Remarkably Wee Tool Chest

Remarkably Wee Tool Chest
Photo: Bruce Dale

MAKE alum Rachel Hobson points us at this delightful 1/12 scale miniature replica of an antique tool chest from Colonial Williamsburg. The artist is William Robertson:

Robertson’s tool chest contains all the same tools that were found in the original. All the tools work, even the plane’s tote (handle) is set a scale 1/8″ to one side as the original. The saw has 160 teeth to the inch. Robinson says that the hardest tool to make was the folding rule with 5 leaf hinge. It is about .030″ thick and hand engraved on boxwood. Things like the shears and dividers also have nice little joints.

The tiny hand plane sharpening the pencil is an especially nice touch. Click through, below, for many more astounding details. Fine Woodworking has a narrated slideshow showing off more of Robertson’s work. [Thanks, Rachel!]

William Robertson Miniature Tool Chest » The Toolchest Site

More:
Hamler Tools — Miniature Replica Tools

14 thoughts on “Remarkably Wee Tool Chest

  1. Trav says:

    Holy shrink ray Batman!

  2. lrwickerdesign says:

    My eyes hurt in sympathy..amazing work!

  3. CarpePM says:

    Who’s Robinson?

  4. Tiny Scale Replica of an 18th Century Tool Chest says:

    […] via MAKE […]

  5. Tiny Scale Replica of an 18th Century Tool Chest | Dank Logic News says:

    […] via MAKE […]

  6. A Mini 18th Century Tool Chest | PersianBelgium.com says:

    […] Miniaturist William Robertson took around 1,000 hours to make this startling 1/12th scale reproduction of an 18th century apparatus chest.    Via […]

  7. A Mini 18th Century Tool Chest says:

    […] Miniaturist William Robertson took around 1,000 hours to make this astonishing 1/12th scale replica of an 18th century tool chest.    Via […]

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

View more articles by Sean Michael Ragan

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