Hanging Hand Tool Cabinet

[pkinneb]

On 1/17/2026 at 7:02 PM, Coop said:

Now that’s fancy and fine! What type of wood is the last pic? 

Thanks! The bottom is Ash like the rest of the cabinet. The top is poplar for the lumber core till slab I need to make.

[wtnhighlander]

I always wonder about how secure tools hung on the doors will be. Do you think any latching mechanisms will be needed, or is gravity enough?

[pkinneb]

On 1/17/2026 at 10:15 PM, wtnhighlander said:

I always wonder about how secure tools hung on the doors will be. Do you think any latching mechanisms will be needed, or is gravity enough?

No worries as the front openings are smaller than the handles no way they can fall out. The rifflers are at an angle so highly unlikely they could fall out either. I suppose only time will tell for sure though.

[pkinneb]

Well plans got scuttled right out of the gate as I determined I need a router bit I don't have for the chisel handles. With the inner doors off the table I decided to knock out the shelves. I made two for the left door and one for the right.

First task was to cut down the stock

Next up was to mark each shelf well. I will be ripping the front edge off, planing the shelfs down, adding a round over to the the lip, and ultimately gluing them back together

Set up for round over on the lips

The pin holes seemed a bit tight so with the slightly larger drill bit I went in like an 1/8" so they went in better.

That worked but not a fan of seeing the pins so lets fix that

Made a set up block and then set up the Pantorouter to knock the reliefs out. On a side note these air clamps are the bomb...If you remember to put them down. Luckily it was on the set up block (top Right)

Much better. This will insure the shelves stay in place as well.

Then a quick clean up of the side I can't get to once glued up

Glue up

...and another thing off the list.

Not sure what's next but more to come.

[pkinneb]

Finished up the 3rd shelf (other door)

Then started to mount the tool holders but realized I need longer screws to finish

I have a fair amount of resawing to do so it was time to tune up the BS with a new blade. I use 1/2" Woodslicer blades from Highland Woodworking and follow their process which follows. FWIW Directions are on their website.

*** Like a lot of things in woodworking there are many ways to accomplish the same task. This is how I do it and I have had great results for many years. You're free to follow whatever process you find works for you ***

First step is to backoff / remove any guides touching the blade. Once done install the new blade and tension until you have about 3/8" deflection on a 1/2" blade. Once the tension is set adjust the guides as recommended for your saw. 

Next grab a squared up 8/4 piece of wood about 2-3' long and draw a line down the center. start free sawing and once you have split the line, with the blade, for about 5" stop the saw.

Grab a pencil and draw a line on the saw table

Now adjust your fence to this line. you can see here mine is out about 5/16" from the line at the front.

Then resaw a piece and check for square. Ok this never happens!! In this case we are good as its square. If it wasn't say there was a gap at the top or bottom you would adjust the fence slightly to get it right. If the blade bowed to the left (opening at bottom), adjust the rear of your fence slightly to the right: if the blade bowed to the right (opening at top), adjust the rear of your fence slightly to the left.

That's all there is two it...

With the saw all tuned up it was time to do a little resawing first a couple boards for the inside doors

Right off the saw...not bad for a $40 blade 

Then I trimmed down some stock for my Cosman tilt out saw tills

Finally I started working on size and layout for the saw tills

[Von]

Thanks for going through your technique!

[pkinneb]

So the last couple of days have been spent planning and researching lumber core and tambor process and procedures as well as doing some layout on the inner door. Since I will be doing dovetails I want to make sure the layout is nailed down so it will be one and done...well at least that's the plan.

First up was determining the recesses for the handle butt ends into the door bottom. I tried 3/4, 1",  and 1 1/8" bull nose bits in the Pantorouter to make the recesses. As you can see you get what you pay for the burnt holes are $10 no name bits the clean ones are Whiteside $30 bit. I decided the 3/4" is what I will go with for most of the chisels.

