Best of Make: Volume 2

Japanese Toolbox

TIME: 4 HOURS COST: $$

Build this strong wood box with a clever lift-out lid.

Written and photographed by Len Cullum

The first time I came across a box like this, it was housing a circular saw. It was made from rec room paneling, scrap pine, and roofing nails. While not much to look at, it was strong, and the action of the lift-out lid fascinated me. A couple of months later I learned that this is also the common design for a Japanese carpenter’s toolbox. I knew I had to make one, so with some 1×12s in hand, I had at it.

In the ...