Building a storage bench

[Adriayn]

Hello, I am about to begin my first Kreg jig project. I want to build a storage bench sturdy enough to hold all of my tools (no sagging!) Size: 36 x 18 x 24 with a hinged lid and casters. Do I need to build a solid box of birch plywood for enough support, or can I build a frame of boards (best size?) and use thinner ply for the sides? I am a complete woodworking newbie so I can use all the advice you've got! Thanks!

[Adriayn]

I did an image search for "girl carpenter clipart".  Be aware that you may get some risque pics, especially if you don't specify clipart.  Good luck!

Jan Herron said:

Where did you get the girl avatar??? I need one too

Adriayn said:

Thanks for the replies (which are both helpful and funny!) and the great-looking bench.  And, I am indeed female :-)  Why don't they have a girl Kreg avatar?

[Ken Darga]

Adriayn,

Histerically, wood working has been a guy thing.

I have a sister who is a better wood worker, than most males (sawdust makers) I've seen using a hand saw or drill.

Adriayn said:

Thanks for the replies (which are both helpful and funny!) and the great-looking bench.  And, I am indeed female :-)  Why don't they have a girl Kreg avatar?

[Ken Darga]

Nice touch!

Adriayn said:

I just grabbed some free clipart and changed my profile pic on the account page.

[Adriayn]

Thanks!  And I hope to someday progress to at least "sawdust maker" status

Ken Darga said:

Nice touch!

Adriayn said:

I just grabbed some free clipart and changed my profile pic on the account page.

[Ken Darga]

Adriayn,

FYI---get some scrap lumber, and go-to-it.

Make lots of sawdust and wood chips.

Practice making cuts, use whatever available tools you have at the ready, and make all sorts of joinery methods.

Practice at making precision cuts.

Practice---Practice---Practice.

The more you do, the more you'll learn and you'll get better as you go.

When I started out in wood working, i had to learn to use the basic hand tools---saws, chisels, planes, wood boring bits drilling by hand, hammers, and the like, before progressing to power tools.

Most persons wanting to get into woodworking and are just starting out, want to jump right into power saws, sanders, routers, and the like---

most don't know how to properly use the simple basic hand tools, such as hand saws, hand drills, hammers and chisels, planes, and make simple joinery methods.

I encourage one to learn the basics---the tools and their purposes, joinery methods, and then progress from their.

Adriayn said:

Thanks!  And I hope to someday progress to at least "sawdust maker" status

Ken Darga said:

Nice touch!

Adriayn said:

I just grabbed some free clipart and changed my profile pic on the account page.

[Adriayn]

Ken,

Haven't been here in a while, sorry for the delay but, thanks for all the tips and advice!

I just got a block plane to help square my board edges. (Big box store doesn't always make the straightest cuts!) and then I had to get a sharpening stone and then a honing guide.  Slow progress, but fun. 

I agree with you, I'm starting out with hand tools partly because I like them and partly because I need more experience before I risk my hands near all those RPM's. 

Ken Darga said:

Adriayn,

FYI---get some scrap lumber, and go-to-it.

Make lots of sawdust and wood chips.

Practice making cuts, use whatever available tools you have at the ready, and make all sorts of joinery methods.

Practice at making precision cuts.

Practice---Practice---Practice.

The more you do, the more you'll learn and you'll get better as you go.

When I started out in wood working, i had to learn to use the basic hand tools---saws, chisels, planes, wood boring bits drilling by hand, hammers, and the like, before progressing to power tools.

Most persons wanting to get into woodworking and are just starting out, want to jump right into power saws, sanders, routers, and the like---

most don't know how to properly use the simple basic hand tools, such as hand saws, hand drills, hammers and chisels, planes, and make simple joinery methods.

I encourage one to learn the basics---the tools and their purposes, joinery methods, and then progress from their.

Adriayn said:

Thanks!  And I hope to someday progress to at least "sawdust maker" status

Ken Darga said:

Nice touch!

Adriayn said:

I just grabbed some free clipart and changed my profile pic on the account page.

[Ken Darga]

Adriayn,

Thanks for your reply.

It's not easy getting a squared board edge, using a block plane---

It takes lots of practice.

  Practice using scrap lumber pieces, and make very shallow cuts---

akin to slicing a garlic clove---cut it so thin, that it's nearly transparent.  

Keep practicing until you can get a butted joint, between two boards, and not have any gaps.

  Putting a keen edge on a plane blade, takes lots of practice.  One needs the proper sharpening equipment to do that---and ''practice, practice, practice''.

  A router is a great investment---almost a necessity, for today's serious wood worker---

you can do so many things with a router.

  I can't function anymore, without my routers---they are always nearby and at-the-ready.

I started out with one, then two----now it's........like, ''why the heck do you have/need so many routers?

For some projects, 2, 3 or 4 setup, with different cutter bits.

Each for a different purpose.

  It's not that I need them all---it's that I want them---they're fun tools.

  PS---make lots of wood chips and sawdust.

Wood chisels are very handy and some great tools to have--- a necessity for any wood worker.

BTW---chisels are easier to sharpen.

=============
Adriayn said:

Ken,

Haven't been here in a while, sorry for the delay but, thanks for all the tips and advice!

I just got a block plane to help square my board edges. (Big box store doesn't always make the straightest cuts!) and then I had to get a sharpening stone and then a honing guide.  Slow progress, but fun. 

I agree with you, I'm starting out with hand tools partly because I like them and partly because I need more experience before I risk my hands near all those RPM's.