Time to attach the handles to the carpenter’s tool chest. I have been debating how to attach them to allow for wood movement; in the end, I opted for four big no.14 wood screws; I want the handles to sit on the bottom skirt, so I elongated the screw holes more and more as they get closer to the top. At the moment, the handles reach just under the trim of the lid, but this Summer there will definitely be a gap there. I thought I would glue the bottom third of the handles to the chest ends, but they feel so solid that I may skip the glue for the time being. #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhitePine #Pine #Woodworking
I have decided to go the traditional route and nail the bottom to the chest. I used spacers to evenly distribute the extra space among the tongue-and-groove joints and keep the boards from moving around while banging on them. With the nails placed at only 5/16” from the ends of the boards I was very concerned about splits, so I drilled two sets of pilot holes: a thin one almost as deep as the length of the nail and a fatter one only through the thickness of the bottom. I did get one split and I can see thin line fractures next to many of the other nails, but I am really happy because I managed to plant them straight down and none of them went through the sides of the chest :-) I used square-cut, clout nails with a big head for best holding power; the bottom seems really solid so for the time being I am not going to hammer extra nails through the skirt; only time will tell… #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhitePine #Pine #Woodworking
This is the first time I use a lock with an escutcheon. Carving the slot for the escutcheon in the front of the carpenter’s tool chest takes one essential skill: patience! I am happy with the result being the first attempt even though the sides are not as snug as they should. #ToolChest #HandToolsOnly #WhitePine #Pine #Woodworking
