A Japanese Tool Box

The Japanese tool box is most notably known for its cleverly designed distinctive lid (top cover) which is explained below.  I read somewhere that this design had been around for at least two hundred years, if not longer. Most boxes of this type - there are as many variations as there are craftsmen who make them - are typically longer, perhaps twice as long as the one I made here.  Those boxes are usually made to carry tools to a job site.  I only needed one to carry tools from the work shop to inside or around the house.  For the construction detail please see preceding blog, "Anatomy of a Japanese Tool Box"

Unlike most of the designs, I made mine a 2-compartment tool box. The seam is barely discernible because the two compartments were saw-cut from a single box (there is a tip on its construction from the previous blog).  As it turned out, the only feature I adhered to was the wedge locking system - which is what makes it a Japanese Tool Box.

Secret to the lid locking system: Slide one end towards the right and under the wide board; then slide it back towards the left under the narrower board.  The lid is now completely over the opening.  The next photo shows the wedge lock inserted in between the channel created as the lid is moved to the left.

 The second variation is in how I constructed the wedge.  Typically, it is a flat tapered wedge.  I cut the tapered wedge with the saw blade tilted slightly so there is no chance for it to pop out, once closed. 

The lid is positively shut and will  open only by retracting the wedge completely out of the channel.

Most household chores, if there is any drilling required, will likely need only the "lady" Festool drill.  I know the German manufacturer will not want to call it a "lady" cordless drill because they believe it has more than enough power to do the job that some bigger drills may be hard pressed to do.  

But the box will accommodate two drills in one compartment and hand tools in the other (top compartment)

Extra batteries included

When on a ladder, a smaller/lighter cordless drill is safer to use so whenever possible it has to be the tool of choice.

Anatomy of a Japanese Tool Box

I used half inch Baltic plywood for the box, 1/8 inch plywood for the middle and bottom compartments; reclaimed mahogany for the lid, trim and handle.  

This is actually leftover plywood from a previous project.

A saw sled is a safe and accurate way to cut miter on a wide work piece

A stop block (shown at the lower corner of the board insures repeatable cuts.

Before glue up I cut grooves for the middle and bottom compartments

Took three band clamps to tighten up the joints.

Tip:For accurate and safe all-around cut of the box into two separate pieces, tape the cut portion as shown but use a double sided tape on the rectangular scrap flat wood secured by the blue tape, thus stabilizing the soon to be separated pieces. The two pieces will separate without binding the saw blade.

The reclaimed mahogany needed to be planed (to remove the stained surfaces) and flattened.

The lid required three pieces of the mahogany (glued edge-to-edge)

Clean up and flatten the surface.

The mitered corners were re-enforced with angular mahogany for added strength and stability.

The corner trim at the bottom compartment protrudes about 1/8 inch higher while the trim on the top compartment is shorter by 1/8 inch.  The top compartment would then seat properly and securely over the lower compartment, making for a seamless joint.

The wedge "key" is usually tapered flat.  I did a compound cut by making the taper with the saw blade tilted a little bit.  This insures that the wedge will not pop out.

I used red cedar to plug the screw holes.

I laminated two pieces of mahogany for the handle.  A laminated piece is a lot more rigid and stronger than one whole piece of the same dimension.

The handles are meant to be removable. The handle pivots around the large pin (dowel) but the tool box will rotate when picked up; the second pin with the metal ring prevents by fixing the handle to its vertical position.  It is removed to swing the handle to the side.

The tool box will accommodate - not all at one time - but a few combinations of the tools shown above.  This tool box is primarily to ferry certain tools from the work shop to inside the house for certain chores.