How To Make A Wooden Box With Lid

Easy step-by-stride tutorial for making a wooden box in any custom size you want. Learn how to build a DIY wooden box to perfectly fit any shelf or spot in your home.

We have a built-in bookshelf in our family unit room where we keep most of our kids' toys. Unfortunately, all of the tiny little toys my kids love to play with were getting a bit out of control.

So when I updated our family room a few months ago, finding sturdy wooden boxes to help organize information technology all was at the acme of my to-do list.

I chop-chop realized that ownership matching boxes would be pretty expensive and finding some in the verbal size I needed would be nearly impossible.

So I turned to programme B:  figuring out how to brand a wooden box for myself.

Making wooden boxes is a picayune more work than ownership them, only it isn't nearly as difficult equally it seems.

And I love that I was able to build bins that perfectly fit our shelves rather than trying to make something not quite right work.

I was able to brand these DIY wooden boxes for most gratis using scrap wood we already had on mitt.

Only even if you are buying all of the materials, the wood you need is incredibly inexpensive.

Or if you prefer the look of wood planks, I also accept a tutorial for DIY custom storage cubes made from cedar planks.

Free Woodworking Plans

I put together woodworking plans for these wooden boxes to make information technology even easier for you lot to create your own.

The printable build plans include stride-by-pace instructions for building these boxes, a complete materials list, and woodcut lists for five common box sizes.

I am offer these woodworking plans free to my email subscribers.

You can subscribe to my email newsletter in the box below to get your build plans delivered straight to your inbox.

This post contains affiliate links which means if you brand a purchase later clicking a link I will earn a pocket-sized committee but it won't cost you a penny more.  Click here to run across my full disclosure policy.

Materials for DIY Wooden Boxes

Wood Cutting List

(This cutting list is for one box 12" wide, xi" deep, ix" high. There are instructions below on how to easily suit these measurements to brand whatever size box or y'all can request the free build plans above with cut lists for multiple box sizes.)

• two pieces one/4" plywood, 12" 10 9"
• 2 pieces 1/four" plywood 10.5"x9"
• 1 piece ane/4" plywood 11.5"x10.five"
• Four i"x2" boards 7" long

Other Materials

• wood glue
• primer and pigment or stain if y'all prefer a natural woods look
• paint brush – these are my favorite all purpose paint brushes.
• pencil
• 150 grit sandpaper – for smoothing any rough edges

Tools

• table saw or round saw – for cutting your forest to size. Another option is to have your wood cut when yous buy it.
• hammer and three/4″ finishing nails –yous could too use a nail gun if you have 1 on paw, but a hammer will piece of work just fine as well.

How to Make DIY Wooden Boxes

The first step of making DIY wooden boxes is cut all of your wood. This is definitely the most fourth dimension-consuming office of the whole project.

Y'all tin can cut all of your pieces on a tabular array saw or accept the like shooting fish in a barrel route and merely have them cutting for you at the store when you purchase them.

I used one/four inch thick plywood for my boxes along with 1″x2″ boards for support at the inner corners.

I made my boxes 12" wide, 11" deep, and 9" high because this worked perfectly for my bookshelves.

Simply I am also going to prove you how to make these whatsoever size you need.

First, these are the measurements I used.

It is really simple to make these wooden boxes in any specific size you need.

The chief thing y'all need to keep in mind is that you demand to cut the two side panels of your boxes 1/2″ shorter than the front and dorsum.

The bottom panel will also be 1/ii″ smaller in both length and width than the overall box size because it will constrict up into the bottom of the box.

(Note, if you make your boxes using a dissimilar thickness of plywood, this volition affect the measurements for the sides. If y'all apply 1/2″ plywood, the side panels need to be i″ shorter than the front end and dorsum and the bottom panel needs to exist 1″ smaller in both length and width.)

I made a quick graphic to make information technology super easy to figure out your measurements for any custom-size box.

Just substitute the sizes you want for the tiptop, width, and depth.

(If math makes your eyes scroll dorsum in your caput, just wait abroad. And yes, I was totally a math nerd in school and proud of it.)

The i″x2″due south used for back up don't really have to be an exact measurement.

