I have been putting the building of a tool cabinet

[Arlin Eastman]

On hold because I wanted to do it with dovetails.

I guess I definitely let pride get in the way because I wanted all of you guys to like it and think I did a good job.

Now I am thinking to just get one done with box joints so I have somewhere to put my tools close to where I am working instead of laying all around everywhere.

I also want to make 2 drawers one under the work bench and the other one for under the Table saw. What should I put the one under the bench and the one under the table saw?

So now after I am done with the 4 projects I will start working on them.

So the question is

Should I include a saw till into a till for planes and other hand tools?
Right now I only have 3 small one right now but hope to get a few cross cuts and a few rip saws in the future.


Should I hang the chisels or put them in a drawer?

Or maybe better question what should go in a drawer and what should go in a cabinet?

I want something where a hinged door has some tools on the inside of it also but I know no idea how to design what I am thinking.

Hope I am making sense and not confusing anyone.

Anyone have some ideas or drawings?

Thanks a bunch

Arlin

[AHill]

Arlin, I don't think there are rules for whether a particular tool belongs in a drawer or a cabinet. Wall-mounted tool chests don't take up floor space. I would think about what tools I use the most, and which storage place is the most accessible. I used to keep some of my planes in a wall-mounted tool cabinet, but after I got my workbench, I made a tool storage cabinet that fits underneath my bench with drawers that match the height of my hand planes. Now the planes are always by my work bench. My chisels hang on a table top rack that stands on my workbench.

Here's a pic of my custom storage underneath my workbench. The bottom drawers hold my large bench planes. The middle drawers hold smaller block planes and specialty planes. The top drawers hold my marking and measuring tools, specialized chisels, and miscellaneous items e.g. beeswax, paraffin, mutton tallow, etc. Note I left enough room between the top of the cabinet and the bottom of the workbench for holdfasts.

[Arlin Eastman]

Allan

I was thinking of just a drawer just under the top of the bench because I still sit down and there are a few guys in wheel chairs who would need to use it too, hence the drawer under the top so a chair can be put under it.

I did think of doing it your way to put the few clamps I have in drawers also but I know it just will not work.

Also with a shop of 14x18 floor space and I should add wall space is almost none existent too.

Maybe I should do the drawers first and then figure out the wall space afterwards?

Arlin

[Shovel Man]

Hi Arlin
My shop is about the same size as yours and my tools were in a couple of cabinets plus hung on the walls. I built a tool cabinet to hold them all, well most of them. Careful planning really paid off. It has 17 drawers 22" x 44" in one stack. The most commonly used tools are in the middle drawers. Drawer depths vary from 2" to 9". It is surprising how many tools are less than 2" high so there are several 2" drawers. The result of giving up 4sq ft of floor space is a much better shop since all the walls are clear and the two small cabinets are gone.

Hanging tools is not the best approach. Shop activities can knock them down and reaching for one tool can knock another down. Bad for the tools and bad for you.

Now that comment about woodworkers in wheelchairs is a new challenge. I'll need to think on it.

Tom

[Bob-Jones]

Open space in a box or chest is easier to reconfigure as you buy more tools

[Arlin Eastman]

Thanks for replying guys.


Bob

A chest where reaching down into it is out of the question. For one I could not get down into it and the lack of floor space makes it out of the question too.

Arlin

[EricU]

don't put off storage because you want to impress people. I have a couple of really useful cabinets I built that look like the worst hackery imaginable. I keep thinking about replacing them, but only because the replacements would give me a lot more storage. I think I might re-use the drawers, even though they are butt-glued pieces of 1/4 birch plywood on a 1/4" plywood base. They have stayed together for almost 30 years now.

[Anji12305]

I prefer to put that sort of effort into furniture other people will use.
A simple wooden tote (cutouts for handle on the sides) has
been sufficient to hold my commonly used handplanes and mallets.

I built Tom Fidgen's portable toolchest project to try many of the construction methods you've mentioned.

While the construction method is sound, it has clear limits as to
what can be fitted, and how much I can carry.

May I suggest you consider shelving, or French Cleats with removable
"bins" that would allow you to modify storage as you go?

From the three local shops that I frequent I can say that there appears to be an inverse relationship between how tidy and well appointed a workshop is, and the quality of furniture it produces.

Jim Tolpin is one of the popular writers who has made a living building furniture, cabinets and houses. Have a search of his online articles
and look behind the set photos - open shelves are everywhere.

[highpi]

Hi Arlin, most of your questions are going to depend on how you work and what is most comfortable for you and your students.

1. Tool cabinet: by all means don't wait to build the heirloom cabinet, because after working out of it for awhile you may decide it's not the best way to store tools for how you work. Is the tool cabinet more for you and less for the students? In other words, will the folks in wheelchairs need to access the cabinet?

2. Workbench drawer: what to put in that drawer is really dependent on what you think are needed tools but not necessarily tools that you want in the cabinet.
I think once you decide what you would like in the cabinet, everything else will fall into place.

3. Table saw drawer: if you are asking what you should put in this drawer, I would suggest anything and everything related to that tool. If you want the drawer for additional general storage then it goes back to what work is going on by the saw, other than saw specific type work.

4. Saw till: Incorporating a till into the cabinet is a good idea. It keeps them out of the way and everyone knows where to find them. Do plan for future tools. They do take up some real estate in the cabinet.

5 Chisels: depending on how they are stored, drawers can provide a safe and secure place for them. If they are just tossed in the drawer like a bunch of screwdrivers (yes, I did this and it worked for many years) it can be time consuming digging out the right one and it isn't the best way to keep them sharp. Hanging them in a custom rack works for many people here. They are easily identified and easily accessed.

5. What goes where: depends on how you work. I would google "wall hung tool cabinets" and take a look at how tools are stored. Also, many of the folks here have made wonderful cabinets. Look at the way the tools are arranged. You know what tools you have and probably already have an idea of what you want. You may just need to find that one cabinet design that closely fits what you are trying to do. There are many out there but most follow a similar theme. Layout tools are clumped together, all variety of chisels are together, planes (all types) seem to hang out with each other and the saws are usually hung or "tilled" in some fashion.

6. Hinged door design: I assume you are asking about layout of the tools inside the door vs. actually constructing the door. Again, this is going to be like above. You'll need to decide how big the cabinet is going to be. Single door or two. I would look at any and all tool cabinets and base the design on the one you think will work best for your situation. You said you have limited wall space so a big cabinet with two doors may not be the best design. Maybe it will be two smaller cabinets with some shelves.
You probably have an idea of what the students need but maybe talk with them and get their feedback, if you haven't done this already. They may give you an idea that starts the creative juices flowing.

Sorry for the long dissertation. The long and the short of it is take a look at as many cabinets as you can. I guarantee you there is one out there that will fit your needs or is close enough to where you can modify it to your liking.

Good luck and let us know how it progresses. For some reason we all love workbench/tool cabinet build-a-longs. And don't worry about what we might think of it. We aren't the one's working out of it. Your design may inspire someone else who has been hesitant about starting their cabinet. Fine dovetails, gold inlay and diamond knobs are wonderful but at some point you just need to make some sawdust and knock it out. Don't over think it. It is, after all, just a place to store your tools.

Ken

[Arlin Eastman]

Thanks guys

Ken

I had to copy all of your info so I can read it better later.

First I will say is I want one box for me and another box for teaching with.

Also I will google cabinets.

Arlin