techdirections March 2013 : Page 22

Build and Stock the Essential Tool Box By Ron Vickers rvickers@mail.pagecounty.k12.va.us L AST summer, I ﬁnally acted on an idea that had been banging around in my head for the last couple of years. I decided to build my son a toolbox and equip it with the basic set of tools he’d need as a future homeowner. It occurred to me that other technology educators and their students might be interested in the project and my list of essential tools and materials—hence this article. he’ll get comfortable with tools and grow into a do-it-yourself kind of guy. If he actually has the tools, he will be more likely to try to use them. The public school technology lab teacher in me also had the idea, “I should label each tool with his name or at least paint on an identifying strip.” In the end, I’m leaving that part up to Clay. Getting Started My ﬁrst task was to decide on what type of box the project would require. I looked in various books I owned and spent quite a lot of time doing online searches. Wood-smith and Fine Woodworking all had examples of chests that got quite elaborate. I settled on a set of plans I found at www.plansnow.com. You can ﬁnd the particular ones I used by typing the term “tool chest” into Inspiration for the Project All of this started when my oldest son was studying at the University of North Carolina as an English major. On one weekend visit, I saw a really neat looking bench on campus. I emailed my son to ask him to mea-sure the bench so I could make one myself and he sent this reply: “I don’t have anything to measure with, Dad.” Time went by, and Clay graduated and got a job in a city six hours from me and his mom. In equipping his apartment, Clay asked me for advice on how to put up some shelves. While talking about how I’d go about doing what he wanted, I again real-ized he did not own any tools and probably was not going out to buy any right away. So the toolbox became a delayed graduation gift. I realize that Clay will not follow in my footsteps and have a full-featured home shop, but I hope Ron Vickers is a technology teach-er, Luray (VA) High School, and past president of the Virginia Technology Education Association. the search feature. The name of the project, “High-Tech Tool Chest” con-tributed to my belief that I was on the right path. I cannot describe this project any better than the descrip-tion on the site: Seems like every tool chest I’ve ever had was too heavy to move around once it was loaded up with tools. Well, that’s not the case anymore. With just a little “high-tech” aluminum riveted to some 1/4" plywood, I was able to build a lightweight chest that was portable and heavy duty. Then, to keep everything organized, I added removable dividers, a sliding tray, and a pull-out bin. There’s even a small rack inside to provide quick access to often-used tools. And you can arrange these accessories Bill of Materials Birch veneer 1/4" plywood Lowe’s Rivets Grainger Washers Grainger Recessed handles Parts Express Brushing lacquer Paxton Patterson Rivet set Paxton Patterson Lid supports Lee Valley Local purchases Aluminum angle Pair of latches Chest handle 1-1/2" × 30" piano hinge Red oil-based paint Pine and cherry lumber from home shop $27.12 $10.04 $11.09 $15.06 $16.75 $7.79 $4.29 $11.99 22 tech directions X MARCH 2013