I also made a quick board for the magnet end trying a couple thicknesses to see what would work there. Up to about 3/32" you are good more than that with these magnets and you may find your $100 chisel on da floor 

Side shot showing the magnet strip. The butt end of the chisel will be about 1 /16" off the back which should work fine.

The overall door may need to be mounted proud an 1/8" or so as the inner door may be too tight to the rasp handles. I will make that call once I can stand the door up on end. Com'n Mcfeely's I need my screws LOL. If I do need it to be proud I will bevel the outer edge all the way around and the hinge strip will be mounted flush. Whatever I  decide will be replicated on the other door as well.

The final item to resolve is how much of an angle I will need on the outer edge for the door to close. I need to know this becuase after the dovetails are cut but before glue up I will angle that edge either at the table saw and clean up with a plane or just using a hand plane. Ultimately it will need to angle in about a strong 1/16"

[Mark J]

11 hours ago, pkinneb said:

The overall door may need to be mounted proud an 1/8" or so as the inner door may be too tight to the rasp handles. I will make that call once I can stand the door up on end. Com'n Mcfeely's I need my screws LOL. If I do need it to be proud I will bevel the outer edge all the way around and the hinge strip will be mounted flush. Whatever I  decide will be replicated on the other door as well.

(Maybe I don't understand correctly).  Looking at your picture, if the point of contact is the chisel shelf against the rasp handles. could you just relieve the front edge of the chisel shelf?  Or are the chisel handles striking the rasp handles?

[pkinneb]

On 1/22/2026 at 8:05 AM, Mark J said:

(Maybe I don't understand correctly).  Looking at your picture, if the point of contact is the chisel shelf against the rasp handles. could you just relieve the front edge of the chisel shelf?  Or are the chisel handles striking the rasp handles?

So the inner door for the chisel's needs to be 1 1/2" wide all in (front to back) for them to fit /look correct. currently it appears I have about 1 9/16" space from the front of the door to the chisel handle which may be closer than I would like. If that's the case I will just install the door so it sits proud a 1/16 or an 1/8" and then bevel the edge back to the outer door. Not sure if that helps but when I get there I think it will make more sense...maybe 

[pkinneb]

First up today was to empty the dust collector

With that done its time to knock out the lumber core panel for the till. To do that I need to mill up some poplar; 5/16" for the core,  and 1/16" veneers front and back

Cut the polar to rough length at the chop saw

Then sliced 3/32 pieces off of each side (after flattened at the J/P) for the veneers

With that done time to bring everything to final thickness at the drum sander

First the core stave stock, then the veneers. I use a sled for the veneers becuase they are too thin to run through without it.

That'll work

Then I knocked out the 1" staves at the BS

Then I laid them out 

A couple in the middle had slight bows so I removed them

With that complete I taped the ends

Then it was time to prep the veneers. First I cut them to length at the table saw using a block to keep them tight to the sled.

Next I ran them over the jointer to clean up the edges

After laying them out I did a final clean up pass on the edges with a plane before taping them up

I'm happy with that to bad no one but us will ever see them 

Time to glue up the panels, using Gorilla glue to keep moisture out which will keep the veneers from twisting up to bad. I did warm up the glue in some hot water before spreading with a 3" roller. No idea where the 3" handle is, but made this one work LOL

Then using a misting sprayer misted the veneer lightly and laid them on the panel, then flip over and rinse and repeat before taping together, wrapping in plastic, and wrapping the ends.  

With that complete time to put the panel into the vacuum bag for 24 hours.

With the panel knocked out I took the door stock down to near final thickness. Hoping to mill to final size and cut the joinery tomorrow during the games

I received the 3/8" round nose bit I needed for the wood hinge I plan using for the plane till. so I decided to knock out the hinge stock.

I make my dowels at the table saw using this jig and a hand drill

Once set up I just hand feed the stock through about 2" so I can make one end fit  in the chuck of the drill

 

I needed the router bit so I could make a blank to dial in the dowel size. That should work.

