Preliminaries - what goes in the box?

[Chris Hall]

I bit more sketching and I have come to a different arrangement. I've centered the chisels in the tray, and the lower tray has a central partition which ties the tray long sids together and provides a handle. I'm toying with the idea of fitting a metal handle to that thickened partition that can be pulled up...

道具箱 drawer idea 1.jpg (155.94 KiB) Viewed 8080 times

道具箱 tray idea 3.jpg (214.29 KiB) Viewed 8080 times

道具箱 drawer idea 2.jpg (222 KiB) Viewed 8080 times

This configuration would make the whole works more balanced, and would provide room on each side of the tray for a couple more planes. Possibly I can sandwich a pair of hammers, one for planes and one for hitting the bench chisels, in between the two trays..

This part remains in flux - what do y'all think at this point? Have I gone seriously astray?

[Rogu]

This part remains in flux - what do y'all think at this point? Have I gone seriously astray?

You've gone seriously astray. But don't stop.

[Schuyler]

I think the box itself has enough complexity to keep me busy. I am looking forward to gaining insight into the joinery involved, and I could certainly use the practice. Personally I think the tray is a great way to customize the project to suit ones own needs and expectations, but it does overcomplicate things somewhat.

If the goal of the group is to move forward together in a timely fashion then I am all for keeping it as simple as possible without sacrificing the learning objectives.


Schuyler

[Chris Hall]

Schuyler,

yes, the box is indeed complex enough, however the interior bits, trays, etc., are totally up to the maker. I won't be covering the making of those parts in detail as they are completely idiosyncratic, so there's no 'overcomplication' effectively happening, at least from my perspective. That said, in order to accurately size the box however, you need to decide what you are putting in the box and, decide how you will arrange it. You don't want wasted space nor do you want the box to not allow you to store what you need. If you were to skip this step, 'complex' as it may appear, you may end up with a box that does not suit what you have to put inside. Imagine if the box was 1/4" too narrow for your chisels...

At this point, things are in the design phase and it is good, I think, to be open minded to various possibilities.

[Rogu]

Toolbox makers;

It might be worth taking something out of the designer's toolkit--a design brief.

They can go something like this: I would like to design a storage unit for my tools that can be transported occasionally. This item cannot weigh more than 5lbs. With tools inside it can weigh no more than 50lbs. It should be able to be carried and needs handles which are not too far apart for my arm span. The tools it will carry are 9 chisels (stored in a roll), 4 planes (the longest being 16" and the widest being 3"), it will carry a 24" straightedge.....blah blah blah blah blah.

It might help in making decisions about storage trays or what can go in or not.

[Schuyler]

Robert

Great tip! I find it is sometimes easy (for me) to lose sight of the initial purpose once one gets immersed in the design stage.

In my case I realized that I would like to have a sashigane in my box. Needless to say that puts some parameters on the project.

Anyone have thoughts on storing and protecting a sashigane in a toolbox?

I guess this is where a tray might come in handy

[Chris Hall]

The sashigane could also be fitted without a tray - it can be popped in end first and then swung down into position on the floor of the box.

I imagine either a recessed area for the square, or some sort of blocking and rotating cleats would fasten a sashigane in place. Another option would be rare-earth magnets.

[Koot]

- what do y'all think at this point? Have I gone seriously astray?

Chris, the project is sitting well with me, I'm comfortable with the direction this is heading. I've spent some enjoyable time mulling over your plans and all the posts.

I'm still trying to decide wether or not a saw 24" long has a place in this box.

As to "seriously astray?" .... well, maybe you are going to challenge the Studley box after all ...

Marv

[djwong]

In the case of my box, If I arrange to lift one end of the tray (with a finger hole), tilt, slide it over towards the other end, then pull it out, the angle of tilt would be around 17 degrees. Depending on how the chisels are held, I don't think that is enough to cause chisels to roll loose. A modified arrangement would have to be made to the tray supports to allow it to slide. Not the most elegant solution, but workable.

[Chris Hall]

As to "seriously astray?" .... well, maybe you are going to challenge the Studley box after all ...

Marv

Marv, that's funny! You know, the thing I find amazing about the Studley tool chest, besides the ingenious packing of the beautiful custom-made tools, is that it is made from a whole lot of Gabon Ebony. Obviously, he was a piano maker so he had ready access to the wood. I find Gabon ebony to have a lot of internal cracks and checks and to use it the waste factor can be rather high. So, either he had some really fine material there, or a lot of ebony went in to the scrap pile. I think he was especially clever in how he arranged the tools into that case- it's not easy to do, and he didn't have the benefit of a computer drawing program.