# gerstner machinist chest dimensions



## kd0afk (Jan 12, 2014)

I need to know what the thickness is of the wood that makes up a gerstner box. Sides, fronts and carcass wood thickness. 
Thanks


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 12, 2014)

I do not have a gershner but I do have three wood toolboxes in my shop and my  son has a box. 
there seems to  be some variation 

Main body /carcass is the heaviest 1/2 to 9/16 the drawer fronts 1/2 +-. 
drawer sides and backs  5/16 to 3/8 but the drawer sides on the least expensive Harbor Freight box are 1/2". drawer bottoms I suggest being captured on both sides and a couple of fastens in the back. drawer bottom material varies If I was building a box I would probably choose aluminum. My old 1940 vintage union box has tin plate my travers import box has thin wood and the harbor freight and my sons grizzly box are Masonite type material. 
tin


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## kd0afk (Jan 12, 2014)

For the drawer bottoms I was going to go with tin but aluminum would be lighter. Thanks for the dims Tin.
I was given to me a delta 1180 shaper, a small Delta table saw and I bought a 4" jointer off CL for $10. All machines are cast iron and the only thing wrong with the shaper is the bearings.  I need a few cutters and the saw needs a rip fence rail but as soon as I get them sorted I'm building a machinist chest.


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## kd0afk (Jan 17, 2014)

What kind of wood  are the sides made out of, poplar?


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## barnesrickw (Jan 17, 2014)

So, would people pay for a quality, hand-made from black walnut chest?


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## kd0afk (Jan 18, 2014)

barnesrickw said:


> So, would people pay for a quality, hand-made from black walnut chest?


Actually that would be my first choice in woods. Its my favorite. I was thinking oak first but walnut is much nicer. 
The plan is a dovetailed walnut carcass and walnut drawer fronts with poplar drawers and aluminum bottoms. A beveled mirror in a brass frame in the lid with the whole thong lined in felt. I haven't decided the color of the felt yet. As far as hardware goes I might just go with gerstner on that. I will probably make a riser at the same time I build the box. 
I'm on the lookout now for a planer, Old Delta Rockwell Homecraft preferably. It would make my life so much easier.


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 18, 2014)

> What kind of wood are the sides made out of, poplar?



by sides I expect drawer sises.   poplar should be fine. 





> So, would people pay for a quality, hand-made from black walnut chest?


Like anything else if you find the right buyer ant the right time and place yes.  But unfortunately you often you either run into end users that want and expect a deal or dealer that have a buyer and want to flip things for a profit.  

Oak seems to be the predominate preferred species of wood used for machinist chests but any quality hardwood can be used gersher offers there work in cherry and IIRC walnut,
But i expect availability will vary.

A gershner USA machinist chest will run from about $800 to $1500 the main driving factor in the price difference is the size of the box and number of drawers. 
In contrast a gershner international hobby  box will run about $ 300.   Occasionally you can get a factory second for more like $ 200.

I have a box from Travers tools and Harbor freight . I do caution though if you buy a import box examine carefully before leaving the showroom parking lot. 
I have seen major difference between what is on display and what is in the box you get. Both better and lesser quality. 
CVC had what looked like nice boxes except close examination revealed they were made with sawdust board. 

Tin


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## 2manyhobbies (Jan 18, 2014)

Gerstner made several different sizes of tool boxes.  My Dad's Gerstner is a different size than mine, and there are some that are "compact"  I have an intermediate chest under my box (I bought them as a set.)  One common theme with the bigger ones is that there is a drawer for the machinist's handbook.

My tool box is:
Top Box 26 X 10-1/2" X 16-3/4"
Bottom  24-3/8" X 11-1/4" X 9-1/2"

Material Thickness:
Sides, Top, Front - 1/2"
Drawer Fronts - 0.44"

Personally I like white oak for the Gerstner's, it is kind of the industrial standard even though they did make them in cherry and walnut.

See below for the tool, or tool box, gloat


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## Tin Falcon (Jan 18, 2014)

> One common theme with the bigger ones is that there is a drawer for the machinist's handbook.


thanks for the reminder. I meant to  mention that. On the larger import boxes they have this drawer but it is not quite big enough for a Machinery's handbook. 
The Kennedy (metal boxes) and the gershner it actually fits the book as it should. 
Tin


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## Walltoddj (Jan 18, 2014)

barnesrickw said:


> So, would people pay for a quality, hand-made from black walnut chest?



If I'm not mistaken Gerstner made a Black Walnut version back in the 70's I saw one come in the shop brand new and sweet to look at.

Todd


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## barnesrickw (Jan 18, 2014)

I think white oak is the better choice too.  Tough, durable, and period correct.  They used a lot of white oak early to almost mid 20th century.  Somewhere I have plans for one of those chests, and I have some walnut I would love to get rid of so I can get my shed back.  I may have finally found the project worth the time.


