Lathe Storage

Martha was at it again this past week and turned her attention to the mess beneath my lathe.

I'm fascinated with old tool chests that have sliding trays so I decided to build a simple plywood and pine version of one.

The two trays are sized so that they completely bypass one another which allows me to reach for a tool in either one at the same time. They are also removable and can sit on top of the box while the lathe is in use. Beneath these trays are three open bins.

I used spacer blocks in positioning the runners that support the trays to ensure that they ran parallel to one another.

Two handles were added to the top so the lid would slide without racking.

The handles themselves are a simple design made with a moulding plane and block plane. I first plowed a groove to create a track in which the moulding plane could more easily be navigated.

A rat tail file was used to produce the concave recess on the ends of the handles and a sandpaper-wrapped dowel was used to clean up the profile.

It's a super simple storage box, or if you think like my partner, a 19th c. coffin. That's what she says it looks like. meh.












On another note: sorry to have to use word verification with the comment application for a while. I've been getting a plethora of comments from an asian spammer that links back to asian porn sites. And that doesn't make the cut for my PG rating.