James Swan Tool Cabinet, Style "G"

[steven newman]

Seems I NOW have a Challenge ......Since I made that crack about doing a cabinet better than North Bennet Street School did...

Tool Cabinet?

Was pictured in this 1911 Catalog...back then, you could order complete tool sets....The one in the Challenge?

About as Basic as you could get...27 tools and a lockable wood cabinet to hold them all.

 

So...decided to start out with thin stock....

Here is half of them...

Just over $5 per board...have bought 10 of them...so  far.. 

 

 

Goal is to finger joint the 4 sides...add solid wood panels and then...split the box into 2 halves....Add a shelf or 2...and build a small drawer...

 

First order of business...is to glue up 2 panels....

 

Stay tuned..

[lew]

This is going to be a great build!

[Grandpadave52]

I'm on board for the journey.

[Al B]

I'll be tuned in.

[steven newman]

Ok, yesterday...sorted through the stack of 10 planks....to see which set of 3 would match, grain wise...then do a glue-up of one panel..

Started with the 2 cauls in the center, and stacked #2 and #3 on top of a bead of glue..rub it back and forth a bit...2 cauls?

As there was an issue with bows in the middle.   And, when I lifted this mess up out of the vise, I added a clamp to replace the vise...can never have too many clamps, right.

Set this one aside, for now....sorted through the stack again...needed to find 3 more that matched up, grain wise.....

 

There was a different issue, this time around..

As one edge was NOT straight...had a case of Gaposis....we have ways...

A rather new Stanley No. 6c...made during WW2....jointed the edges a bit until a dry fit could be done..

No glue, no cauls, no clamps...just don't sneeze..

 

Since that one board at the bottom of the pile was bowed a wee bit...I used the leg vise, and a c clamp to pull it straight...and then glue the other 2 on top...

I needed cauls on the ends, though

So...letting both panels sit a day or 2...

 

Today?   Laundry Detail!Means a wee bit of shop time, too...need to sort through the remaining 4 planks..

Need two to be roughly cut for length...and the other 2 picked as the sides of the Cabinet.   Then, run a groove along the edges to house both panels in..1/4" x 1/4", about 1/4" in from the edge..

Grooves milled first, the lay out where the finger joints will go...mainly to cover the grooves...a "center finger" will be a bit wider than the rest...as I need that for when I hand saw the front and back apart...

 

Stay tuned..

[steven newman]

This might be a long post...selected 2 boards to be the top and bottom of the cabinet.....Needed to cut those for length..so..

Figured up I needed about 17"..

Then Knifed a line to cut by..

So that a handsaw could make a cut..

Seems I am out of practice..

Went from one side of the line to the other...we have ways..

However, for the second piece...I just used the Mitre Box No. 72c...and skipped all that shooting stuff..

New "Issue"?

They needed jointed to match each other...so...

Then decided to just do all 4 at once..

That way, they are all the same width...

 

Checked that the Stanley No. 45 was all set up..made a small jig to hold things..

And away we go..1 done, 7 more to do..

Some boards needed to be a bit flatter...while others needed this removed...now you see it..

And..now you don't..

I got the 2 long sides grooved first...

Then adjusted the jig a bit, and grooved the top and Bottom  boards..needed to double check for depth..

Small combo square set to 1/4"...looking for any high spots...

Decided to stop for the day, and clamp all 4 boards back up..

And sweep up the mess I made..

And call it a day...

Stay tuned..

 

 

 

[Grandpadave52]

15 hours ago, steven newman said:

And call it a GOOD day..

Fixt'

[steven newman]

This morning's shoptime...was due to the Boss saying something about going to the store, TODAY....so

 

Started here...a Baseline..then some other layout tools..

The chisel was more for spacing out things, than actually chopping...

Well, that's a start....problem started here..

Since I was trying to hide those grooves.   Made for a couple fancy cuts...or, rather half cuts..

No fancy tablesaw jigs, nor a router table one..

Just 8 strokes per line...still..takes a while..

Chopping block at the ready..half way on one face, flip over and complete the chopping...the two in the groove were chopped out.

Clean things up...use these fingers, to trace around, and repeat for the other half of this corner joint....they a dry fit..

That I NEEDED a mallet to assemble...and a block of ash scrap...was even square!

And...the grooves even lined up exactly..

IF you noticed, there is a WIDE finger in the joint?   That will be where the saw cut will be, when I saw the case into a front and back half...should be a wee bit of fun?

 

So, next time I can a bit of shop time...have 3 more such corners to cobble together...

Stay tuned..

 

 

[steven newman]

Corner #2:    Mis-chopped one finger...will glue in a patch, later..

Corner #3:

Yes, these are hand cut..

Note at the groove?   there is half a finger.   to cover the grooves on the other half of the joint..

And, Corner #4 is now done...pre-setting clamps, to see IF I have enough of the right length...Good thing I will be using cauls..

Have to lay out for the stopped dados for the shelf....and size parts for the single drawer..

Stay tuned..

[steven newman]

This MIGHT be a long one...hope nobody minds...

3 Tasks for this morning..

Needed to rip a 1/4" x 5-1/2" x 24" slat down the middle..offset by a 1/4"..

Why the 1/4"?

Because I need a 1/4" thick plywood bottom for this drawer.. then cut the Drawer Front to length..

Because I needed it to set where the shelf will go..

That will set in those stopped dados...which brings up the next task..

 

Need to rip the 1/2" x 5-1/2" x 24" down a bit...in 2 passes..first to fit between the grooves in the case's sides...then a rip dead centered to split it into 2 equal shelves..

Took some Figuring to get them to the correct length..had to allow for the depth of the dados

That square area? Is to be left behind...That 1/2" chisel will be doing 90% of the work...with a Stanley No. 71-1/2 to level the floors of the dados...