With the size set I made a couple dowels for the hinge (plenty extra just in case) 

Finally today I started working on the layout of the inner door on the right side. Not sure what will go behind that on the main door just yet.

 

[fcschoenthal]

Looks like the weather gave you a chance at some great time in the shop.

[Botch]

On 1/24/2026 at 4:19 PM, pkinneb said:

Not sure what will go behind that on the main door just yet.

 

A little unused space is a good thing; it fills up somehow.  You're at the fun part now, enjoy!  

[pkinneb]

After 24 hrs in the vacuum bag I removed the till lumber core. I removed the plastic and tape then I cleaned it up with a RO sander and sized it at the TS. Pretty happy with the results not perfect but not bad for my first try. Definitely good enough for the till bottom and a great learning for me. Next I will need to add edge banding and then the final layer of ash veneers.

I wanted to start on the inner doors when I realized I needed to make the hinge stock first to be able to size the doors correctly. So milled some stock and then fit them to each door respectively

Left and right doors done

Don't mind the mess on the right door, thinking I will hang carving tools on the right back door so pulled them out. 

Next I laid out the hinge locations. 

I taped the two pieces for each door together to make easier to handle when cutting them on the TS

Then I set up the sled to cut the recesses at the TS and ran a test piece

With that dialed in I ran the actual stock for each door.

Next I will either add the edge banding to the lumber core or mill the inner door stock to final size and begin the joinery. Thanks for following along!! Hard to believe I started this project a year ago 

 

 

[Mark J]

14 hours ago, pkinneb said:

After 24 hrs in the vacuum bag I removed the till lumber core. I removed the plastic and tape then I cleaned it up with a RO sander and sized it at the TS. Pretty happy with the results not perfect but not bad for my first try. Definitely good enough for the till bottom and a great learning for me.

Was making the lumber core done primarily for the learning?  Why not just use regular lumber?  I confess, I didn't know what lumber core was, until you made some. 

[pkinneb]

On 1/26/2026 at 8:07 AM, Mark J said:

Was making the lumber core done primarily for the learning?  Why not just use regular lumber?  I confess, I didn't know what lumber core was, until you made some. 

Yes for the learning and also becuase I am using a wood hinge so wanted to be some solid material on the top edge. Due to movement you would not want to use solid wood for this piece but could have used BB plywood.

[pkinneb]

So after a looong week in the office with no time at night I finally got back out to the shop today. However had one of those days were everything that could go wrong did. Spent 8 hrs out there and really didn't get much done except for remaking several mistakes. 

The plan was to knock out the inner doors when I immediately realized I hadn't milled up enough stock for both doors. As it turned out after I mucked up the first DT 's I would have needed additional any way. 

After milling up additional stock I transferred and cut the chisel handle stock

Next I laid out the DT's and started cutting when I realized I mucked up the first piece I cut. Once that was resolved I knocked out the DT's on the first door

Then I went to cut the tenons on the middle shelf and either forgot or didn't tighten the Pantorouter guide bearing tight and mucked that up. I solved it by just cutting loose tenons on both sides and then making tenon stock to connect them.

In the end it turned out fine but hoping tomorrow goes more smoothly.

Tomorrow I will cut the groove for the back BB panel, cut the grab handle relief, clean it up and glue it up.

On a high note it appears I have enough clearence to flush everything up.

[pkinneb]

First up today a cut the relief handle in the door side at the Pantorouter

With that done I moved on to cutting the groove for the back panel at the router table, using an 1/8" bit. The only issue is small bits don't allow for very good chip extraction 

A pick tool makes quick work of it though

Next I cut the back panel to fit at the TS here is my sample run

After running the back panel I cleaned it up with a shoulder plane

Next I needed to clean up the handle recesses, from the crappy router bit I bought off amazon, I ended up using this Kutzall  rotary burr by hand and it worked really well.

