![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53302840557_8b6ab9cf2a_c.jpg)
Back from a small work vacation in Western Virginia. If I didn't know any better I would have just assumed I was still in Eastern Kentucky. Same terrain, same accents, same coal towns. Same poverty. My highlight of the trip was seeing two black bears coming off of this mountain. They didn't stick around long enough for me to get a picture unfortunately.
I haven't worked for anyone else lately other than this small trip (helped build a deck for my buddies daughter) so my life has gotten fairly predictable these days. I wake up, have a cup of coffee, check out the internet for an hour or two, go for a hike (seeing lots of animals), and then I work on my property in various ways. I like to eat somewhere along the way and I've been watching quite a few movies too. Sounds ideal, doesn't it? It is but I know that I am going to have to do some other things in my life to mix things up. I can't describe the feeling but if my routine stays stagnant I become uncomfortable and I don't know why. It shouldn't matter but I get a bit uneasy with comfort. God knows I've worked hard to get into this position. Anybody else share those feelings?
One of the things I've been doing is restoring this old work chest. I've tried very hard to keep all of the original screws and wood as you can't easily replicate the patina of old wood or hardware. But I've had to make compromises and for that I've used the oldest wood I have which is some pine out of my old house which is almost 80 years old. Still doesn't match however but with time and use it will take on a nice hue and color.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53304074194_f352b5938b_c.jpg)
I started with the lid. I took off all of the original holders because all of the original tools were missing. I designed a new holder for three squares, two framers and a large try square. The try square is sort of the key that holds everything together and works quite nicely.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53302840517_4d5e467682_c.jpg)
I thought this turned out nicely. I've got two crosscut saws and one rip. I created a slot for the saws with a router plane and made new handle holders. Everything fit just right in the end.
![Image](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53304184905_2e9e5e33bb_c.jpg)
And I built a new till because it was clear that there was a third one that was missing. Plus I needed the box for tools! The new till is identical in technique and sizing (wall thickness) to the originals.
My next step is to organize my planes and braces which will fit on the bottom of the toolbox. I'll show that when complete and I will probably start a thread on how to make these tools user ready too at some point. My goal here is to replicate a working set of tools a carpenter would have used 60 to 100 years ago. I am still missing some crucial tools such as a period plumb bob, trammel points, dividers, backsaw, etc. but I know of a place where I can easily find them so I'll get them in the near future.