BAZMAK-A tale of a toolbox and toolchest

[bazmak]

Hi everybody,having read Gus the happy fisherman thread on a toolchest
and read of but never seen the American Rolls Royce of tool chests i thought i would add my twopennyworth.
I am a time served Eng.with an interest in woodwork.A good combination as my
wife thinks i can do anything and frequently asks me to.At school i liked Maths and Science,hated History and English.My two favourite lessons were Metalwork
and Woodwork and was fortunate to do both.In 1962 at the age of 141/2 i left
to start an engineering apprenticeship.We had to buy a no of tools,calpers,sq,6" rule etc and for the first year made many more.All i could afford was a cheap
metal cantilever toolbox and i looked on with envy at the boys who bought the polished hardwood toolchests thru the company for $10.(2 weeks wages).Little did i know that it would be 20 yrs before i got mine

 

[bazmak]

Tale of a toolbox - I finally mved from the apprentice school to the sheetmetal/welding dept. and by this time had taken an interest in woodworking
My first job was a coffee table and to make it i had purchased a no of tools
Chisels,plane,Yankee screwdriver etc and realized ai needed a toolbox.
I decided to make 2 1 for work and 1 for home.Using available free issue matls i made two sealed boxes 650w x 450h x 250 dp.Top and bottom were made from 19 thk T&G floorboards,the side from 12mm ply and the front/back from 6mm ply
Using a jigsaw the lid was cutout ,2 timber stiffeners added and a length of piano hinge fitted.The only items i bought were 2 toggle catches,and 3 coats of clear gloss finish
I took one to work on the bus and fitted it out with partition and steel drawers
The foreman turned a blind eye to an apprentice making his first toolbox.When finishe i took it home for my woodworkinf tools.Hacksaw etc were fitted inside the lid.I then took the 2nd to work and repeated the process.Fellow workers
took an interest and i quickly had orders for 3.Each customer fitted out his own box as he wished and i financed more tools.Over the years i must have made about 20.Photo shows one i still have,over 40yrs old and has travelled around the world twice.Sadly now only kept for storage.To be continued with a tale of my first tool chest

 

[gus]

Hi BArry,

Paul Swifty made his own ToolMaker's Chest during his first year apprenticeship. Made his own tools too and the ball pein hammer was the only tool he bought.
As for Gus,with the DIY ToolMaker's Chest,he is better organised and tools easily found. Looking for time to lacquer the drawer false front before the multi-drawer Tool Cabinet gets smudged by my dirty hands. My darling boss has some ambitious plans or projects. Meanwhile I am pretending to be very busy and stupid.

 

[bazmak]

One thought i had,if you are tight for space,make the cabinet disguised as a piece
of furniture and keep in the house,as you say asks just act stupid,works all the time

 

[bazmak]

TALE OF A TOOL CHEST. Fast forward 20yrs and now living in Australia,3 kids and a 12ft x 20ft workshop
Lathe,Milling Mc etc and a 3 1/2 G loco in progress.Also the proud owner of a combination woodworking Mc
Saw,plane/thicknesser,spindle moulder,disc/belt sander etc.I decided to make a tool chest based on my memory
of my appretice school days/dreams.Same layout only bigger.I had some lengths of 8x2 mahogany so i
ripped up and planed down the required sections.Drawers were all finger jointed using a wobble saw and
box combing jig.(poor mans dovetail) It was magnificent when new but as you see from the photo after 30+ years
and 2 trips round the world its looking tired.Still my main toolchest and cost practically nothing to make
Here endeth the story

 

[gus]

Thats a priceless vintage ToolMaker's Chest with very 'antiquely' drawer knobs. Next trip to TokyoHands will scrounge for these knobs.
Honestly speaking ToolMaker's Chest not a traditional ''must have'' with the veteran tool maker's here in Singapore. Possible reason may be most of these vets came from China. However I did see itinerant tradesmen with DIY Tool Boxes made from the age old condensed milk boxes.My next trip to China I will look around for these tradesmen doing their biz in the markets.
The mini wheat flour dough figurine maestro have their own tool boxes handed down by their masters. The lock&key smiths too. Most tool boxes were more of practical than '' elaborate done up''.

I am thinking about starting a thread--------Post your DIY ToolMaker's Chest. Bought ToolMaker's Chest also welcomed.
There will be some very fantastically done TMC.

 

[bazmak]

Hi Gus, if i recall the knobs were cheapies bought at the local hardware store
I am thinking about refurbing the chest back to its former glory i think it has earned it after all these years of serving me well