Media Platforms Design TeamToolboxes these days look less and less like boxes. They’re bags, usually. You might go so far as to call them tool purses. No matter how tough the ballistic nylon, a sack just doesn’t have that same lunch-pail appeal as a rigid, stiff-sided rectangle.The homebuilt box shown here has a nickel handle as beefy as a billy club, a diamond-plate exterior, sturdy oak ends–and there’s not a stitch of fabric to be found. Its open-top design lets DIYers store tools too large to fit beneath a lid, and skidproof feet stop it from sliding around a truck bed. Plus, the job’s entry-level metalwork gives you an excuse to buy a brake to bend all manner of sheetmetal.Machinists used to craft their own chests as a rite of passage after apprenticeship. You can fill the box with the wire strippers and spare switches in your electrical kit, or the tubing and wrenches you save for plumbing jobs. Better yet, reserve your box for the basic carpentry tools you’ll use to build it.The PlansMedia Platforms Design Team(Illustration by Acute Graphics. Animation by Kirk Kelsey @ Kelsey WoodWorks.)Download an animated 3D illustration of this toolbox. [PDF]Media Platforms Design Team1 24 x 20-in., 0.08-in. aluminum diamond plate Where to buy: 24 x 24-in. aluminum plate, quickshipmetals.com4 Rubber bumpers (feet) Shepherd Hardware Products, item 9641 ¾-in.-dia x 23¼-in. steel pipe (handle) Nickel downrod extension, 24 in. long2 ¾ x 8 x 10-in. oak (sides, cut from 1 x 12)12 No. 10, 1-in. Phillips screws (for sides, bottom)1 Pint Watco Natural Danish Oil1 Tube silicone adhesiveStep 1: Cut the Diamond PlateMedia Platforms Design TeamUsing a circular saw fitted with a metal-cutting blade, trim 4 in. from a piece of 0.08-in. diamond-plate aluminum that measures 24 x 24 in. You could use a jigsaw, but the cut won’t be as straight or as smooth, even if you employ a straightedge guide.Step 2: Bend the MetalMedia Platforms Design TeamPlace the aluminum, with the diamond-plate pattern facing down, in a sheetmetal brake. Bend the metal to create 6-in.-high sides and an 8-in.-wide bottom.Step 3: Cut the WoodMedia Platforms Design TeamTrace the three sides of the toolbox outline onto oak 1 x 12s cut 11 in. long. Using a table saw or a circular saw with a woodcutting blade, rip the boards on the marks. Cut 6-in. notches in. deep in each edge so the metal plate sits flush in the ends.Step 4: Round the CornersMedia Platforms Design TeamUse a pencil compass to strike a 4-in. radius onto the top of each oak end. Measure 1½ in. from the top of the radius to find the center of the 1-in.-dia handle holes. Using a jigsaw, cut along the pencil arc. Make a second cut to round off the two bottom corners.Step 5: Bore Handle HolesMedia Platforms Design TeamBore ½-in.-deep handle holes on the inside surface of each oak end using a 1-in.-dia Forstner bit in a drill press. Apply a thin bead of clear silicone adhesive along one bottom inside edge of the toolbox. Do not apply adhesive to both ends.Step 6: Clamp an EndMedia Platforms Design TeamClamp an end inside the box. Drill -in.-dia pilot holes through the metal and oak. Countersink each hole. Using 1-in. No. 10 Phillips screws, fasten the metal to the oak, driving two screws per side and bottom.Step 7: Trim the HandleMedia Platforms Design TeamTrim the handle to 23¼ in. with a hacksaw. Fit the handle into the attached end. Using silicone and screws as before, install the remaining oak end. Screw four 1-in.-dia antiskid rubber feet to each corner of the toolbox bottom.Step 8: Sand and FileMedia Platforms Design TeamHand-sand both sides of the ends with 80- and then 120-grit sandpaper. Sand the arcs with 120. Smooth the top edges of the aluminum with a mill bastard file.Step 9: Finishing TouchesMedia Platforms Design TeamHand-rub an oil finish on the oak ends. Wait 4 to 6 hours, then rub on another coat. Let it dry overnight before using.
