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WIP - my version of Dr Al’s travel tool chest and workbench

S

SteveMP

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Name
Steve
LOCATION
San Diego
Hello all,

I have family 500 miles away and often travel to help out with projects there or build things for my daughter and grandson etc. In the past couple of years I load up a canvas bag with some hand tools but they get banged up in transit and i sometimes need more tools that will fit in the bag so i have some in paper bags etc. I decided it was time to build a proper tool chest but I also needed a better way to hold my work as i am working on it. It gets dangerous trying to improvise stuff or hold things in my hands while trying to do work (especially with sharp chisels etc) After looking around the internet for a while I stumbled onto Dr Al’s travel tool chest and thought this would be the perfect thing for my needs. I built another chest as practice and to use while this is being built as I am guessing this will take me some time to finish. I have been working on this a few weeks and am currently on around page 26 of Dr Al’s build log here:

I’ll update this thread when i make more progress
 

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Looking great Steve. I'm really pleased you've decided to post a WIP of your build. I know for sure that I'm going to enjoy this - the tool chest is still probably my favourite of all the projects I've done and now I get to experience it all again vicariously!
 
This is what I like about online sharing of what we do - inspiration plus support and encouragement. 🙂
 
Cabinetman said:
Nice one, Dr Al, you could end up being as famous as Roubo if this catches on.
Will follow this with interest Steve. As it’s a wip don’t be shy, we love photos so pls give us the full size ones.
Ian
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Thank you! I didn’t realize i wasn’t posting full size pics. I just clicked attach photo from my phone. I may need to look at settings to see why they aren’t uploading the full size.
 
Dr.Al said:
Looking great Steve. I'm really pleased you've decided to post a WIP of your build. I know for sure that I'm going to enjoy this - the tool chest is still probably my favourite of all the projects I've done and now I get to experience it all again vicariously!
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Thank you! And thanks again for all your help and answering my questions etc!
 
SteveMP said:
Thank you! I didn’t realize i wasn’t posting full size pics. I just clicked attach photo from my phone. I may need to look at settings to see why they aren’t uploading the full size.
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A few seconds after a photo finishes uploading, two buttons appear over the photo, giving you a choice of posting a thumbnail or the full image. Now that most people have a decent web connection, just go for the Full Image option to put an automatically resized picture in your post.
 
AndyT said:
A few seconds after a photo finishes uploading, two buttons appear over the photo, giving you a choice of posting a thumbnail or the full image. Now that most people have a decent web connection, just go for the Full Image option to put an automatically resized picture in your post.
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Ok cool thank you! Let me try it:

Edit : i didn’t see it before because the buttons are cut off on my iphone and just says “Insert…”

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Made a cup of tea and knocked out the holes for the handles before it got too dark (my shop has terrible lighting ) I actually kind of like it like this, feels like a bowling ball lol. IMG_1971.jpegIMG_1970.jpeg
 
I agree with Mike there. My chest is liftable fully loaded but it's definitely in the territory of "think before you lift", so anything you can make thinner will pay dividends later.
 
Mike G said:
Well done Steve. This is a nice start to your project. Careful it doesn't get too heavy, though. Thin down components where you can.

What's the shoulder plane for? I can't see any shoulders.
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Thanks yeah, i am keeping track of the weight and making some changes to the drawers etc.

I was using the shoulder plane to fine tune all the mortise and tenons on the back brace pieces.
 
Dr.Al said:
I agree with Mike there. My chest is liftable fully loaded but it's definitely in the territory of "think before you lift", so anything you can make thinner will pay dividends later.
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Gotcha. Yeah i am actually doing something different for the drawers that should shave some weight off. Also, considering the right side being a removable mini-toolbox instead of more drawers.
 
Snuck into the garage on my lunch break (i work from home) and finished the housing joints for the drawer dividers. Then did a dry fit, had to shave a bit more on the housing joints and then reassembled. This time it all fits.
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Had a sailing lesson last weekend so haven’t had much time to work on this . Finally got a chance today to try cutting the half blind dovetails for the drawers. Have never made these before. First one came out a bit loose but serviceable. Learned from my mistakes and the second one came out a bit better. Now to plan out how to attach the back and bottom panel. I am thinking of using slips. 1 big dovetail and cutting the back to match where the groove is.

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Well done Steve. That's not an easy joint the first few times. All I would offer in the way of advice is to stay away from your (socket) lines for as long as you can, and offer-and-adjust.
 
