My tool cabinet released for your viewing

[Darrell Pink]

The inspiration for this tool cabinet came from an edition of CWW. I made a few modifications along the way. It measures 27" x 38" and is entirely of finger jointed maple. I got a lot of maple off cuts a few years ago and I spent a few months making usable board lengths not knowing what the final use would be. The drawers are my first attempt at hand cut dovetails, also maple ( oops don't mind the plywood bottoms). The finish is three coats of tung oil. I have yet to mount it on a wall as I can't decide which one.
Thanks for looking, Darrell.

[Charles]

looks to me that a lot of work & hrs went into that box, especially the finger joints. Looks good and should be around for many years. Nice job
charlie

[wilson]

great job! looks good .
Looks a little bigger then the one i made for my son.

[J.P. Rap]

That's quite a skillful way of using up discarded wood it certainly looks like you did a fine job of it. I applaud your efforts. You did a fine job.

That said, I really don't care for the look with all the finger jointed boards. If it were me I likely would have stained it dark to try and disguise the joints. JMHO

[Owen]

Darrell: beautiful cabinet. I like your idea of using whatever material that is available. It makes it that much more valuable.

Did you make the knobs and handles.

[Kerry in Fort Sask, AB]

Nice cabinet Darrell. When I made mine I sure found it a treat to have somewhere to put my tools when I wasn't using them.

As others have said, you made great use of those cutoffs.

Kerry

[Mike in Orangeville]

Certainly the notion of using up scraps is to be applauded. That said, the dovetails on the drawers are... unique in my experience. What made you choose to do them that way?

[willr]

I like it -- complete with dovetails -- fits into the motif I think.

Some drawer liner might be good for appearances sake and making it easy to clean (sawdust) -- but that's all.

[IanW]

Certainly the notion of using up scraps is to be applauded. That said, the dovetails on the drawers are... unique in my experience. What made you choose to do them that way?

I noticed that too. It looks like they are opposite as to what has traditionally been done? Usually the tails are on the drawer sides, and the pins are on the fronts. Much more mechanically strong, but really, they are just drawers afterall


Ian

[matt.mackinnon]

I really like what you have done. Almost makes me want to finish the tool chest that I have been working on for the past year. Almost...

Thanks for the inspiration or reminder that I need to finish mine.

matt.

[Darrell Pink]

Thanks for all the replies. I am humbled. The novelty of finger jointing and gluing the offcuts quickly went away, not sure if I would do it again. If it weren't for patching things together there would be alot less quilts around, lol.
The orientation of the dovetails, what can I say... I tried to be different and put a lot of thought into it, but it was the lack of thought that got them rotated by 90 degrees!!!
I did not make the knobs or handles. I find the slope slippery enough with flat work without venturing into the unknowns of turning!!
Finger joints are OK if they are pulled tight together and a lot of these are not. Maple just does not compress. I have a tough time staining wood...I have to see the natural wood!!
Thanks for the suggestion of drawer liner, but then it might get hijacked around here!!

[Mike in Orangeville]

Even with the unusual orientation those are far from the worst dovetails I've seen. They look to be well executed. Nice job. I knew a cabinetmaker who had one drawer on his tool chest with one joint on the front (where it's nice and visible) where he had cut the dovetails with the taper in the wrong direction, so there was no mechanical holding power at all. Only glue held it together. That said, the glue had been doing fine for 20 years or so at that time.

[JoeBoxer]

Oh good, at least now I know I can depend on decent glue to stay strong for 20 years. If anything, even with an inverted dove tail, it adds more than twice the available gluing surface area, and that seems to make all the difference.

Well executed. Beautiful work.