STORING HAND TOOLS
he display cabinet is sized just right to inet on its back with the
T
make a great tool cabinet for those spe- doors propped open. This
cial hand tools you want to keep accessible lets you shuffle the tools
 and protected. Of course, whether you around easily until you
build a  fine cabinet (with cherry and ash, have the most efficient
like the one here) or choose less expensive layout. Then after you
wood is up to you. Either way, there are a few have chosen which tools
things to keep in mind as you re adapting this will go where, you can
cabinet for tool storage. begin making some
WOOD PANELS. To custom tool holders.
make the best use TOOL HOLDERS. It s not
SHELF DETAIL
of the space inside hard to design and build
Front of shelf relieved
the cabinet, I your own custom tool
to provide clearance
for tools on door decided to build holders. The goal is to get
3&/8"
the doors with them to hang securely so they don t
1!/4" radius
solid-wood panels fall (or swing) whenever the door is
instead of glass. opened. At the same time, you want
1!/2"
!/16"
This way, I could them as easy to lift off and set back on
chamfer
store tools on the as possible. Plus, if there are sharp
doors, as well as edges, like the teeth on a hand saw or
on the shelves (and back). But to do this, you the point of an awl, you want to be sure that to the edges so the tools won t slide off as the
have to make sure there will be enough other tools (and your hands) are protected. door is opened and closed.
clearance inside the cabinet. This means There are a number of ways to accom- When you re making these small holders,
cutting shallow recesses in the front edges plish this, as you can see in the photos below. it s best to do as much work as you can with
of the shelves or cutting narrower shelves Simple kerfs are great for holding the blades the pieces oversized. This keeps your hands
(and changing the locations of the holes for of saws, squares, and rulers. For awls, as far away from the blade as possible.
the shelf pins), as in the drawing above. chisels, and files, I drill counterbored holes The photos below show just a few of the
ORGANIZING TOOLS. In order to get the most that trap the handles and then cut slots for tool holder ideas we came up with for our
use out of the doors, I decided to spend a easy access. And for marking gauges and cabinet. To see some more ideas, go to the
little time planning which tools would work block planes, you can make a small shelf Online Extras section on our web site:
W
best where. To do this, I simply laid the cab- platform. Here, you ll want to add small cleats www.Woodsmith.com.
Scratch awl. An open hole traps Hand saw. A kerf can be used Marking gauge. For this mark- Combination square. A small
the handle of this awl. And to to protect the teeth of a hand ing gauge, a notched block sup- angled block with a shallow kerf
protect your hands (and other saw. To support the saw, I added ports the head, and a small lip is all you need to capture a com-
tools), the point sits in a base. a simple base, see main photo. keeps the tool from sliding off. bination square.
Copyright 2004 Martian Auctions 689
From Woodsmith Magazine page 8 of 10 ©2003 August Home Publishing
One copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited. All rights reserved
SHOP NOTES
Mitering Glass Stop
When mitering glass stop, miter  box sized for small
the trick is to work with the strips. As you can see in
fragile 1/" x 1/" strips safely. Fig. 1, this is just a piece
4 4
So when it was time to cut with a groove cut in it to
the stop for the glass doors hold the glass stop blanks.
on the display cabinet, I (The stops shouldn t fit the Of course the critical part of strips in place, I gripped
decided to leave my table groove tight, or you ll have making this jig is accurately them with my fingers. But
saw turned off and miter the a hard time adjusting them cutting the kerfs that guide I found that the saw tended
pieces with a hand saw, as from side-to-side.) This the hand saw. And to do to bind in the kerf. So for a
{ To allow my hand shown in the photo at right. miter  box is glued to a cleat this, I used my combination quick solution, I rubbed a
saw to slide MITER BOX JIG. To do this so the T-shaped jig can be square, as shown in Fig. 2. little wax on the blade, as in
W
smoothly in this accurately, I made a quick clamped into a bench vise. Then to hold the small the margin photo at left.
miter  box, I
applied a little wax
Miter
to each face. a.
"box"
2
1
END
8"
VIEW
2"
!/4"
#/8"
Jig clamped
in bench
vise
Groove for
glass stop
2"
Combination
square
8" NOTE:
Groove is slightly
Cleat
wider than glass stop
45°
Make a Bridle Jig
I needed a simple push block to
Corner trimmed
support the stiles while the a.
after pieces are
6!/4"
TOP
glued together
mortises were being cut. Plus,
VIEW
I wanted to use the same fence
Body
8"
setting as the groove setup so
Body
the mortises would align with 11"
the grooves. This push block
does the trick. Its body matches
the stile s thickness (3/ "), and
4
5"
Arm
the hardboard arm extends
1#/4"
!/4" hard-
12#/4"
{ This push block lets you past the front of the body to pre- board arm
cut the mortises without vent the piece from tipping as
having to reset the fence. it s pushed across the blade.
Copyright 2004 Martian Auctions 690
From Woodsmith Magazine page 9 of 10 ©2003 August Home Publishing
One copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited. All rights reserved
Bridle Joint
1
This display cabinet has a.
END
VIEW
door frames with grooves
!/4"
Door frame
on their inside edges to
Groove
piece
for panel
hold a panel. As you can see
{ Unlike a traditional
in the upper photo at right,
NOTE:
mortise and tenon, a bridle
a bridle joint (or open mor-
To center groove,
joint can be cut completely on
workpiece is flipped
tise and tenon) is a good
between passes
the table saw.
choice for this type of
frame. It s plenty strong to
hold a glass panel, and the
2
whole process can be done a.
on the table saw. All you !/4"
Door
need is the simple bridle jig
Stile
stile
Bridle
(see page 8). Be sure to
jig
1#/8"
build the jig before you get
END
See margin
started on the joint.
VIEW
for setting
GROOVE. The first step to
blade height
building the frames is to
make a centered groove on
each piece, as in Fig. 1.
NOTE: Sneak
Cut tenon to
Technically, this isn t part
up on thickness
3
fit mortise
of tenon
of the joint, but you ll use a.
Width of
stiles
this same fence setting to
END
VIEW
cut the mortise next. Aux.
fence
Size tenon
Dado
To cut the groove, I
to fit
blade
made a couple passes over
mortise
Rail
a regular blade. Flipping { To set the blade
the pieces between passes at the right height
automatically centers the for the mortise of
groove. And you ll want to the bridle joint,
sneak up on the position of the grooves. But you will the same two-step process Fig. 3, I laid the rails down raise it until it
the fence until the grooves need to raise the blade to you used when cutting the for this step, making mul- aligns with the
are 1/ " wide. set the depth of the mor- grooves. Only this time, the tiple passes over a dado groove in one of
4
MORTISE. Now you can cut tises, as indicated in the workpieces will be cut blade. Set the fence so the the rail pieces.
the mortises in the stile lower margin photo. This standing on end (supported tenon matches the width of
pieces, as in Fig. 2. You way, the mortise s depth by the jig). the stiles. Then sneak up
don t want to change the will automatically match TENON. All that s left now on the height of the blade
fence for this step. The the width of the tenon. is to cut a tenon to fit the until the tenon fits snug in
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mortises should align with Cutting the mortises is mortise. As you can see in the mortise.
Copyright 2004 Martian Auctions 691
From Woodsmith Magazine page 10 of 10 ©2003 August Home Publishing
One copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited. All rights reserved