WHAT TO DO: Build a Tool Chest
To keep your tools always ready for use, a tool chest will be very handy. It's the 4-H way to work. You'll be surprised how much easier it makes a job when you have your tools, various parts and repair equipment all in one place. You can make the chest (Figure 1) with a saw, plane, screwdriver, pencil, ruler or carpenter's square, and hammer.
Materials You'll Need:
A piece of lumber 1" by 10" by 8 feet long. (1" lumber is actually only 3/4" thick—this is the thickness you'll be working with.)
2 small hinges, with wood screws
1 small hasp, with wood screws
2 small handles with wood screws, or one large handle
1 small chain, 10" to 12" long
Some No. 6 penny finishing nails or wood screws about the same length
Making The Chest:
1. Cut your lumber into the following pieces:
1 piece 10" x 18" for top
1 piece 8-1/2" x 16-1/2" for bottom
2 pieces 6" x 8-1/2" for two ends
2 pieces 6" x 18" for front and back
2. Lay out pieces as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Then, set up the two end pieces and nail to bottom section. Refer back to Figure 1 as you go along to see that box is shaping up as shown. Nail the front and back sections to the ends along the bottom. Wood screws can be used instead of nails.
3. Lay the top in place and attach hinges to the back side, about two inches in from each end.
4. Attach one part of hasp to the top, and the other part to front board in center. Fasten the handles to each end.
5. Attach chain to the top and front so the top will stay open when chain is fully extended.
Now you can invent your own improvements for your chest. You can paint it, put your name on it, and your club emblem and name if you wish. You can put a rack on the inside of the cover to hold your work sheets and other booklets and materials. You can install special slots or straps to hold each tool in its place along the sides of the box. Maybe you will want to put some partitions in the box to separate various electrical equipment such as wires, fuses, switches, and plugs.
A Working Kit
An accessory which you may want to add to your tool chest is an apron or holster to wear when you are moving around on the job. An apron can be made of a size of cloth about 18 by 20 inches. It should be folded up from the bottom, and sewn to fit the number and size of tools you have. Figure 3 shows such an apron.
Figure 3. Apron
You can make a lineman's holster in the same way, using plastic or soft leather. Merely make belt loops by cutting on the dotted lines. A snap fastener will hold the flap over the tools so they won't fall out.
Figure 4. Lineman's Holster.