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My tool cabinet

A place for my hand tool collection.

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I always wanted something to store my tools in - something else than a plastic tool box... My first thought was to make a tool chest - after reading through Jim Tolpin's The Toolbox Book (Taunton Press, 1998). But after making a few mock-ups using cardboard, I decided to abandon the tool chest design. For me it would be more practical to store tools in a wall hanging cabinet - and if I used plywood, I had the necessary tools and skills to put it together. After spending many more hours reading The Toolbox Book, The Workshop Book by Scott Landis and other books on workshop and tool storage, I felt ready to embark on my tool cabinet project.

I started building my tool cabinet in 2003. The cabinet is made from 3/4" birch plywood. On the edges, I mounted birch strips. I used the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig System for both the cabinet and the drawers. The inside of the cabinet has been through some modifications as the tool collection grew, but also as I found other ways to organize the tools in the cabinet.

The cabinet consists of two parts - the bottom with the drawers and the table - and the cabinet on top. The cabinet can be separated from the bottom, but for now - this is the best set up in my current shop space. In my previous shop, I had the cabinet hanging on the wall. The bottom is 36" tall, the cabinet part is 39" tall, depth is 9". Total width is 39". Heavy duty rollers from Woodcraft makes the cabinet easy to move around.

But why did I choose the dimensions I did? The bottom is actually made from the solid stand of another work bench I had. The bench was not that great, but the stand was very solid. So I used this as a base (the 39" width...). The dimensions of the cabinet was also designed to maximize the yield of a 4x8' plywood sheet... I did not make a detailed drawing, just a rough sketch to make sure all pieces could be put together right...

I did however spend a lot of time figuring out how I could maximize the space of the cabinet. I tried to organize it based on type of tools. E.g. saws on the left panel, measuring tools on the right panel, chisels, mallets and hammers inside one compartment, carving and cutting tools inside the other etc.

As you can see - I also put in a second door panel inside the cabinet - to get more space for measuring tools on one side, and bits for my brace on the other.

There is also a "cubby hole" under the tool cabinet. Initially I had planned to put in a set of drawers, but never got to it. And right now, I have plenty of storage space anyway. I have thought about making a tilting drawer, and put my small hand saws here. Since I have two band saws, I only use the hand saws on rare occasions. I would like to hang my brace and my hand drill inside the cabinet, but we'll so. That would maybe be a better use of the cabinet space...

The chisels are stored in a hinged holder that can be tilted forward to reach the chisels in the back. Pulling chisels straight up would yield less space for other tools, so I decided to do it this way. Even my slick can be reached easily, without having to take out other tools.

The bottom drawers are used for storage of wood clamps, the next drawer is used for my hand planes. The other drawers holds sharpening tools, stones etc. and clamping parts for my work bench, and other tools.

I am still not finished with my cabinet. As I use the cabinet, I find that though the initial configuration was good, it still can be better. And little by little as my tool collection grows, bits and pieces find their way to the cabinet. My objective is put as many tools as I can inside the cabinet while still have easy access to them. My cabinet will never be as well organized and compact as H. O. Studley's wall hung cabinet, but his cabinet certainly serves as an inspiration.

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