I decided to make this Japanese Locking Tool Box.  It is made out of Spalted Pine and shellacked. It uses a wedge to lock the top. Box construction is dovetails. Made with all hand tools. 
 
The moving wedge has a bevel that matches another bevel fixed on the lid. This wedging effect locks it. 

 

 

The lid is fixed tightly and very secure.

 

 

Makes for a very unique gift!
 

Hope you like it! 

Thanks for looking!!

 

Cheers!

MrRick 

Japanese woodworking has always fascinated me. Cool box.

Beautiful work!

 

Love those intricate Japanese joinery methods I see in videos.

1 hour ago, lew said:

Japanese woodworking has always fascinated me. Cool box.

Thank you lew. It was a fun project. 

I made a couple about 40 years ago after seeing them at Drew Langsner's where I was taking "Make a Chair From A Tree" class.  Mine are from 1/2" poplar.  I followed Drew's construction and nailed it together.  The end panels are inset a bit and a cross piece across the top edge makes a "handle" of sorts.   On one, I made a little tray that rides across a rail near the top.  I've used them to store my Shaker box jigs, hardware, and forms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It works fine for what I use it for.  But I've tended organize my tool boxes to be what I later found was Adam Savage's First Order Retrievability, the ability to get any tool out without having to move any others.  So my tool totes tend to have two characteristics:
1. The tote itself is light weight

2. To accommodate FOR, the (hand) tools are stored vertically.

 

 

I like Japanese carpentry and things they make. Really like their joinery and mastering hand tools. I like this Japan's tool box but it has is place. I like the tray idea. The one I made here ended up being a gift. If I make another I'll put a tray in it.