The boxes were originally intended for storing jewelry and expensive things, so they were found mainly in the homes of wealthy gentlemen.
The variety of shapes, sizes and materials used to make the boxes was amazing. They were made of gold and silver, encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones. There were also simpler wooden boxes. Centuries have passed, but the fashion for these original and elegant products has survived to this day.
It is noteworthy that making a wooden box with your own hands is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The main thing is to apply a little skill and use your own imagination.
Making any craft begins with a project, a diagram. The master imagines exactly what his masterpiece will be like, and, starting from the drawings, stocks up necessary materials and tools.
For many ordinary people, a wooden box appears as a rectangular box with a closing lid. This is true, but not entirely. A box is a real work of art, and even a handicraft made from scrap materials can look like an expensive antique.
Any box has its purpose in the house. Based on this message, the master thinks over the shape of the product. The following options are possible here:
- For jewelry . Such wooden models are traditionally rectangular in shape, but internal surfaces lined with velvet, and the lid is complemented by a mirror. As a result, jewelry is not scratched and is convenient to try on;
- for jewelry, trinkets. Characteristic feature Such a product consists of drawers that move freely inside the body. The number of retractable elements is unlimited, and a tight fit does not require special guides;
- a small box for cherished and memorable items. Made in the shape of a heart and great for storing letters, cards, photographs and other things;
- puzzle Quite a complex product that simultaneously serves decorative decoration and a children's toy. A system of wooden gears, reminiscent of a clock mechanism, is installed here, and the lid opens after rotating the handle or one of the wheels;
- to hide a small amount of money. It is made in the form of a rectangle, but external finishing made to look like a book;
- for needles, threads. Such wooden boxes usually have several compartments where you can store sewing supplies. The case is often complemented by a carrying handle.
In addition, there are boxes with watches, locks and secrets, original boxes and drawers for storing cigars, and products that make melodious sounds when the lid is opened. The shape is not limited to rectangular. Essentially, if there is modern instruments for wood processing it can be anything, including round.
It is noteworthy that all of the above options can be done independently at home. But it’s still better to start learning how to make wooden boxes with your own hands with simple designs, making the task more difficult as mastery skills emerge.
How to make a classic box
Even a teenager with minimal skills in handling woodworking tools can cope with this task. Such a box is made from multi-layer plywood, and the selected sheet should not have visible damage: knots, cracks.
At the initial stage you will need a pencil and a ruler. In order not to complicate the task, it is better to choose for the walls, lid and bottom correct geometry shapes, such as square or rectangle. On a sheet of plywood, draw the outlines of four walls: 2 side walls are shorter and 2 front walls are longer.
Pay attention! The sides of the bottom are calculated in such a way that after gluing the sides, it is recessed inside the walls.
Then all the drawn elements are carefully cut out with a jigsaw, the irregularities are processed with sandpaper. To end and side walls They were beautifully connected to each other, at the edges of the ends you can make small grooves corresponding to the thickness of the plywood sheet. This tip will help give the case a monolithic look and overall make the structure stronger. The walls are glued together, then the bottom of the box is placed. If the lower part enters with difficulty, the edges are processed with a file. The bottom should fit tightly.
After this, they begin to make the lid. To make the design more original, it is better to choose not a flat, but a deep lid. For this, the scheme described above is used. A large blank is cut out, which will directly serve as the lid, end and side walls. In essence, it turns out to be a smaller copy of the casket body. All parts are sanded and glued together. The lid is attached to the body using small hinges. Finished product After assembly, they are varnished or painted in any color you like.
In a similar way, you can make a box from solid wood. For this they use wooden board. It must be sanded and cut into pieces of the required size. It is more difficult to cut wood with a jigsaw; it is better to use a circular saw. Curly edges can be made with a router.
If you need a drawer
Overall the box is made of wood with drawer manufactured in the same way as classic version, but there are a number of features here.
Simple rectangular shape the lids and bottom will spoil appearance products. It is better to make the long sides of these elements wavy using an electric router. In addition, by choosing this option, the lid and bottom are not placed inside the body, but left outside.
The walls are made of different heights. In particular, the back part and ends are made of the same height and glued together. For the front wall, cut out a die half as wide as the back part. This element is not recessed between the ends, but is installed overlapping and fixed with glue.
The box consists of two parts: the box, which fits freely between the walls, and the front part, which is similar in size to the top die. The elements are also mounted on wood glue.
A partition is installed between the upper and lower parts, which will serve as the bottom of the upper compartment of the box. Inside the retractable and stationary drawers, you can make partitions from thin plywood, delimiting interior space for several departments. The lid is installed on decorative hinges, the wood is covered with several layers of furniture varnish.
