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a piece of furniture. Everything from files to chisels, augers to mallets, is stored neatly behind a pair of folding doors. Even the space on the inside of the doors is put to use. Neatly labeled drawers house drafting tools, bits, a first-aid kit and other small items. Carved into the drawer housing is "C.H. Becksvoort."

Becksvoort has been at it a long time and his collection of close-at-hand tools accurately reflects the sort of work he does. There's a heavy emphasis on hand tools - chisels, planes, scrapers - rather than portable power tools. This formula works for him but he'd be the last person to argue it's the right arrangement for everyone.

Building a first-rate cabinet to hold personal tools is a long-standing tradition for carpenters and furniture-makers. It's part of the curriculum for furniture-making students at Boston's North Ben-net Street School. Building a tool chest gives students a chance to develop their

furnituremaking and design skills and in the end they have something that will serve them for many years.

Tool cabinets can be infinitely variable, made to house only planes, a collection of chisels and carving tools or

As cabinetmaking skills increase, so do the possibilities for building beautiful and unique tool chests. Glen and Malcolm Huey, a father/son team in Ohio, built this one when they moved into a new shop. It's designed for both hand and portable power tools.

an entire suite of hand tools. What may be the most photographed American tool chest ever was made by a Massachusetts piano maker named Henry Studley over a 30-year career. It's a marvel of planning and design, deceptively small, only 39" high, 9" deep and 18" wide. Yet it holds 300 individual tools packed tightly together but still accessible. A more modern version of a grand cabinet is one built by Glen and Malcolm Huey to celebrate their move into a new workshop.

Maine furnituremaker Christian Becksvoort built a large wall-hanging tool chest that's mounted behind his workbench. It neatly holds a variety of hand tools where they can be reached easily.

This 10-drawer chest, 24" high and 15" wide, will hold a variety of small tools and isn't difficult to build. It's small enough to park on or near a workbench.

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