Woodworker's Journal 1982-6-6, страница 45

Toy Tool Box

If you've been looking for Christmas gift ideas for a favorite little one, you may want to consider this cute toy box for your next project. It's a toy that will keep young hands pretty busy, and parents will be pleased to learn that it educates as well as entertains. Equipped with a sturdy wrench and screwdriver, the child assembles the screws, bolts, and washers to the box sides. And they all fit neatly in the box at the end of the day.

We used Vi inch thick maple for all parts except the wrench, which is made from V* inch plywood. If you choose to apply a finish, be sure to use one that's non-toxic.

After cutting parts A & B to size, set up a dado head cutter to cut a Vi inch deep by Vi inch wide groove for the plywood bottom (C). Also cut the Vi inch deep by Vi inch wide rabbet on the end of each part B. Lay out the locations of the 1 Vt inch diameter holes, then bore out with a spade bit. Be sure to back up the workpiece with scrap-stock to prevent splintering as the bit breaks through.

The 1 inch diameter by Vi inch deep hole for the handle (D) is best cut with a Forstner bit, if you have one. Because they don't have a spur, Forstner bits drill a flat hole, making them ideal for drilling holes like this. With a spade or auger bit, the spur will begin to break through the other side and it will be necessary to fill or plug the hole after assembly.

Part A tapers to IV2 inches at the top. Use a pencil to lay out this taper,

then cut out with a band or saber saw. The bottom (part C) is made from Vi inch birch plywood cut to a width of 4-15/16 inches and a length of 11-7/16 inches. Check to make sure that it fits comfortably in the grooves cut in parts A and B, keeping in mind that sanding will reduce the thickness slightly.

All box parts can now be given a complete sanding. Counterbore and drill pilot holes for the V* inch by #8 flat head wood screws. If you choose to enamel part A, as we did, it should be applied at this time. We made ours a bright red. Allow to dry thoroughly. Assemble all parts as shown using wood glue. The plywood bottom (C) does not need to be glued in place.

The grid pattern shows the profile of the wrench (E). For maximum strength use plywood. Be sure to give the surfaces a good sanding and round off all edges.

To make the threaded nuts, bolts, and screws you'll need a threadbox and tap. Conover Woodcraft Specialties, Inc., 18125 Madison Road, Park-man, OH 44080, sells one for around $70.00, or you can get one from them in kit form for about $50.00.

The screw heads (J) are made from a piece of V* inch stock that measures 2 inches wide by 12 inches long. Use the table saw blade to run a Vt inch wide by Vi inch deep kerf down the center, lengthwise. A IV* inch holesaw is now used to cut out the screw head.

The washers (H) are made from Vt inch stock. A 2Vi inch holesaw is used to cut them out. A 1 Vt inch spade bit

cuts the center hole.

To make the eight nuts (G), cut a piece of V* inch thick stock to a width of 2Vi inches and a length of 26 inches. The extra length and width is needed to prevent splitting when the thread is tapped. The extra length also makes it safer to do the crosscut operation. Layout the location of the nuts along the stock, then drill and tap the holes. Now rip Vi inch off each side of the stock (the stock is now IV* inches wide with the tapped holes in the middle). The tap will probably cause some splintering, so use a sharp plane to smooth the surface. This will reduce the thickness to about Vt inch. Next, use the miter gauge to crosscut the stock into IV* inch squares (with the hole at the center). Following this, the bandsaw is used to make the four 45 degree corner cuts. The four boltheads (I) are made in essentially the same manner except reduce the length of stock to 10 inches. And a 1 inch diameter by Vt inch deep hole is drilled rather than tapped.

Three feet of 1 inch birch dowel will be more than enough to make the threads for parts I and J. Most lumber yard dowel stock is out-of-round, and this sometimes causes threading problems. You may want to lathe turn your own, or you can purchase high quality dowel stock for threading from Conover. Sometimes the first two or three threads don't cut cleanly, so it's a good idea to run the thread a little long and cut off the first three. We've also found it helps to let the threads sit for three or four days, then rethread.

The threads can now be glued to parts I and J. When dry, apply a chamfer to the top of part I and round over part J. We spray coated ours with a light coat of enamel, red for the screws, blue for the bolts.

Make the screwdriver handle (F) from IV2 inch square stock cut four inches long. Use a sharp plane to cut the corners at 45 degrees. The Vt inch diameter "blade" fits into a hole drilled in the socket.

Bill of Materials - Toy Tool Box (All Dimensions Actual)

Bill of Materials - Toy Tool Box (All Dimensions Actual)