I glued the handle assembly to the carcass yesterday. Well partially glued, I left a good 5 inches of the vertical handle posts un-glued to allow for cross grain wood movement. I'm fairly confident it'll hold and the handle will be able to easily bare the load of a full toolchest. My joinery was tight and the clamps held everything flush to the chest... Though I do have a nagging feeling that I should overbuild this part, i guess my inexperience is showing. I think I'll leave the bottom bridal joint un-pinned but add a couple of large miller dowels to each side to lock everything in place. That approach should work to transfer the majority of the load to the sides and add a bit of aesthetic detail. It feels good to make progress, I've passed a major milestone.