Joiner's toolbox

[Philip Davies]

One day, in 1984, a colleague who had been with me on a wood machining course asked whether I would like some maple, for free. Well, of course, I did. "I'll drop it round to your place," he said. And sure enough, I came home a couple of days later, to find leaning against my front wall was a section of gymnasium floor, still nailed to the joists! It measured about 10 by 6 feet, so I was able to drag it through the house, out to the back, to lean against the kitchen wall. On Saturday, I sawed through the joists (many times) and levered off the boards.
What to do with them? As I wanted a pair of boxes, I set to and planed, with my new Black & Decker plane (an engagement present from work) until they were about half as thick, and glued them into boards, 5 at a time.

And eventually I had two toolboxes. This was the better of the two

The drawer fronts are iroko, salvaged from a bank.

Here is the saw till which folds into the front lid.

Originally, I made carrying handles which would lock into the side handles, and would also act as support bars for a temporary worktop, but I have always kept the box at home. It is chock full now. This shows the side handle and rosewood wedge to close it shut.

The box contains my best tools and I seldom have to come indoors to get anything now, in fact I don't do a lot of joinery any more. The other box is now a cupboard for ordinary bench planes on the wall of my workshop