Jay Salter Project 1: Building with Hand Tools

 Process: 

    Our first class project was to design a tool tote in Fusion 360, then fabricate it out of wood using the wood shop. The first step of this process was to create my design in Fusion with some standardized guidelines from the assignment: the tool tote was required to have a carrying handle, be rectangular in nature, and be made out of (ideally) a single plank of plywood.

    I wanted my tool tote to be multipurpose depending on my needs at the time, so within my design I planned to include removable dividers to allow for different sized tools. The dimensions of the tool tote are designed to fit pencils, pens, and other drawing materials across the length of the divider, while allowing for smaller sections to be created to hold other materials such as erasers or pencil sharpeners. 

     My original tool tote design featured an open top and handles built into the sides of the overall frame, but after discussion with my peers I decided I wanted to include an opening lid to secure my materials inside. This redesign required me to come up with an alternative design for the handle as part of the lid, which meant I had to be precise in my dimensioning to ensure the handle was sturdy and durable. 

    After designing my tool tote in Fusion, I drew out the pieces onto plywood. I then took the plywood into the wood shop and cut the large pieces using the miter saw before taking my smaller pieces to the band saw. While I was laying out my pieces in the initial drawing on the plywood, I was careful to maximize space and layout symmetrical pieces on the same section of the wood to ensure my cuts would match even if the dimensions were slightly off. The extra time I spent on this step was extremely useful as it meant I had leftover material I could use if I made any mistakes. 

After cutting my pieces, I moved into assembly of my tool tote. I began by laying the base and four walls of my tool tote out to ensure they all fit together smoothly. After determining there were some minor issues with the alignment of a few of the pieces, I sanded off some excess material and screwed together the bottom of my tool tote using the drill. By drilling certain screws in first, I managed to close most of the gaps in the base of my tool tote to ensure nothing fell out. I then secured the center divider and moved onto working on the lid. 

The lid of my tool tote proved to be the hardest part of the overall construction process as it required both the bottom of the lid and the top of the base section to be entirely level. I took these pieces to the sander multiple times to try to ensure a snug fit, but discovered that the wood I was using for the lid was warped. Thankfully, I was able to use a piece of excess plywood to cut out a new lid, which wound up being much flatter. After testing the connection between the lid and the base, I then set to work on carving my handle. 

I carved the handle using the band saw by making diagonal cuts (following Ryan's advice) until I had a U-shaped piece. To prevent splinters, I then used the sander to round the edges of my handle and create a more interesting overall shape (while also ensuring it was comfortable to carry). I then attached the handle to the lid using pre-cut holes to ensure the pieces were properly aligned.

After completing these two sections, I moved on to the final part of the construction process: adding a hinge and latching mechanism. Ryan showed me how to attach the hinge I found in the Makerspace which wound up being incredibly sturdy. After this step, I searched through drawers for a variety of options to create my final latching mechanism. It took a few iterations before I found a piece that I felt would work successfully. I attached the pieces of the latch to the lid and base of the tote using screws, then sanded off excess material to ensure that it would open and close smoothly. 

Result: 

    I am extremely happy with how my final tool tote turned out as it allowed me to use a variety of tools and techniques within the wood shop. Additionally, by experimenting with various iterations of my overall design I felt like I learned how to handle the issues I faced in construction. One of my biggest struggles was figuring out how to create the lid to my tool tote and ensure that it both opened and closed while also keeping the materials inside secure. I think that section in particular took the longest to complete, but given how the final product came together I'm extremely proud of the effort I put into it. 

My design went through multiple different stages throughout its creation based on the feedback I received from my peers, which was extremely helpful in ensuring my final product was successful. Additionally, by challenging myself to go beyond the original outlines for the assignment, I had the opportunity to learn new skills from Ryan that I otherwise would have missed out on.

Reflection: 

    Upon reflection, I can confidently say that I am proud of the work I created. However, I also recognize that in the future I can produce work that comes together much more cleanly and evenly for the final project. I think in the future I would begin by sanding all my pieces rather than trying to sand them to be smooth once the tool tote had been assembled. Additionally, I would like to try other techniques in the future such as staining or developing other latching mechanisms. This project offered me the chance to learn a variety of new skills in the woodshop which I hope to use again in the future. One of the other highlights of this project for me was getting to work with my peers in the woodshop as it was a great forum for us to provide feedback to each other and learn from our mistakes.