Japanese Toolbox – The Wood
Finally I had a perfect use for some of the magnificent select 4/4 Southern Yellow Pine I obtained a couple years ago, and this tool box was it. I grabbed couple of the 10-inch wide boards and headed up the hill to get started.
My first step was to mill it down to 5/8″, there was no need reason to use it any thicker. One of theo notable characteristics of a Japanese tool set is how much lighter it is in the aggregate versus a European one of the same variety. I mean, many, many pounds lighter. So, even a fairly large box would be sufficiently robust at 5/8″ wall thickness, anything heavier would simply add unnecessary poundage. I ran the boards through the planer, and in retrospect I would have instead re-sawn them rather than turn 3/8″ of prime SYP into shavings. Next time…
I cut the boards to the rough lengths I wanted and ripped one of them to re-glue into the top and bottom panels after hand playing the edges.
Cleaned up with a Japanese plane they were ready for me to move forward.
I always refer to French wine crates.
A twelve bottle crate has about a 20 kg capacity. The one I have measured has a 8 mm thick bottom, 9 mm thick long sides and 10 mm thick short sides.
The short sides have dado’s for the thin boards which maintain the bottles in place.
It is the box structure which gives the sturdiness. I would not put 20 kg on a 8 mm thick shelf.
The french crates are just nailed/stapled. (Italian ones have finger joints at the corners).
Sylvain