How to decorate with carvings
Carved boxes look much more original and interesting, but such work requires certain skills and knowledge. For beginners who decide to try their hand at wood carving, experienced craftsmen It is recommended to start with simple ones geometric shapes and large patterns. With a certain amount of patience, even a novice master will be able to cope with such a task.
The drawing is applied to the surface with a pencil, each line is well drawn. After this, the pattern is carefully cut out with an oblique knife or chisel in strict accordance with the applied markings. Small flaws and irregularities can be corrected with a file or fine sandpaper.
Making a box complex shape solid wood will take significantly longer. To do this, you must use a power tool, while parts from plywood can even be cut with a hand jigsaw. A large field of work opens up for the artist to design the finished product. You can paint it with paints, attach decorative fittings, decoupage or burn it.
The box is a very useful product for any housewife. Every needlewoman dreams of having such a casket and putting various little things in it. It's not only separate element decor, but also necessary thing for storing accessories, decorations, jewelry, notes, handicraft items. But not many people find exactly what they need, and with as many drawers as is necessary to accommodate all their existing gizmos. Therefore, let's consider various ways How to make a box that’s just right for you, with your own hands. We will also find out what materials can be used in the work.
The main stages of creating boxes
There are many options on how to make a box yourself. A box for small items can be made from anything. The base can be a box of shoes, sweets, dishes, and even a large roll of tape. Any material is welcome - tin, plywood, plastic, cardboard and other raw materials. The box from the box is decorated not only on the outside, but also on the inside. For this purpose, fabric is often used, colored paper or wallpaper. Be sure to prepare a drawing by measuring the base and transferring the indicators to paper. Do not forget about allowances, avoiding the maximum number of joints. The bottom of the box may be soft. To do this, before gluing the inside of the box, place padding polyester or a piece of foam rubber on the bottom.
The outer sides of the box are covered with either decorative paper, or cloth. The lid of the box can be decorated with a drawing, photo, painted with acrylic paints or applied with applique. Don't forget to varnish the top of the product. Beads, sequins, sparkles, buttons, etc. are also used for decoration - use your imagination and use whatever your heart desires.
We decorate the boxes
The casket, as an independent element, as well as the drawers located in it, will look more holistic if they are additionally decorated. The accessories for boxes offered in stores serve not only as decoration, but also provide the box with the necessary functionality. You can decorate the box with satin ribbons, lace, rhinestones, pieces of leather and other details. Also, the material from which the box is made can be decorated with embossing, decoupage or drawings made using any other application technique.
Decorative hinges and original fasteners, such as nails and screws, not only decorate the casket, but also hold it together wooden parts and ensure proper movement of the drawers and lid.
There are accessories for boxes, which are both decoration and perform necessary functions. This includes legs, handles, hooks and latches made of metal, brass and nickel. They not only serve for a long time, but are also original decor boxes, giving the products a luxurious and finished look.
Wooden caskets
Before creating a wooden box, you need to prepare detailed drawings on sheets of paper. Draw a sketch of the selected design with required sizes. Craftsmen recommend first creating a model of the future box from paper in order to clearly see its dimensions. Using the drawing, we place the templates on wooden blank and transfer the parts to the board, clearly measuring right angles. Using a jigsaw, you need to cut out all the parts, processing the edges for fastening with special care. We clean the edges of the finished parts with a file and sand them down.
We connect the walls of the box with glue at the junction points, then clamp them with a vice for a tighter fit. After drying, glue the bottom to the resulting workpiece. We also assemble the wooden lid. Connect the top to the base metal loops, which, in turn, are fastened with screws or self-tapping screws. In this regard, the thickness of the wood blanks must be at least 1 cm, so that subsequently cracks do not appear in the screw-in areas.
We sand the model again with sandpaper, smoothing the surface. We putty the fasteners and joints, then prime the entire structure and cover it with clear varnish. If desired, the varnish can be replaced special paints for working with wood. After the box is dry, you can start decorating it.
Master class: box using decoupage technique
The original decoration of a miniature wooden casket is a popular type of decoration - decoupage. The method is quite simple to implement and does not require expensive materials. To perform such work, you need decoupage napkins or special designs, mixtures whose main component is glue, as well as special coatings.
Initially, the surface of the product is sanded and coated with water-based emulsion. Then the selected image should be separated from the base by soaking and applied to the sides or top of the box. Using PVA diluted in equal quantities with water, the pattern is glued to the surface of the box. After some time, the box can be painted, imitate aging by patination or craquelure, and varnished.
Wooden boxes decorated using the decoupage method take on the appearance of a rare item, due to which this method belongs to the vintage style.
