Tool Chest

[Dennis Mills]

Hi Folks,

Part of this email is to show you I do work on something other than hand planes. This is the second tool chest I have built for our oldest son. The first one was too large to fit in his car and I wasn't going to crate and ship it to Pennsylvania.

Outside dimensions are: 35" long, 16 3/4" wide, 16 3/4" high. This one will fit in his car. His tools are clogging my small shop, so this is a priority for me. The interior will be unfinished with a saw till, and at least two trays. It can accommodate a standard 26" handsaw.

Red isn't the final color, he wants a chocolate brown. The red is acting as a primer and will show when some of the brown paint wears off, sort of like a Windsor chair. I still have to make the top - a frame and panel affair with 3 1/2" rails and stiles, with through tenons. The rails and stiles are cut, I just have to make the grooves and joints. The panel is made and just needs to be cut down to fit and grooved.

I have brass hardware - hinges and a half mortise lock. Don't know if I will have it finished in time for the meeting.

Dennis

[Dennis Mills]

Hi Folks,

Here is a follow up to the first email. I mentioned the stiles and rails for the top needed to be grooved to accept the panel. I completed that a moment ago and made a 30 second video of me plowing a groove with a Stanley 45 combination plane. It doesn't take much time - I had the grain going in a good direction and the cutter was sharp.

Some years ago we had a COW meeting at Terry Furgeson's shop. Chuck Tucker brought a number of tools that he was giving away, the 45 being one of them. Scott Beyer got the 45 and maybe a couple of years later I saw it in his shop during a carving meeting. I asked him if he used it much, and said he hadn't used it all, and would I like to have it. Obviously I said yes. A tail end to this was that later Stephen Baer approached me with a wooden box with original cutters for a 45. He sold them to me for the $10 he paid for them.

I always  think of the generosity of Chuck, Scott, and Stephen every time I pick up the tool. Hats off to them!!

Dennis

PS: If you have an iPhone and can't see the video, please let me know and I will make a copy you can read.