Building Wood Toolboxes With Kids

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!! Mine went by quickly, but I got to spend time with family and friends and even spent a little time relaxing!!

I have two littles in my life now (2 and 4), and I’ve been trying to come up with things for us to do that will build skills, coordination, confidence, independence, and set them up for a successful future. I also want to share with them some of my passions and hobbies. So, in typical Katie J fashion, I bought each of them a little tool kit and together we built wood toolboxes to hold them. I never could have imagined how much they would love that project and how much they love their little tools. Each time they come over, they ask if we can build something with their tools, and they tote those tool boxes around the house (even though they can barely hold them up!)

Because this was such a hit with the kids, I thought I’d share with you how I did this, in case anyone wants to do this project with their kids! I pre-drilled all of the holes so that all they had to do was hammer in nails (Bonus-it gives it a nice rustic look!!). It was amazing to see how proud of themselves they were!

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I bought sets similar to these little tool sets (these ones come in pink and blue and are less than $20):

The best thing about these tool sets…I have a new pink utility knife that the kids don’t need yet. 🙂

It was pretty exciting to open new tools: (I can’t blame him! I feel the same way!!)

I always start by protecting my table with this craft paper.

We had all of our tools out, admiring what they were. You can see my Farmhouse Dining Table in the back ground, just waiting to go to the Ski Chalet. 🙂

Prepping the project

I used a 1×6 to make the ends and base and a 1×4 to make the sides.

This is how I measured and marked ours for cutting. I measured and marked 3 1/2 inches from the bottom. This is how high the 1×4 will reach on the sides. I then measured and marked 12 inches. I thought that would be a good height for the toolbox (this could vary). After marking the center and 1/2 inch on either side of it, I drew straight lines down to the sides. I cut mine with my miter saw, but you could use a jig saw, band saw, circular saw, or even a hand saw. Cut out 2 of these end pieces.

For the bottom of the toolbox, cut a 1×6 that is 15 3/4 inches long. For the sides, cut 2 1×4 pieces that are 17 1/4 inches long.

You can find 1/2 inch galvanized pipe in the plumbing section at Lowes or Home Depot. I bought an 18 inch length and 2 caps for each toolbox. The 1/2 inch measurement is the inside of the pipe, so I used a 7/8 spade bit to drill holes in the end pieces for the handle to go through.

Then I sanded down all the edges and pre-drilled all the holes where I wanted nails to go.

Putting the toolboxes together

We set nails in all of the pre-drilled holes and tapped them in a little ways. Having the pre-drilled holes allows the nail to stand on its own so there is no accidental finger smashing. I used these dry wall nails that have nice big heads on them-they are easy to hit, and I like that they have a rustic look to them.

I held all of the pieces together so he could hammer in all of his nails. Before hammering the nails in, I put a thin strip of wood glue between the boards.

I was so impressed at the 4 year old hammering! Even the 2 year old was able to hit the nails consistently!

Putting the handles on the wood toolboxes

The end caps just screw on either end of the pipe. They come with threads so little hands can easily do this!

These kids are so proud of their wood toolboxes! It was an amazing afternoon project and it has led to even more! Last week, we built a book shelf for the kids room! And I have to come up with more projects because the kids love it so much! And I’m happy to do this to keep their little brains working!

The big question is…how long until I can put them to work at the Ski Chalet!?

If you liked this project, you might also like:

Build your own wood box centerpiece with mason jars!