What you are building
This is a plain wooden box with a hinged lid and a hand-hold cut into each end. It uses butt joints joined with glue and screws, which keeps the tools and skills needed to a minimum. The sizes below are hypothetical examples. Change them to suit the tools you actually plan to carry.
Lay your longest tool in a rough rectangle on the bench to decide the inside length, and leave a little extra so nothing has to be forced in.
Sample dimensions
These assume boards that are 3/4 inch thick and about 6 inches wide, such as common pine boards or plywood.
- Two sides (front and back): 16 inches long, 6 inches tall.
- Two ends: 8 inches wide, 6 inches tall.
- Bottom: 17-1/2 inches long, 8 inches wide.
- Lid: 17-1/2 inches long, 8 inches wide.
Check the arithmetic against your own boards. The sides fit between the ends, so the outside length is 16 plus two board thicknesses of 3/4 inch, which is 17-1/2 inches. The ends span the full outside width of 8 inches, and the sides butt against them, so the inside width is 8 minus 1-1/2, or 6-1/2 inches. The inside length is 16 inches. If your boards are not exactly 3/4 inch thick, which is common, measure them and recalculate rather than trusting the nominal size.
Tools and materials
You will need a saw for cutting boards to length, a drill and driver, a tape measure and square, clamps, sandpaper, wood glue, and screws. A hinge pair and a latch or hasp finish the lid. A circular saw guided by a clamped straightedge, a miter saw or a handsaw with a miter box all work for crosscuts. Use screws long enough to reach well into the receiving piece but not so long that they come through the outside face.
Wear eye protection when cutting, drilling and sanding, hearing protection around power saws, and a dust mask when sanding. Clamp the work rather than holding it by hand.
Step 1: Cut the parts
Measure twice and mark with a pencil line and a square. Keep the cut on the waste side of the line, because the saw removes a strip of material, the saw kerf, that you must account for. Cut the pieces to length, then lay them out and compare them with each other. Pieces that are meant to match should match. Paired sides that differ by even a small amount will make the box rack out of square.
Mark the handhold on each end next. A common approach is to drill two holes near the top edge and connect them with a straight cut using a jigsaw or a coping saw. Sand the inside edge of the opening well, since your hand will rest there.
Step 2: Assemble the carcase
Join the first end to the first side. Spread a thin layer of glue on the end grain of the side, hold the pieces in a corner square, drill pilot holes, and drive the screws. Pilot holes prevent splitting, especially close to board ends. If you want the screw heads flush, countersinking screws gives a cleaner result and is worth doing before you drive them.
Add the second side, then the second end, checking each corner against a square as you go. When the four sides form a ring, measure both diagonals. If they differ, the box is out of square, and you can usually correct it by gently pushing on the longer diagonal before the glue sets. Wipe away glue squeeze-out with a damp cloth, because dried glue interferes with finish.
Step 3: Add the bottom
Set the bottom on the frame so that its edges are flush with the outside faces, and check again that the box is square. Glue and screw along the lower edges of all four sides, spacing screws at regular intervals and driving them into pilot holes. For a heavy-duty box, consider also letting the bottom into a groove or adding small cleats inside, since a bottom that is only screwed at its edges can sag under a lot of weight.
Step 4: Make and hang the lid
Cut the lid to the same footprint as the base. The simplest lid sits flat on top and is held by two hinges screwed to the back edge. Before mounting, set the hinges against the lid and the box so that the leaves are fully flat. Mark the screw holes, drill small pilot holes, and use the screws that come with the hardware or screws of the same size.
A lid stop keeps the lid from falling backward. A short piece of chain or a lid support that is rated for the lid is fine, so long as it is fixed firmly at both ends. Attach the latch to the front, positioned so it holds the lid tight against the body.
Step 5: Sand and finish
Ease the sharp edges and corners by hand sanding. Start with a coarser sandpaper grit to remove marks and progress to a finer one for a smooth surface. Remove the dust before finishing. A coat or two of a clear finish makes the box easier to wipe clean. If you choose to apply one, follow the label for drying time and ventilation, and handle used rags as the label directs, since some finishes can generate heat in a rag. A beginner guide to wood finishing covers the options in more detail.
Check before you load it
Pick the box up by both hand-holds when it is empty, and then add the tools gradually. Look for flex in the bottom and any creak at the corners. A box that feels sound with a moderate load should be fine, but the safe approach is to keep the full weight in the range you are comfortable lifting, since the handholds depend on the strength of the end boards.
Easy upgrades
Once the basic box works, small additions make it much more useful. A shallow tray that rests on cleats near the top keeps small items handy. A divider can separate sharp tools from the rest. Rubber feet protect the bottom from damp floors. Labeling the lid with a list of contents saves time. These upgrades build on the same techniques you have just used and do not change the structure of the box.