White Oak Box for Small Tools - Hot Melt Special
Introduction: White Oak Box for Small Tools - Hot Melt Special
I've had a plastic box of tools next to my 3D printer that built up over several years. At this point, I've accumulated exactly what I need and my 3D printer is broken again. So as my way of procrastinating fixing it, it is time to make a storage box for the tools.
But what if I need to remove the divider, or lower the tray? That is what I love about hot melt glue: it is really easy to squirt some rubbing alcohol on the joint, wiggle it loose, and reconfigure.
I made this from re-sawed white oak from the hardwood supplier. But for the top and bottom pieces, it would be easy enough to grab a small piece of 1/4" plywood from the local home store. Wooden paint stirrers and yard sticks would be a low buck alternative for dividers and rails.
Supplies
Supplies
#4 - 1/2" wood screws and countersink bit
Wood: 1/4" oak or substitute plywood and paint sticks or yard sticks
1/4" tacks
1/2" glue sticks
Tools
Graph Gear 0.9mm soft lead mechanical pencil
Hand Plane
Scissors
Saw (table, band, hand, cordless, etc)
Arrow Hot Melt Glue Gun
1-1/2" Chisel
UV Flashlight
Step 1: Setup Hot Melt Work Area
A few years back I won a bunch of Tandy leather working tools and supplies from an Instructables contest.
The 12"x12" granite plate works great as a hot glue work surface. It is dense enough that glue drips dry quickly, it isn't flammable if you walk away from the glue gun, and it is easy to scrape clean with an inexpensive wide chisel. A granite countertop sink cutout would work as well.
Step 2: Layout the Tools
To get the dimensions, the tools are laid out to see how they will fit in a potential box. For me, roughly 7" x 11" worked. The thickest tools that will live in the bottom of the box determine the height of the slider rails, I went with 1-1/4". I really didn't measure much of this, just start with a base dimension and use the first piece to mark the cut for the next piece.
This is a speed challenge, so I don't show cutting the boards. This might not be the best project if you have never cut a board, but feel free to drop me a comment and I can suggest how to do it. I'll go ahead and assume anybody making this knows how to operate a saw.
Step 3: Glue the Main Box
Three tricks here. The first is to think ahead and arrange the glue joints so everything is pressed in place to avoid sliding a joint and smearing hot melt all over the place. Another trick is to put the hot melt glue on the big board not the thin edge of a board, this avoids the tip slipping off the thin wood edge and burning your hand. Like I did. 431
Several times. The last trick is to square your first joint with the the next piece you are gluing in. The photo with my hand shows holding the next board in place while the glue cools.
Step 4: Screw the Box
Ok, I know this is a hot melt project. So why am I using fasteners? Well to me, they complement each other. Look at this box and think how much fun it would be trying to clamp the boards in position so the countersink holes can be drilled. Or try to get some pneumatic brads in there without them bending in the hard wood and poking out of your PVA joint. Or tack it together with brads and a nail.
Hot melt makes all the annoyance go away. Glue, countersink, screw, and done. In like five minutes.
Step 5: Add the Sliding Rail and Tray
A couple of rails are glued in that are slightly wider than the tallest tool for the bottom compartment. Then a tray about half the width of the box is cut. A couple of dividers can be glued on the edge of the top tray, but it doesn't really need one on the edge above rail unless you plan to lift it out and use it stand-alone.
Step 6: Leather Hinge
I've installed small box hinges and they are annoying and fussy. Itty bitty little screws with microscopic drill bits. No thanks. This project takes a strip of soft leather, slathers hot melt all over it, then scoots everything in position before it cools. Some 1/4" tacks complement the glue. 599