car boot tool box copy

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pitch pine

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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.
 
Nice find and nice job! That angle on the front moulding works really well, tiny details can just make all the difference.
 
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.
 
pitch pine":q1f60oe5 said:
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.
 
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 :)
 

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