Build a Traveling Tool Chest
with Mike Pekovich
Designed to hold your essential hand tools, this traveling tool chest will keep them close at hand on a benchtop or countertop and tucks away easily when not in use.
- Over 10 hours of instruction
- Downloadable plans
- Reference articles (hinge-mortising jig, travel chest, half-mortise lock, and video)
- Materials list (hardware and parts; cut list)Â
- CONTENT AVAILABLEÂ MAY 29, 2025 BUT SIGN UPS ARE OPEN NOW!
About This CourseÂ
In this course with Mike Pekovich, you'll learn to build a functional and beautifully crafted tool chest, focusing on traditional woodworking techniques and precision joinery. The course starts with selecting the right wood for your project. You'll then dive into dovetails at the bottom corners—cutting tails at the table saw, scribing and sawing pins, and coping and routing waste to fit the joint perfectly. Next, you’ll tackle through-tenons for the shelf—laying out mortises and tenons simultaneously, drilling and chopping mortises, and fitting the joints with saw, cope, and rout techniques. Moving on to case joinery, you'll rout grooves and dadoes on the case sides, notch the shelf for chisels, and mortise the case front for a lid lock. After assembling and wedging the case, you'll focus on gluing up, wedging the tenons, and drilling and pinning them for extra strength. The course also covers crafting a frame-and-panel lid using bridle joints at the corners, and the proper technique for hinging the lid and installing the lock. You'll then learn to build pinned rabbet drawers, followed by strategies for organizing the chest's interior. Finally, you'll design tool-holding solutions, with slotting blocks for saws, lift-out mitered trays, and other smart storage features to keep your tools neatly arranged.
You Will Learn:Â
- Precision Joinery Techniques – Learn how to cut dovetails, through-tenons, and bridle joints with accuracy
- Table Saw and Router Skills – Use the table saw for dovetails, and the router for grooves, dadoes, and joint cleanup
- Mortise-and-Tenon Construction – Master the process of laying out, cutting, and fitting strong mortise-and-tenon joints
- Case and Drawer Construction – Build a sturdy tool chest with pinned rabbet drawers for durability and functionality
- Tool Chest Assembly and Reinforcement – Discover how to wedge and pin tenons for added strength in the final assembly
- Custom Tool Storage Solutions – Design an efficient tool-holding system with lift-out trays and interior organization
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
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Mike Pekovich
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Mike Pekovich’s furniture-making career began when he stumbled into a basic woodworking class while studying art in college. In addition to woodworking, he studied graphic design, and the combination of those two pursuits eventually led him to Fine Woodworking magazine where he currently serves as the editor and creative director. Over his career, Mike discovered a passion not just for building, but for teaching the craft. Along with his magazine work, Mike teaches across the country, has written numerous articles for Fine Woodworking, and has authored two books. His first effort, The Why and How of Woodworking, speaks to the heart of what it means to be a woodworker, and offers guidance and inspiration for creating meaningful work. The recently published Foundations of Woodworking focuses on the basic techniques and strategies that are essential for success in the craft.
