As I understand it, in previous centuries tools were very expensive & had to be guarded & finally sold or passed to an heir, so that one tool might have several names on it. In those days accommodation was sparse & small & jobs happened at customers homes, so that having a tool box that had all one needed which could be moved was essential. I have bought several & I forget what is in them, but tools seem to keep well in wood. In one box I made I am trying camphour as a rust protector, but most are without any rust inhibitor, but still seem fine. As you say rummaging in a box is not as convenient as picking off the wall, but the latter is a luxury in our prosperous times. I like having all the tools associated with one project in a box. For example when I make ornamental plaques, a few times each year, I like to have what I need stored in a box that I can put away when I am not making plaques. Various folk like to tell me how I am a hoarder, clutter maker & worse, but it’s what suits me. Thank you for sharing!
nice video. As you said they were from the days where you had to look after your own in a shared workshop, bit like the mechanics, and had to move. If you are just in your own workshop and dont need to move they dont make as much sense. I am of course still going to build one for fun.
Nice chests, good for storing seldom used tools. Not something that I'd want to work out of everyday either. I enjoy seeing those types of tool storage and the tools you have in them.
Big part of the ATC is the journey of building it. Using it is another path like you bring up. I like that there are different sizes like the one Megan did a video of for Marc Spagnolo guild. I have thought that the Dutch tool chest on a rolling cabinet to be comfortable to use. Building them all and trying them helped me development skills. Same can be said for any tool storage like wall cabinets. Thank you for sharing. Woodshop content is amazing. I need to go back and find adze forging videos.
Had the book and the DVD to build the Anarchist tool chest, then my brother found one at an auction and bought it for me - then drove it down to my house. I've been using it now for 10 years, and really enjoy it. I've got a "hybrid" shop with lots of power tools, but love how all the hand tools and marking tools are in one place, with a place for it. Also keeps me from buying too many tools - I have what I need. Thanks for the video
The ATC book got me in the mind of a minimal set of tools. I have few duplicates. I've found the best setup is something you can put things away in as easy as setting on the bench.
I have a couple of repro mechanic/engineer boxes.....both eight drawer... for my watchmaking tools. Wouldn't have it any other way for organization except that I had to fabricate my own in-drawer partitions. There is a certain romance to caring for quality tools that might be passed on. I wonder if such a tradition will continue moving forward?😮😮😮
I found that over the years of having to have all my tools mobile, I gravitated to tool storage that didn't require going upside down to access them. Those tools, as you so aptly demonstrated, get lost in storage to be rediscovered at dates past the time when you actually needed to use it. I've used the same words you spoke, "I forgot I had that". The other phenomenon is the subtle migration of tools within the work truck, currently a 15' x 8' box van, yes, that's the size of the box, as bumpy roads are traveled. Carpenter, drywall, electrical, plumbing, framing, finish, flooring, roofing and more. Concrete, welding, tile working tools are thrown in as needed. Most of my work is in rural situations so having a myriad selection on hand is a necessity if you don't want to spend hours in tool retrieval.
Good morning John, you have some mighty fine tool chests right there. Thanks for sharing with us. Stay safe and best of luck getting some of those tools out where they will be easily accessible. Fred.
I know many who have built tool chests and use them, but I think it has a lot to do with their workshops. Some of them are very small workshops, some of them are unheated, etc. So to keep everything stored effectively and protected from moisture, it makes a lot of sense. I really like the idea, as you did, but tools I use a lot are on the wall, tools I don't use that often are in drawers. If my tools were in a tool chest, I would go mad! And I'm hand tool woodworker, by the way.
I love these chests, but they fit a need for a different time. Tools were expensive and few. Workshops were basically protection from the rain but not much else. The “old workshop” on the farm I grew up on was build in the mid-late 1800’s and tools were kept in a simple cabinet. Any thing metal hanging on the walls or from ceiling joists rusted. Everything in the cabinet was very well preserved. (God i miss that shop!). . . but I'm considering making a dutch tool chest for a traveling blacksmith tool set.
As has been said, I'd rather have a tool and not need it than need a tool and not have it. I have similar "repositories" for some of the antique tools I almost never use, but it's nice to know they are there if I need them.
I'm still building more storage for my workshop so I'm at the stage of “it's nice to have the tool and not need, but it would be a lot more use if I could find it” 😁
Love the chests. I believe the big difference was that theses chests were designed for portability and security, back when carpenters were more transient or mobile. For a static workshop you want every tool to be within eye site. For the job site you want tools to be organized and secure.
