# Reclaimed Wood Toolbox, Mostly



## Ulma Doctor (Jan 24, 2016)

Toolbox From Scrap! (mostly scrap anyway)
i was out messing around in the shop today and started the build for a much needed box for some of my woodworking tools.










i used a combination of scrap 1/2" plywood for the sides and floor, some 1x4's from a shipping crate for the rear panel and top , 1- 1x8 (new wood) for the front, 1-1x2 furring strip (new wood) for the top lid supports and lower floor supports, wood glue , 2 short sections of reclaimed light duty chain,crown stapler and 1-1/4" crown staples, a few screws, a pair of new hinges , and a few antique square cut nails.
this box is super solid, but relatively light in weight.
the dimensions are 24" long x 20" wide x 20" tall
i'll be adding a small drawer and doing some limited finishing in the next episode,
thanks for looking !


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## kev74 (Jan 24, 2016)

Nice! I like it.​


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 24, 2016)

thank you kev, i'm glad you do.
i hope my (novice) attempts at woodworking give others the courage to try something out of their normal routine.


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## ch2co (Jan 25, 2016)

Are you going to show it filled up with tools?  I'm curious about what you plan to put in it.

CHuck the grumpy old guy


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## ch2co (Jan 25, 2016)

PS when I first saw the pictures, I thought that you were building bee hives.

CTGOG


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## chips&more (Jan 25, 2016)

Looookin good. Is it gonna have wheels? And good use of the staple gun!


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## middle.road (Jan 25, 2016)

The symmetry of those staples is scary...
Did you use any glue?
Don't forget to sign and date it on the bottom. A hundred years from now. . .


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 25, 2016)

ch2co said:


> Are you going to show it filled up with tools?  I'm curious about what you plan to put in it. CHuck the grumpy old guy



Hi Chuck,
if you'd like, i sure can post some pictures of the finished and filled unit.
thank you for your interest.



chips&more said:


> Looookin good. Is it gonna have wheels? And good use of the staple gun!



Thank you Chips 
yes sir, it will be a mobile toolbox.
i'm thinking a type of dolly with 2 solid wheels and 2 swivels.
but to be honest, i have not thought the idea all the way out in my head yet.
a hand truck type of idea also is entertaining.



middle.road said:


> The symmetry of those staples is scary...
> Did you use any glue?
> Don't forget to sign and date it on the bottom. A hundred years from now. . .



Thank you very much Dan for noticing the staplework!!!
i was really trying to do a good, accurate job in material that i'm still at odds with.
I did use yellow wood glue for all intersections,
with the exception of the joints between the lid boards and the floor to it's supports. (the floor got staples and antique square cut nails around it's perimeter)

thanks to all who have read
how to tips & other knowledge is always appreciated.


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## FOMOGO (Jan 25, 2016)

Looking good. I think that what your doing is probably a shop credo for most of us. " Let nothing go to waste ". Cheers, Mike


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## middle.road (Jan 25, 2016)

FOMOGO said:


> Looking good. I think that what your doing is probably a shop credo for most of us. " Let nothing go to waste ". Cheers, Mike


I second that! and to add a quote: "I can make use of that!" (as Honey rolls her eyes...)


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 25, 2016)

FOMOGO said:


> Looking good. I think that what your doing is probably a shop credo for most of us. " Let nothing go to waste ". Cheers, Mike



Thanks Mike,
yes sir, if you are going to live by an ideal- letting nothing go to waste, would be one to adhere to.
when you believe in possibility, many things can happen


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 31, 2016)

i did some more work since the last act, but i thought it would be interesting (maybe for someone),
to see the original sketches of the toolbox while i was still in idea development phase...






after consideration, the drawer dimensions changed before construction.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 31, 2016)

I made some progress on a drawer for my reclaimed wood toolbox.
the front, rear and sides were pallet wood. i cut grooves to slide the 1/4" sanded plywood into. i used wood glue, screws, and crown staples to hold it together. 






