Thanks for all the nice comments folks. I used a siam seedlac shellac on the interior. I really like the color it gave the cherry. Almost an instant patina.
My goal was to make the box look old, hence the rusty hardware. The hinges are from Lee Valley and are made with the rusty patina. The chest lifts are from the Borg, as that was all I could find. I removed the zinc plating and rusted them along with the screw heads. I gave the brass hooks a bit of aging also, by removing the clear coat, soaking in a solution of salt and vinegar and then heating in the oven for a while. That was about a month ago and they are turning a nice green and pinkish color. I expect they will improve with age.
The sides are rabbited and nailed with cut nails, T&G bottom is nailed on, and the till runners and till bottoms are also nailed on.
The saw till is about 4 1/2" wide by 7' tall. I left an extra 1/4" on each side as I had intended to put rails on both sides, but in the end only put them on the outboard side. The kerfs are equally spaced at about 9/16". This gives just enough room to clear saw nuts and medallions. I will have to be careful putting saws away, but I felt space was at a premium.
I have not yet filled it with tools, will probably do that tonight. Maybe I will take a few pics!
The only think I'm bummed out about is that my shop is so small the tool box will have to live in the shed!
I will get to use in two weeks as I am co-instructing a Krenov style plane making class for the local club.
Thanks for looking
Jonathan
