HW 3 Tool Tote

So This tool tote proved to be more challenging then expected... 

To begin with I created the model for the tool tote in fusion.

The modeling process was inspired by the tool tote design from Ryan's tutorial videos but I decided to make the main support be a center divide for the tote and insert rounded sub-dividers cutting the box in fourths. With the interior looking like this. 

So from fusion I created a cutting list and figured out what widths I needed for the tote.

So I went about cutting the rough rectangles I needed for the pieces. Using the chop saw for the initial cut, then the band saw for some of the trimming cuts, like for the sides butting up to the bottom. The first real problem I ran into was a measuring mistake for the slots on the middle piece. I measured what length the slots needed to be before I cut the edge I should of been measuring from. At this point I would of liked to of remade this piece but as time was short I had to forge ahead. The Next issue was the box not coming together as square as I would of liked. Due to some of the cuts being made on the band saw (which was my first time using it) the sides ended up being slightly lopsided. The fix for this was to sand the bottom in line with the walls to give it the look of being square.

 The way I attached the sides went surprisingly well for this project. I decided on using a dowel method for keeping the walls together. This involved drilling out a hole the size of the dowel, then filling it with wood glue, then inserting the dowel, and finally cutting and sanding it flat. This method worked really well and gave it a wonderful look. 

(For attaching the bottom I just used wood screws to make sure the bottom was held on strongly)

So to put in the wooden inserts (which I kept flat for simplicity) I used the dowel method again but I ran into another problem. I didn't label which insert went to which set of holes. So in the construction some were mismatched and ended up lopsided. The fix for this (and other mistakes I made previously) was to paint the insides black. The black paint helps hide the lines that are not quite straight and gives a good finish to the wood. On the outside I decided to paint it a teal I enjoyed mixing and gave it a light steel wool sanding to help the feel of the paint. 

Overall I did finish the project, but I do think I could of done a better job in the construction.