That's right. The modern equivalents are the pickup with locked boxes that are bolted into the pickup box and the the large metal jobsite boxes such as made by Knaak, Jobsite, Greenlee and others. The jobsite boxes are larger because the power tools take up more space than their old, hand powered tools.
I built and worked out of a Dutch tool chest in an unfinished basement shop for several years before I moved. Now I have a shed as my shop. The basement walls were stone and cement, not suitable for hanging things; the shed walls are wood on construction lumber framing. In the basement shop, I got used to working out of the chest and found it quite efficient. Like Schwarz, I took tools out as needed and did not continuously reach in and out of the chest. And my tool kit was minimal enough that I didn't need a sliding till. Because the selection of tools was minimal, things didn't get lost. In the shed, I've moved towards wall-mounted tool chests. It's nice being able to access things and keep the workbench clear. When using the tool chest, the tools to be used occupied part of the work surface. So no, you don't NEED a traditional tool chest in a modern shop - but you CAN use one effectively if you choose to. I think it's really a question of what practice you get used to. Good video. Thanks for sharing.
Those big Early floor Chests are cool historical treasures chests. The smaller bench chests with stout side handles about 1/3 the size are more practical . I have my Grandads Box with several sliding bins with hand saw keepers on the Chest lid. But even those tend to become wells of forgotten old tools. Best! Dwayne
Thanks for showing the tool chests and their contents! I agree with your point of view. Having gone through a tool chest building phase, I have an ATC, DTC, a more mundane tool tote, and a couple of Japanese style tool boxes. But the ATC definitely tends to end up with stuff piled on top of the lid. I do use the DTC for storing my most-used woodworking hand tools, though.
My chest a little different than yours. It was probably built about 1900 (based on hardware) and was probably a carpenter's job site box. The body of the chest is the size of yours, but the lid has a metal Mansard looking roof on it, so could be left out in the weather. It does not have sliding trays - there are 2 deep trays on top, which can be lifted out and used as separate toolboxes, then 2 shallow trays under those, then 2 wells deep enough to hold molding planes on end. There is no gap between the trays. Most days, the tools on top are enough. Sometimes I will set one of the top trays to the side for access below. I have a very different shop, so it works for me. It belonged to someone named F. Reine - he stamped his name on the remaining tools and in several places on the chest - and probably came from the Milwaukee area, if any descendants are reading.
What the what?! Black Bear Forge maker has another channel? Under his own name?! And his name is John Switzer? And he does woodwork? All these things I just discovered just now when this popped into my timeline. Why have I never known these things? SUBSCRIBED W/ NOTIFICATIONS!
Looks like a Patternmakers tool box. Most if not all Patternmakers made their own toolbox. I did that myself back in the 70s. Not that big though. All the really old Patternmakers did most work by hand.
Wow ! Real Treasure chests ! While I love the idea of a tool chest, I see it more useful if you travel to shows and do hand tool work, I could see them as useful to lock up your stuff at a mutual space, overnight, at a wood show or such. They look great, and scream 'traditional, no power !!!' but for me, probably not . . . . I also enjoy The Anarchist Series, and Mr. Schwartz, no shade on him, but I'm more of a Norm Abrams kinda wood worker, vs. Roy Underhill & Chris Schwartz . . . Merry Christmas !
5:57 I looked up Vesper Tools and holy moly, those are some drool-worthy (and expensive) sliding bevel gauges. At $1265 USD for a set ($1980 AUD), I estimate the small one, currently out of stock, to be somewhere around $500 🤯 that is HNT Gordon level, and a bit out of my reach, what with a family and all
I wonder if you could make some stands to lift up and separate the trays? Possibly at an angle. Then you could see everything, but still put the trays back into the chest if you need the space.
if everything is neatly stored and well looked after then you are a collector. If things are poorly organised and not well stored then you are a hoarder.
Not only patina, but the sound of the wood gives me the fizz. Lifetime collection will be sold in an instant (for pennys in the dollar) by milennials so they can park their suv..
Daughter gave me Chris’s book and I built the chest over Covid. Love it
What was the name of the book?
As I understand it, in previous centuries tools were very expensive & had to be guarded & finally sold or passed to an heir, so that one tool might have several names on it. In those days accommodation was sparse & small & jobs happened at customers homes, so that having a tool box that had all one needed which could be moved was essential. I have bought several & I forget what is in them, but tools seem to keep well in wood. In one box I made I am trying camphour as a rust protector, but most are without any rust inhibitor, but still seem fine. As you say rummaging in a box is not as convenient as picking off the wall, but the latter is a luxury in our prosperous times. I like having all the tools associated with one project in a box. For example when I make ornamental plaques, a few times each year, I like to have what I need stored in a box that I can put away when I am not making plaques. Various folk like to tell me how I am a hoarder, clutter maker & worse, but it’s what suits me. Thank you for sharing!
