Dividing the Drawer
For years Ive used a wall hanging toolbox system for my screwdrivers. The system is pretty neat. It consists of a cleat to fasten to the wall, a frame which hangs on the cleat and three (3) drawers which are removable from the frame. The frame has a handle and removed from the cleat and carried around as a big, three drawer tool box or an individual drawer can be taken out and carried around by its own handle.
 |
| The trusty old toolbox system for my screw drivers. |
The toolbox has been a great way to store my screwdrivers, with straights and Philips going in the top drawer, Torx and Allen keys going in the middle drawer and nut drivers going in the bottom drawer. The arrangement works so well because 95% of the time I just grab the top drawer and take it to wherever Im working. In the decade or so that Ive had the system, I dont think Ive ever taken more than two (2) drawers. I know Ive never taken the rack off the wall and used is as a single big toolbox.
With this in mind I have been re-examining the west wall of my shop, looking to reduce the amount of tool boxes and cabinets in order to free up the lower half of the wall. Moving my screwdrivers from this big yellow toolbox to a drawer or two (2) of my existing red tool chests seemed an easy way to make progress on this.
First I emptied the screw drivers into the tool chests and figured out that I needed two (2) draws. Then I looked at how the fell into the drawers and I couldnt just leave them loose. The drawers needed dividers.
 |
| Many screw drivers, packed in nice and neat. |
Beginning with the drawer which will house the straight and Philips I took some leftover 1/2" poplar from a recent Webelos project and laid out a single divider which will run the length of the drawer with straight blades in the back and philips in the front.
Never one to let a simple project be a simple project, I used this small divider as an excuse to cut my first double tenon.
I cut the double tenons on the divider piece on the band saw and then used a marking knife to transfer them to the side pieces for the tenons. I then hogged out the middle with a drill bit and chiseled the tenons out.
 |
Fresh off the saw. Then I used the Bandsaw to cut the shoulders.
I nibbled out the center with the bandsaw too. |
It was more work than I was thinking (not sure why, I should have thought of it more), but by the third tenon I was in the swing of it and they all came out ok. Not the cleanest, but strong and clean enough considering they will never get seen.
 |
| Chop, chop, chop. |
 |
| There be holes! |
 |
| Nice and snug. |
 |
| Nary a gap shall be seen. |
This was a nice project in that it was both functional and I learned a new process. Next up I need a double divider for the drawer with the Torx, Allen keys and nut drivers. While I could get even fancier here, I think Im going to use a combination of sheet metal and wood or just sheet metal for simple divider that dont take up much space.
 |
| Fin. |
Dont forget about the +Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast. We talk woodworking with Guests from around the world of woodworking every other week. Subscribe to the RSS feed or iTunes today.
Dividing the Drawer
