A few Saturdays ago, I attended the Midwest Tool Collector’s Association (MWTCA) tool meet, and finished acquiring all the tools listed in The Anarchist’s Tool Chest (ATC) book, yea!  I can fit almost all of my tools in my traveling version of the ATC, except my saws.  So I got to thinking that I currently did not have a good way to store or transport my saws.   During the MWTCA tool meet, I saw an old military ammo crate that would have almost done the trick.  I did not buy the crate…because I thought it would be more fun to build my own!

On Sunday, my daughter and I went to the local home center to pick up a 1x10x8 board.  Before I actually started to cut wood,  I needed to prototype the till to make sure it would work for me.  I read in the ATC that Chris Schwarz needed to tinker a bit with his design before committing it to wood, so I fashioned a version from scrap wood, roughly following Chris’s design in the ATC.  The big difference in mine was that I decided to make it for 7 saws instead of 4.  My decision to build a bigger one was based on this reasoning:  If I take it to a class that is not saw-focused, I can just load it with the standard 4 saws:  Rip, Crosscut, Dovetail and Carcass.  If I take it to a saw sharpening class, I can load it up with multiple saws to be worked on.  Plus, at home, it will maximize storage.

Here is a pic of my prototype saw till.  It is smaller than the actual till, but it was a great proof of concept.

Prototype dimensions are 6″W x 6″H x 3/4″ with 3/4″ saw cuts for the saws and a offset 2 1/2 radius circle. The two till boards are spaced 6 1/4″ apart

After using the prototype till for a while, I designed the box around it, while allowing for some extra room.  I made my production till 8″ wide and 8″ tall and made of pine.  I made my saw cuts 1 3/8″ apart, keeping the saw handles and blades 5/16″ apart at their closest on each side.

So, here is my saw till.  The 3″ radius semi-circle cut in the top, allows the back saws to be level with the panel saws.

Production dimensions are 8″W x 8″H x 3/4″ with 1 3/8″ saw cuts for the saws and a 3 radius circle. The two till boards are spaced 6 1/4″ apart

Below is a pic of one of my finished dovetailed corners of the saw box.

Perspective of one finished dovetail corner with prototype till “inside” it

More to come soon …

-Aaron