shown in the pics. As times improved and cars became the norm the box could either be lifted onto the back seats or layed down in the car boot, neither method being very satisfactory. My answer was to make two half height boxes to stand upright in the boot and on top of one another in use as shown.
The ones shown have 15mm thick sides and bottoms with 21mm thick tops (dosnt distort under the weight) Dovetails are used all round and the material is unsorted grade pine.
More details if required.
Mike.
The heavy layer of dust is of course an optional extra!

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Great toolboxes Mike - I've never seen that style of box reduced down in dimensions.

Do they stay put under their own weight or is them some sort of fixing between the two? I'm guessing on weight as the flap and drawer won't provide too much leverage to tip it all over.

What's in the other ones?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I made three similar to them. When the time came they were more of a hindrance than a help (no longer needing them for work) I thought I'd pass them on. I sawed them up for firewood when when I couldn't carboot them for £2 each.

 

[Mike Jordan]

Stan
The boxes remain stable even when the lids are open and the drawers are out, it's probably the weight of all the tools and junk inside. The boxes to the left are my sons tools in similar boxes.
Mike.

 

[Khendon]

Thanks chaps.

I was thinking of making something more permanent. I don't plan on moving my tools around, but a cabinet would take up too much space.

Fairly small chest on the table at the back, sort of like the Mike Pekovich one on Fine Woodworking : http://www.finewoodworking.com/2013/06/ ... tool-chest

I don't have a huge amount of tools so it should be enough for now I think?

Thanks Custard! Much appreciated.

Regards

Dave