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In some Victorian books on woodworking, the author suggests that if you don’t have a shop you could use a chest of drawers as a woodworking bench, tool chest and shaving collector.
I’ve not seen an occurrence of this in the wild, but it is an interesting idea.
Recently, Will of Texas sent me photos of his tool chest, which is based off a slant-lid desk with banks of drawers below. And he put the whole thing on wheels.
For a chest that stays in a shop, I think it’s quite clever. I especially like how Will puts the bench planes on what would normally be the desktop.
If I were going to build this chest for myself, I’d probably try to store handsaws on the slant lid and perhaps make the lid stand upright (much like a traditional chest). But that’s just me.
Nice work, Will!
— Christopher Schwarz
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After years of never getting the time to design and build a tool chest, I bought a mechanic’s style chest. Wished I had done it 20 years earlier. My other regret was not buying two. I could have filled them both.
As for seeing furniture used as a workbench…about a decade ago my dad and brother restored and sold a Gustav Stickley sideboard as part of their antiques business. the damage they had to repair included holes from drill bits, many saw kerfs from missed cuts, and bolt holes where a woodworking vice had been mounted. You would think that any woodworker would have seen the value of a Stickley sideboard! But…sadly, no…
I like the tool chest but in the intro to the article, you mention that the author’s intent was to utilize it for a woodworking bench, as well as other obvious uses. Wouldn’t it better serve you if the slant top were to level out and perhaps be secured on the side opposite side from the hinges?
For the same reasons an upright tool cabinet works for a mechanic, it works here quite well for a woodworker too. Only young people want to go around crawling on their knees to grab a tool. I’m thinking Will is either past 50, or he is planning ahead. 🙂
Interesting choice to reverse the dovetails so the endgrain shows on the front. Was this just a personal move or is that something you see in tool chests from certain eras?
This reminds me of the secretary I built in high school, very similar proportions except this one is built much better! Very nice chest, Will.
Lee Valley has plans for a bench/chest that looks much alike the Victorian types you are describing. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/Page.aspx?p=69603&cat=1,46158,56642