building a wooden toolchest

[lowbucktruck]

Looking great! That's some nice work there. Looks like you used red oak for the trim. What type of top are you considering? A butcher-block?

 

[mrholeshot]

Absolutly stunning so far. Those wood boxes get very heavy. This is the fisrt Ive seen of it as I'm normally in the tool section. What are the demensions? I love mine as it keeps the tools dry.

 

[wright]

Very nice! For your pulls, may I make a suggestion? Go to HF and buy the cheapest set of polished wrenches they have, drill two holes and used them as a drawer pull. I kinda did this once before and got a lot of comments about it.

You do nice work. My skills as a wood worker leave a lot to be desired. I only wish I could make something look so nice!

Thank you for the compliment. I had thought of doing something like that and maybe using a rachet and extenssion for the socket drawer and maybe a phillips and flathead for screwdriver drawer. I don't know what to use for some of the drawers that will have things in them that can't be turned int handles.

I made a teardrop trailer last year and used vintage window cranks and door handles for door knobs and drawer pulls.

 

[wright]

I made my wooden roll around mechanics tool bench about 30 years ago. Still have the same Wilton vice on it from then. At 28 x 60 workbench top it sure is nicer to work off of than the single wide tool cabinets Sears, Snapon and every one else was selling when I made mine. They now have two, three, and four drawer wide tool benches but did not at that time. Save the plans you will want another one before long.

Thanks for the compliments. I did not make or use any plans for this chest I am a make it as you go kind of guy. I built the drawers first and designed their size by the free drawer slides I had. The chest itself I built to fit the drawers. I also build a lot of things but I find that once I have built something it is hard for me to get motivated to build the same thing. I hope it is going to be a while before I outgrow this box.

 

[wright]

Looking great! That's some nice work there. Looks like you used red oak for the trim. What type of top are you considering? A butcher-block?

Thanks

the majority of the chest is made of 3/4 plywood. I have a 1/4 in oak plywood on the outside. It is stained "Spring Oak". The trim is red oak stained "American Walnut" as I wanted a two tone effect.

I have a free (One of my old Woodshop Tabletops) maple butcher block top I am going to use on top Only it is not deep enough so I plan on using oak to build it out to size again staining each diffrent for the 2 tone effect.

 

[wright]

Absolutly stunning so far. Those wood boxes get very heavy. This is the fisrt Ive seen of it as I'm normally in the tool section. What are the demensions? I love mine as it keeps the tools dry.

Thanks MRHOLESHOT

I have been wanting to build one for a few years now and was really impressed with your build. I found this site by searching for other people who hade made a wood chest and was very inspired after seeing how great yours turned out. My box is 64 wide 43 tall and 32 deep and very heavy. Got any Idea of what yours turned out to weigh?

 

[wright]

Just finished making the drawer fronts, staining them, and attaching them. Next on the list is the top.

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Looks very nice!

 

[milner351]

Wow - that's cool. I wish I had more time to do things like that. I'd like to make one similar to yours cutting the plywood into drawer fronts all from the same piece so the grain would look continuous across the front.

I love your use of different stain - it looks really nice - what type of knobs / pulls do you plan to use?

 

[Krokodil]

It keeps on looking better and better!

 

[JMartel]

Impressive. I had thought about using some wood that can be salvaged from craigslist via free tables or old flooring to make a bench/box. For a wooden box like that, I would go for wooden handles. The wrenches would look out of place to me. Maybe get the clear bar top coating for it so you can easily wipe it down without it getting stained?

 

[milner351]

epoxyproducts.com sells great epoxy and has specific "bar top" coatings.

 

[AndrewBigA]

very nice! ive always wondered about a wooden tool box.
AWSOME! taking orders lol?

 

[MalibuLX3]

That looks great! Turned out amazing

 

[jmh21586]

I wish I had an once of wood working talent.

 

[mrholeshot]

Thanks MRHOLESHOT

I have been wanting to build one for a few years now and was really impressed with your build. I found this site by searching for other people who hade made a wood chest and was very inspired after seeing how great yours turned out. My box is 64 wide 43 tall and 32 deep and very heavy. Got any Idea of what yours turned out to weigh?

Just a guess and say mine weighs about 800-1000 pounds empty. Took about 15 sheets of 3/4 Plywood. Not much scrap left over. Every part of the structure is double or triple thick plywood. It has no actual framework and every drawer bottom is 3/4 inch Plywood

 

[mrholeshot]

Just finished making the drawer fronts, staining them, and attaching them. Next on the list is the top.

Just absolutly beautiful!!! love the staggered grain on the drawer front. What kind of drawer pulls do you plan to use? I've been thinking about cutting the top compartment off mine and putting a butcher block top on it. Again, looks stunning!!

 

[redneckprofessor]

Gotta say, that's some very nice work. I saw this thread and remembered that I had a woodworking magazine that had some plans for a nice wooden tool chest. Can't seem to find it. Definitely want one for my micrometers and dial gauges, and maybe my woodworking tools like planers and files.

 

[wright]

Just absolutly beautiful!!! love the staggered grain on the drawer front. What kind of drawer pulls do you plan to use? I've been thinking about cutting the top compartment off mine and putting a butcher block top on it. Again, looks stunning!!

Thanks I wanted the drawers to stand out. I know many people like to use plywood and make all the grain align, but I wanted to be able to see the drawers. The drawer fronts are solid oak. After much debate I decided on using satin nickle cup style pulls. The pulls were the most costly part of this project at right under $100 ouch. For the top I am going to use a solid maple butcher block top I have from one of my old woodshop tables (pic below). It is a little to narrow so I am planning on surrounding it with Oak to build it out to size. I will also stick with the 2 tone making the inside maple a light color and the surrounding oak a darker color.

A bucher block top would look great on yours. My current box has a top like yours currently has and it is a nightmare junk catchall.

Thanks again everyone for the nice compliments on this project.

 

[DirtyWhiteBoy]

ooooh, that looks nice!

Now I must say, YOU ****!

I have just about enough 1/4 sawn white oak left over from DR table and chairs to make the drawer fronts <SIGH> another project for the list


gotta go make a materials/parts list and start collecting stuff

 

[Frank The Plumber]

You did a nice job, good looking box, however having built a lot of boxes I see a minor problem that could destroy your box and get you seriously injured. You have used drawer slides that give you a 100% drawer exposure, consider that if you opened the right number of heavy drawers past the fulcrum point that the unit would pitch forward dumping it's contents forcing all of the roller drawer slides open landing forward and then as the drawers made contact with the floor forcing the drawers back, the casters would roll out from under the unit dumping the whole kit and kaboodle on you, like rather fast. There are a couple of things you can do to remedy this, use 3/4 reveal drawer slides so you can't pull the drawers out so far or you can do a build out at the front of the unit that would change the axis that could possibly cause a tilt over. You may also be able to adapt a type of limiting device to keep the drawers from extending out to full reveal. The worst part of this is that when you do open jut the right amount of drawers to tilt it, it is usually coming at you, your instinct will be to grab it to stop it but it will be just too damn heavy and it will wipe you out. There will be damage and carnage. There was on my first rodeo.