Tote Box Project

All the lumber you need will come from a single 10' plank of 1x12 clear lumber, a couple of sticks from the scrap box (for the battens) and a bit of 1/4" plywood for the bottom. Cut the back, front, sides and bottom. Be sure the grain runs the same direction around the sides of the box, otherwise, wood movement will tear the box apart. Machine grooves for the bottom. Take care to stop the grooves in the front and back pieces. Assemble and clamp the four sides and bottom. Check for squareness, measuring across the diagonals. Mortice the hinges fully into the edge of the back. They will be attached flush on the lower surface of the lid. The handles should be attached later but you should first ease their edges since you will not be able to get at them after assembly. Ease the edges across the arc and in the hand-holds with a router and 3/8" round-over bit. Withdraw the bit partly into the router base to cut a thumbnail profile instead of a complete round. By the way, save the off-cuts from the handles; you will use them to clamp the handles while gluing.

The frame and panel construction of the lid gives the box its character. The panel has a 1/4" tongue that fits into a 3/8" deep groove in the frame. Leave a gap of 1/16" between the panel's field and the frame. Chamfering the edges of the field at a steep angle adds a nice finishing touch. Kirby joined the frame with deep mortices and tenons but in the interest of speed, I used stub tenons instead and reinforced what would otherwise be a weak joint (expect that the lid will be used as a seat) with battens across the bottom. You may want to refer to the book to make the lid with tenons as Kirby did. The lip of the lid is routed for a finger grip. Use a 3/8" core box or cove bit to form the grip along the entire length of the bottom edge of the front. Ease the edges with a light pass of a block plane then sand them smooth. Check the swing of your hinges. If the lid cannot drop down against the back, you run the risk of breaking the hinges out of the box. Consider using a chain or lid support to protect the hinges.

MATERIALS LIST

QTY | PART | DIMENSIONS
2 | sides | 3/4"x11"x12"
2 | front & back | 3/4"x11"x24"
2 | handles | 3/4"x3-3/4"x12"
1 | bottom | 1/4"x11"x23"
1 | panel | 3/4"x8"x18-1/2"
2 | stiles | 3/4"x2-1/4"x22-3/8"
2 | rails | 3/4"x2-1/4"x7-1/4"
2 | lid battens | 3/4"x3/4"x10"

ADDITIONAL HARDWARE

(1) pair 1-1/2" brass butt hinges & screws
(6) 1-1/4" FH wood screws |
(16) #20 biscuits