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Project Information

This project was made after having an "I can make that" thought upon seeing a wooden briefcase that sold for several hundred dollars.

All visible pieces of wood were cut from one piece of vertical grain red oak. The sides are solid and the top and bottom are made from veneers I cut and laminated over 1/8" plywood for strength. The handle was made by laminating a piece of trophy plaque material between two pieces of oak.

The liner was made by a local upholstery shop. The hardware was purchased from a place I found online.

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Comments

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20,030 Posts
Very classy looking
 

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982 Posts
You can make that alright! great job. A real eye catcher, great craftsmanship.
 

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2,584 Posts
Awesome build. You did a great job.
 

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2,183 Posts
Very nice. Sweet interior.
 

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that looks really awesome, nice job. The grain on the oak is perfect.
 

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159 Posts
Great looking case! I am wondering about the weight. I have made a few cases of exotic woods and they are heavy. Any guess on yours?
 

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I bought a very cheap one of these a while back for about $10. I am determined to make one like yours and toss the one I bought into the fire.
 

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That is Slick
 

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1,171 Posts
Your briefcase is very classy! Thanks for sharing.

L/W
 

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190 Posts
Great Job! I am going to guess that the several hundred dollars one you saw was made by Gerstner & Sons here in Dayton, Ohio. They make great solid wood briefcases, but I have noticed that the size has been shrinking over the past few years while the price has been rising. I bought a full size one almost 20 years ago at their annual 70% off warehouse scratch and dent sale (the only way I could ever afford one) - the newer models are barely big enough to hold an e-reader. I still use mine occasionally and it is a real attention grabber at professional meetings. Carry yours with pride in a job well done and thanks for showing us that it CAN be done.
 

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841 Posts
Very nicely done.
 

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12 Posts
very very nice my brother is a lawyer christmas maybe. if i have the time. company name or web address for the hardware please.
 

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My buddy just made a similar one from a single 8 foot 2×4 with wood hinges and locks for our woodworking challenge.
 

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I also like it, where did you get the internal fitout gear?
 

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Really nice. Great job. Where'd you get all the "innards" from?
 

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To everyone, thanks for the nice comments.

For Mcgyver's question regarding the hardware, I looked unsuccessfully for the receipt which came from a place in Texas that sold replacement parts for briefcases and other luggage. The hardware I used was nothing special. I did find a website called Hardwarelf.com that seemed to carry the parts you would need. I also found many of the pieces on Amazon and Rockler's websites.

The pivot used for the handle were made from adjustable shelf pins that had 1/4" pin attached to an "L" shaped piece.

Answering JRAP and Robscastle's question about the "insides", I couldn't find anything pre-made so I had an upholstery shop make one.
 
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