Bandsaw to make the notches..and away we go

1st one done and checked for fit...#2?

Split allows me to saw the front half of the case from the back..without having to saw through the shelf...

 

Got all 4 stopped dados done...NEXT!

There are 2 of these panels..need to have the clamps removed, squared up, and trimmed for length...there was an issue with width, however..

We have ways..

Stanley No. 6c, WW2 era...

 

Once that was done, I could mill a 1/4"x 1/4"  Tongue all the way around both panels...and see how they fit..

Then close things up, for now..

While I figure up HOW to glue this all up...THAT  might involve a wee bit of cussing..

Stay tuned..

 

 

 

[Grandpadave52]

Great progress.

[lew]

Amazing processes. Thanks for sharing them.

[steven newman]

Time to glue that thing together...cussing will be involved   Ever try to hold 2 cauls and a clamp, while trying to tighten that clamp?  Yeah...Speaking of cauls..

Made 8, and just used 4...Tools needed? a cheap paint brush, and a Mallet..

Halfway there..spread things out just enough to slip both shelves into place...then try to slide the other panel down past the shelves...would have been easier IF the panel wasn't bowed in the middle..Finally..

Slap the "top" into place..then the real fun begins...

 

That fight with the cauls..then the LONG clamps..needed the bench vise to hold onto things, while I rotated this over to do the last LONG clamps..

Far end was too far beyond the reach of my arms , to even think about messing with cauls...

So..will let this mess sit a day or 2....

Used almost every clamp in the shop that was longer than 18"...

 

Once the clamps come back off, I can clean this all up, including them yellow stickers..then set up the tablesaw, to saw right down the centerline...and then I can build the drawer, add the hinges and see about a latch and a handle....

Stay tuned...

[steven newman]

So..was a very LONG day, today...and maybe should not have ventured to the shop this evening...paying for it now...cramps in the feet and calves.

But...

The case is out of the forest of clamps...

Laid it down to work on both faces...

As for that missing finger?

We have ways...now you see it, and..

Now you don't.  Got the faces and all four sides to 220 grit..even ran the planes for a bit..

This was easing the sharp corners, while the Millers falls No.8 was making a mess of my floor..

Then it was time for...

Mark a center line...equal from either edge..same groove..

2-11/16" is the center of the case....set up the tablesaw..

To where the center line is in the center of that saw blade...and start running the case through..

BEFORE that last cut...I added a clamp, so the durn thing will not flop open on me...

Looks centered to me.   I did buy a pair of Brass hinges, today...might try to install them....tomorrow?

Left elbow was looked at, this morning...might need surgery to correct things inside..we'll see...

 

Stay tuned..

[steven newman]

Hinges have been installed..

Chopping a few (4) mortises for the hinges..

Drill a few pilot holes..and see how things look..

Then added two clasps, because I can't find the lock set Swan used...

A, a look around in the front..

And, since these came with a handle on top, to carry this around with..

Might as well add one to this case..

All hardware is Brass. 

 

Which leaves a Drawer to be made...just one, as there isn't enough room for 2 WITH their handles...so...

I WAS going to take the day off..was...until I wound up with Dryer Detail...This is the 1/4" thick Drawer front.  That needs a 1/4" deep rebate along the bottom edge..Set up the Stanley #45 by just adjust the fence a bit inward...

About halfway there...checking with the panel for the bottom of the drawer..

When this was flush..time to stop..set the plane aside...and lay out for finger joints..

Got one corner, out of 4...done...the ends of this drawer are NOT very big..

Stay tuned....

[Grandpadave52]

34 minutes ago, steven newman said:

Which leaves a Drawer to be made...just one, as there isn't enough room for 2 WITH their handles...so...

From the catalog picture, appears one drawer may have an actual handle installed with the opposing drawer "handle" cut out as a slotted opening allowing the drawer with a handle to fit in the opening of the other drawer when the case is closed if this makes sense?

 

BTW, great progress on a really cool, nostalgic build.

[lew]

Really awesome. Now I see reason for the way you installed the shelves. 

[steven newman]

Right side of cabinet is merely a block of wood, drilled to hold drill bits and such...

 

Laundry Detail in a little bit...we'll see how things go...

[steven newman]

While waiting on the washer to get done...

Front corners are done...

Dry fit...then..

Both back corners, and a test fit of the plywood bottom...followed by..

A full dry fit....then, while the washer was in it's final "SPIN"...

A bit of glue, and a Forest of Clamps...loaded the dryer up, and called it a night..

 

Stay tuned..

[steven newman]

Drawer is out of the clamps..cleaned up.

.

A small wooden knob was glued into a 1/4" hole, drilled by the Brace, with a #4 bit...needed a clamp to press the knob and glue into place...

 

This morning...I needed to cut a slot.

.

To house that handsaw...so..

Made it a bit wide, so things do not drag when I pull the saw out...I bandsawed a filler, to fit into the handle

And made a latch to lock the handle in place..

Just turn the "key"...  On the Original, this space was just a solid wood block.   There is a LOT of weight involved here..so, instead of a block of 2x4, I will be leaving the area hollow...weight saving. 

But, if I do leave it open, there is a chance the Actual Drawer will slide into that space, and bind things up.   So, a piece of 1/4" Pine Scrap was glued in place.   I also drilled over-sized holes for the 3 brace bits...why?   Because the ends of those skinny shafts end in a big, square, tapered blob.  The hole in the"filler"?

Is sized to fit the knob a bit loosely, and not latch onto the knob. 

Will try to get a coat of Witch's Brew Stain on this tomorrow...maybe Friday I can varnish it?  

Stay tuned...