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How to Build a Wooden Tool Box

Wooden tool boxes have been used by carpenters for literally hundreds of years to transport their tools to the jobsite. The simple yet strong design of the wooden tool box allows it to carry upwards of 50 pounds with no screws or nails holding it together!! Instead, the design relies on joinery to give the tool box its strength.

This tool box project will not use any mechanical fasteners. It will be joinery that will give the wooden tool box its true strength. This project can also be varnished or painted at the end to any color you like. Remember that this is a tool box might get roughed up a bit from use, but that’s normal wear and tear.

What You Need

Tools

Circular Saw
Table Saw
Jig Saw with correct router bits
Table and Router with ¼” straight-cutting bit
Tape Measure
Pencil
Compass
Sandpaper
Waterproof Glue

Materials

One Piece of 1x10 x 4' – Pine or Birch is acceptable
One Piece of 1/2" Plywood – Dimensions are 12" x 24"
One Piece of 1-1/4" Dowel – Dimensions are 24-1/4" long

Steps

  1. The first step is to take the 1 x 10 pine or birch wood and cut it to the proper length. Use the circular saw to cut it into two pieces 12” in length. These will be used for the end pieces of the tool box.
  2. Now that the end pieces for the wooden tool box are cut, we will move on to the two side pieces.  The 1 x 10, that you were working on previously, should be ripped into two strips.

    Set your table saw to cut at a width of 4 inches. Run the remaining piece of the 1 x 10 through the table saw twice so that you get two 4 inch wide strips.

    Now set your table saw to cut at a width of 8 inches and place the two end pieces you ripped, cut in the earlier step, to this width.

    Cut these strips with your circular saw to 24” in length.

  3. Ok. You now have the end and side pieces cut to the proper length. It’s time to move on to the shape of the curves you want on the ends of the tool box.  To mark the shapes of the curves, use a compass and make any simple design you want.

    Remember that the center line of each end piece is at a height at 8” whereas the two ends are at a height of 4”. Make sure the curves you make smoothly transition between these two points.

  4. When you are done marking your design on the two end pieces of the tool box, it’s time to cut them into shape by using the jig saw. Remember to cut inside the lines you have marked. If there are any excess lines showing when you are done, just clean them off with sand paper.
  5. We have the end and sides of the tool box all fashioned. It’s time to create the dovetails that connects all four sides together. You can choose whether you want the tails cut on either the end or side pieces.

    Once you have chosen where you are going to cut the tails, you have to configure the router with a dovetail bit and the set up the dovetail jig to cut the tails properly.

    Change your router to a straight cutting bit, once you are done cutting the tails, and cut the pins in the remaining pieces. Cut the pins in a manner that will give you a tight fit. Remember, you can cut a bit more off the pins if it doesn’t fit tightly.

  1. Now we need to cut the dadoes to hold the bottom of the tool box. The dadoes will not extend to the length of the tool box so we will have to use a straight cutting bit in the router to cut the dadoes.

    To cut the ½” plywood piece, use the 1/4” straight cutting bit rather than the ½” bit because if you use the ½” bit you will make a dado a bit too wide and it will fit sloppy at the bottom.

    Now you have to fix your router onto the routing table. Once you got that done, use the ¼” bit set to a height of 3/8”.

    Set the router fence to 3/8” away form the bit. Also, make a mark ½” on each side of the bit. This will make life much easier because these are the start and stop points for the piece as its being routed. This helps us avoid damaging the dovetails by not cutting the dado to the end on each of the four pieces.

    Here comes the tricky part. Place the stock that you marked in the previous step facing down toward the table but just above the router bit.  Make sure the end of the piece is at the far mark on the fence. Ease the stock onto the bit, holding it tightly against the fence, and push it forward until you hit the back mark with the trailing edge of the stock. Now lift the piece off the bit and repeat it with the other three pieces.

    Adjust your fence an additional 7/32” away from the bit.  This will give you a 15/32” wide dado after all sides have been run through the router table. Once the width is set, cut all four dados to the specified width.

  2. It’s time to drill the holes for your handles. From the center line of the end pieces, make a mark 1-5/8” from the top and use a 1-1/4” paddle bit to drill a hole in each end piece in the appropriate area. Here’s a tip. Place a piece of unwanted stock behind your piece when drilling. In this way you will avoid tear outs when the bit goes through the back of the piece.

    Grab your dowel and cut it to a length of 24-1/4”.  Using your jig saw, cut a 1” deep notch at the end of the dowel as well. These notches will accommodate a wedge to hold the dowel in its place. Make sure the notches are parallel.

    Sand all the pieces before assembly because it will be way easier to do it now rather then later.

  3. Almost done. Before we start assembly of the tool box we need some wedges for the handle. You can cut any 1-1/4” stock to get these wedges. Take your jig saw and cut a wedge about two inches long and about a 1/4” thick. You will need two of them for assembly.
  4. Last step. Take your waterproof woodworking glue and apply a generous amount, with a small brush, to the dovetail joints at the end and both side joints. This should assemble together the three pieces.

    Now slide the plywood bottom into the dadoes of the three assembled pieces. Don’t use any glue here, but add glue to the end dovetails and the corresponding dovetails in the side pieces.

    Place one end of the dowel in the assembled end then add the second end onto the assembly. Wipe off excess glue.

    Make it so that the grooves are aligned vertically. Apply glue to one end of the wedge and drive it into hole you made earlier until the wedge can not go in any further. Trim off the excess with a sharp knife and repeat the same for the other side.   

    Clamp down the dovetail joints and let the glue cure over night. Once the glue has cured, remove the clamps and sand off all the rough areas. Clean off all the saw dust on your home made wooden tool box and paint the tool box as desired.

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