Studley tool chest

I had never heard of the Studley tool chest before, but bumped into a thread about it by rdn2blazer on OffRoadFabNet.com. Here it is when it was featured on New Yankee Workshop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cGNT-RSkEU

The Wikipedia page on Henry O. Studley is interesting too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_O._Studley . He was a piano maker, Civil War soldier, Mason, and incredibly gifted craftsman. PhoenixMasonry.org has reprinted the Fine Woodworking article about the tool chest: Studley 1993 Tool Chest Article by Fine Woodworking Magazine .

The tool chest was bequeathed to Studley's attorney, handed down to his grandson, traded for a '34 Ford, loaned out to the Smithsonian, restored, and ultimately bought for an unnamed price by a private collector. It contains nearly 300 tools, many of them made by Studley himself.

If you enjoy examples of exquisite, intricate woodworking, you'll enjoy the Roentgen furniture...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=MKikHxKeodA

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Originally Posted by Jon

I had never heard of the Studley tool chest before, but bumped into a thread about it by rdn2blazer on OffRoadFabNet.com. Here it is when it was featured on New Yankee Workshop:

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And I thought studley referred to my triple deck Craftsman and hangon side cabinet. I don't push it anymore, apparently insufficiently studley.

Bureau du Roi, Louis XV's rolltop desk, built in the 1760s.

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More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureau_du_Roi

Yeah, it's nice.
Guess you'd have to drill some holes for cords and the like today.

Forrest

I wonder the purpose of the 2 overly long drawers?

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Originally Posted by 12bolts

I wonder the purpose of the 2 overly long drawers?

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Long overdue bills.:rimshot:

CVS receipts.

Studley was fortunate to live in a time during which few new, must-have tools appeared on the market. Few "interchangeable bits" tools requiring an ever growing collection of router bits, fastener bits, sockets, etc. were required. Many things we now do with specialized-for-purpose tools were done in those days with simple hand tools wielded skillfully to do a myriad of jobs.

It also probably helped that most of his work was confined to piano-related woodworking; no need to deal with electrical, metal, plumbing, etc..

With that said, I'd still sacrifice important anatomical features to own that chest.

Marv's "Studley was fortunate to live in a time during which few new, must-have tools appeared on the market. Few "interchangeable bits" tools..."
struck a chord for me. Now that I have tool grinders effective in 3 axes, I'd like to reproduce the many form cutters for Stanley #45 Router Plane. A purchaser received the tool roll, pocketed with as broad a range to what a power router can run today. All the grooving, reeding, beading, ogee, round overs etc imaginable. That and very few other tools had developed a range of accessories. Yankee screwdrivers, braces, push drills, perhaps mortising set-ups, were about the limit of add-on type merchandising for a long time.
I referenced my ancient treasured American Wholesale Hardware catalog to capture what bits a plane may encompass. This also bridges with another thread we wrung thoroughly, how a background could start. M. Klotz initiated it with http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/q...-v-block-58650
We came to similar conclusions, that only one kind of fuel is needed or suitable for this pursuit.

We have but 1 single hardware store located whit in 45 miles of my house.The owner's son recently took on a true value contract.
OK, admittedly there really isn't a dime's worth of difference in a True value or an Ace hardware. so far as the line items either carry that would be of interest to me that is. Since I don't give a whiff for the house hold decorative stuff. When I head to the hardware store it is for nuts bolts fasteners of various configurations plumbing fittings electrical and possibly garden supplies.
Anyway our near by store has a limited amount of floor space as do many small town stores.
Chase is very attuned to this and has started to triple his line items by adding in roll a way vertical bin racks Except in the brass fitting bins he now has then mounted 5 deep which I find to be great since he can stock 4 times the amount of individual line items than his dad had carried the same goes for the electrical section. I'm just waiting to see if he can triple his specialty fasteners as well.
Every time I go in there I say Chase one of these days we are going ot have to have a roof raising ceremony and add a 2nd floor to this place.
He just says the month that our business quadruples our best month prior to the change over I may just do that.
So in a way he is attempting to Studley his store.
Also since the nearest tractor supply store is 40 miles away he carries a lot of what they carry in the agriculture department. I hope the young man does well.

Frank S can't be the only craftperson needing commercial hardware in his geographic area. I imagine area covered with farm and ranch operations, all with a widely varied demand.
That is a double edged sword. Spend untold amounts on rare inventory no one has within 60 miles, rural miles at that. Or wait for internet to wipe you out. I'd say go all in as a internet warehouse.

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Originally Posted by Toolmaker51

Frank S can't be the only craftperson needing commercial hardware in his geographic area. I imagine area covered with farm and ranch operations, all with a widely varied demand.
That is a double edged sword. Spend untold amounts on rare inventory no one has within 60 miles, rural miles at that. Or wait for internet to wipe you out. I'd say go all in as a internet warehouse.

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He's working on it

I want one!!

Ralph

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Originally Posted by Ralphxyz

I want one!!

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I don't know what you would have to pay for the Studley chest given its notoriety and craftsmanship but you can have a very nice chest with a complement of more generalized (i.e., non-piano-specific) tools for a mere $150,000....

https://www.core77.com/posts/52676/T...ase-Looks-Like

Judging from that admittedly singular data point, I would guess that the Studley might bring somewhere in the $500,000 category if the auction were properly advertised in the wealthy tool afficionados circles.

Bonus info...

If you want to see a picture of the man himself next to his chest, go here...

H. O. Studley Masonic Tool Chest

There's also pictures of his workbench there. I believe only the mahogany top and vise is original and the base is a reproduction. Still, not something you want to accidentally drive a nail into.

Nice. I didn't know Studley built a workbench too.

https://diqn32j8nouaz.cloudfront.net..._workbench.jpg