They only need to be around i – ii inches smaller than the tiptop of the box so they aren't very visible.

Once all of the pieces are cut, sand any rough edges. I call back it is easier to also get alee and prime number and paint or stain them before assembling.

At this point, I painted all of my pieces with a base coat of grayness, only I finished painting everything in one case they were assembled.

Remember to paint both sides of each piece of wood unless y'all want the inside of your box to exist bare wood.

And then information technology is time to assemble everything. I made this before I had my smash gun , so I just used a hammer and nails. You likewise need wood glue for this part.

Lay one of the side pieces of your box face down on a tabular array or flat surface.

Take two of your 1″x2″ support pieces and lay them against the outer edges of the wood as shown in the movie beneath.

Be sure to exit i/4" of space below them so in that location volition be room to slide in the bottom at the cease.

Gum these down with wood mucilage.

Exercise the same thing using the second side and the other 2 supports. Permit the glue dry.

After the sides have dried, lay the front of the box facedown on the table.

Using wood gum on the 1″x2″ supports, attach the ii sides of the box to the forepart. Be sure to line up the edges carefully.

Employ wood gum to the final supports as shown below and carefully attach the back piece.

One time the mucilage stale, I too hammered four brads (modest nails) into each side of the box.

The glue alone was probably plenty to keep the box secure, but I would rather them be also sturdy than not enough. (Particularly since my kids are going to be using these!)

The final step is to attach the lesser of the box.

Flip the whole thing over so the bottom is facing upward. (The lesser will be the end where there is a ane/4″ space at the end of each one×2).

Add some forest glue to the bottoms of the 1x2s as shown beneath.

Then just slip the bottom into place and apply a few more brads to hold information technology in place.

And that'due south information technology as far every bit really amalgam the box.

I dry-brushed several coats of charcoal gray pigment onto my boxes, merely they still looked a little plain.

My husband suggested adding the numbers which was the perfect solution.

The numbers add together visual interest but more chiefly, they make the bins much more functional.

It'south super piece of cake to go on rails of what belongs in each bin now.

I chose to exercise over-sized numbers and I simply drew them on and painted them white.

But if yous aren't feeling confident in your number-drawing abilities, this pencil trick is a super-easy way to impress out a font yous like and so transfer information technology onto the woods.

Now I have six custom wooden boxes that perfectly fit our congenital-in shelves and they were inexpensive and wait crawly.

And that is exactly why I love to DIY – you can create exactly what you want and yous usually save money doing information technology.

These boxes have definitely helped with keeping our overabundance of toys organized.

I'thousand not going to lie – there are notwithstanding toys all over the flooring by and large.

Simply at to the lowest degree now, when I enquire the boys to put the toys away, they know where to put them.

Materials

• 2 pieces 1/4" plywood, 12" ten 9"
• 2 pieces 1/4" plywood 10.5"x9"
• i piece 1/iv" plywood 11.5"x10.5"
• Four 1"x2" boards 7" long
• Primer and paint

Tools

• paintbrushes
• pencil
• 150 grit sandpaper
• wood glue
• table saw
• hammer and brad nails or nail gun

Instructions

1. Cut all of your forest pieces on a tabular array saw to the measurements listed above. Or you can hands adjust these measurements up or down to brand any size box.
2. Once the pieces are cut, sand any rough edges.
3. Prime and paint all the pieces. Or you lot can stain them if y'all prefer.
4. Lay one of the sides of your box face down on a table or flat surface. Accept 2 of your one″x2″ back up pieces and lay them on the outer edges of the wood.
5. Glue with forest mucilage.
6. Repeat with the second side and the other 2 supports.
7. Let the glue dry out.
8. Lay the forepart of the box facedown on the table. Using wood glue on the 1"x2" supports, adhere the two sides of the box to the front. Be sure to line up the edges carefully.
9. Utilize woods mucilage to the concluding supports and attach the back slice.
10. Hammer four brads into each side of the box to further secure the plywood to the supports.
11. Attach the bottom of the box using woods glue and nails.

Notes

These instructions tin easily be adjusted to make a wooden box in whatsoever custom size yous need.

Source: https://www.lovelyetc.com/how-to-make-a-wooden-box-in-any-size/

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