Wood cabinets for tool, parts or nuts and bolts or even your socks. please show them

alinc100 · Jun 14, 2020

Picking up this Gerstner 42 tomorrow after work.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 19, 2020

This time tomorrow night, after a 10-hour round trip to meet up with Unaiu at a halfway point between me and him in the middle of Pennsyltucky, I will have something cool to post here. :bounce:

It is a pre-plague long distance CL purchase out of old Wright-Pat that Unaiu picked up for me in exchange for my entire Cornwell collection. It is quite the convoluted trip and exchange, as I will first be meeting Kris S., a long-time GJ lurker, who has a coil of vintage 1" three-strand hemp rope for me and a Cornwell chest for Unaiu, and I will be bringing back east some miscellaneous stuff from Unaiu for Twertsy! :lol:

Username already in use · Jun 19, 2020

10 hours! I’m gonna bring a lot of coffee!
See you soon!

RTM · Jun 19, 2020

Nice n complicated, sounds like Ruckering!

Modern Garage · Jun 20, 2020

Good job you guys for putting this all together. At least SOMEBODY is using the internet for something productive instead of just finding new ways to agitate each other.
Joe

jeffmoss26 · Jun 20, 2020

this store has some fantastic OLD wooden cabinets!!
https://www.google.com/search?q=cha...VFAp0JHb92DuQQ_AUoA3oECBcQBQ&biw=1366&bih=625

Private Lugnutz · Jun 20, 2020

Here's what my half of the exchange fuss was about today.

I waited 3 months to see this thing in person and I was not disappointed! Not everyone's cuppa, but the wood and the stenciling were instant catnip for me. I can't wait to wake up early tomorrow morning and get to work on it. I think the lettering will pop more when I clean it up, and may reveal some under the grime. Drawer 4 reads, 'TOOL' (something illegible), Drawer 5 'SOLDERING OUTFIT'. Drawer 6 'BITS TAPS DIES'. Drawer 7 'HAND TOOLS'. Drawer 8 'HAND TOOLS'. I couldn't tell when I bought it, but the pulls are shaped metal. Stout. 2-man lift.

rlitman · Jun 20, 2020

Lugs, that’s got great bones! I really want to see it cleaned up.

Username already in use · Jun 20, 2020

I’m sure it ended up in the right hands. I too can’t wait to see it all dolled up!
Thanks for all the Cornwell goodies!!!

tombell572 · Jun 20, 2020

What a great and unusual cabinet, Lugz! I'm a big fan of "shop furniture" and have never seen one like it. I can get a rough idea of scale from the pictures but could you give some rough dimensions?

Tom B.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

tombell572 said:
What a great and unusual cabinet, Lugz! I'm a big fan of "shop furniture" and have never seen one like it. I can get a rough idea of scale from the pictures but could you give some rough dimensions?

Thanks, Tom. Me too! It is 33" wide by 33" high by 20" deep.

rlitman said:
Lugs, that’s got great bones! I really want to see it cleaned up.

Username already in use said:
I too can’t wait to see it all dolled up!

Your wish is my command! :bounce:

As you can imagine, it was dirty and also reeked of tobacco, like most antique shop cabinets. I scrubbed it with soap and water using just a soft brush and then I wiped it down with Murphy's, just to see what was under the grime. Typical layers of varnish and paint and who knows what. Lots of scars, of course. But I think I may just leave it as is. I'd have to pussyfoot around the stenciling anyway.

More pics to follow...

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

Here are some construction features. All the drawers are numbered from 1 to 7 with a carpenter's pencil on the bottom.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

I think it may have had a door at one time. That's my hunch on the vertical piece on the left and the two spaces where it loos like hinges were. But I don't see anything that looked like a clasp was affixed on the other side, and I'm not sure how a door would've closed over the pulls. Maybe a lock of some sort, keeping the drawers closed, but I'm not picturing how that would've worked on one side like that either.

