New: ‘Make a Traditional English Tool Chest’ DVD –
Since the release of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” book in 2011, customers have asked for a DVD that explains how to build the English tool chest featured at the end of the book.
To be honest, we resisted making this DVD for one reason: It’s a complicated project to film, and we didn’t have the equipment, personnel or skills to produce the DVD to a high level of quality.
With the fifth anniversary of “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” however, we decided to make it happen with a production crew from Popular Woodworking Magazine. It was an excellent partnership. I could focus on how to present a lot of complicated woodworking tasks to the viewers, and the crew could figure out how best to translate my ideas to video.
The result is the new “Make a Traditional English Tool Chest” DVD, which presents the construction process for the Anarchist’s Tool Chest exactly as it is drawn in the book. During the last five years, I have built dozens of these chests, and I have collected a lot of small tricks to make the construction process a lot easier for new woodworkers.
The DVD begins with dovetailing and ends with outfitting the interior of the chest. It is designed for a woodworker who has already built a couple projects. We don’t cover basic stock preparation, but we do cover dovetails and all the other joinery with detail that is suitable for a beginner.
Here are some of the operations we cover on the DVD:
- Cutting through-dovetails
- Cleaning up and assembling large carcase work
- Adding dovetailed skirting to a carcase
- Making tongue-and-groove bottom boards
- Affixing cabinet parts with traditional nails
- Shooting pieces to perfect length
- Making through-mortises and tenons
- Creating a traditional raised-panel lid
- Installing butt hinges and fitting a lid
- Building sliding tool trays
- Making tool racks and saw tills
The DVD is 3 hours and 40 minutes and is on two all-region DVDs. It is $30, which includes free domestic shipping.
— Christopher Schwarz
