Small wooden boxes are great for many things. You can use them as drawer organizers, to group decor displays, or as storage. They are sort of like the little sister of the ever popular crate. You can never have too many. So, do you want to know how to make wooden box sets?

 

How To Make Wooden Box Sets..

 

 

How To Make Wooden Box Sets…

Materials Needed:

These particular boxes are what I would categorize as medium sized (11″x15″). To make wooden box sets like these, use the sizes below. If you want your boxes to be a bit larger or smaller, you will need to make adjustments. You can use any wood that you like; however, pine or whiteboard are cheap and work well for painted pieces. Measurements are actual dimensions.

• 2 – 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ pine board cut @ 11″ in length.
• 2 – 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ pine board cut at 15″ in length.
• 2 – 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ pine board cut at 15″ in length.
• Wood glue
• nail gun (or can be nailed by hand).
• paint

Instructions:

 

To make wooden box sets that are as small as these, we will just use a butt joint. (meaning, the ends will simply butt against each other). Glue and nails are all that is required for something this small and delicate. However, if you plan to make something larger, you may want to use a pocket hole jig to join the pieces, as shown above. Regardless, the 11″ pieces should be glued and attached so that they sit inside the 15″ pieces.

For these boxes, just apply a thin layer of glue to the ends and place a few brad nails through the outer edge. (note – this image shows the bottom already attached, but we will not actually do that until last). So, once the frame is set, lay it down and apply glue to the top and inner edge of the 5 1/2 wide pieces. Then, nail them in place on the bottom side of the frame.

 

After the glue has dried, it is time to add a finish. I like to use colorful paint, but any finish can be applied. When using paint, either prime before painting or use a paint that has primer built in.

 

I thought that I would also show you some box sets that were finished with a more antiqued paint finish. These are boxes refinished by Petticoat Junction.

Note on Larger Storage Boxes:

 

I love to use boxes to organize my craft room, but you should know that any box that is intended to hold a bit of weight should be built accordingly. This one (above) has been made with finger joints. They are not very difficult to make if you have a table saw. I like to use finger joints with glue up projects that need extra strength. But, I also use my pocket hole jig for this type of project, as well. The deciding factor is usually the thickness of the wood. For 3/4″ thickness and above, I use pocket holes. For wood that is 1/2″ thick or less, I use finger joints.

 

Final Thoughts…

I know that I love small wooden boxes, and find a lot of wonderful uses for them. But, I am not quite sure if I am happy with the color choice, yet. I am thinking that maybe they would look better with either mint combined with a slightly lighter mint shade, or mauve with a pale pink, instead of the two different colors. What do you think?

– PIN IT –

– PIN IT –