Home Improvement : Build a Tool Box That Reflects Personality

When I first became interested in carpentry, one of the things I admired most about the old-timers was the style and creativity that went into their wooden tool boxes. These personalized accessories were built to last a lifetime and often did. They were all customized to fit the needs of their creators.

If he was a framing carpenter, the box was large enough to carry large nails and an extra 22-ounce hammer and a caulk line. One box I recall seeing in an old carpenter’s shop looked more like an autobiography than a tool box.

It had slews of calculations inscribed in lead, saw kerfs ripped across it, glue spots on it, drill holes poked into it and coffee stained into its grain, all of these footprints of a carpenter’s career.

There was probably the calculation he figured twice before cutting his first roof, and the coffee spilled while in his truck waiting to start working on a cold gray February morning when the rest of the world was still fast asleep.

I’m going to share with you some of the techniques I use to build my customized wooden tool boxes. I’ve built quite a collection over the years for friends, family and myself. I may even be lucky enough to have this column reach a young carpenter who is just starting his own autobiography.

There are basically two types of tool boxes: open and closed. An open box is a box without a lid. I use these to store materials that are frequently used such as nails, screws or tubes of caulking. Since the box is always open you can see everything in it at once without opening a lid. I have one open box I use just for my finish nails, aluminum capping nails, large dry wall screws and spare tubes of silicone caulking.

I also store extra pencils there and extra screw gun bits. I call this my “trim box” because I use it when I do trim work. Another open box, a very large one, I call my “framing box.” This stays in my truck and contains seven different compartments, each with various size framing nails in it.

The second type of tool box is a closed box which I use to store my tools. Wooden tool boxes are great for tools because they cushion the blows and absorb any excess moisture in the air that can ruin an electronic motor. I have a wooden tool box for almost all of my tools. Sometimes I make a tool box that houses all the tools needed to perform a particular task--like a box that only has electrician tools or laminating tools. The possibilities are endless, and if you’re like me, you’ll just enjoy making them.

I usually use plywood for large boxes and clear 1-x-6,8,10,12-inch board for smaller boxes. With a closed tool box, I first create a six-sided box, then with a table saw cut the top of the box off, seal it to protect it, add hinges and a handle, and then put it to work.

That may sound fairly simple but there are a few tricky joints to mill to assure the box’s long life. First mill the four sides of the would-be box. Make sure they’re square and all the same height. Now run a router with a three-quarter-inch bit through the bottom on each side; this creates a dado joint (see figure). Sometimes it’s easier if you run the router through a single long piece of wood first then cut the sides. This is up to you and the supply of wood available.

Now cut the bottom of the box. Make it long enough to be accepted into the dado groove on each side of the box. Then put the five sides of the box together dry. This is to check the fit and tightness. While it’s still together measure the top. It should be the length of the long side plus the width of the two short sides (see figure). Now cut the top of the box to whatever size you measured.

After you have the top cut, you’re going to route a rabbet joint around the perimeter of it. This is done so that the top will fit (partially) into the box. This will assure a strong joint.

Put all six sides (four sides plus top and bottom) together dry. Check them again, then disassemble it, glue it and reassemble it. Clamp every corner joint and fasten them together with wood screws or nails. Take caution here not to screw (or nail) where you plan to cut later. Leave it clamped and screwed for at least 24 hours.

Once dried you will have a six-sided box. Now measure down about 3 inches and make a mark for your cut. Run the box through a table saw (or use a circular saw), and create the top lid. Prime and seal the whole box and install the hardware.

To build an open tool box just use the same procedures used to build a closed tool box except omit the top lid and add a railing handle (see figure).

Remember, when you create a custom tool box, add personal touches that distinguish your box from others. Like the carpenters who use them, tool boxes are all different, and should be. Let your tool box reflect you personally. Dare to be unique.