Final Result for the Chisel Box made from scrap

[Oka]

Here is a Work in Progress, I made a chisel box for my chisels. Trapezoid shape 7.5" in back, 12.5" in Front and 15" long. This is what happens when you just cannot throw anything away.

It is not done, just did the primary fit to see what I need to do to complete. The woods are Mahogany base, the front piece is Redheart I think, Iroko on the sides and back. The top drawer is Afrormosia and Paduk. The back face on the 3 middle drawers is Ebony and the Bottom is Sapele and Mahogany. The bearings were scrapped from some wheels I got of a demo's HVAC unit and the rod was the axle. The middle drawers are corked and the cork was stained. I coated it with Arm R Seal.

I still need to adjust the drawers so the reveals are even (need shim washers). Thinking of using magnets to lock the align of the drawers and prevent drift. and .... maybe put opposing stops so each other drawer can only turn one direction alternating direction. Finally need to cut the rod down and put the clamp on the top to hold in position and allow for the flex-led I will add to the top.

 

[Bas]

Beautiful work Oka. Smart to put in cork, or you'd be afraid to put chisels in there for fear of damaging the finish. Very innovative design!

 

[creasman]

Interesting design. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Craig C]

Nice.

 

[Brian Patterson]

Besides being quite beautiful, this is a very practical use of vertical space. Love the bearings used for pivoting...

 

[Oka]

Thanks all, yeah, when I saw those bearings in the wheels, I had this crazy idea to make use of them. My skill set is still a bit out of shape n rusty, but my patience is way worse. I'm getting there. Doing stuff like this really showed me the need for a better table saw. After I move, I guess.

BTW, out here in Hawaii, people give away some of the craziest things. At least 2-3 times a year, there is someone giving away a Steinway Grand piano. Today there was a lift gate and before there was a commercial paper shearing machine (500 sheet), would have been great for shearing laminate or veneer. Only weighed 600 lbs or so. Like I said some crazy things given away here.

 

[bowman]

Pianos are great source of ebony...

 

[Jeff]

That's an innovative design and use for your miscellaneous scraps. I'm curious why you chose a trapezoidal shape instead of a rectangle for example.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Very interesting design, and beautiful craftsmanship. Can you post another pic when you have chisels in it?

 

[Oka]

The answer was the scrap sizes. The original idea was a double trapezoid (truncated diamond) having the fulcrum in the center, but the drawers would have been smaller in net size and the chisels would have been a hassle to get in an out.
One critical lesson I learned doing this, with odd angles the power tools can get you close, but if you want to get accurate you have to rely on your hand tools and skill. The 12" Dewalt compound miter is great until you need super accuracy then the minor side play becomes a big issue when fitting and finishing. Pretty sure most in here already knew that, I am just late to the party. Another thing, any errors I made I have to live with since every piece of wood, there was no extra, really had to make sure you are right before the cut, there was no room for redo's.

Also, I added a 2.5" x 7" x 5/16" Stainless steel plate under the base and tapped it to screw the rod to. It added mass and lowered the center of gravity to assist in making the drawers really stable.

That's an innovative design and use for your miscellaneous scraps. I'm curious why you chose a trapezoidal shape instead of a rectangle for example.

 

[Brian Patterson]

The answer was the scrap sizes. The original idea was a double trapezoid (truncated diamond) having the fulcrum in the center, but the drawers would have been smaller in net size and the chisels would have been a hassle to get in an out.
One critical lesson I learned doing this, with odd angles the power tools can get you close, but if you want to get accurate you have to rely on your hand tools and skill. The 12" Dewalt compound miter is great until you need super accuracy then the minor side play becomes a big issue when fitting and finishing. Pretty sure most in here already knew that, I am just late to the party. Another thing, any errors I made I have to live with since every piece of wood, there was no extra, really had to make sure you are right before the cut, there was no room for redo's.

Also, I added a 2.5" x 7" x 5/16" Stainless steel plate under the base and tapped it to screw the rod to. It added mass and lowered the center of gravity to assist in making the drawers really stable.

I woulda thought making it the way you did would give more room for the handles and allow for easier selection and removal...

 

[Roy G]

I like your looking ahead and making the chisel box expandable as you acquire more chisels. That vertical rod looks like its good for several more layers.

Roy G

 

[Oka]

It does actually, but the design ended up based on what I had on hand. So, you're right this makes the chisels fit way better .......... I wish I had thought about that , just got lucky.

I woulda thought making it the way you did would give more room for the handles and allow for easier selection and removal...

 

[MarkE]

Awesome.

 

[Oka]

Well Ya'll, here it is in use.

I added Magnets to the drawers so they stay inline. Added a flat piece of Ebony on the top for the future LED light I will put on it. And, added a brass nut to close them together ........ brass just because .

Now, the bottom are the long paring chisels, then the regular ones, then the mortise chisels, then the square and calipers, depth gauges...etc. Finally, the top has the tape and markers. It was fun to make and tidy's up the work bench top.

 

[Graywolf]

That turn out great! I look forward to seeing more.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Very Very Nice! ! !

 

[Bas]

Beautiful!

 

[Mark Johnson]

I like the design as it really uses your space well.

 

[Oka]

Final Critiques -

Beyond the final product looking nice, I made a number of errors in making this most are not a real big deal, BUT ............ I made a fatal error when I first bored the holes for the shaft.

What I did good - Bored it with 2-3 thousandths wider than the shaft so the fit was near perfect.

What I did bad -
1. Used too soft of a wood for the back piece Only the top piece which is Robusta is really hard enough to handle the shearing strain. Long term, this will get egged and eventually be a sloppy fit. Even the white oak will succumb. Most of the reason was just used what was scrap at the time.

2. The REAL FLAW- I did not check the plumbness of my drill press table, as a result the holes were bored about a 1/2 degree off true 90deg. Normally that would not be too big of an issue but with the stack it showed its ugly head pretty quickly.
This then required me shimming the box drawers more than planned resulting in a poorer quality final product.

3. If I make another or anyone want to make something like this, use bearings top and bottom or get deeper sized bearings. I only used what was scrounged.

Really not a big deal considering it is just for me (other than I'll will always be reminded) but, this goes to one of my previous statements, patience and continual attention to the basics is always a must.

Even though this is a true statement "I really have been only able to work on this after 10-12 hours of work", so I am just putz'ing here, still ....... cheap excuses and rationalizations only cause one to accept lower quality.

No matter who we are or how good we are ... we all have to remember that there is always room to improve. The journey is forever in the quest to improve.

Thanks all for your kind words and encouragement.