Comments on: Usable Hand Tool Storage? Thank Mr. C.A. Jewett.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:23:01 +0000

Hi Steve,

The Jewett Chest is definitely a Tradesman Chest for use in a workplace. It isn’t meant to be terribly portable, and I am not thinking it would offer a great deal of security as a portable chest.

If I were in your shoes, I am thinking a potable situation would not include everything and the kitchen sink, but rather a pared down kit comprised of what is really needed for the tasks at hand. You could make a chest from plywood that has wheels or even that becomes a permanent part of a hand truck to you can move it around. You would have to take care to secure the tools better than a cabinet like this one does.

I hope that is food for thought,

Bests,

Rob

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:18:25 +0000

Hi Dom,

Yes, while H.O. Studley has a beautiful tool box, I would feel like my tools are in a shrine instead of a shop. While I do have a deep respect for my tools and tools in general, I am not thinking I want to make it that difficult to use them. I mean I marvel at what Studley did, but it isn’t for me. The Jewett method definitely mimics many of my tooling storage methods, not too over thought, but certainly safe and accessible while waiting at the ready.

Bests,

Rob

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:11:32 +0000

Hi Jim,

If anyone has, I am unaware of it, but I think it would not be too hard to estimate the size and layout of this cabinet, based on the known sizes of the tooling stored in it. I am sure a reasonable facsimile of this case can be sketched on a napkin and the rest of the dimensions worked out based on scaling the tools we see in the photos and the room we perceive they would need.

I think when you look at the tools as they are grouped in the photos, you’ll see a few types of grouping. Some are based on size, and others usage, I am quite sure based on my own experience as a tradesman, that some of the arrangement is based on what is used often and that which is not. The most used will always be desirable to have as close at hand or easily grabbed.

Beyond that, I have some books on patternmaking in the Woodworks Library. Studying those will be very telling of how these tools were applied in the this trade.

Bests,

Rob

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:01:30 +0000

Hi Louis,

I always marvel at the workflow of craftsmen. I too am a tradesman, and thought has gone into making my own tooling in various capacities work well for me. There are brilliant ideas out there, and it is great to be able to adopt the aspects that we feel will work best for us.

Bests,

Rob

By: Louis

Louis — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:31:02 +0000

Rob, thanks for bringing this link up to the present…it seems like eons since I last read it. I enjoyed it today as much as the first time I read it. I love hearing about stories where the past is respected and a family’s treasure moves on intact, rather than get dissected by the wolves for a few sovereigns! Well done Mr. Leach.

By: Jim Lancaster

Jim Lancaster — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 18:27:48 +0000

Has anyone every developed a set up schematics or a Sketchup drawing of the Jewett tool chest? That would be an interesting project in itself. The process may even provide deeper insight into why the tools are organized within the cabinet the way they are and how he used them.

Jim

By: Dominic Greco

Dominic Greco — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:24:43 +0000

Rob,
I totally agree with your assessment of the Studley Toolbox. It’s so amazing (and cunningly) crammed full of fantastic tools that I would hard pressed to even find the tool I wanted. Oh, and just for the record if someone said, “Would you kick it out of bed for eating crackers?”, I’d say “Heck NO!” LOL!

I really enjoyed reading about the Tool cabinet of C.A Jewett. While the Studley looked like a display case for his tools, IMHO Jewett’s looked like an efficient cabinet of a very busy master craftsman.

By: Steve Branam

Steve Branam — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 01:35:31 +0000

One question I have for the discussion is portability. Patrick didn’t say how much the chest weighed, but it’s clearly not something you would haul back and forth in the minivan (or horse-drawn wagon) by yourself.

I’d like to be able to haul a set around to craft shows and friends’ basements, and I want it to be complete. So I’m looking for the balance between completeness, ease of access (including knowing where to put things back without a map!), and portability. Saws are light, but five or six metal planes start to add up, along with chisels, bits, braces, molding planes, sharpening setup, etc.

I have a rough idea in mind, but I’m on the prowl for suggestions.