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Mike G said:
Well done Steve. That's not an easy joint the first few time. All I would offer in the way of advice is to stay away from your (socket) lines for as long as you can, and offer-and-adjust.
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Thank you! Good advice. After w the first one scruffy, i watched a video on Lie Nielsen’s youtube and the guy mentioned to use a shim to pare. So I tried that on the 2nd one and it helped. Video here helped

 
Well, its been too hot in the garage to work the past several days. Only thing i have managed to do is make some drawer slips and glue up the first drawer. I’ll use this to build the other 3 since they will all be the same size.IMG_2011.jpeg
 
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Good progress thus far Steve! This is in absolutely no way a critique of your drawer for the travelling toolcoest, but merely an observation for you to carry forward. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be building other pieces which will have drawers, so I pulled out two from a couple of my projects close by; one from the desk I'm typing at and another a wall hanging unit with three small drawers:

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Drawer sides can be much, much thinner, especially if you use drawer slips. The top drawer has sides in Brown Oak that are 5.5mm thick (with slips) and uses through dovetails. The lower one uses a box construction with the drawer front planted in place and held by about 8 screws, again with drawer slips and the sides here are slightly thicker at 8mm quarter sawn Oak, both with Oak bottoms.

Some ideas for you to consider for future projects - Rob
 
Woodbloke said:
Good progress thus far Steve! This is in absolutely no way a critique of your drawer for the travelling toolcoest, but merely an observation for you to carry forward. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be building other pieces which will have drawers, so I pulled out two from a couple of my projects close by; one from the desk I'm typing at and another a wall hanging unit with three small drawers:



Drawer sides can be much, much thinner, especially if you use drawer slips. The top drawer has sides in Brown Oak that are 5.5mm thick (with slips) and uses through dovetails. The lower one uses a box construction with the drawer front planted in place and held by about 8 screws, again with drawer slips and the sides here are slightly thicker at 8mm quarter sawn Oak, both with Oak bottoms.

Some ideas for you to consider for future projects - Rob
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Hello Rob,

Thanks! Those drawers look fantastic! Yeah all valid points and will keep these in mind going forward. The reason i did these this way are kind of combination of some planned things and some blunders, mixed in with some laziness.

1. I can buy 13mm thick pre-dimensioned s3s cherry at my local lumberyard, so no hand thicknessing. I lack time and this helps move forward
2. I kind of messed up the layout of the dovetails and the joints are in the way of where the groove would go.
3. Tried to do a stopped groove on the front piece and tore out a chunk of the side dovetail and glued it back and stopped while i was ahead.
4. I plan on putting a groove in the outside for the drawers to slide on drawer runners glued to the cabinet. When i did this on my Paul Sellers travel chest the side groove and bottom groove on opposite sides made it seem a little frail. That used 10mm sides.
5. Never done drawer slips before so figured practicing on something like shop furniture would be a good place to start.
6. These drawers are meant to be removed from the chest and used as tool holders on the go so i expect them to take a beating while they are out of the chest laying on the ground etc.

So yeah kind of a mess, but should work ok.
 
Obvious and impressive progress over the 3 joints, and the 3rd is looking pretty sharp - bravo!
 
Big improvement, kudos! I'd suggest that on the shoulder lines you're slightly undercutting them, which may be caused by taking off a final cut which is too great. Ideally, the last cut should see the chisel edge directly on the line and be just the merest slitherino to bring it onto the line and dead square. There are plenty of ways to 'skin a cat' and I've tried most of them but this is the way I now use, taken from the current project thread:

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The depth of the socket to the shoulder line is set by gauge blocks and an adjustable square, which is then used to tap a square block onto the line. The waste is taken off in small increments with the back of the chisel resting on the block for the final cut; this produces a dead square finish on the line; it's easy and it's almost foolproof - Rob
 
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Woodbloke said:
Big improvement, kudos! I'd suggest that on the shoulder lines you're slightly undercutting them, which may be caused by taking off a final cut which is too great. Ideally, the last cut should see the chisel edge directly on the line and be just the merest slitherino to bring it onto the line and dead square - Rob
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thank you, yeah wasn’t sure why on that line. I always have a challenge aligning the pieces while marking. I watched a Matt Estlea video where he cuts a groove at the inside shoulder line, then uses something to hold the back of the tail board lower than thr pin board so that the groove catches and aligns it perfectly. I may try that next.
 
