Gifts for Mini-Me

[BaileyNo5]

Busy in the shop this week putting together gifts for the grandkids.  They've been admiring my tool tote, so I built some for them.  The bodies are wormy spalted birch harvested last winter.  One has a hawthorne handle, also harvested last winter, and the other two handles are cherry.  The handles are glued wedged tenons, and the bodies are nailed with Tremont 1-1/2" headless brads.  Skinny little things that have a death grip.  I figured they would drive easy into this spalted birch, but I ended up pre-drilling all the holes. Bottoms are scrap pine, also nailed on.  Finish is 1 coat of shellac and wax.

I think they'll have a good time with these, and the boys will especially like the wormholes, I'm sure.

[barryvabeach]

Nice looking totes,   Not to give you much more work, but when I have done similar things for nephews or nieces, I add their initials somewhere.  Quickest way is using a letter stamp kit, next is to just cut out an initial of thin wood and tack it on, hardest and most time consuming is routing it in.   Even without that, I am sure they will love it, but kids seem to love their initials on stuff.

[C. in Indy]

This is a great idea, very useful, rugged, good-looking totes!

Chris

[overland]

Very nice totes. Are they from a plan, or your own invention?

[BaileyNo5]

Very nice totes. Are they from a plan, or your own invention?

Thanks for the comment, Chris.  Overland, I seldom use plans and I don't usually measure stuff with a tape.  Even when I have plans, I modify them to suit materials on hand.

So no plans for these.  Lots of times I just search for the item I am going to build, then browse a bunch of images until I find something I like or something that gives me an idea or two.  In this case, I made the one with the curved Hawthorne handle first.  I had to do a lot of shaping with a rasp on it, which took a lot of time.  So on the next two I went with turned cherry handles, which were quicker.  Lots of projects to do at Christmas, have to be speedy about it!

[Rick Barton]

Nice!

[Bill_Houghton]

Now you have to fill them - birthdays, future holidays...

[Birdseye Bill]

Busy in the shop this week putting together gifts for the grandkids.  They've been admiring my tool tote, so I built some for them.  The bodies are wormy spalted birch harvested last winter.  One has a hawthorne handle, also harvested last winter, and the other two handles are cherry.  The handles are glued wedged tenons, and the bodies are nailed with Tremont 1-1/2" headless brads.  Skinny little things that have a death grip.  I figured they would drive easy into this spalted birch, but I ended up pre-drilling all the holes. Bottoms are scrap pine, also nailed on.  Finish is 1 coat of shellac and wax.

I think they'll have a good time with these, and the boys will especially like the wormholes, I'm sure.

These are beautiful. They'll love it.