How to Build a Toolbox

By: Chrystle Fiedler, This Old House online

Shopping List

Supplies You Will Need

1. 2x4 foot piece of ½-inch birch veneer plywood

2. Plastic jars
(optional: for keeping nails and screws organized in the toolbox)

3. 120-grit sandpaper

4. Stainable wood glue

5. Clean Rag

6. 4d finish nails

7. Stainable wood putty

8. Water-based stain

9. Latex gloves

10. Hockey-stick tape

11. Nail-on furniture glides
(optional)

Close
Tools List
Tools You Will Need
- Tape measure
- Hammer and nailset
- Combination square
- Spring clamps
- Jigsaw, circular saw, or handsaw
- Drill/driver with ⅜-inch drill bit and ½- and 1-inch spade bits
- Safety glasses
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- Bar clamps
- Putty knife
- Paintbrush
- Straightedge saw guide
Close
Product Gallery
Product selections for this project
Close

< >

Photo: Wendell T. Webber

Introduction
Overview
Steps:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10

An hour or two to prep and assemble, plus drying time
About $40

Difficulty: Easy to moderate There are a lot of parts, but they fit together easily

Age Range: 7 and up

If your little builders inherited the DIY gene, then they’re more or less programmed to dive into Mom and Dad’s tools. So maybe you should think about giving the handy helpers their own set—the better to get them involved while keeping your precious collection from getting trashed.

This toolbox is just the thing to hold smaller, basic items that fit a young do-it-yourselfer’s hands, including a hammer, saws, pliers, and screwdrivers. Building it is easy: The tools required are probably already in your stash, and the materials are readily available at a home center and a sporting goods store. Set yourself up on a sturdy worktable—in the workshop, the garage, even the playroom. The fun is in having something for everyone to do and getting in good practice for future projects.

• Download templates for this project
• Share a project you’ve built