Tray + Box = Japanese Style Tray Tool Box.

the necessary parts.

 Sometime ago I bought a few of these metal tool trays, now I am finally going to build some tool boxes to make use of these wood show bargains. 

 The tool box I ended up making is a Western/Japanese hybrid. 

Tool box and Rockwell Bench Jaw.

 The tray sits inside the box and the metal handle on the tray is the handle for carrying the tool box. All very ordinary, until you look at how the tray is attached to the wooden box.

 The box, which I painted grey is made from left over plywood and held together with brad nails so nothing special. The red board sides under the tool tray handle and acts as a lid and the little red thing that looks like a handle locks the tray in place while you carry the box. ( I painted the wooden pieces red to keep them from blending into the background in the shop)

  In this picture you can see the box without the locking pin in place.

 

  The tray is put in under the long side, then slid backward under the short side and the pin keeps the tray from sliding while it is being carried.  I got the idea from the Japanese Style box  I made recently for my smaller marking tools.

  

 When I was making this box I used my brad nailer to tack the parts together quickly, and easily. A nail gun makes two handed assembly easy and when nail heads showing doesn't matter it is the way to go.

  Now that I have the design worked out I think I will make another tool box with nicer materials because I still have a couple of trays left.

Clamping a Boat

 I don't remember the exact moment that I realized that everything in the shop is easier to do if your work is clamped properly. Once that happened I embarked on a quest to get the right clamps for my shop.

 Not long ago I bought a Rockwell BenchJaw:

   It is a good tool and one that I use often.  While working on my boat project I returned to a previous clamping method because my back has been bothering me and I wanted to work at my small standing height bench.

I clamp a wooden hand screw to the bench

then use the hand screw as an adjustable vise.

  There are a variety of companies make hand screw clamps and I have found this is one area where there seems little difference from company to company. Also you can buy threaded stock and make your own clamps.

  In October my wife got a special birthday present and he seems to be everywhere all the time.

here Jr. is climbing onto the lumber rack

in the midst of the lumber checking things out!!

  The saving grace is that the cat is terrified of machine sounds so I don't have to worry that he will be under foot when I am running dangerous machines.  Otherwise, he is right in there helping.

Rockwell Bench Jaw

  Back in January I talked about a cool new tool, the Rockwell Bench Jaw.  I was impressed with the idea and had seem the Jaw Horse at wood shows for a number of years.  I liked the Jaw Horse but didn't want to give up floor space in my shop, so the Bench Jaw seemed to be just what the doctor ordered.

  Yesterday I mounted my new Bench Jaw on my work table/bench and have used it both last evening and today so I thought I would share my initial impressions. 

  

  The Bench Jaw came with very clear and easy to follow assembly instructions.  Out of the box and onto the bench in less than 20 minutes.  It would have been 10 minutes if the quality of the nuts and bolts supplied had been of better quality.  As it was one of the nuts supplied wasn't threaded properly, luckily I have a jar of miscellaneous nuts and bolts and had a substitute. 

   Not having quality hardware is an on going problem with many tools now.  To save a dime and keep the cost down makes for aggravation I certainly can do without.  I would happily pay a bit extra for better quality nuts and bolts.  Or... don't include them, just include a parts list and I'll go to a hardware store and get my own bits and pieces.

  Once the Jaws are assembled and attached to the bench they work as advertised.  If you go to the link at the top you can see their promotional video.

  In my photos  you can see small wooden wedges  inserted between the clamping head and the mounting plate.

  I found that the locking mechanism is as claimed, it really holds and is very easy to use but there was a bit of play between the body of the Jaws and the frame holding it to the work bench.  Not a bunch of play but enough that it was noticeable.  

   The Bench Jaw body and mounting frame are not precision machined parts, they are stamped metal so the tolerances are a bit loose.  I wasn't really surprised that were was some wiggle for the price a bit of wiggle is expected.  The wedges  make the Jaws more stable and remove movement that would probably increase with use as torque was applied over time.

  Generally I am happy with the Rockwell Bench Jaw, it think it a product commensurate with its cost. I have every expectation of using it for a long time and  the idea of having two hands available to place and adjust a work piece when clamping is real bonus. Further my Bench Jaw is fastened to my lower height work table and so it holds things at a very good working height for me.

  If I were a movie critic I would give it 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars.

cheers, ian

  

Cool New Tool

 The Rockwell Bench Jaw is a follow up to their successful JawHorse .  I have not bought a Jaw Horse because I don't have any excess floor space upon which it can sit. The Bench Jaw is a different story and one that will get my serious consideration.

  Like the JawHorse you are able to operate this tool hands free.  I don't know about you but a couple of times a month I find myself one hand short when I am trying to set something in my vise and get it level or square.

   Clamping a work piece into place so that it can be drilled or sanded can sometimes be a pain, especially if the work piece is small or an odd ball shape.  While I have a traditional carpenters vise,

I can certainly see an application for a tool like the Bench Jaw.