I am about to make a basic tool chest for my son. The sides will be 12 to 14 inches high, made of 3/4 white oak. It is all at the same MC right now. Due to the nature of the chest, it will probably spend its life going through moisture extremes, from air-conditioned space to garages and barns. I don’t want it to crack.
Here is the question — since it is all the same species of oak at equal MC, can I safely dovetail or finger joint the corners?
Joe
Replies
Joe,
Sure can.
Ray
Good news. Thanks.J
Joe,
You'd be fine with either joint. I'd be interested in seeing what you have in mind for the tool chest. Are you thinking of a Gerstner-style chest?
Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
Not a Gerstner style. This is a bit simpler (no drawers). To step back a bit, my eldest is a first-year architect, just out of the 5-year professional degree program at Auburn. While in Alabama, he ran his own remodeling business to help pay for college, so he has a good many basic carpentry skills -- BUT despite my father and me who both like the old tools, he is only now taking an interest in them himself.Therefore, over several months I have been sorting out from my own horde and picking up here and there with the idea of giving him a basic set of hand tools. The chest will have an Arts and Crafts influenced look. It will be a heavy dovetailed box with a hinged lid. ON the bottom will be tills for a fairly complete set of pre-war Sargent planes (equivalent of 3, 4, 5 1/2, 6 and 8, plus a low and standard block), and a few back saws. Riding above that will be three removable deep trays, one fitted to a brace and eggbeater with an 8-bit set of Irwins and room for twist drills, while the others will hold odds and ends such as a starter set of Pexto bevel-edge socket chisels, a drawknife , stones, etc. The lid will be fitted to layout and marking tools. All of this has already been assembled, but I am leaving him room to add of course.The outside of the box will be straight-sided and straight grained except for the bottom two inches and band around the lid and just below the lid which will come out a quarter -inch or maybe 3/8ths, chamfered at the top. Those bands will be of the very flecky q-sawn wood, finished more darkly. The lid will be two panels, with the style in the center carrying over the edge band where the lock is, and dropping down the front, tapering from both sides at first, and then straight. Handles will be leather steamer trunk style. Or so is the plan. In theory this is a Christmas present. The big question is, which year?Joe
Joe ,
What a lucky son you have.
dusty
Joe,
That sounds like quite the project you've got going. Is it meant to be movable? Have you calculated how much it will weight when complete and fully loaded?
One thing that stops me from making one myself is the fact that I will get another tool and have to reconfigure everything.Chris @ http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
- Success is not the key to happines. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer
It is theoretically movable, but as you note, heavy. However, as we all know, working out of a chest is not the most convenient thing, so I wold imagine that when he gets to the point that he has room for a workshop, most stuff will wind up on racks and shelves. Meanwhile, there is a place where it can all live and be reasonably accessible.J
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