Our makerspace has lots of kids, and we have kids' workshops on Saturday mornings where we learn all sorts of different skills and crafts. One of the first things we do when we join is to make our own tool caddy so that we have somewhere to store our projects in between sessions. When I made mine it was the first time I had ever done any woodwork. It is not perfect but I am very proud of it.

Step 1: Gather Materials

Our tool caddies came as a kit that one of our members put together for us. You will need:

MDF pieces
A screwdriver
A drill
Screws
Clamps

You won't have a kit unless you come to our makerspace, so the next step will tell you how to put the kits together if you are an adult and want to make these caddies with your kits. So my list of materials is only what I used myself.

Step 2: For Adults - How to Make a Kit

Hi, Hazel's Dad here! Our kits were easily made using 18mm MDF and a table saw. For each caddy you will need 5 rectangles 295 x 150mm. Three of these are used as they are for the sides and base of the caddy. The two end pieces are made by tapering the remaining two rectangles 100mm from one end, to an end 20mm across. The handle is made from a strip of oak 25mm x 30mm, cut to a length of 295mm and cut into an octagon on the table saw for comfort. These are quick to put together, because we use quite a few of them (each of our junior makers builds one as their first project to store their safety equipment in) we make them in bulk and wrap them into kits using masking tape. Back to Hazel...

Step 3: Drill Holes

First, we drilled holes for the screws. They are called pilot holes, so that the screws go into the right place and go in more easily. We had to measure so that they would go into the middle of the MDF where they will look neater and hold more securely. We used a power drill which was fun but scary.

Step 4: Screwing Together

Next, we had to clamp our pieces together and then screw them together. We used a screw bit in the drill. We put the base and sides into one end first, then screwed in the other end. The handle went in last. Once we had done that, our caddies were finished! But not quite... because how would we tell whose was whose?

Step 5: Cutting Our Names Out

We wanted to be able to tell who owned which caddy. So we cut our names out of balsa wood using a scroll saw and a hack saw. First we marked out where we wanted to cut. You have to make your letters big and wide as it is tricky! Then the adults helped us to cut them out. It took a long time and we made some mistakes. But we are still learning, so that is okay, the only way to get better at something is to keep practicing!

Step 6: Use Your Caddy!

Once you have finished you can use it for all kinds of things! We call them tool caddies but we don't keep tools in them, we keep our projects if we are still working on them, and our personal safety equipment such as ear defenders and eye goggles. This was my first attempt at woodwork and I had a lot of fun. I hope you like it!