Travel Tool Chest & Workbench Build Process
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Posted 9th June 2022
One of the fun things about trying to do woodwork away from my garage has been finding ways to repurpose stools, side tables and such-like as temporary tool holding places. One of the plastic outdoor chairs at the cottage has worked very well as a handy chisel rack:
After a few goes moving stuff outside, chasing the shade around the garden and then moving stuff back in again, I decided to set up in the corner inside:
Alas, it's time to head back to Blighty tomorrow, so I've had to pack everything away. I've only been woodworking very intermittently (between doing more conventional holiday stuff!), but I've really enjoyed having the stuff here so I could potter at it in odd bits of free time. It's convinced me that doing woodwork on holiday is viable and that it's worth making a better tool chest to make it easier.
As the tool chest thing is going to involve a LOT of dovetailed corners (four for the bottom chest thing plus 20 through dovetails and 20 half-blind ones for the 10 drawers; I haven't even thought about the top part yet!), I thought I'd use my time in France to get lots of dovetail practice in, so I made this lot all at the same time (12 dovetailed corners in total):
The shadows on that top box look really weird (almost Escher-like!) in that photo... I promise I haven't broken any laws of physics while making the boxes!
There are gaps here and there and there were definitely one or two things that didn't go quite to plan, but I'm really pleased overall and I've definitely learnt a few things along the way.
Close-up:
Top and bottom "boxes" are greenheart (probably) and ash (definitely); the middle one is cherry and sweet chestnut.
As you might be able to see in this view, they are just (unglued) frames at the moment. I haven't thought about bases or lids to make them into boxes or whatever (I just wanted to practise the dovetails); that'll have to be something I think about when I get home.
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