Yet another Gerstler clone.

[bhigdog]

Some of you may remember a few Gerstner knock offs I made and posted. Think the last one was a couple of years ago. I said it was my last.
Well, being semi cooped up with the Covid scare had me looking through my piles of old air dried wind fall lumber for some pieces with interesting grain. Cherry isn't known for it's grain but I did find enough for another tool box. While the grain doesn't jump out and I didn't use both heart and sap wood on this one I think it's nice. At least I like it and I build them to please my self..........Bob

 

[boslab]

Absolutely beautiful, wish I could do work like that, I think I’d prefer one of yours to an original
Mark

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

I'd love to have a nice wooden toolbox, seems they are always worth more to the antique dealers than the machinists.....

Nice work!

 

[bhigdog]

Absolutely beautiful, wish I could do work like that, I think I’d prefer one of yours to an original
Mark

I'm certain you could, Mark. Other than fitting the drawers by sanding it's really just machining wood. I'm sure I couldn't do it without my BP and lathe. Thank you....Bob

 

[gregoryd]

Impressive craftsmanship! I hate working in wood because its nonhomogeneous - I like metal since it is more predictable.

 

[Technical Ted]

Would you by any chance have a set of plans you would be willing to share? I would love to try making one of those! Beautiful job!

Ted

 

[bhigdog]

If I had a set I'd gladly give them up but I only have a rough pencil drawing I made that calls out the vertical C/L spacing of the grooves for the drawer rails and the groove for the front pins to ride in. That's about the the only thing that much matters. Leave a 1" space below the bottom drawer for the front panel to slide into and use 1/2 the drawer height as the center line of the drawer rails. Everything else is relative to those dimensions. Use whatever joinery suits you. I use grooves and splines to join/glue all the edges and when butting a panel's edge to another panel's face. Fairly easy and quite strong.

 

[eKretz]

Great job. That looks outstanding. I just scored a nice old Gerstner for a song. They're out there, just gotta keep on the lookout. Mine just needed the hardware cleaned up (bead blaster and buffer got them looking nearly like brand new again) and some new felt and came with some nice Brown & Sharpe and Lufkin mics (0-4"), near new Starrett drive pin punches, a 12" steel rule, Miller Falls thread pitch gage, an 8" Mitutoyo dial caliper and a few other items. I paid quite a lot less than I could sell the used tools for.

 

[upm2019]

Very impressive looks better than a gerstner . Also that’s one good thing that came from Covid. Keep up the good work
Pete

 

[bhigdog]

Impressive craftsmanship! I hate working in wood because its nonhomogeneous - I like metal since it is more predictable.

Wood can be frustrating at times and really can have a mind of it's own. I do as much machining as I do wood work but there is a certain "life" that wood has that I find more interesting. Metal is like hanging out with a good buddy. You know what's going to happen. Wood is like trying to talk to a women. You never really know how I'll turn out................Bob

 

[bhigdog]

Great job. That looks outstanding. I just scored a nice old Gerstner for a song. They're out there, just gotta keep on the lookout. Mine just needed the hardware cleaned up (bead blaster and buffer got them looking nearly like brand new again) and some new felt and came with some nice Brown & Sharpe and Lufkin mics (0-4"), near new Starrett drive pin punches, a 12" steel rule, Miller Falls thread pitch gage, an 8" Mitutoyo dial caliper and a few other items. I paid quite a lot less than I could sell the used tools for.

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I believe that's an 0-42. The first box I made I copied it near exactly. 1/4 sawn white oak is the classic wood used. Back then it was solid. Not veneer like now.
The box I made to keep for my self I used 1/4 sawn white oak. Maybe I'll post a pix. Never did post a pix of that one.
The old boxes sometimes used a raised panel front.
Very nice score............Bob

 

[adammil1]

Would you by any chance have a set of plans you would be willing to share? I would love to try making one of those! Beautiful job!