Speaking of the pulls. They're pot copper, two pieces, and the nut.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

The drawers are funny. Some strange dividers and such. And one of the drawers has a few tool outlines.

PhantomEB · Jun 21, 2020

Works good but too much sag from the weight in the doors, will be changing it up with bigger 2x8 frame and 3/4” doors, no storage in the doors this time.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

Saving the best for last, here are some shots of the stenciling.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

Drawers 1 through 3 don't appear to have any stenciling left if they ever had any. Drawer 4, with the lone "TOOL" on it, has a three letter word after it that sure as heck looks like "REP" to me. I thought about other possibilities, but I'm stumped. If someone can make better sense out of what it might could be instead of "REP", or what it might mean if it is "REP", I'm all ears.

steaks&anvils · Jun 21, 2020

Private Lugnutz said:
Drawers 1 through 3 don't appear to have any stenciling left if they ever had any. Drawer 4, with the lone "TOOL" on it, has a three letter word after it that sure as heck looks like "REP" to me. I thought about other possibilities, but I'm stumped. If someone can make better sense out of what it might could be instead of "REP", or what it might mean if it is "REP", I'm all ears.

Maybe short for "tool repair"?

Maybe try a black light? might show old paint?

Is this the drawer with the tool outlines?

Does it look like the wood for this cabinet was recycled? Lots of nail holes on the inside of the drawers. Could it be you have part of a bigger/taller cabinet that was cut down?

Our forefathers sure were thrift huh?

For the "door" maybe it was framed wire screen\punched tin? Like a pie safe. And there was a cabinet next to it that also had a door that matched up to lock them together? Like a counter display, just enough security to keep easy fingers out but not hinder the sales clerk. The wood for the door hinges looks added at a later date.

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

Yes, it is the drawer with the two squares and the handle of an unknown tool. Perhaps short for TOOL REPAIR. Strange they'd abbreviate REPAIR but spell out SOLDERING and OUTFIT, though.

jeffmoss26 · Jun 21, 2020

too cool!!

txlonghorn1989 · Jun 21, 2020

Very nice chest Lugz! There may be have recesses in the door for the copper drawer knobs. That piece on the left where the door hinges would have been stands proud of the front but I cannot tell from the pics. Is there any sign on the right side wood that a similar vertical piece was ever on the front right side? Get where I'm going with this? A door could have sat flush between those two vertical pieces. Hinges on the left and a clasp of some kind on the right. You done good Pilgrim!!!

Private Lugnutz · Jun 21, 2020

jeffmoss26 said:
too cool!!

Thanks, MossBoss!

txlonghorn1989 said:
Very nice chest Lugz! There may be have recesses in the door for the copper drawer knobs. That piece on the left where the door hinges would have been stands proud of the front but I cannot tell from the pics. Is there any sign on the right side wood that a similar vertical piece was ever on the front right side? Get where I'm going with this? A door could have sat flush between those two vertical pieces. Hinges on the left and a clasp of some kind on the right. You done good Pilgrim!!!

Thanks, Tex. I like the recesses idea or as steaks&anvils suggested, maybe the whole lid was recessed. But, as I said in post #493, I don't see any signs of a clasp of any kind on the other side. :dunno:

Farmer J. · Jun 21, 2020

That's an interesting old cabinet, nice find! Any guesses on the age or it's originaal home?
Does the font of the stencilling match any of the military stuff you have seen? It's odd how the 'Soldiering kit' stencil is applied crooked, as though it wasn't done with a great deal of care and the stencil was long and the drawer knob got in the way. This makes me think the stenciles were not applied by the original maker.

Private Lugnutz · Jul 4, 2020

Farmer J. said:
Any guesses on the age or it's original home?
Does the font of the stenciling match any of the military stuff you have seen? It's odd how the 'Soldering kit' stencil is applied crooked, as though it wasn't done with a great deal of care and the stencil was long and the drawer knob got in the way. This makes me think the stencils were not applied by the original maker.

