my very own toolbox...

For quite a number of years now I have wanted a wooden toolbox...my own toolbox...for my own tools! And I wanted it to be the wood ones I remember my Dad and Grandad and uncles carting around the farm when I was a kid.

Yes, I have my own tools. I was on my own for many years and learned how to fix a lot of things myself. Even when we bought this house I was the one who was home and handled most of the repairs and renovating, even things like, building a new screen door out of a couple of old ones, repairing walls, and putting up shelves. So yes, I have tools. They are actually our household tools, but mainly mine.

I had talked to Keith awhile back about fashioning a toolbox for me. He asked me to give him a plan but all I could actually come up with was to share with him the general idea. He caught on though and yesterday surprised me with this finished product! It is gorgeous! It is wide and deep enough to hold all my stuff, even my handy little saw, level, and hammer, as well as all the smaller items such as pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, boxes of nails, and even putty knife, utility knife, garden trowel and work gloves. It's sturdy as a rock, as are all the things Keith makes. The only thing it is lacking is Keith's seal on the bottom...an oversight on his part. Keith! So I gotta take it over sometime for him to do that.

Another awesome thing about this piece is that it is actually fashioned with the wood from a pine tree that came from our own backyard. It had to be taken down several years ago and Keith asked if he could have the wood. That makes it extra special. Recycling at its finest!

I haven't decided about a finish yet, but I will probably just clear coat it. I like the grain of the wood. It makes me happy to see it and be reminded that the wood came from our own land. And being able to see Keith's seal on the bottom will remind me that it was handmade especially for me by some one I love, who not only built it, but also milled the lumber to build it. Also it reminds me of a wonderful day when my beloved late father, and my children, helped us take the tree down. I'll never forget watching my oldest son, Jamie, taking careful instruction from my 80 year old former lumberman dad. Even though this piece of work is brand new it is already steeped in family history and memory. And hopefully when I am gone my children and grandchildren will be talking about who gets to have GrammaSusie's old toolbox.

Thanks Keith! A treasure indeed!

P.S. Don't miss the detail of the small wood pegs used in the joining...nice! They show on the sides and on the top of where the dowel inserts.