Marco Jonsson Project 1: Building With Hand Tools

Process:

 To build the tool tote, I designed the machine drawing in Fusion360, and made significant changes to the original template. My goal was to have different sized box partitions for varying tool lengths. I also wanted to include rounded edges, which proved to be very challenging later on. The final machine drawing is provided below! 

 

One mistake I made along the process was using inconsistent metric units at first, which resulted in some unconventional values for some of the dimensions. Regardless, I had to make adjustments to the finished copy since we were limited by the types of holes we could drill with the hole saw.

I started by measuring and cutting my stock into the rectangular shapes necessary for the walls and middle partitions. I used the miter saw for most of this, and the band saw for some of the smaller cuts.

 

I then made a makeshift compass to mark out the curved cuts I wanted to make, and cut increasingly smaller straight tangent cuts to make a rounded shape. This was extremely time consuming and hard to get right. I ended up making 2 failed copies before finally getting it right. you can see the small trianglular segments that were getting cut off for each pass.

I then rounded out the jagged edges using the belt sander, and smoothed and squared all my edges using the belt sander and a pad sander. 

The last step was assembly, where I placed 3 of the 4 walls, leaving one end open to help me anchor down the inner partitions. I used a biscuit joint for each of the major wall edges, and screws with wood glue for the smaller edges. I had to scrap the edge chamfer and routing for the most part because we didn't have the right bit for the handheld router. After assembling the outer walls and clamping to dry, I attached the inner walls. Unfortunately, one of my joints needed a nail placed in an area too cramped to use a hammer, so I had to leave that piece undone until I was able to use the nail gun!

 

 

 

 

Result:

The final result was something I was pretty happy with. The edges were quite square the joints were sturdy, and the handle was comfortable. I had to change the plans for the sizing of the arches, the joint connection mechanism, and the joining of the arches to the middle partition, but I ended up very close to what the original design drawing entailed. I was initially aiming for wasting the least material possible from the stock, but after attempting the arches and realizing how challenging it was to create smooth curves on the band saw, I reattempted the components.

 Reflection:

This project was a ton of fun. I liked working with wood, and I got better at making precise measurements to guide the process of design on the go. I particularly enjoyed experimenting with new joint connections like handmade dowels, biscuit joints, and staple guns. The most difficult part was deciding the correct assembly order, as the decision I made ended up resulting in a very limited range of motion for the final screw.

Thanks for reading!