Henry O. Studley (1838-1925)

They say that for a journeyman woodworker, his right of passage is his workbench, but his toolbox is his resumé.  Henry O. Studley had one of the most impressive resumés one will ever see!

Studley was a piano maker and stone mason that worked for the Smith Organ Co., and later, the Poole Piano Company of Quincy, Massachusetts.  Studley was born in Lowell, MA.  He joined the Massachusetts Infantry at the beginning of the Civil War and was captured in Galvestonk, TX in 1863.  After the war, he returned to Quincy and joined the Masonic lodge.

H.O. Studley is best known for his amazing tool chest (click the picture for a better view).  It's made of mahogany, walnut, ebony, rosewood, and features beautiful mother of pearl inlays, most (or all) of which were probably scraps from his work at the Poole Piano Co. 

The chest is designed as a wall hanging unit.  When closed, it measures approximately 39" high by 18" wide by 9" deep.  When open, it measures roughly 40" square by a mere 4 1/2" deep.  The tool count is an astonishing 300 plus.  Sections of the chest swing out like doors which facilitates access to second and third tiers where other tools are stored.  While many of Studley's tools were "generic" to the cabinetmaker of the day, several of the tools were apparently specific to the manufacture of pianos and their functions haven't been fully identified.

The quality of craftmanship in this chest is stunning.  For every tool in this box, Studley fashioned a custom intricate inlaid "holder" to keep it in place and showcase it.  The space between each tool is minimal and many of the tools seem to "snap" into place.  Many of the tools are so closely packed that protrusions for tools on one side nestle into voids of other tools on the other side. 

Prominent in the front left side of the chest is the Masonic compass and square emblem.  Less prominent, but in front and just above his brace, are small plates with his name and hometown of Quincy engraved on them.

Before Studley died in 1925, he gave the chest to a friend, and it's been sold a couple of times to private collectors.  It has, at times, been loaned and displayed at the National Museum of American History in the Smithsonian.

Norm Abram featured Studley's chest on an episode of The New Yankee Workshop... the video can be seen on YouTube.

Resources

Photo courtesy of Fine Woodworking Magazine.
If you have some wall space available in your shop, you can order a full size poster... It's incredible.

Editors, Fine Woodworking Magazine.  "The H.O. Studley Tool Chest" 
< http://www.finewoodworking.com/ProjectsAndDesign/ProjectsAndDesignArticle.aspx?id=27038>.  (27 Feb. 2009).

Editors, Fine Woodworking Magazine.  "The Peerless Tool Chest of H. O. Studley" (Reprint) 
< http://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Chests-Legacy-Extraordinary-Boxes/dp/1561583626>.  (27 Feb. 2009).

Liebhold, Peter, and David Shayt, Curator.  Smithsonian Institure.
"TOOL CHESTS: Symbol and Servant"  < http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/toolbox/index.html#map>. (27 Feb. 2009).
"Piano Maker's Tool Chest, 1890s"  < http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/toolbox/piano.html>.  (27 Feb. 2009).

Schleining, Lon.  "Treasure Chests: The Legacy of Extraordinary Boxes" 
Newtown, CT: Taunton Press.  2001. ISBN-10:  1561583626,    ISBN-13:  978-1561583621

Tolpin, Jim.  "The Toolbox Book: A Craftsman's Guide to Tool Chests, Cabinets, and Storage Systems"  
Newtown, CT: Taunton Press.  1998. ISBN-10:  1561582727,    ISBN-13:  978-1561582723