GG's,

I know we love the words and stories behind things on the porch.  But
sometimes pictures are nice too.

A few years ago we made some changes that had me moving my tools into a new
shop that was unheated.  The first winter my tools sat in the shop in boxes
and waited for me to get them sorted out the following summer.  When I
finally started organizing the new space, I discovered all my tools had
rusted in the boxes they were stored in.  Every single tool.  The new LN's,
Veritas tools and the old antiques I have lovingly restored to use over the
last 20+ years or so.

I spent that summer cleaning and fixing everything and then brought them all
home from the new shop to the house the following winter and kept them safe
and rust free.  The second summer, I resolved to build myself a nice English
style tool chest to protect them.  I also decided to pare down my tool set
to the ones I use to actually build things.  This idea came from reading the
Anarchist Tool Chest.  The ideas Chris had made sense to my situation and so
I thought I would build the chest and see how I liked it.  If I didn't like
it, well I would have a lovely blanket box for the house.

So a pile of Alder later, and I built a 42"x26"x26" chest.  The bottom of
the chest also has a device with a tail on it.  A gun safe
dehumidifier/heater.  I figured I could burn a few electrons in the honor of
protecting my tools.

It turns out I love working from the chest.  It is on casters.  I roll it
out behind me at the bench and work between it and the bench.  I simply
reach behind me and grab anything I need.  When I'm done, it goes back in
the chest.  I'm thrilled and put together a WEB page with a gallery on my
businesses WEB site.  Feel free to have a look at the pictures.  I am quite
proud of this new shop fixture and after using it the last year I'm sold on
its design for the way that I work.

The link to the page with the photos is: http://wp.me/P4hsTy-O7

YMMV,

Brent Parkin
Regina, SK
Canada eh!

Beautiful.  

Ed Minch

Snip

> It turns out I love working from the chest.  It is on casters.  I roll it
> out behind me at the bench and work between it and the bench.  I simply
> reach behind me and grab anything I need.  When I'm done, it goes back in
> the chest.  I'm thrilled and put together a WEB page with a gallery on my
>  list catering to the interests of hand tool
>
> Snip
That is really nice, Brent! Well done.  I sort of tried this a few years
ago, but failed. Now I have several chests!  Sigh, because I just can't
part with my "good" tools.
On the other hand, I try to get young ones interested, so I gift basic tool
sets to little people (under the watchful eye of their moms) and get them
hooked on making stuff.   If I don't get enough interested youngsters
started on this, all my stuff is just going to get auctioned off. Sigh, so
little time left.  Better to be remembered as "that old guy who gave me my
first set of real tools" rather than not being remembered at all?

Claudio, polishing the spittoon , you know...for maintenance