You can see here the one on the right is before cleaning the two to the left have been cleaned up

After cleaning the inside door frame faces I glued it up

Last up today I milled the stock for the magnetic strips for the tops of the chisel storage. For the thin top pieces I used a sled in the planer

The piece on the right was the test piece I wanted these wider for the actual holders

That'll work

Tomorrow I will finish these, clean up the out side faces, and glue on the hinge piece I already made

 

 

[Ron Swanson Jr.]

This is a treat to watch!!

[fcschoenthal]

You're really making a lot of great progress. Can't wait to see it all filled up.

[pkinneb]

Today I cleaned up the inner door with a couple of planes in preparation for gluing on the hinge strip

Glued on the hinge strip

...and cleaned it up with a quick couple passes with the handplane

Finally got the remaining screws that were delayed due to all the weather throughout the country so decided to install the tool holders on the inner door. I drilled the long ones at the DP and the center on the door itself. I also used a little dry lube on the screws

Did I mention I found my riflers hanging out in their holder 

With that done it was time to glue in the door side hinge strip

After cleaning that up I was ready for a trial fit

Tomorrow I will add a slight bevel to the right side of the door, install the hinges, and work on dialing in the final gaps

[gee-dub]

Love the idea of the file card at the top of the riffler station.  I keep mine loose at the bottom of the cabinet but the attached idea for the rifflers is genius.  A couple of quick swipes before you re-rack the riffler and all is well.

[Sergio Escudero]

What a great job.I envy you Americans with your beautiful bronze LNs. What beautiful brushes; I suppose they match your wardrobe.I envy you Americans with your beautiful bronze LNs. What beautiful planes; I suppose they match your cabinet.

[wtnhighlander]

Interrupting for a moment... @pkinneb, have you ever posted about your DC setup? I'm curious about how the manifold box, seen in the next-to-last photo above, is working out for you. Are there gates on the side we don't see?

[pkinneb]

On 2/3/2026 at 5:32 PM, wtnhighlander said:

Interrupting for a moment... @pkinneb, have you ever posted about your DC setup? I'm curious about how the manifold box, seen in the next-to-last photo above, is working out for you. Are there gates on the side we don't see?

I'm sure I probably have but rather than look here are some additional photo's. It's an approximately 20 year old 2.5 hp (220) Oneida Dust Gorilla that I purchased new. The manifold works great! Although I was advised not to do it by both Oneida and the experts on interwebs, I thought what do I have to lose so gave it a try. 20 years later I am still totally satisfied with the results. My main reasons for not wanting to do it the way I was advised was to get the number of ports I wanted the thing would have hung down to the dang floor and and cost over $500. If I recall correctly I did this for about $50. 

Full disclosure I do have an 8" main that feeds into it but I'm convinced you could do it on a smaller scale and have success. The gates are simply 1/8" fiber board with hardwood handles that slide in and out. PVC glueg to the plywood serves as the connection points, both 4" & 5".

FWIW I have two vacuum hoses this one above and a longer one on the far wall, pic below, again was advised this would not work. With those two hoses I can reach every surface in the shop and while it may not suck up gravel it works on saw dust just fine 

One final note the 5" hose going to my JP is nearly 25' long, another no no or so the experts say.

 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program.

Not much time tonight but I did get the hinges mounted on the left inner and outer doors.

One of the things I was a little concerned about was access to the back rack but it will be fine. The back of that front rack is going to bug me should have made ash panels...oh well I won't see it often and I think the face is fine 

Tomorrow I'll work on the bevel and gaps

 

[pkinneb]

Finished prepping the chisel holders, starting with cleaning up the dado for the magnets

Then I laid the magnets in. They are friction fit but to insure no movement during glue up I just used a dab of thick super glue on each end.

Then I spread out some glue, taped them together. and set them in the vacuum bag to dry. 

Once dried I needed to relieve the edge by the pull so that it did not sit above it.

A couple swipes with a rasp and it was good to go.

Then I clamped them to the inner door and screwd them in from the back

With those done I started working on the bevel so the door would close, quick work at the bench with a hand plane.

Still need to dial in the gaps a bit more but getting there.