Picnic tote

Next weekend, (September 1-2) is Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. It has become the unofficial start of Autumn and we tend to mark the occasion with picnics and barbecues. So I thought it would be fun to make a project that can easily be built this weekend and used next weekend.
It was a stroke of luck that a couple weeks ago, viewer Fred Wiegand send me some pictures of a neat little tote a friend of his was using while out camping. The best thing is that the design is simple enough that it can be easily modified.
I didnt really care for the elongated handle and decided to add a round hole in the back for lifting. I also thought it would be nice to add some storage for plastic utensils. But as I began building the project and playing around with these modifications, I was struck by the simplicity of what I was making and ditched those plans.

While trying to figure out a way to glue the middle panel onto the dowels, it occurred to me that it didnt need glue. In fact, it works better with a sliding center divider. That way you can press it against the napkins to keep them from blowing away.
Funny how projects often work themselves out in the shop rather than on paper. If you ever get stumped, try just diving into a project, even if its only partially figured out.
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