How to Build a Tool Box
Building a tool box from scratch is a great way to educate students on the properties of metal and what it take to make steel into a useful item.This project can lead to a spot welding project and then a low technique welding project. Metal work is a key skill for tech ed projects and should always be included in any tech ed program.
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Things You'll Need
- Heavy duty vise
- Work gloves
- Safety glasses
- Rubber hammer
- Tin snips
- 12"x12" Sheet of plywood
Instructions
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The best way to begin this project is to provide a demonstrator model for students to look at and get an idea of what they will be doing. By using the trainer model, they can see where the bends will be made and what will need to be hammered.
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Give students their sheet of tin and have them place them in a vise to the depth of the first bend on the prototype mode. Have them use their plastic hammers to beat the bend in the tin until it matches the prototype. Use the vise to bend over the edge of the first bend to remove the sharp edge.
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Repeat this step for the second side, making sure to bend over the sharp edge created by the bend. Once both sides are finished, have the students look at the prototype and see how to make each end of the tool tray. Have them cut each end at a thirty-degree angle and use the vise to bend the ends up to the sides already made.
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Put the end of the tray in the vise along with the angled end just made. Cut a piece of leftover tin about one foot in length so that it is long enough to go from one end to the other. Bend each end to the same angle as each end of the tool tray. Slide the newly made handle in the bend you made for end. If you have done this step correctly, you should have bent over each end piece and bend over the handle.
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Make the same 90-degree angle on this end of the handle, and bend it between the thirty degree end bends. Use the vise to bend this end together so that it holds the handle in place. Make a crease wherever there is a sharp edge, using the vise and rubber hammer.
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Tips & Warnings
Having a model to go by saves a lot of time explaining what to bend and what to hammer.
These tin pieces are very sharp, and students need to wear their work gloves and safety glasses to prevent cuts and debris in their eyes.
