Saw Box

[Wayland]

Found a carpenters toolbox recently that needed a bit of restoration. It seemed like decent timber but had been painted with thick black paint at some point in it's life.

Out came the paint stripper and on went some furniture wax instead. I added three removable box drawers for hardware and the like and then set about making the mounts for a couple of saws in the drop down front.

Added some labels and handles to match the Engineers Tool Chest I fettled up a while ago. Must admit, I'm quite pleased with the result.

This will carry some of the larger tools that don't fit so well in the other tool chest and be portable for our Steam Tent Co-op events.

 

[mikehill]

That's lovely, nice work well done

 

[JohnC]

Looks very good!

 

[John Fenna]

Another great box!

 

[Macaroon]

All the carpenter's toolboxes seemed to have had that thick black paint finish; My father was a joiner/coachbuilder and during a very long apprenticeship he built four toolboxes to hold the tools he made and aquired as he progressed. He didn't know why but it was how they were all told to do it.

Those four boxes are still as good as the day they were made and still in occasional use by a brother who followed him onto the wood.

Your restoration and mods look great and it's nice to see such things get a new lease of life.

 

[Hunkyfunkster]

That's a functional piece of art, that is. Absolutely beautiful. Great job

 

[Fraxinus]

These types of tool boxes were often made as carpenter and joiners practice pieces during the apprenticeship but had an ongoing use or function afterwards. They were an advert for your skill to potential employers but needed finishing/weather protection and black paint was probably the most accessible or cheapest method available.
These tool boxes also acted as a seat, a saw horse or a hop up on site.
I still own my one (varnished) and my father in laws black painted one, great bits of kit and so glad to see this one being used again.
Rob.

 

[demographic]

Looks more like a joiners box than a carpenters to me.
Although carpenters often get called Joiners (I get it all the time) the difference is basically...

Shop/Bench Joiner usually works in a workshop, where they have had have access to stationary circular saws for donkeys years but till recently have still cut some joints with backsaws.
Carpenters usually work on sites doing the framing of the floors, roofs internal walls the stairs, door casings and so on (first fix) and the finish work like doors, skirting and so on which gets called Second Fix.

Consequently joiners boxes are more likely to have backsaws (like the brass backed saws you have there) and carpenters have a box thats big enough to fit a handsaw (which doesn't have a separate metal back) inside there. Most carpenters don't need a backsaw for their daily job.

As for the colour? Well for some reason I'm unaware of they get painted black, dunno why but most of them I've seen have been painted black right from the outset.
They were kind of an apprentice project, like a sawhorse and an open topped tool tote as well.

 

[demographic]

These types of tool boxes were often made as carpenter and joiners practice pieces during the apprenticeship but had an ongoing use or function afterwards. They were an advert for your skill to potential employers but needed finishing/weather protection and black paint was probably the most accessible or cheapest method available.
These tool boxes also acted as a seat, a saw horse or a hop up on site.
I still own my one (varnished) and my father in laws black painted one, great bits of kit and so glad to see this one being used again.
Rob.

Must have taken my time with that reply as you covered some of the stuff I was on about as well.

 

[Wayland]

Thanks guys, joiners box it was then.

As I lack such skill with wood I think I'll just call it my Saw Box and leave it at that.

 

[Corso]

That's a cracking tool box

 

[Wayland]

A shot of this and my Engineers Tool Chest in the tent at the photo shoot we did for the Steam Tent Co-op last weekend.

 

[richardhomer]

Lovely work !

 

[Wayland]

Image links repaired.

Sorry for the break in service, I had to edit my own web site where the images are hosted.