Yes, portability, organization, and protection against theft and moisture were the main reasons for a tool chest, as far as I know.
nice video. As you said they were from the days where you had to look after your own in a shared workshop, bit like the mechanics, and had to move. If you are just in your own workshop and dont need to move they dont make as much sense. I am of course still going to build one for fun.
Nice chests, good for storing seldom used tools. Not something that I'd want to work out of everyday either. I enjoy seeing those types of tool storage and the tools you have in them.
Big part of the ATC is the journey of building it. Using it is another path like you bring up. I like that there are different sizes like the one Megan did a video of for Marc Spagnolo guild. I have thought that the Dutch tool chest on a rolling cabinet to be comfortable to use. Building them all and trying them helped me development skills. Same can be said for any tool storage like wall cabinets. Thank you for sharing. Woodshop content is amazing. I need to go back and find adze forging videos.
Had the book and the DVD to build the Anarchist tool chest, then my brother found one at an auction and bought it for me - then drove it down to my house. I've been using it now for 10 years, and really enjoy it. I've got a "hybrid" shop with lots of power tools, but love how all the hand tools and marking tools are in one place, with a place for it. Also keeps me from buying too many tools - I have what I need. Thanks for the video
The ATC book got me in the mind of a minimal set of tools. I have few duplicates. I've found the best setup is something you can put things away in as easy as setting on the bench.
Awesome video. I really enjoyed watching Woodwrights Shop with my dad on Saturday mornings.
I have a couple of repro mechanic/engineer boxes.....both eight drawer... for my watchmaking tools. Wouldn't have it any other way for organization except that I had to fabricate my own in-drawer partitions. There is a certain romance to caring for quality tools that might be passed on. I wonder if such a tradition will continue moving forward?😮😮😮
Interesting way to store alot of stuff. Thanks for the insight to this traditional method.
I found that over the years of having to have all my tools mobile, I gravitated to tool storage that didn't require going upside down to access them. Those tools, as you so aptly demonstrated, get lost in storage to be rediscovered at dates past the time when you actually needed to use it. I've used the same words you spoke, "I forgot I had that". The other phenomenon is the subtle migration of tools within the work truck, currently a 15' x 8' box van, yes, that's the size of the box, as bumpy roads are traveled. Carpenter, drywall, electrical, plumbing, framing, finish, flooring, roofing and more. Concrete, welding, tile working tools are thrown in as needed. Most of my work is in rural situations so having a myriad selection on hand is a necessity if you don't want to spend hours in tool retrieval.
Good morning John, you have some mighty fine tool chests right there. Thanks for sharing with us. Stay safe and best of luck getting some of those tools out where they will be easily accessible. Fred.
Beautiful shop. Really nice to have it so close to the kitchen😂. Shirt is falling off of you John. Keep it up!
Thank you
I know many who have built tool chests and use them, but I think it has a lot to do with their workshops. Some of them are very small workshops, some of them are unheated, etc. So to keep everything stored effectively and protected from moisture, it makes a lot of sense.
I really like the idea, as you did, but tools I use a lot are on the wall, tools I don't use that often are in drawers. If my tools were in a tool chest, I would go mad! And I'm hand tool woodworker, by the way.
I love these chests, but they fit a need for a different time. Tools were expensive and few. Workshops were basically protection from the rain but not much else. The “old workshop” on the farm I grew up on was build in the mid-late 1800’s and tools were kept in a simple cabinet. Any thing metal hanging on the walls or from ceiling joists rusted. Everything in the cabinet was very well preserved. (God i miss that shop!). . . but I'm considering making a dutch tool chest for a traveling blacksmith tool set.
John, Excellent collection! If you know what it is, have used it and MAY use it again someday. It isn't hording!😂
I like that philosophy.
As has been said, I'd rather have a tool and not need it than need a tool and not have it. I have similar "repositories" for some of the antique tools I almost never use, but it's nice to know they are there if I need them.
I'm still building more storage for my workshop so I'm at the stage of “it's nice to have the tool and not need, but it would be a lot more use if I could find it” 😁
Love the chests. I believe the big difference was that theses chests were designed for portability and security, back when carpenters were more transient or mobile. For a static workshop you want every tool to be within eye site. For the job site you want tools to be organized and secure.
That's right. The modern equivalents are the pickup with locked boxes that are bolted into the pickup box and the the large metal jobsite boxes such as made by Knaak, Jobsite, Greenlee and others. The jobsite boxes are larger because the power tools take up more space than their old, hand powered tools.