Ted

Buy yourself a copy of this book https://www.amazon.com/Toolbox-Book-Craftsmans-Cabinets-Storage/dp/1561582727 it has plans for a Gerstner clone and also some other great toolboxes too. I bought that book back in high school. My junior year I built the bottom roll around from the book and then built the Gerstner style box in senior year. Building a Gerstner style box is an interesting project. You spend lots of time making piles and piles of small parts and then one day they all come together.

Bring I built mine in high school wood shop I was the only one allowed by the shop teacher to take on a project of that complexity having proven myself the year before with the lower one. Even then he was getting worried as the semester progressed that I was going to leave him with a pile of unfinished wood. But I was able to see it thru and finished the box.

The teacher did make me cut some corners over the books plans but that was another story. My teacher was a former pro cabinet maker and thought the book was over doing things vs cabinet making. That book is written by guys who go to I believe it is the North Bennett st school of woodworking which is more of an at school than anything else. Probably kind of like the debates in style between a machinist vs a toolmaker.

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[mattthemuppet]

that is beautiful! Family heirloom level in my opinion.

 

[eKretz]

I believe that's an 0-42. The first box I made I copied it near exactly. 1/4 sawn white oak is the classic wood used. Back then it was solid. Not veneer like now.
The box I made to keep for my self I used 1/4 sawn white oak. Maybe I'll post a pix. Never did post a pix of that one.
The old boxes sometimes used a raised panel front.
Very nice score............Bob

Yes I believe you are correct about it being an O-42. This box is solid quarter sawn oak. I'm not sure on the specifics of dating these, but from what I've seen the little trim pieces behind the drawer handles and the latches that say "Dayton-O." are supposed to make it an older one I think. May be from the 40's or so according to the previous owner (it was his grandfather's). I am thinking about making a bigger version for myself. Where did you get your steel corner reinforcements and other hardware?

 

[Lewie]

A pair of "boxes" I made last year. the big one for a friend to his requirements so before I started on it did the smaller one to fit below my Kennedy to test the procedures.
...Lewie...

 

[bhigdog]

Yes I believe you are correct about it being an O-42. This box is solid quarter sawn oak. I'm not sure on the specifics of dating these, but from what I've seen the little trim pieces behind the drawer handles and the latches that say "Dayton-O." are supposed to make it an older one I think. May be from the 40's or so according to the previous owner (it was his grandfather's). I am thinking about making a bigger version for myself. Where did you get your steel corner reinforcements and other hardware?

I'm far from a Gerstner authority but I believe the raised panel front makes it an earlier version. I have a later one. Still solid white oak but with a flat panel front and not much ray flaking in the grain. Clearly they were slowly cutting costs.
The corners, hinges and side handles I sourced from Rockler. The felt is pool table felt sourced from any pool supply place. 3 yards of 60" wide is plenty. The drawer pulls, spring loaded locking pins (top and sides), and the front panel slot end pieces I made myself. Gerstner will sell you all the hardware but be prepared to turn your wallet upside down. As it is I shell out about $100 excluding the cost of any wood. Figured 1/4 sawn white oak goes for $5 to $10 a board foot around here. Medium sized box will need at least 15 BF if you use a secondary species for the bottom, drawer sides, and section partitions.
Luckily over the years I've had a number of wind falls sawed into planks and I've stickered them in my dry barn.
I have some interesting walnut I may do a box in. Most walnut is kind of bland. This has a striped effect. It could go either way. Interesting or ugly...........Bob

 

[Mcgyver]

Impressive work Bob!

Would you by any chance have a set of plans you would be willing to share? I would love to try making one of those! Beautiful job!

Lee Valley used to sell a set, also a roller bottom version as well

 

[ripperj]

That is beautiful, really nice
If you want to earn some cash, PM and I will relieve you of the burden of storing it
Keith


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[Guest]

Very nice! How many labor hours do you think it took?

 

[M.B. Naegle]

Very Nioe!

To be honest though, I don't think it's fair for the OP to call his chest(s) a clone. IMO it invokes the cheap knock-offs you see online. OP's looks good enough to give it it's own name and reputation.