Curved-Lid Tool Chest, Pt. 2 - Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars

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But for my tool chest, I wantedto show a little contrast betweenthe frame and drawer front. SoI discarded the center piece andmade the drawer front from a differentworkpiece that was slightlydarker. With the case front in hand,you can focus on the joinery.Cutting Box Joints. Now it’stime to set up your saw for cutting1 ⁄ 4 "-wide box joints. I started withthe side pieces then cut the matingjoints on the case front.Trimming. With these box jointscomplete, rip the case front to finalwidth. Then, with the side piecesin hand, step over to the bandsaw to cut the angled front edge.Stay outside the line and aim for asmooth, straight edge for a good fitwith the lid later on. A little sandingor trimming with a block planewill help with this.Upper Side Pieces. Now youcan glue the upper side pieces inplace to complete the side assemblies(Figure 2). If needed, trim theback edge of the side assembliesflush and set them aside for now.Back Panel. The back panel issimple. It’s just a glued-up blankcut to final size. The importantthing here is that the length of thefront and back should be the same.CUPPERSIDE(!/2" x 5&/8" - 5#/8")NOTE: ALIGNGROOVES WITHBOX JOINT SLOTS(SEE DETAILS)GROOVES IN BACKAND SIDES ARE OFFSET(SEE FIGURE 2a)LOWERSIDENOTE: CUT ALLGROOVES!/4" x !/4" DEEPCUPPERSIDEBACK(!/2" x 13#/4" - 19!/2")D3 FIGURE ers and front piece to keep thingssquare as the glue dried. Then youC!/4UPPERSIDENOTE: CUT REARBOX JOINTS AFTERGLUING UP SIDE PANELSGo ahead and cut the box joints onthe side assemblies and rear panel.I started cutting from the bottomedge of the pieces, working myway to the top edge.Now, I’ll admit that cutting thislong run of box joints can be intimidating.But if you take your timeand work on being consistent withevery cut, you shouldn’t have anyproblems getting them to fit.Grooves. To hold the case dividersand drawer bays you’ll buildlater, there are quite a few groovesyou’ll need to cut in the sides andback. The key here is to align thegrooves with the box joint slots,as shown above in Figures 2a and2b. This keeps the grooves hiddenafter the case is assembled.Dividers and Drawer Guides.The last things to do on the caseare to cut the dividers to fit thegrooves in the case and add thedrawer guides. After dry-fittingthe assembly, I glued up the sidesand back first, using the divid-can add the dividers and frontpiece to complete the assembly.Finally, the drawer guides aresimply cut to size and glued to theLOWERBACKbottom divider. The next things toSIDEwork on are the drawer bays thatfit inside the case.NOTE: CASE DIVIDERSARE MADE FROM!/2" PLYWOODDRAWERGUIDE(!/2" x 1" - 10")FCASE FRONTECASE DIVIDER(10" x 19")ECASE DIVIDER2 FIGUREa.!/4DBACK!/2a.FLOWERSIDEECASEDIVIDER!/4B4!/2ETHIS GROOVEALIGNS WITH10th NOTCHFROM TOP(OR 4!/2")b.DRAWERGUIDEFDALOWERSIDE3!/4NOTE: CASE DIVIDERSARE GLUED IN PLACEBEFORE CASE FRONTFDRAWERGUIDEFRONT VIEW!/4!/2ESIDE VIEWwww.ShopNotes.com 17
adding the top, base, &Drawer BaysNow that you’ve completed theshell of the case, you can start towork on the top and base frame.After that, you’ll add the two internalbays that will hold the drawers.The first thing you’ll work onhere is the top for the tool chest.Top and Cleat. In Figure 4, youcan see how the top is attached tothe case. There’s a cleat screwedto the underside with a tonguethat fits into the groove in theback panel. Figure 4a provides thedimensions you need to locate thecleat. You’ll be fastening the top atthe front with screws to the upperdrawer bay later. So, to allow thetop to move with seasonal changesin humidity, the tongue on thecleat floats within the groove.I cut the rabbet on the cleat atthe table saw and then fastenedthe cleat to the top. You can set this{ Attaching the Top. Accessholes in the upper drawer bay letyou screw the top in place.assembly aside for now. This makesit easier to install the drawer bayslater. Once those are in place, thenyou’ll be able to attach the top.Base Frame. At this point, youcan turn your attention to the base.It’s a simple, mitered frame, asshown in Figure 4b. I started withlong stock, then mitered pieces tolength to create the frame. Oncethe frame is glued together, you{ Lower Bay. A few screws inthe sides fasten the lower drawerbay inside the case.can rout the roundover on thetop edge. A little glue and a fewscrews are all you need to attachthe base frame to the bottom of thecase. With that done, you can setthe case upright and start on theinternal components.DRAWER BAYSThe next thing to work on is thedrawer bays. The upper bay holdsthe three smaller drawers. Thelower bay holds a single, largedrawer. Both bays are assembled4 FIGUREHfirst, then slipped into the case.GCLEATTOPYou’ll start by building the upper(#/4" x #/4" - 18!/2")(#/4" x 6#/8" - 20")C L1? bay and installing it. Then you’llbe able to attach the top and completethe lower drawer bay.SIDE VIEW a.Upper Bay. Figure 5 gives you!/8" ROUNDOVERall the information you need to!#/16GAPcut and assemble the upper bay.!/4ALLOWS#8 x 1!/4" FhFOR WOODWOODSCREWIt consists of a top and bottomMOVEMENTG TOPpiece with dividers and ends. Andthere’s a thin strip on the back side!/2that acts as a drawer stop.There’s nothing difficult aboutH!/4cutting and assembling the bay.!/4 !/4" ROUNDOVERBut one thing I want to point outJis that the top is longer than thebottom. This way, you can formLOWERSIDE b.tongues on the ends that slide intothe grooves on the case sides. YouF !/4!/4"I can see what I mean in Figure 5b.ROUNDOVERDividers and Ends. The dividersthat separate the three smallEIBASE BASE FRONT CSIDE (#/4" x 1!/2" - 20")L!/2drawers are the same size as theJends of the upper drawer bay.!/2And, to keep things simple, I usedFRONT VIEW#8 x 1" FhWOODSCREWJ butt joints for assembly. The screwsBASE SIDE2 2 (#/4" x 1!/2" - 11!/2")18 ShopNotes No. 98
Page 1: 1 FIGUREWASTELOWER SIDES(!/2" x 8#/

Curved-Lid Tool Chest, Pt. 2 - Woodsmith Woodworking Seminars

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