My brother wants to build some crates for transporting equipment he uses on construction jobs. His theory is that if he puts each power tool into a wooden box and then puts the box in the back of his truck it will suffer less damage than having all the tools stacked on top of each other.
I don't want to discourage him (in winter he is usually shut down because of cold weather). I could do it for him except we live 1500 miles apart. My prefered approach is with a router. He wants to do it with a contractors table saw and a daddo to which I say fine. What is the least he can get away with to accomplish this?
If he really wants box joints - I'd do it with the TS and a dado stack. I'd also use pine instead of plywood which would be much harder on the blade. If he can live without the boxjoints, consider 3/4 plywood, glue and screws countersunk enough that you can plug them. I would suspect he's also like cutouts for handles wouldn't he?
a new $200 table saw isn't worth the trouble. a used , old iron top table saw probably is.
if his reason to make box joints is decorative, go for it.
if his reason for using box joints is to make a stronger box, consider that they only make sense in solid boards. plywood boxes will be stronger overall and allow some details that make them lighter as well. and decent grade dimensional lumber in wide sizes will add quite a bit to the cost of this project as well.
I made some boxes to ship tools via air. they needed to serve as toolboxes for a few months and then serve as shipping boxes for the return flight. I used the best grade of 1/4" plywood I could get for the sides and 1/2" ply for the tops and bottoms. I reinforced all of the corners on the inside with hardwood cove moldings glued and nailed into place. I figured that the cove would give me the maximum glue area to weight ratio.
they were strong and light and cheap.
if he doesn't have a tablesaw but does have a handheld circular saw it could easily enough be done with that and a straight edge. you didn't say what trade he practises at said job sites, but if it is at all wood related he either already has one or should go ahead and get one. if his trade is cable installing or some such he might be happier with a decent used table saw that stays at home in his garage for dinking around on weekends. if he goes that route send him a tablesaw book for his birthday or something. if he is interested enough to want to make box joints he'll go wild from there....
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