i fitted the drawer the other night.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jan 31, 2016)

My toolbox needed a place to hang tooling.
I chose a 1x2 furring strip (scrap, new wood) to make the holder from.
using some clamps and some scrap wood i made an impromptu jig for the drill press.
i laid out the furring strip to bore a series of holes in the holders' centerline.



after boring the holder and fitting the tooling, i installed the holder in the toolbox using screws and started filling it up.
so far ,the tooling in the box consists of :
vintage yankee drills, vintage chisels, forstner bits, screwdrivers, 1/4" hex driver extensions, hinge drills







thanks for looking,


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## ch2co (Feb 1, 2016)

DR. U.
Looking good!  I still want to see a few more tools in it though.  I'm still wondering what the 5" radius cutouts are for at the base? Hand holds?  Rodent passageways?
Those are some great CAD drawings, what program do you use? 

CHuck the grumpy old guy


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 1, 2016)

great work there Mike, that'll be a very useful addition to the shop. One thing I would suggest is wherever possible to add corner supports and staple/ screw the outside to that, rather than the ends of the boards they meet. Plywood in particular delaminates at the end at the drop of a hat and when this is loaded the tools will be pushing outwards against the boards (or you'll be pulling on them to move it around). I tend to go belt'n'braces, corner supports, screws AND glue as it's a pain fixing stuff in wood - much less forgiving than metal in that regard.


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## Ulma Doctor (Feb 1, 2016)

mattthemuppet said:


> great work there Mike, that'll be a very useful addition to the shop. One thing I would suggest is wherever possible to add corner supports and staple/ screw the outside to that, rather than the ends of the boards they meet. Plywood in particular delaminates at the end at the drop of a hat and when this is loaded the tools will be pushing outwards against the boards (or you'll be pulling on them to move it around). I tend to go belt'n'braces, corner supports, screws AND glue as it's a pain fixing stuff in wood - much less forgiving than metal in that regard.



funny that you said corner supports, i have already purchased them but have not installed them.
thank you for the tips-much appreciated!


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## Ulma Doctor (Feb 1, 2016)

ch2co said:


> DR. U.
> Looking good!  I still want to see a few more tools in it though.  I'm still wondering what the 5" radius cutouts are for at the base? Hand holds?  Rodent passageways?
> Those are some great CAD drawings, what program do you use?
> CHuck the grumpy old guy



Thank You Chuck!
the CAD never seems to break, but sometimes makes mistakes , 
it's Playschool CAD, Junior version 2.0- (the same level as my qualifications as a woodworker!)

as for the 5" radius circles...
my father used to pull this one on me....

How do you keep somebody in suspense?
I'll tell ya' later.....


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## Ulma Doctor (Feb 11, 2016)

well, i made some more progress,
here's what the cut out's are for...


to provide rolling clearance for the wheels that were cut from a scrap 2x8, using a 6" holesaw.
i used a router with a 1/4" round over to finish it off. i'll fit the wheels in the next episode!

i also utilized the drop from the wheel op to construct the handles for the sides of the chest.
i attached it with screws.



more fun to come!
stay tuned!!!


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## Tony Wells (Feb 11, 2016)

I like the way you think, Mike.


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## Ulma Doctor (Feb 11, 2016)

Thank you for the compliment,Tony!
i'm trying to be creative and utilize stuff i already have


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## ch2co (Feb 11, 2016)

Dr. U  
Now I got it, Wheels! and their respective half circle cutouts as wheel wells. 
Can't believe that you envisioned this concept from the beginning of the project.
Must be why they call you "The Doctor."

CHuck the grumpy old guy


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## Ulma Doctor (Feb 11, 2016)

Thank you Chuck, but you are way to kind. 
The idea for the centrally located  large wheels came from industrial carts that i see frequently 
i'm merely copying  ideas that smarter people came up with long ago.
But thank you anyway


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