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## kd0afk (Jan 18, 2014)

barnesrickw said:


> I think white oak is the better choice too.  Tough, durable, and period correct.  They used a lot of white oak early to almost mid 20th century.  Somewhere I have plans for one of those chests, and I have some walnut I would love to get rid of so I can get my shed back.  I may have finally found the project worth the time.


Actually you're correct about the durability of oak. It may have to be oak then. They have some nice stock at the lumber yard. And oak is generally cheaper than walnut, or was last time I checked. Funny thing, that. I wanted to make an inexpensive rolling cabinet a while back just as the whole "country livin" furniture style took off and priced the lumber. I priced pine, doug fir and a few others. Wound up making it out of walnut. They couldn't give the stuff away, everyone wanted that damn knotry pine and fir. I got 200bf of 8/4 for around $5 per. And long wide dark pieces too, pretty much AAA on the whole lot.


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## barnesrickw (Jan 18, 2014)

You could use red oak, but it's inferior wood.  I've tried selling the walnut I have, and I can't give it away.  Might as well turn it into a toolbox.  As for the other 500 bf, who knows.


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## 2manyhobbies (Jan 18, 2014)

barnesrickw said:


> You could use red oak, but it's inferior wood.



And if you ever wonder why.... look at the end grain of a piece of white oak vs. red oak. 
Not only that if you use 1/4 sawn white oak you get the very nice little squiggly things.  If you would like a more vintage patina google "ammonia fuming white oak"
Brad
Red Oak on the left, White Oak on the right


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## barnesrickw (Jan 19, 2014)

I've made quite a few projects from white oak.  Cut down some really nice ones when I was logging for a living.


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## kd0afk (Jan 19, 2014)

I was unaware of the difference between white and red. Thanks for clearing that up.


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## barnesrickw (Jan 20, 2014)

White oak is more likely to kick back when you are falling the tree, and kill or injure loggers.  Not as bad as hickory, but you need to watch that stuff.


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## GLCarlson (Jan 23, 2014)

barnesrickw said:


> So, would people pay for a quality, hand-made from black walnut chest?



I've always found it curious that camphorwood (or eucalyptus) is never mentioned in any of these discussions. At old trick of the trade was using block of camphor as a vapor phase rust inhibitor. Eucalyptol should work similarly. Drawers of camphorwood in a black walnut box would look pretty sharp....

Perhaps this has been tried, and doesn't work. One of these days I'll get around to slicing up a big hunk of camphorwood I've been hoarding, and try it out. Worst case, I'll have a toolbox that smells good!


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## barnesrickw (Jan 23, 2014)

Sassafras makes a nice smelling drawer (root beer), but sassafras in a decent size saw logs is hard to find.  Not sure about its rust inhibiting qualities.


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## GLCarlson (Jan 24, 2014)

Camphor is a solid bicyclic terpenoid ketone with a notable vapor pressure at RT. Safrole, the major component of sassafras oil, is a weakly carcinogenic (in rats- no evidence in humans) oil at RT, chemically methylenedioxyphenyl propene. The difference between the two is that camphor is well known to sublime (solid to vapor to solid again) and will produce an oily film on cool surfaces; this is probably the basis for the rust prevention. Safrole doesn't sublime, so it's unlikely to have a similar effect. At least, that's how my chemical intuition comes out.

I wouldn't bet a good tool that camphorwood is a great rust preventer, but it's an interesting idea, and at least it's unlikely to be actually corrosive to tools.


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## chucketn (Jan 24, 2014)

I found, in my files, another set of plans for a workshop tool box. This toolbox looks amazingly like a machinist's chest. It even has a riser base with additional drawers. After searching the web, I found I got them from the ShopSmith website. This website has archives of ShopSmiths magazine "Hands On". The website is:

http://www.shopsmithhandson.com/archives/jan_feb_02/html/major_project.htm

I was able to download a pdf of the build instructions and drawings. There is even a materials list that could be printed for refference.

Chuck


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## barnesrickw (Jan 25, 2014)

I doubt sassafras prevents rust, just smells good, and maybe keeps some bugs away.  Last I heard the oil was a carcinogen and they frowned on drinking the tea. That's assuming you drink that koolaid.


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## barnesrickw (Jan 25, 2014)

chucketn said:


> I found, in my files, another set of plans for a workshop tool box. This toolbox looks amazingly like a machinist's chest. It even has a riser base with additional drawers. After searching the web, I found I got them from the ShopSmith website. This website has archives of ShopSmiths magazine "Hands On". The website is:
> 
> http://www.shopsmithhandson.com/archives/jan_feb_02/html/major_project.htm
> 
> ...




That one looks like Cheery, but I could not get the picture large enough to tell.


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## GLCarlson (Jan 25, 2014)

chucketn said:


> I found, in my files, another set of plans for a workshop tool box.
> 
> Chuck



Oh, drat. Now I HAVE to build one! Looks as if the center drawer needs to be stretched for a Machinery's Handbook, but other than that, very nice plans and thank you very much for the link!!


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