Yesterday I said I would write about creating a tool box with a handle, so that is just what I plan to do. The reason I made it in the first place was to increase my efficiency in building and the nails (Which I am making tomorrow) are a stronger way of holding structures and wooden planks together. Now this was not made for any clients or customers, just for me. The first thing I did was get some maple (A type of wood) planks. I needed four that were two hands long and one hand wide. One would serve as the base of the toolbox and two would become the two longer sides of the box. I laid them on the long edges of the base and applied some sap (As an adhesive) where the sides joined the base. I took four large twigs and sharpened the tips to a point to hold the sides to the base so the joints wouldn’t break under pressure. I took a stone mallet and “Hammered” them in on the corners of the base, going straight through into the longer sides. The last plank I will use later as the lid of the toolbox (Which will have a handle) but I must finish the sides first. I got another plank of the same size as the base, and cut it in half so it formed two one hand by one hand planks. These I used for the smaller sides, gluing them to the sides and fastening them with four more wooden dowels. An important step in positioning the short sides was to position them so they overlapped the base. This opened up space in between the tops of the shorter sides and the longer sides. This way, there was space for the lid. Now the lid was a little more time consuming of a build. I first got a wet stone and sanded the side edges until it fit flush in the space opened up by the short sides. Although this is fine for storage, it is not very portable. My solution to this not simple, but effective. I first used my chisel to carve a long groove in the top of the lid where the bottom of the handle would live. To keep the handle attached but able to rotate I made two small wooden dowels (Cylinders) from scrap wood and hammered them half way into the sides of the groove. The next step was to make a handle for the toolbox. I got some slightly rectangular oak wood from George for a slab. I cut a smaller rectangle from the slab and cut holes in the ends of the handle. I carefully slipped the holes on the handle into the dowels, linking the handle to the lid and allowing it to rotate. Believe it or not, the toolbox is done, and I am tired. I plan to build stone nails tomorrow to replace pointed dowels in both strength and ease of use. See you tomorrow! |
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March 2017
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