SteveMP said:
thank you, yeah wasn’t sure why on that line. I always have a challenge aligning the pieces while marking. I watched a Matt Estlea video where he cuts a groove at the inside shoulder line, then uses something to hold the back of the tail board lower than thr pin board so that the groove catches and aligns it perfectly. I may try that next.
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As I mentioned, there are plenty of ways to do this. The method you describe is one that Rob Cosman advocates (or something very similar) but in the one I show above, it's virtually impossible to undercut the line, or to cut it 'skewed' as the chisel blade always rests squarely against the right angle block. Worth having a little play in the 'shop on some scrap and you'll see that you always cut a square shoulder line, provided the last cut is very fine and you firmly support the back of the chisel against the block - Rob

Edit - if this method is tried on thick timber (say 15mm+) you need to cut the shoulder line from both sides, but that's something I'd normally do anyway
I've just tried it out on an offcut of Swiss Pear, randomly spaced shovetails not marked out:

IMG_8133.jpeg

One side:

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...and the other. Shoulder lines spot on each side; less than 10 minutes to do - Rob
 
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Woodbloke said:
As I mentioned, there are plenty of ways to do this. The method you describe is one that Rob Cosman advocates (or something very similar) but in the one I show above, it's virtually impossible to undercut the line, or to cut it 'skewed' as the chisel blade always rests squarely against the right angle block. Worth having a little play in the 'shop on some scrap and you'll see that you always cut a square shoulder line, provided the last cut is very fine and you firmly support the back of the chisel against the block - Rob

Edit - if this method is tried on thick timber (say 15mm+) you need to cut the shoulder line from both sides, but that's something I'd normally do anyway
I've just tried it out on an offcut of Swiss Pear, randomly spaced shovetails not marked out:

View attachment 56909

One side:

View attachment 56910

...and the other. Shoulder lines spot on each side; less than 10 minutes to do - Rob
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Thanks, those look perfect! I'll need to figure out a way to clamp down a piece like you showed. I may need to drill another holdfast hole
 
In the spirit of there always being lots of ways to do any job, David Charlesworth had an interesting approach for getting crisp shoulder lines. He would use a knife and square to cut a second shoulder line, half a millimetre or so from the proper one. He'd then do all the chopping out to to the second shoulder line. Finally (and with a fresh chisel), he'd chop to the real shoulder line. The idea is that the last chop is very thin (and hence the chisel doesn't move much) but also equal thickness all the way around, so if the chisel does move at all, it moves the same amount all the way along the shoulder so you still end up with a clean line.
 
Small progress. All drawer parts cut to size and in various stages of putting in bottom grooves and side runner grooves, and dovetails. Decided to make them hang from side runners to save space and allow for taller drawers. One set of runners installed.

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Nice. It looks like you're avoiding having crossbars (I've no idea what they're supposed to be called) across the front in between the drawers. Good choice! The ones on mine get right in the way.
 
Dr.Al said:
Nice. It looks like you're avoiding having crossbars (I've no idea what they're supposed to be called) across the front in between the drawers. Good choice! The ones on mine get right in the way.
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Well, since i wanted a full length top drawer for my saws, I had to have the "crossbar" for that one to hold the divider. And checking some of my tools, they already are nearly as tall as the total drawer space divided by 4 and subtracting the bottom of each drawer height. I still don't know what I am going to do in the right side. In my head its going to be a "mini removeable toolchest" that slides into that cubby. Possibly a "mini" version of a japanese tool chest similar to this but sized to fit in there:
 
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I'll look forward to whatever you come up with. I made a posh pencil case in that style (but not trying to make it as rough and ready as they would traditionally be - I used Wenge "trenails" and some through tenons rather than metal nails). It was a fun little project:

2024-11-02-01-box-finished.jpg


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Obviously being a pencil case it was far smaller than the sort of thing you'd stick tools in (250 mm long and 60 mm high).
 
Dr.Al said:
I'll look forward to whatever you come up with. I made a posh pencil case in that style (but not trying to make it as rough and ready as they would traditionally be - I used Wenge "trenails" and some through tenons rather than metal nails). It was a fun little project:

2024-11-02-01-box-finished.jpg


2024-11-02-02-box-open.jpg


Obviously being a pencil case it was far smaller than the sort of thing you'd stick tools in (250 mm long and 60 mm high).
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Very nice!
 
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