I am currently finishing up the shop workbench and beginning a series of tool boxes for all the odd ball tools hanging out in various locations in the shop. The workbench needs 4 drawers and since tool box drawers are going to be built the same way I figured it was time to make tool boxes. We have way to many paper boxes and buckets full of tools. In this process I am making a couple of tools to make these builds possible.
I am making a micro-router table to try out some ideas for a more capable router table and to make the drawers of the workbench and toolboxers. I intend to use a router lock joint, a locking rabbit, to hold the drawer corners.
On the tool boxes the drawers will be about 16" deep and 30" wide. With a wide drawer like this I will use a half inch bottom with some under the drawer stiffeners. For now the box in planning is for six drawer where each is around 3" to 6" deep. I figure on making a dado for the bottom 3/4" up from the bottom of the drawer side and then 3/4" stiffeners under the bottom in two places at 4" intervals. This should support a fairly large weight over a fairly wide drawer since the bottom will be the equivalent of 1 and 1/4" thick. The drawers will be fairly shallow and are meant to hold the flatter more mechanic like tools that seem to be bouncing around the shop. I want to shadow box the drawers for tools with a closed cell foam to give each tool a home.
The second tool I will be making is a box joint jig for 3/4" plywood with 3/4" fingers. I plan on using the table saw with a dado blade and a table sled set up for the particular plywood I will be using. I do know that I am using a 3/4" plywood equivalent that is not quite 3/4" inch but for the sake of this text I will stick to the designation I have given it. If I need to get down to print level details I will use actual measurements.
The tool boxes will have the side joint made with box joint fingers. It seems to me the leanest and strongest joint for 3/4" plywood boxes. I looked at using the router lock joint and a modified butt joint with a hardwood joiner. All of these would work in their own fashion but the box joints should be even less problematical than the router lock when used over a long piece. A router lock will work very well in drawers but I am less certain over a yard of sheet stock. A modified butt joint with a
hard wood joiner would work well but there are lots of screws and pockets to drill. Once a box joint jig is set up it seems so straight forward to just slide it all together with some glue! If I make the fingers overlong I can use a flush trim router bit to get it all perfect at the corners. I don't mind the plywood stripes when used in a box joint since the pattern is there anyway....
The tool box itself will be the height to accommodate the 6 drawers on sliders. It will be as minimalist as I can make and be sturdy. The top and bottom will be attached with pocket screws since this will be only on piece in a larger stacking tool box. I imagine it will look something like one of the larger mechanics style tool boxes.
Along the way I am getting the drawers for the big table built too.
That is it for now.... I guess I am using this blog to document my process at the moment.
Cee 08-20-2017
I am making a micro-router table to try out some ideas for a more capable router table and to make the drawers of the workbench and toolboxers. I intend to use a router lock joint, a locking rabbit, to hold the drawer corners.
On the tool boxes the drawers will be about 16" deep and 30" wide. With a wide drawer like this I will use a half inch bottom with some under the drawer stiffeners. For now the box in planning is for six drawer where each is around 3" to 6" deep. I figure on making a dado for the bottom 3/4" up from the bottom of the drawer side and then 3/4" stiffeners under the bottom in two places at 4" intervals. This should support a fairly large weight over a fairly wide drawer since the bottom will be the equivalent of 1 and 1/4" thick. The drawers will be fairly shallow and are meant to hold the flatter more mechanic like tools that seem to be bouncing around the shop. I want to shadow box the drawers for tools with a closed cell foam to give each tool a home.
The second tool I will be making is a box joint jig for 3/4" plywood with 3/4" fingers. I plan on using the table saw with a dado blade and a table sled set up for the particular plywood I will be using. I do know that I am using a 3/4" plywood equivalent that is not quite 3/4" inch but for the sake of this text I will stick to the designation I have given it. If I need to get down to print level details I will use actual measurements.
The tool boxes will have the side joint made with box joint fingers. It seems to me the leanest and strongest joint for 3/4" plywood boxes. I looked at using the router lock joint and a modified butt joint with a hardwood joiner. All of these would work in their own fashion but the box joints should be even less problematical than the router lock when used over a long piece. A router lock will work very well in drawers but I am less certain over a yard of sheet stock. A modified butt joint with a
hard wood joiner would work well but there are lots of screws and pockets to drill. Once a box joint jig is set up it seems so straight forward to just slide it all together with some glue! If I make the fingers overlong I can use a flush trim router bit to get it all perfect at the corners. I don't mind the plywood stripes when used in a box joint since the pattern is there anyway....
The tool box itself will be the height to accommodate the 6 drawers on sliders. It will be as minimalist as I can make and be sturdy. The top and bottom will be attached with pocket screws since this will be only on piece in a larger stacking tool box. I imagine it will look something like one of the larger mechanics style tool boxes.
Along the way I am getting the drawers for the big table built too.
That is it for now.... I guess I am using this blog to document my process at the moment.
Cee 08-20-2017
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful information with us. I hope you will share some more info about closed cell foam. Please keep sharing!
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