Introduction
Last year when my fence blew down, leaving me with many good wide boards that I wanted to use in projects rather than just cut them up for firewood. At the time, I was in need of sturdy boxes, so I decided to make some wooden boxes.
Dimensions
I could have chosen just about any dimensions for the boxes, but I settled on those of my favourite cardboard boxes, that I use to store files. These boxes could be utilized for both letter and legal size files, depending on which way you put the folders into the box.
Making the Boxes
I made the sides of the boxes by glueing together the 1×6 boards from the fence to make a board that was ¾” x 11″. These I planed down to ½” to remove the paint and to ensure that the sides were flat. I used a ¼” round over bit to ease the edges of the handles for comfort when carrying a fully loaded box, which can be quite heavy. I used box joints to ensure that the sides would not fall apart no matter how much force is placed on the sides.
Finishing the Boxes
I stained the boxes with a golden oak stain that I use on all of the projects I build for my shop because I will use the boxes there. To protect the boxes I applied 2 coats of Varathane’s satin Diamond Wood Finish topped off with a coat of gloss to make it easier to wipe off the sawdust that collects on everything in the shop.
Tony Dingwell 