Painting as a way to decorate a casket
Another original method of decorating a wooden box is painting. This method will give the product aesthetics and elegance, and with minimal financial costs. Solid wood, from which you will make a box and subsequently paint it, may be the most accessible and inexpensive.
Before decorating the box, its surface must be sanded and soaked in linseed oil. Then wooden plots primed, and after drying it is applied to them with acrylic or oil paints pattern. If you are using a repeating pattern, you can use stencils to make the work easier. At the final stage, the image is coated with alkyd varnish in several layers.
Wanting to imitate Khokhloma motifs, the box is completely covered with gold paint, while drawing the image itself, they use different shades. Then the painting is fixed with drying oil, and the product is dried in the oven, setting the temperature to 120 degrees. Additional decorative details made from clay will look extraordinary.
Using newspaper tubes
How to make a box without woodworking skills? Yes, very simple! For this you will need a regular newspaper. Auxiliary materials will serve as a knife, paper glue, thin knitting needle, acrylic paints and varnish. Newspaper sheets need to be unfolded and cut lengthwise into four parts. The resulting strips need to be twisted into tubes using a stocking needle. To do this, place the knitting needle along the edge of a piece of newspaper under small angle and screw the strip onto it, coating the corner with glue. Having prepared a sufficient amount of material in this way, you can begin weaving a box from tubes. The photo diagram is shown below.
Take 16 parts and arrange them in a cross, intertwining the middles with each other. Coat the intersection with glue. Using a working tube bent in half, begin to braid the bottom elements, grabbing two main parts each. To extend the tube, insert one element into another. Having created right size bottom, place any shape on it and lift the main tubes up. At this stage of work, the box needs to be woven upward, giving it shape. When finishing the work, pass the bent ends between the intertwined tubes and cut.
The upper part of the box is woven in a similar way. To make the lid a little wider, weave it over the bottom piece that fits over the pan. The finished product must be coated with PVA, then painted or coated with a special varnish.
Making a box using cardboard
If you don’t store shoe boxes, you can make a box for small items of the desired volume using cardboard. You can choose the dimensions at your discretion, and then draw a blank on cardboard. It is most convenient to create a drawing of the future box as a whole, and then bend it into in the right places and glue the sides together. You can use the sample shown in the photo. The boxes are assembled in the same way and then covered with decorative paper. The outer sides of the box are also covered with a pre-selected material. If desired, partitions can be created inside. A cardboard box can contain several drawers and compartments of different sizes.
How to make a doll-shaped box
Very interesting option making a box from plastic bottle. To create it you need an old miniature doll, a heat gun, various laces, ribbons, ribbons, and light fabric. You need to cut out the middle of the bottle and cut off the neck. For work, leave the top and bottom with a high side. Then place the upper part of the doll in the place where the neck of the container was and glue it. The legs will have to be separated from the body. To make the lining, you can use padding polyester, from which you need to cut 2 circles, wrap them in chiffon and stitch them. Then sew a long strip of the same material, gathered on one side, to each circle, imitating a full skirt. Next, glue the mugs to the bottom and top of the box from the inside. We bend the edges of the skirts to external sides and attach it using a heat gun. A piece of organza will serve as a fastening for the two parts.
You can decorate the doll in different ways. For example, glue a lot of frills to the top and bottom of the box. Decorate the bodice and top with lace. Make a hat from ribbons by gathering one of the sides into a circle and gluing a bow on top.
There are a lot of options for creating a box. The main thing is your imagination and desire to create something unusual and exclusive. A casket made by your own hands will be an excellent gift for a close friend or beloved mother.
DIY wooden box, drawings of parts, assembly units, detailed description products that can be made from solid or laminated wood, you can also use moisture-resistant plywood.
The lid of the presented box can be in two extreme working positions:
Horizontal position – the first working compartment is closed and the second one is open
At an angle of 135° from the horizontal position - the second is closed and the first working compartment is open with a mirror panorama on inside covers
The product consists from the following assembly units and parts:
1.
Side wall.
2.
Rotating lid.
3.
Front wall.
4.
Bottom with figured legs.
5.
Intermediate dividing wall.
6.
Rear wall.
Overall dimensions of the product.
SIDE WALL
Serves as a support for two working positions of the rotary cover. Lateral surface can be decorated with different selections and decorative inserts, the texture of which will be combined with the texture of the main material for manufacturing, and do not forget that there will be two side walls - one, this mirror image second.
LID
The cover consists of the following elements:
1.
Middle cover panel.
2.
Pin 3 x 20 (mm).
3.
Top decorative insert.
4.
Bottom decorative insert.
A mirror is built into the lower decorative strip.
The middle panel of the cover rotates about the central axis of a corrosion-resistant metal pin. One end of the pin is inserted into the lid, with minimal play, the other is inserted into the hole in the side wall of the wooden box, with a slight interference fit.
