Friday 21 April 2017

Saw Till Part 5

Less frequently used tools like the 3 saw files are stored behind the pull saws. There is enough room above to extract the files vertically.

Saw files simply in holes in the pull saw holder
Completion approaches with the construction of 6 drawers. There are 2 deep drawers, 2 mid sized drawers and 2 tray sized drawers. All are constructed from oak with dovetailed joints. The front panel is 19mm (3/4") thick and the drawer sides are 12mm (1/2") thick.
I used half blind dovetails in the front panel and conventional through dovetails on the other joints.

Chopping dovetails (my favourite activity in the shop) with cool jazz in the background
A finished tail board

A few unfinished drawers in situ


The bottom panels are made from 3mm (1/8") baltic birch plywood. I have a supplier (Daisymoon Designs Ltd) of this excellent material. It comes in a pack of 10 with laser cut dimensions of 300mm x 600mm (1' x 2') and is intended for model making. The only thing is you do need to keep a weight on the opened pack as it will take up moisture from the shop atmosphere after opening the shrink wrapped seal. It can cup or potato chip but soon stabilises.

After the drawers were glued up and sanded flush they were finished with a few coats of General Finishes Exterior 450. Also all of the support components were coated with finish.

A set of brass knobs were fitted to the drawers and they were fitted into place. I opted to use shop made wooden slideways. These mate with the slots in the drawer sides.

Wooden drawer runners. These are quartersawn white oak scraps.

Corresponding grooves in the side of each of the thinnest and medium drawers
I also had a few more tools to fit onto the outside of the till so I fabricated a few brackets.
This simple bracket made from a scrap and two long dowels holds...
a few tools, large deadblow, fretsaw, rafter square and my framesaw.
A Warrington pattern hammer holder.
You can never have enough hammers.
A stainless steel screw ensures that hardpoint panel saws are also to hand.
An essential place for a beverage holder is formed by the right hand tray
A cup holder

Finished saw till
The till was then filled with a few tools and it was complete.


  • Carcase timber: Iroko
  • Back panel: Western red cedar
  • Drawers and intermediate top: French oak
  • Tool carriers: Mahogany
  • Finish: Sansin SDF
  • Drawer pulls: Armac Martin Polished Brass Furniture Sash Knob 2124P/B


I hope this inspires you to get your shop organised and make sure there is a place for everything and everything in its place. Thanks for looking.

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