February 1 -5 | $2100

Swedish Tool Chest

with Megan Fitzpatrick

Class Details

This Swedish Tool Chest form is an old favorite, thanks to the one Roy Underhill had at The Woodwright’s Shop! It’s similar to a Dutch chest with its slanting front lid, BUT the Swedish chest is larger, and the carcase is dovetailed all around. 

It’s not a chest for travel; it’s showpiece chest (thanks to the hardwood we’re using) that will be a focal point of your shop as well as a capacious storage unit. Or, pop it atop a table (or build a base for it), and it’s a lovely standing desk for the home or office! 

You will learn how to:

  • Hand-cut and fit through-dovetails 
  • Cut basic mouldings by hand
  • Cut square rabbets for drawer construction 
  • Use traditional square-shanked nails and cut nails 
  • Cut hinge mortises
  • Attach hardware
  • And more!

The Swedish Chest is assembled with through-dovetails at the corners. The top and bottom are screwed to the carcase. The interior of the chest is fairly open, offering ample floor space for planes and larger tools. Plus, three small drawers, assembled with rabbets and nails, hold your smaller tools and shop sundries. The drawer frame and dividers are assembled with screws, then nailed in place through the outside of the chest with “Roman” square-shanked nails. The lid features a ledge so you can use it to hold plans, books or a tablet.

The interior walls of the chest can be lined with tool racks, and you can screw saw racks on the lid on to the chest floor. The build is an excellent primer on through-dovetails and simple drawer construction – and when you’re done, you’ll have a handsome chest in which to store your tools. Dimensions are: 32-1/2” wide, 18-1/2” high and 19-3/4” deep. The top is 8-1/2” wide, the drop lid is 13-1/2 wide. Most of the stock for the carcase is 7/8” thick.  

The price includes all materials, prepared stock and a hardware package containing 2 PB-409 butt hinges from Horton Brasses, 3 drawer ring pulls, and all the screws and square-shanked nails needed for assembly.

For information on Covington, including where to stay and where to eat, click here.

Tool List

Class Tool List

An important note on tools: When you arrive, your tools should be sharp and ready to go.  There won’t be time to restore vintage tools or set up new tools in this class.

Required For the Class

  • Smoothing plane
  • Jack plane
  • Block plane
  • Marking or cutting gauge
  • Marking knife
  • .05 mechanical pencil
  • Dividers (2 pair if you’ve got ’em)
  • 12” combo square
  • Dovetail layout gauge or sliding bevel
  • Dovetail saw
  • Chisels ½” and 3/8”
  • Mallet
  • Shoulder plane
  • Hammer 
  • Drill/Driver or eggbeater drill
  • Drill bits (the largest we’ll need is 3/16”)
  • Coping saw with extra blades (I recommend Pegas blades)

Register for the Class

Registration happens via email on a first come, first served basis. Click the Register button for instructions on how to sign up for this class.

Register

Cancellations will be accepted until eight weeks before the class for a full refund.  If a cancellation occurs within eight weeks prior to the class date, a refund will be issued only if the spot can be filled.