Tool Chest Project (update)

The project is coming along nicely. I'm just taking a break for lunch and thought I'd post a few pictures of the progress so far. 

The first thing I did this morning was to set up the router to make the rebates for the half-lap butt joints for the two trays that form the lid of the tool chest.

I was a bit overcautious and they are not a close a fit as I'd like, but they're okay. Once I'd glued them and clamped them I left them to dry for a while before adding the ply skin. I decided to use some 6mm ply in a contrasting colour rather than make some 12mm matching ply tops. I just thought it might give a nice effect. We shall see later when it gets the finishing treatment.

Next I reset the router to run the grooves in the sides of the drawers.

This took a little time to figure out the best way to do this for maximum stability. In the end I put the bottom of the drawer against the fence and marked on the table the start and stop points so that I didn't break through the front face of the drawers. Running the groove from the back is easy because it goes all the way. You just have to make sure you stop at the pencil mark. From the front you need to lower the drawer onto the cutting bit. I usually start this slightly away from the mark and the pull the draw back to the pencil line, then push forward.

After that I put a flush cutting bit in the router and trimmed up the top trays before putting the router away and getting the circular saw out!

I needed to make some runners for the drawers and found a piece of 9mm ply (remember this project is all about using up the ply I had left over from the blanket box project) from which I cut the runners using my sawboard.

Here's the "mock assembly" so-to-speak. You can see how the top trays will fold out and the drawers are not yet on runners.

The runner material will also provide the cleats for the drawer ends as part of the locking system.

The next challenge is setting out the runners so that all the drawers run smoothly and accurately in and out of the frame. I need some 1mm shims to help with this and so I'll have to see what I've got or go and get something from the shop.