Make717 Hardware Caddy Part 4: Done!

The Make717 Hardware Caddies are done! All the heavy lifting of design and prototyping have been documented in part 1 (initial prototyping), part 2 (detailed instructions for mounting drawer slides on the plastic boxes) and part 3 (building the case), so now all that's left to do is celebrate the completion. Here are both caddies in the Make717 Innovation Center:

I wanted the caddies to be easy to move, but stable in use, so I made a heavy base with three layers of 3/4" MDF, edged with thin oak. I used four locking swivel casters, so it can rotate in its own footprint. A little Bartley gel stain dressed up the oak a bit.

The final prototype had been made of 3/4" MDF, and I felt it looked too heavy, so for the real thing I used 1/2" plywood for the sides, and 3/4" ply for the top and bottom. In both cases I used maple plywood with a factory-applied catalyzed finish on both sides. Expensive, but very durable and a real time-saver. To help with alignment, I cut dadoes and grooves for the sides and back. Here are the two sides, folded open like a book, to show the joinery:

The trick to cutting these joints is to set the bit height once, and never touch it again. The fence moves forward and back to reveal the bit for the amount you want to remove. For the "ears" on the top case, I used a metalworking 1-2-3 block to set the fence exactly one inch behind the bit.

The cases are heavy, so I was happy to have a good crew to help with the each delivery. I neglected to take a picture of the second crew, but they were just as helpful. Phil is holding a ruler because he says every photo should have a rule included for scale! 

This has been a fun project, and it was gratifying to find when I delivered the second caddy today, that the first one was already in use, with hardware and screws in multiple drawers. I hope it serves Make717 for many years to come!