The seller had no idea of its provenance, J. Due to the general proximity of it to Wright-Pat AFB, I am tall tale telling that it may have come out of the old Wright Field. I think it is probably 100 years old based on physical features and the stencil font, which is WWI or Interwar, at the latest. That slanted stencil is interesting. I'm not sure it was because of the knob interfering or just a mistake. Also not sure it means it wasn't applied by the chest maker. This may be a one-off not something made commercially.

I'm sorry for not replying earlier, J. - I didn't see this until now.

Farmer J. · Jul 4, 2020

Private Lugnutz said:
The seller had no idea of its provenance, J. Due to the general proximity of it to Wright-Pat AFB, I am tall tale telling that it may have come out of the old Wright Field. I think it is probably 100 years old based on physical features and the stencil font, which is WWI or Interwar, at the latest. That slanted stencil is interesting. I'm not sure it was because of the knob interfering or just a mistake. Also not sure it means it wasn't applied by the chest maker. This may be a one-off not something made commercially.

I'm sorry for not replying earlier, J. - I didn't see this until now.

No worries for for the delay Lugz, these projects take time to mature!
I agree with your estimate of age, it looks around first decades of 20th Century to me. Will keep an eye open for anything similar, which may help with knowledge of yours. It's a nice chest, anyway.

Farmer J. · Jul 4, 2020

Here's an update on my Bachelor's Chest refurb.. somewhat delayed as been busy with other projects recently.
There was originally a strip of moulding around the base, but only a 4" section of the original remains. I have been hoping to obtain a length of new stuff in a similar profile but no luck, even waited 3 months to get in to the local supplier and sort through his old stock! The only obtion for reproducing the original profile seems to be to get an old moulding plane and make one myself, but I'm not up for that just now so to move the project forward (and have somewhere to store my socks) I have used a length of quarter round and stained it. This will serve for now, and can be replaced in future if I get to it. I have used the length of old moulding in it's place, to preserve originality.

Farmer J. · Jul 5, 2020

Managed to get the first coat of bees wax polish on the Bachelor's Chest today, it's come up OK and another coat of wax should do the job. Not too shiny and preserved the 3 centuries of patina.. Time to order up some handles next..
The quarter round beading around the base looks quite out of place despite some dye, the sight of it will encourage me to source something better!

drivesitfar · Jul 6, 2020

Farmer: your cabinet is coming along nicely. do you have to resand and then put on a darker stain or can you just put on the darker stain?

Lug: another good find!!

ALL: i'm getting ready to stain my new cedar fencing as i'm building it and wondered if any of you wood guys have heard of this or used it? i'm also asking on my DIY thread if you'd like to put your answers over there much appreciated.

i've been using Sikkens (now PPG owns them?), but this acrilic on a friend's cedar siding still looks great after 6 years and it seems to stay on after pressure washing off some dirt and stuff too.

thanks

Farmer J. · Jul 6, 2020

Thanks Drives, pleased you like it. The old Oak is already dark enough, I actually stripped off some of the finish so the wood grain would show as it was almost black in places. I'm now using a clear beeswax mixed with turpentine, and applying with OO wire wool, waiting for it to dry then buffing lightly.
Like this:

Doh! I posted the wrong link. Here's the one of Simon explaining the important points of his process. I don't buy his wax but he's very good at it!

Farmer J. · Jul 19, 2020

Finally finished off the repairs to my old wood Bachelor Chest this pm. Fitting the new reproduction 'drop handles' was quite a task, some of the holes were a bit enlarged so needed epoxy filler to help the mountings line up correctly. If they are able to splay apart the handle can just fall out from between it's mountings..
Lubricatd all the drawer slides with wax so they move easily.
Because of the age of it the policy for this project was 'repair where necessary and retain all original material ' rather than a 'rebuild' or 'restoration to new condition'.
It's usable now, and hopefully will serve for a few hundred years more!

drivesitfar · Jul 19, 2020

Farmer J: nice work on your old cabinet and I believe you are correct if it's maintained a bit and kept out of the weather I bet it will be around another 200 years.

for all of you that want to see the cabinet in it's BEFORE status check out post #440.

