Nov. 18, 2024

The pattern / instructions

10 Sep

This cabinet is my plan to store all the new tools I've acquired for woodworking, and hopefully some existing tools like my sewing machine. I know its a big project, but I think it'll be a good all-rounder to learn a few new skills and techniques.

After lots of research on wood… I’ve come back to plywood from Wickes. Ha, oh dear… It just gets crazy expensive when I look elsewhere. I’m sure there are suppliers out there of good quality and price, but I think you have do drive to lumber yards or something and just know where to look. For now… Since this is a tool cupboard and a starter project, I think I’ll go for Wickes. Which means I’ll have to buy sheets of plywood. So nothing pre-cut. But fine. There are so many cuts to do anyway of all kinds of sizes I wouldn’t know how to input everything into a pre-cut order. And that’s also why it would be much more expensive. So…. Wickes it is. I will go over there first to have a physical look at it. I was about to order some online, but I think it's best to look at it. At least I’ve made progress and come up with a plan. This tool project is going to take a while. All those shelves actually look really complex. But I think that’s what makes it such a good project to start with.

15 Sep

Started on this yesterday, sawing the thickness plywood sheet. It was ALOT of effort. Manually sawing every piece is pretty painful. Am hoping the thinner board will be easier. Got quite a lot done though. I have the cut-outs for the outer casing, so I can do some joinery now to get that done. As I go, am using my tools for the first time, so each step is a mini project in itself e.g. to use the hand plane I first needed to learn how to sharpen the blade, and then how to use the hand plane itself, then actually do the job. Same with the box joints and chisels. The chisels seemed to arrive quite blunt.

11 Oct

I had put this project on pause for a few weeks while I practised my woodworking skills with a few other mini projects (dovetails, bench hook, templates and guides etc). But this week, I came back to this project full steam ahead. I bought a jigsaw, which has really upped my cutting game. It's definitely necessary. It was just too much cutting otherwise. With the jigsaw I'm getting much straighter, cleaner cuts, with much less effort.

I focused this week on getting the outercasing done. Once the doors are on, the backing, and some basic shelves, I'm going to move away from the instructions and start customising the internal drawers and shelves and hooks. That's really the exciting bit - figuring out how I can store all my tools perfectly customised.

I'm hoping to end up with a practical tool cupboard, which may be poorly crafted, as long as it works and isn't hideous. I'm definitely learning loads from this process, and that was the point. I also can't wait to have everything stored in there to free up a lot of storage in other areas. I'm probably going to put wheels on the cupboard so I can be moved around easily. Definitely won't be hanging it on the wall, would be much too heavy for me to feel comfortable.

 

17 Oct

I've been slowly chipping away at it. I've got the doors on now, and the backing, and some inner shelves. I think I'm ready to start adding the customised pegs.

I did start to go off-script this week though, some things are just too tricky right now for my skills and tools available. For instance, the doors, are supposed to be proper panels that fit together with tongue and grooves. I don't think I have the right tools right now to do edged grooves right now, I just went with a straight-up plain wood cover.

Occasionally I get overwhelmed / tired of this project, I'd like to get it done since it occupies so much space and mess. I'm still learning techniques as I go, but I'm really simplifying it. A better way to learn techniques would have been to do more bitesize projects where try something new with a simple box for example, so you can try it, finish it and start from scratch for the next thing. With this cupboard, I'm taking all my mistakes and learnings along with me in this one project, it's just a bit much sometimes.

Having said that, I'm still impressed with how far I've come and it's really shaping up. I can't wait to fit all my tools in there and rearrange the room.

14 Nov

It's been some time since the last update, but I have been working away at it. Adjusted the template slightly to make it simpler where possible. It ended up being such a large project, and a bit overwhelming. However, I have managed to complete it and fit everything I needed inside, and now my craft is thankfully tidy again. That was the main stress throughout this whole project. Since it was so big, it took up my whole room and made it a permanent mess. Thank goodness it's tidy now. I still have some leftover plywood, but I have some plans for it in the near future. Otherwise I don't have too much issue throwing it away. Be gone. 

Craftsmanship-wise, it's pretty shoddy. So many different pieces, and it being plywood, and me not having too many machines. I ended up getting a router machine to make shallow grooves for shelves and such. That was a key machine. In the end, I still seemed to rely a lot on machines... Maybe smaller, solid wood projects would work better by hand.

I don't want to talk too much about this anymore, I'm glad it's finished. I will continue my woodworking journey hopefully with smaller more manageable projects. The final look and finish is a bit wonky and there are no door handles, but I gave the wood a light stain and oiling, which makes it pop a bit more. It looks neat in the corner of my room so for now it's good.

Eventually, I see myself retrying this project, maybe in a modular way and making the craftmanship better.

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