# A gift for my poor ageing father...



## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

My dad still works wood to an awesome standard but he's a bit older now and doesn't work full time like he used to. 

It's his 25th wedding anniversary so I'm making something. 

The Sapele is already milled and that concludes our work with the power tools.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

Next order of business is to sharpen the scraper plane. I keep going until it takes a nice shaving with no dust at all. Sapele can be almost impossible to plane but scrapers do a fair job of this if sharpened correctly.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

"*A gift for my poor ageing father..."

*Rather condescending wording is it not. Why not just say for my father, or my loving father, or great father, etc.

As an aging father I would not want to see me son write that.

George


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

Like your Dad, many of us as we get "older do slow down & don't work full time". You are giving him a gift that IMO is "priceless", but what about a gift for his bride of 25 years? Be safe.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

I'm no spring chicken myself and I apologise if you take offense at the title, but I assure you he would chuckle if he saw it. It's actually something he says to me around the shop all the time so I have to disagree it isn't condescending at all. I hope that helps you see it in a different way.

Already made a clock for my mother.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

Dovetails cut and that concludes today.


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## woodchux (Jul 6, 2014)

The title of your post is more understandable now, and "thanks" for gifting your Dad's wife too! They both will be pleased with your projects. Be safe.


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## AJH (Apr 11, 2013)

Is that plywood backing up your cut on the pin board? They look like nice straight saw cuts,i can't think of any reason to use plywood.Plus it's kinda hard on the saw.
I do also find Sapele difficult to hand plane,interlocking rowed grain I'm not a fan of.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

It's shuttering spruce Plywood and possibly one of the softest substances known to man. I also don't mind sharpening my saw if it gets blunt and I don't have any scraps to use this size. So Plywood it was. 

Once it has been milled I try not to plane the Sapele at all I just use the scraper because the grain is so unpredictable that even if you do everything right and have a good sharp plane, you can still butcher a workpiece. 

It does look pretty though!


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

Managed to fit in a whole day today in the shop - weather was so nice I was almost tempted to drag my bench outside!! Although that would involve tidying it so I decided to leave it where it is haha

It's starting to look like something now..... took seven hours to cut all those dovetails by hand


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

So I made the bottom and the lid and as you can see the main box has a dovetail dadoed in for the drawers









Dovetail drawer runner


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

That is some nice handwork.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

So today I glued the top and bottom on. Just need to saw it down and hinge the lid and make the drawers.


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## nbo10 (Jan 26, 2011)

Looks nice. How was the top made? Is the panel held in with a rabbet or grove?


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

It's held in with the groove, I did the raised panel with a hand plane on both sides and then kept working the back to get a fit. 

I'll be sawing the above the drawers in half and that will make a lid so I wanted the panel raised on both sides. All in a groove, no rabbets. 

I'm from the UK and I sort of assume what you call a rabbet is what we call a rebate. Sorry if I got it wrong! But I think we both call grooves grooves...


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

It's getting there. Sawed off the lid and hinged it and made and fitted the drawers today.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

All I have to do now is apply a finish and put on some handles etc...

Think the drawers are too... plain?


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

The box looks great. The joinery turned out really nice. As for the drawers it all depends if you want them to be more prominent. Right now it looks like there are none...which may be the look you want.


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

Finished!!!! My dad loved and in the twenty years we have worked together he told me a story of a toolbox like it he made when he was an apprentice but it got stolen, so he was totally over the moon and not expecting it at all! 

Perfect


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Develin said:


> Finished!!!! My dad loved and in the twenty years we have worked together he told me a story of a toolbox like it he made when he was an apprentice but it got stolen, so he was totally over the moon and not expecting it at all!
> 
> Perfect
> 
> View attachment 166986



Great job on the project and posting the pictures. 
Jim.


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

+1 on the above thanks.Love the pics


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## rayking49 (Nov 6, 2011)

Outstanding! That's an awesoome looking toolbox. I'd be proud myself for sure!


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## Develin (Oct 1, 2012)

I have to confess I'm almost a 100% power tool user... But since it was for my farther who taught me every single little thing that I know I wanted this to be made with my own sweat and energy. I'm sure that some of you will know exactly what I mean!


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