car boot tool box copy

[pitch pine]

So I bought this at the car boot sale:

DSCF0387 by nick tasker, on Flickr

It is a really small version of a carpenters chest around 18 x 6 inches. I liked it so much I thought I'd have a go at making one. The only difference is I used dove-tails to joint it as I need the practice. Just need to fit the lid but I have got this far:

DSCF0384 by nick tasker, on Flickr

Another shot:

DSCF0382 by nick tasker, on Flickr

And one more:

DSCF0389 by nick tasker, on Flickr

It has flaws, but I am really pleased with the result. I even managed to use my wooden tongue and groove planes (for the bottom). I haven't used panel pins much before and realise what a skill it is to make the small compartments by just butt jointing and nailing. Reassuringly when I looked at the original you could see where some of the pins had split out of the 1/4 inch pine.

It is really surprising how much difference the mouldings make. It wasn't until I started to copy it did I realise the front top moulding is deeper at the centre, a really nice touch.

 

[Co1]

Very nice indeed. Great car boot find as well!

 

[Stanleymonkey]

Lucky to find that at a boot sale.

Great copy though - are you going to use them both?

 

[custard]

Nice find and nice job! That angle on the front moulding works really well, tiny details can just make all the difference.

 

[pitch pine]

Thanks for the comments on the box.

Stanleymonkey I will probably fill both with tools.....from the car boot.

I guess the original was made with what ever wood was lying around and quickly. Even the main box compartment which is made from wood just over 5/8 thick was butt jointed.

 

[rafezetter]

I haven't used panel pins much before and realise what a skill it is to make the small compartments by just butt jointing and nailing. Reassuringly when I looked at the original you could see where some of the pins had split out of the 1/4 inch pine.

That's a lovely thing - both the original and faithfull reproduction. Because of panelpins being prone to splitting in such thin stock I might have been tempted to try a different technique the japanese use- not surprisingly called "japanese nails". Wooden nails, drilled then glued / tapped in. No rust, predrilled means no splitting or other blowouts from the wrong angle, and because they are glued they increase the glue area 'tween the 2 parts.

They can be bought, in various wood types too iirc, but I'm fairly sure toothpicks or "cocktail sticks" as Eriktheviking prefers to call them (well la-de-dah) would suffice.

They are also very handy to use where you think you might have a conflict with small pins or screws at perpendicular angles in a small joint reducing the volume of wood in that area thus weakening it.

on a related note - I've used bamboo Kebab skewers (thicker than toothpicks) before now to reinforce broken joints in thin softwood, and after a very unscientific test found the joint to be way harder to re-break with, than without. (great for filling botched drilled holes, or old nail holes near to where you want to drill to set screws** - a quick wipe of thin CA over a scewer, tap one or more in - wait a few, chisel excess off flush then re-drill).

**invaluable for old floorboards that have clearly been taken up and relaid many times so the beams look like swiss cheese and screws won't grab anymore, as Eriktheviking can attest.

 

[pitch pine]

Good idea about cocktail sticks. I have used the barbecue skewers for thin dowels too and they work really well.

 

[DTR]

Very nice! =D> =D>

Maybe it's just me, but it looks bigger than 18"x6" in the photos. I'd like to see how much you can fit in a little chest like that. I keep thinking about building something similar for when I'm working away from the workshop