Come Build With Me - Tool Tote

“A Series of Easy Projects”

I’ve done this project with a few classes and have had pretty good success with it. Like most of my projects, the Learning Objectives is more than just building the project. I like to use this project to teach students how to use the following tools:

• Handsaw

• Bench Hook

• Hammer

• Tape measure

• Combination square

Feel free to adapt and change according to your students.

I really like to use pine on my projects but have switched to poplar due to availability and cost. The goal (or at least in my eyes) is to pick inexpensive wood that’s easy to work with. Even though we all know that woodworking is labor intensive at times, we want to build our students up while allowing them to have success. Also remember, mistakes will happen so it’s easier on the shop budget if you choose inexpensive lumber.

I didn’t always start with hand tools (with high school students) but I do now. It allows me to get students out in the shop quicker, allows me to evaluate them while using tools that don’t have (as) serious consequences of misuse, and slows them down. I’ve always started middle school and younger woodworking students with hand tools. It’s a great way for them to gain independence with minimum chance of injury and not a lot of money spent.

This isn’t a difficult project BUT it can be if the wrong material is used or when working with really young woodworkers and you don’t adapt the project. I’ll give my suggestions but feel free to adapt and change accordingly.

For my highschool students, they’re going to get full length boards and will cut them to the correct lengths and widths using power tools after I have a few of the advanced students joint and plane the boards. Students will cut the angles of the end pieces using a compound miter saw or bandsaw. They’ll clean everything up with rasps and sand paper. It seems to be a very simple project but some students don’t have any experience using hammer and nails so this will be a good starting project for them.

For middle school students, this was one of the first projects that I introduced to them. I cut the boards to appropriate widths and had them cut the boards to length using handsaws. I did take the opportunity to introduce the bandsaw to cut the angle of the end pieces and they cleaned them up with rasps. When I had prior students cut the angle with handsaws, they were incredibly slow and proved to be difficult for many of them.

For young students, this was one of the first projects that I introduced to them. I cut the boards to appropriate widths and I (now) pre-cut the ends and bottom board. The main focus is for them to start using the tape measure, handsaw, and hammer so they cut the side pieces and the handle to the appropriate lengths and then assemble the project. This is a great project for a Parent and Child type of class. This also works if you have students team up and assist each other during assembly. ** Note: The handsaw proved to be a little difficult for a few students due to lack of muscle development and control. Students tired easily and a couple became frustrated. Encouragement and adaptation was necessary. You want them to start to gain some muscle and control and learn to persevere but not become too frustrated and discouraged. You may walk a fine line with this.

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I enjoy this project for a couple of reasons. Not only is it fun to build, it gives students a place to store their tools as they acquire them. And as they acquire new tools, they can adapt their tool tote with cubbies, handsaw tills, or whatever they need to secure their tools. I’ve shared a couple of the ones that I’ve made to hold tools, nails, and glue for classes.

It’s also a fun project to adapt as students learn other joinery techniques. Rabbets and dados? Sure. Finger joints? Sure. Mortise and tenons? Sure. Dovetails? Sure. There’s also plans for tool totes with a drawer. There are joinery tool totes that people make to store specific tools. So many different types of ways of adapting it.

And IF the students are ready for it, they can go big with a common or Dutch tool chest as their skills and tool collection grows.

Enjoy. Have fun. Adapt and change as needed. Send me pics if you decide to use it with your “students”.