ALL: Farmer J mentioned that ACRILIC is used quite a bit in his town that is close to the ocean and salt water and wind and i've got others that say SIKKENS (now owned by PPG) is the best for fencing and deck and outdoor wood treatment. any other thoughts please post them on my DIY thread or you can post here if easier cause i'm sure wood treatment is appropriate conversation for this thread too.

Provincial · Jul 19, 2020

Excellent work!

As I get older, I appreciate more the character that age leaves on things.

Sometimes it leaves too much character!

WinMod21 · Jul 22, 2020

A home-made wall hanging cabinet for screws & parts.

I made the mistake of taking 2/3's of the drawers out—when I moved it from an Aunts' house to ours—without marking which hole them came out of; even though they all look the same size...they're not interchangeable.

The drawers don't just fit back into any old hole.

I'll need to have my wife do the translation.

RedVise · Aug 4, 2020

Big question here ! Has anyone ever replaced the leatherette covering on a Gerstner???
I am buying one at a decent price. Web info is the wood used in these boxes is ugly.
Which would leave me wanting to recover it. Dont know if this is a job for an amateur...
So... any body pulled this off sucessfully ?

Here is a pic, you can see what I am dealing with.

Thanks Brian

RTM · Aug 4, 2020

No, but I am queuing up to do it. Bought all the stuff, was fortunate to catch a sale at Gerstner parts, which made it more reasonable. I have read the directions, and a few tutorial video, checked the one Shutterfly site (guy is a member here now). I don’t think I could safely do it alone, so will need lots of space to have two sets of hands available. Here is mine, give you a clue what I am up against.
https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Tools/Leather-Gerstner/i-TpzLBHg

Private Lugnutz · Aug 4, 2020

I know there are a lot of woodworking tool collectors here, and woodworkers, and some of the same group is into antiques. I just watched "The Goldfinch", a movie, based on the Donna Tartt novel, with my daughter. We both read the book. To get to the point, though, one of the main characters has an antique furniture and repair store in New York City. The shop, with a massive workbench and tool rack, surrounded by the pieces being worked on, is featured quite prominently, for the first time around 17 minutes in, and then several times throughout. There's a scene where Hobie, the restorer, is mentoring the main character, just a boy, on how to identify reproductions from the real thing, by feel, that you guys into hand planes and grain would love. The movie is good, too, fairly representative of the book, if you like a quirky, dark, artsy mystery and whydunnit filled with high cultural references emanating from a museum bombing.

MShaw · Aug 4, 2020

"Web info is the wood used in these boxes is ugly."

Don't be too sure. I had this box which I have shown in the vintage toolbox string for years as shown in the first photo. It was heavily filled with wood filler and then had a painted wood grain finish. I stripped and sanded it disclosing several different woods of wildly different colors and grains. It was a homemade box that looked to be made from shop scraps. Staining it dark walnut and varnishing it yielded the other two photos.

RTM · Aug 4, 2020

I think he is referring to the leatherette covered Gerstner chest. While their oak is gorgeous, the other is bland wood, like poplar. Know one guy who did strip one and regretted it, and seen 3 guys post on various forums. Why hide oak under leatherette?

If I get to mine in this lifetime, I will post pix.

MShaw · Aug 5, 2020

Just saying that the existing leatherette is done for and needs to be replaced. Since it will need to be stripped anyway try sanding off all the glue and whatever and give it a coat of dark stain. It may surprise you. If not, it needed to be stripped anyway to cover it again. No loss.

RedVise · Aug 5, 2020

RTM, keep us updated when you tackle that job, Good Luck !

MShaw, yours came out nice, and I will certainly consider trying stain first.

Thanks guys !

Brian

Wood cabinets for tool, parts or nuts and bolts or even your socks. please show them

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