I use a Craftsman roll around tool chest base for my NOVA Comet II midi lathe. The two drawers in the cabinet conveniently hold many of the accessories and supplies I use while turning pens, bowls, etc., on the lathe. The lower part of the cabinet is a big, empty space that was inefficient for storing and accessing pretty much anything. The idea came to use a bit of scrap plywood and build a little chest-of-drawers insert that would slip into the empty space and provide storage for more of the many small bits and pieces associated with the midi lathe.

Not wanting to take up space (or pay for) with drawer slides, I designed the top three drawers with Masonite bottoms that extended about a 1/4 inch on each side. With a little paraffin wax, these bottom extensions slide easily in carefully spaced dadoes in the sides of the cabinet. The bottom drawer just sits in the lower opening of the cabinet and provides a little room for storing bigger pieces that aren’t too heavy.

I had eight spare drawer pulls on hand, but they weren’t all the same … so I splurged on matching pulls for about eighty cents apiece! 😉