Build and Stock the Essential Tool Box

Ron Vickers

LAST summer, I finally acted on an idea that had been banging around in my head for the last couple of years. I decided to build my son a toolbox and equip it with the basic set of tools he’d need as a future homeowner. It occurred to me that other technology educators and their students might be interested in the project and my list of essential tools and materials—hence this article. Inspiration for the Project All of this started when my oldest son was studying at the University of North Carolina as an English major. On one weekend visit, I saw a really neat looking bench on campus. I emailed my son to ask him to measure the bench so I could make one myself and he sent this reply: “I don’t have anything to measure with, Dad.” Time went by, and Clay graduated and got a job in a city six hours from me and his mom. In equipping his apartment, Clay asked me for advice on how to put up some shelves. While talking about how I’d go about doing what he wanted, I again realized he did not own any tools and probably was not going out to buy any right away. So the toolbox became a delayed graduation gift. I realize that Clay will not follow in my footsteps and have a full-featured home shop, but I hope he’ll get comfortable with tools and grow into a do-it-yourself kind of guy. If he actually has the tools, he will be more likely to try to use them. The public school technology lab teacher in me also had the idea, “I should label each tool with his name or at least paint on an identifying strip.” In the end, I’m leaving that part up to Clay. Getting Started My first task was to decide on what type of box the project would require. I looked in various books I owned and spent quite a lot of time doing online searches. Wood-smith and Fine Woodworking all had examples of chests that got quite elaborate. I settled on a set of plans I found at www.plansnow.com. You can find the particular ones I used by typing the term “tool chest” into the search feature. The name of the project, “High-Tech Tool Chest” contributed to my belief that I was on the right path. I cannot describe this project any better than the description on the site: Seems like every tool chest I’ve ever had was too heavy to move around once it was loaded up with tools. Well, that’s not the case anymore. With just a little “high-tech” aluminum riveted to some 1/4" plywood, I was able to build a lightweight chest that was portable and heavy duty. Then, to keep everything organized, I added removable dividers, a sliding tray, and a pull-out bin. There’s even a small rack inside to provide quick access to often-used tools. And you can arrange these accessories any way you want to suit your needs. (From ShopNotes magazine, published by August Home Publishing © 2007) Construction of the tool chest is very straight forward. I got to set some rivets, which I had not done in over 20 years. Finding everything I wanted was another matter. My local Farmer’s Co-Op had the aluminum angle, piano hinge, hasps, and drawer pulls. I ordered the rivets from Grainger (www.grainger.com). Part #6LB18 cost $10.04 for a 100-count package. The only other difficult part to find was the recessed aluminum handles. My choice was from an audio parts store, Parts Express (www. parts-express.com). Lee Valley was my source for the lid stays. The total cost of the tool chest ran about $120. (See the Bill of Materials for more detail.) I spent about two weeks working on the box after school and into the summer. I really enjoyed the process of deciding what tools need to be included. I made lists and looked around at stores for over a year. I found I could get the best buys at our local Wal-Mart, Harbor Freight, and on Father’s Day specials at Home Depot. The only three power tools I include are a cordless drill, a pad sander, and a jig saw. I bought these items over a long period of time and enjoyed comparing prices in my head. Initially, I had a very long wish list, but, as I included items on a spreadsheet I was keeping, I tried to keep the overall cost down. I spent a little over $500 in tools when it was all said and done. In addition to my own interest in woodworking, I tried to think of what Clay might need for plumbing and electrical repairs. See the Tools Chest essentials for details. It shows the essential tools and materials as far as I am concerned. I invite educators to contact me with what you think I left out—or should have left out. Also, I’d be glad to email my spreadsheet of exact costs for the contents of the tool box. Presenting the Tool Box I gave Clay notice of his gift via an email photo, and he responded with more joy than I expected. Now that he has a place to keep all of these items, I’ll be more likely to know what to buy as future gifts. You can’t ever have too many tools it seems. I hope that my son will develop the desire to work with his hands, and I am hopeful since he sent me a link to an article in The New York Times titled “A Nation That’s Losing Its Toolbox.” It’s an interesting read that you might want check out at www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/business/what-happened- to-the-craftsmanship-spirit- essay.html?emc=eta. It’s a blessed life to have the confidence and ability to make just about whatever you set your mind to. My next quest is to design and build the perfect small knock-down work bench. Thinking of my son’s future lifestyle, I know he’ll need a portable, but sturdy, workbench that can be used inside an apartment-size living accommodation. Bill of Materials Birch veneer 1/4"plywood Lowe’s $27.12 Rivets Grainger $10.04 Washers Grainger $11.09 Recessed handles Parts Express $15.06 Brushing lacquer Paxton Patterson Rivet set Paxton Patterson Lid supports Lee Valley Local purchases Aluminum angle $16.75 Pair of latches $7.79 Chest handle $4.29 1-1/2" × 30" piano hinge $11.99 Red oil-based paint Pine and cherry lumber from home shop Tool Chest Essentials Layout Tools Compass Plastic triangle (45-45-90) Pencils, erasers, Sharpie Aluminum speed square Stainless steel 12" rule Stanley 12' tape measure Holding Tools 6" slip-joint pliers 6" long-nose pliers 8" adjustable wrench 8" groove joint pliers 9-piece metric combo wrench set 9-piece combo wrench set 9-piece micro screwdriver and pliers set Metalworking/Plumbing Ball peen hammer 2 lb. sledge Small anvil Cold chisel set Stanley hacksaw 14" pipe wrench Teflon tape Scratch awl Aviation snips Metal files Pin punches Woodworking/General Safety glasses Utility knife X-acto knife and blade Folding saw 16 oz. fiberglass claw hammer Stanley screwdriver set (6 piece) 3-piece nail set 15" Stanley sharp tooth saw 15" pry bar Twist drill set by 64ths 9-1/2" multipurpose scissors Bench brush Pocket thermometer Putty knife 50 LED aluminum flashlight Work light with compact fluorescent bulb Security bit set (square, star, etc.) Portable Power Tools Pad sander with abrasive paper sheets (100, 150, 220 grit) Cordless drill Jig saw Electrical 6" diagonal pliers (dikes) Wire strippers Circuit tester Continuity tester Soldering iron Solder and desolder wick Black electrician’s tape 4-outlet power strip/surge protector 50' extension cord, 16 ga. Assembly/Adhesive Ball of string Coil of 22 ga. wire Zip ties assortment Two bungee cords Jorgensen 12" bar clamp 4 C-clamps Wood hand screw clamps 4 oz. Elmer’s yellow wood glue Super glue gel Hot glue gun and glue sticks Roll of 3/4" masking tape Stanley Sharp Shooter (staple gun) Stanley 1,500 light duty staples, 3/8" Hex key sets (Allen wrench) Ratchet and socket set Rubber mallet Spark plug socket

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