I built and worked out of a Dutch tool chest in an unfinished basement shop for several years before I moved. Now I have a shed as my shop. The basement walls were stone and cement, not suitable for hanging things; the shed walls are wood on construction lumber framing. In the basement shop, I got used to working out of the chest and found it quite efficient. Like Schwarz, I took tools out as needed and did not continuously reach in and out of the chest. And my tool kit was minimal enough that I didn't need a sliding till. Because the selection of tools was minimal, things didn't get lost.
In the shed, I've moved towards wall-mounted tool chests. It's nice being able to access things and keep the workbench clear. When using the tool chest, the tools to be used occupied part of the work surface.
So no, you don't NEED a traditional tool chest in a modern shop - but you CAN use one effectively if you choose to. I think it's really a question of what practice you get used to.
Good video. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate that perspective.
Thanks John- Merry Christmas and God bless you and yours!
Thanks! Merry Christmas to you as well!
Those big Early floor Chests are cool historical treasures chests. The smaller bench chests with stout side handles about 1/3 the size are more practical . I have my Grandads Box with several sliding bins with hand saw keepers on the Chest lid. But even those tend to become wells of forgotten old tools. Best! Dwayne
Thanks for showing the tool chests and their contents! I agree with your point of view. Having gone through a tool chest building phase, I have an ATC, DTC, a more mundane tool tote, and a couple of Japanese style tool boxes. But the ATC definitely tends to end up with stuff piled on top of the lid. I do use the DTC for storing my most-used woodworking hand tools, though.
Very cool and wish I was there to look too
Built a full size floor chest like those, used it for a couple of months, now it's full of blankets and pillows 😅
My dad and I loved watching Roy Underwood on PBS back in the 1980’s.
I have most of the episodes on DVD and still go back and watch from time to time
I've been a professional cabinetmaker for 39 years. I remember my first toolbox was a cardboard box.
My chest a little different than yours. It was probably built about 1900 (based on hardware) and was probably a carpenter's job site box. The body of the chest is the size of yours, but the lid has a metal Mansard looking roof on it, so could be left out in the weather. It does not have sliding trays - there are 2 deep trays on top, which can be lifted out and used as separate toolboxes, then 2 shallow trays under those, then 2 wells deep enough to hold molding planes on end. There is no gap between the trays. Most days, the tools on top are enough. Sometimes I will set one of the top trays to the side for access below. I have a very different shop, so it works for me. It belonged to someone named F. Reine - he stamped his name on the remaining tools and in several places on the chest - and probably came from the Milwaukee area, if any descendants are reading.
What the what?! Black Bear Forge maker has another channel? Under his own name?! And his name is John Switzer? And he does woodwork? All these things I just discovered just now when this popped into my timeline. Why have I never known these things? SUBSCRIBED W/ NOTIFICATIONS!
Welcome to the channel.
Looks like a Patternmakers tool box. Most if not all Patternmakers made their own toolbox. I did that myself back in the 70s. Not that big though. All the really old Patternmakers did most work by hand.
Wow ! Real Treasure chests ! While I love the idea of a tool chest, I see it more useful if you travel to shows and do hand tool work, I could see them as useful to lock up your stuff at a mutual space, overnight, at a wood show or such. They look great, and scream 'traditional, no power !!!' but for me, probably not . . . . I also enjoy The Anarchist Series, and Mr. Schwartz, no shade on him, but I'm more of a Norm Abrams kinda wood worker, vs. Roy Underhill & Chris Schwartz . . . Merry Christmas !
5:57 I looked up Vesper Tools and holy moly, those are some drool-worthy (and expensive) sliding bevel gauges. At $1265 USD for a set ($1980 AUD), I estimate the small one, currently out of stock, to be somewhere around $500 🤯 that is HNT Gordon level, and a bit out of my reach, what with a family and all
I was lucky to pick these up before he was so successful and paid much less.
The small brace with the big handle is French and more than 100 years old.
Lie Nielsen chisels -- "I forgot I had them" ... O my, wish I had a tool collection (not hoarding) such that I could say that.
You are definitely a collector not a hoarder , and Roy Underhill is about an hour from me
Large chests with rows of drawers inside the box instead of under the box are -weird- special
nice chests
I wonder if you could make some stands to lift up and separate the trays? Possibly at an angle.
Then you could see everything, but still put the trays back into the chest if you need the space.
if everything is neatly stored and well looked after then you are a collector. If things are poorly organised and not well stored then you are a hoarder.
Not only patina, but the sound of the wood gives me the fizz. Lifetime collection will be sold in an instant (for pennys in the dollar) by milennials so they can park their suv..