Fun little project - toolbox & steps combo *picture heavy*

[petermillard]

Hi folks.

Just completed a fun little project so thought I'd share. I don't do many small jobs these days (usually home stuff) but when I do I'm constantly amazed at the amount of gear you need to cart around - being a fairly mobile woodworker I keep most of my gear in Systainers which makes it easier, but it still adds up to a lot of stuff to shift. These are my standard 'stacks' which go everywhere...

Dust extractor on the left with small sander and clean-up tools above, and drills above that. Hand tools on the right, with fixings and odds & ends in the drawers below. Plus there's a hop-up platform, extension canbles etc.. etc... - you get the idea. Anyway, I came across this toolbox on wheels article in This is Carpentry:-

Full article here - http://www.thisiscarpentry.com/2008/10/ ... x-article/

... and thought it was a great idea. I've copied this and adapted it to my own requirements - by keeping the dimensions similar to my Systainer stacks I can use the same lashing points in my van to keep everything upright...

Mine's made from Birch ply scraps and offcuts, 12mm & 18mm

As in the original the top step is hinged, but mine has a lift-out odds & ends box for things specific to the job I'm doing, and the shape of the handle means that it can hook over the back of the unit (or anywhere else) at a convenient height...

I had no need for a fold-out hammer hanger, so the step in mine lifts off for easy access toe the top tray - just the right size for my hammer drill with built-in dust collection - wish they made a cordless version!

The lower section is the right size to take one of the drawers from my systainer stack - this one is the screws drawer. I may end up making a drawer (or two) for specific tasks, then I scan just load up the appropriate drawer and know I have everything I need.

As on the original, at the back, there's an extension cable...

...and an adaptation of my own, an extra 'foot' to add a bit of stability if I know I'm going to be on the top step for any time. I had all kinds of ideas for a more elegant solution to this, but ended up going for the simple option - it's just an extra piece of 12mm that 's dry Domino'd to the underside and with a bevelled top edge to keep it in place against the back, and just the right height to lift the wheels off the deck by a couple of mm.

The wheels are a pair of 150mm trolley wheels from Toolstation, the axle a piece of 12mm threaded rod with locknuts on either end, and the whole thing runs in a piece of steel tube I had knocking around the workshop - ditto the extension lead; total cost about £6, plus a few scraps of Birch ply and a bit of time. It gets used in anger for the first time tomorrow - I'll keep you posted!

Thanks for taking the time to look.

Cheers, Pete.

p.s. sorry about the wobbly colour in some of the photos - fluorescents!

 

[monkeybiter]

That looks well made and really useful. Puts my work to shame, but I'd like to offer a suggestion, FWIW.
If you had a hole for a cross-pin/dowel to lock the top odds-n-ends box in place you could then use it's handle/hook to carry the whole unit when rolling isn't the best option, whereas lifting it by the drag handle would cause it to hang at an angle with your drawers liable to fall out. As I say, just a suggestion.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

It is a very good idea. It may just end up on my to make list!

 

[petermillard]

Cheers guys. The lower section is a bit deeper than the systainer drawer, so with the drawer pushed back there's space to get your hand in to pick it up with the drag handle to balance. I may cut a hand-hole in the face directly below the first step - or I may end up making a whole new version once I've used it, lol!

Cheers, Pete.

 

[markturner]

nice!! some good ideas there...

 

[Benchwayze]

Peter,

Good ideas there.
I might have been tempted to make the base longer so there was a spread toward the rear for weight distribution. But then I am probably heavier then you and if I exerted any force against the work, I might push the cart backwards!

Regards
John

 

[petermillard]

I might have been tempted to make the base longer so there was a spread toward the rear for weight distribution...
John

Thanks. Having used it in anger this morning, if anything I think I'd make the base a little shorter - it tends to want to sit itself flat, rather than be pulled along. And (not entirely unrelated) the back/drag handle could do with being a bit higher, too. That aside, it worked well; not too heavy, easy to manoeuvre, and just the right height

Cheers, Pete.

 

[OPJ]

Really love the project and the design. Another one to add to the never-ending list, I reckon! ;-)

 

[petermillard]

Cheers everyone.

Quick update - I lengthened the back effectively raising the drag-handle, which makes a big difference, and cut a hand-hold out of the face below the first step; makes it easier to lug in and out of the van/up and down stairs etc...

I also cut a notch out of the top step; not sure if I mentioned it before, but the shelves don't go all the way to the back, so there was space there to slot in longer items (a rule or level, say) - just easier to do so now, and also means I can clamp something to the top step if needs be.

Pete