Tool chest, cabinetmaker's tool chest

As more numerous, specialist and costly hand tools became available during the course of the 18th century, joiners and cabinet makers began to store them in special tool chests. There was a need to protect tools from theft and keep them away from the dust and dirt of the workshop. By the late 18th century, a standard tool chest form had developed.

The exterior and main carcass of the chest was made of softwood with the outside usually painted. The sides of the chest had wooden handles or cleats that allowed rope handles to be attached. From the outside, the appearance of the chest was quite plain. In contrast, on opening the lid, the interior was finely veneered with different types of wood such as mahogany, boxwood and tulipwood. Often, there were two sliding tills with drawers, like in this tool chest, in which the smaller hand tools such as chisels, gouges and files were kept. A compartment in the bottom of the chest allowed for the storage of numerous planes and saws.

The history of this tool chest is uncertain. It may have been made by William Gray in the early 19th century. A metal name plate found in one of the drawers carries his name and address, 'Cavendish Grove, Wandsworth Road'. Gray was living in this area in the mid 19th century. However, many of the boxwood planes, stamped with his owner's mark, were made twenty or thirty years earlier.