The last step in finishing off the toolbox is the fitting of the box lock. Paul takes you through the different aspects to consider when choosing, positioning and fitting the lock. He recesses the lock body making sure it is flush and drills the keyhole, ensuring the key fits before fitting the keep in the lid. The last process is fitting the handles, then we’re done with the joiners toolbox.
This is the penultimate episode of this project. With the tills together, Paul planes and fits them before working on the hinge rail on the top till. With this fitted, the next step is the fitting of the hinges to the till and lid before the final fitting of the till to the box.
Paul makes a couple of removable tills for the inside of the box. These can hold the smaller everyday tools such as chisels, layout tools and smaller saws. These are made of fine stock, which Paul rips down to thickness before cutting the dovetails, gluing up and attaching the bottom.
With the lid hinged, Paul makes sure it is well fitted and cleans it up. That completes the main box and with that done, Paul fits a couple of dividers in the bottom of the box, discussing some of the aspects you might want to keep in mind. Above these Paul fits the runners which the tills will rest on.
Paul spends some time fitting the lid to the box and uses the bullnose plane to make some fine adjustments. With that done, it’s time to fit the hinges and Paul shows the techniques that he uses to make sure they line up and fit accurately.
Paul starts by fitting a hinge bar which support the hinges and helps prevent splitting in the top back edge. The jointed lid stock is cut to size and cleaned up before the lid trim is mitred and attached. This lid trim adds to the integrity of the lid and helps to keep it flat.
With the trim finished, it is time to fit the bottom of the box. Paul uses ship lapped boards as in the original but diverges slightly. He does this using a rebate plane and then fits them to width so they sit inside the bottom trim. Once these are screwed in place, he fits the bottom cleats which lift the box of the floor and we’re ready to fit the lid.
Paul moves onto laying out the top trim. He then cuts the dovetails and fits and glues the trim onto the box. With both the trims done, Paul edge joints some stock for the lid of the box using timber dogs. With that set aside, it is time to clean up the trim in preparation for fitting the bottom.
In this episode Paul refines and assembles the dovetailed base trim. He chamfers the edges and applies the trim to the base of the toolbox using glue and clamps. The trim both decorates and strengthens the base of the toolbox.
This toolbox has a base and top trim that surround the box which helps to solidify the piece and protect the main box from knocks and bumps. Paul goes through the process of cutting the pieces to length then laying out and cutting the dovetailed corners. Accuracy is essential here to ensure they fit flush around the box with no gap.