The center panel connects to the top and bottom decorative insert using glue.
FRONT WALL
A board measuring 10 x 70 x 200 (mm), in which tenons measuring 10 x 10 (mm) are cut along the edges. The distance between the spikes is 10 (mm).
It is a board milled around the perimeter, to which four legs are glued.
INTERMEDIATE WALL
A board measuring 10 x 66.5 x 186 (mm), which is inserted into the grooves of the side walls.
REAR WALL
Do-it-yourself wooden box according to the drawings - made. This constructive solution The location of the lid will give the product its originality and uniqueness. You can experiment with the geometry of the product and various decorative inserts.
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Wooden boxes are a universal item that can serve for many purposes. Do you need a gift for your birthday, in honor of your promotion? career ladder, for housewarming or New Year? A man, or maybe a woman? Do you have nowhere to put decorations or nowhere to store gift cards? Purchasing a box will help you. However, if you don’t want to spend a lot or are wondering how to make a box out of wood, this article will come in handy.
History of the boxes
Such a luxury item as a box appeared in the world quite a long time ago, several millennia BC. However, not everyone could afford them. They were designed to store jewelry and precious stones and were often made of gold, silver or bronze. The poorer owners were the owners of cheaper boxes made of wood covered with fabric or other inexpensive material. Regardless of the cost and quality of the casket, it became a family treasure and was passed on to descendants.
With the development of industrialization and the transition to machine production, purchasing a casket has become much more accessible. Now she takes place of honor in the life of modern people.
Types of boxes
Making a box self made- this is a creative process, and therefore there are many different types of them. First of all, they differ in the material of manufacture. For example it could be:
- Tree;
- Expensive metals (gold, silver)
- Cheaper metals (iron);
- Glass;
- Ivory;
- Cardboard.
Any box can be simple or elaborately decorated. The following techniques are most often used to decorate a casket:
- Inlay with precious and semi-precious stones;
- Thread;
- Engraving;
- Covering with leather, velvet or similar materials.
How to make a box
Since buying a high-quality casket can cost you a pretty penny, it is much more profitable to create a wooden casket with your own hands.
To do this you will need:
- Wood (preferably boards about 1-1.5 cm thick);
- Cardboard;
- Hand milling machine;
- Hand saw;
- Wood glue;
- Hinges for the lid of the box;
- Decor.
- Step 1. Draw a template for the bottom and top parts the box, its bottom and lid.
- Step 2. Take two prepared boards of the specified thickness and trace the templates on them.
- Step 3. Using a router, cut out the required form parts of the casket. This should be done slowly and vigilantly. If you do not know how to do this, refer to the appropriate master class.
- Step 4: To finish off the bottom and lid, sand them down. It is best to use a sandpaper mounted on a wooden disk. Working on a box is a creative process, so any other sanding method will do. The bottom and lid are ready!
- Step 5. Take three boards of the same thickness (approximately the thickness of the bottom or slightly less) and height. The length of one of the sides may differ; this will be the back wall. Sawing the boards at an angle of 45° at the junction, using a miter saw.
- Step 6. Glue the boards to the bottom, forming our little chest.
- Step 7. We cut out two small boards for the front side of the casket with the expectation that they should fit together, but not tightly. You can glue another thin board onto the boards (twice or three times thicker) for beauty, and later we will attach a handle to it.
- Step 8. We firmly glue one board on top, and attach the second to a box (with a bottom) made of boards about 0.5 cm thick, which will fit freely into the lower hole under it.
- Step 9. Making partitions for the drawer. To do this, we take boards as thick as the walls of the box and glue them in as we see fit.
- Step 10. Insert the drawer into the chest. If it enters with difficulty, its side walls should be sanded.
- Step 11. Make and glue the bottom and partitions for the top drawer.
- Step 12. Fasten the lid and back wall boxes using hinges.
- Step 13. Decorate the box at your discretion. Now we know from start to finish how to make a wooden box with our own hands.
Carved boxes
Carvings have been used to decorate chests since ancient times, which is why carved wooden boxes are very popular. This technique will look quite harmonious on the chest we created.
If you are a beginner and wood carving is new or new to you, then use a geometric and large pattern as it is easier. You should stock up on a chisel, knives and a drill. You can find more detailed lessons in a separate master class. If you consider yourself a professional in the field of carving, then you can choose openwork or sculptural carving - it looks much more elegant.
Making a wooden box
Develop, create, create. Good luck in your creativity!
Grace of form, unusual style, modern design, - all these qualities are inherent in the work of master Michael Cullen, who creates original wooden boxes. In this master class we will tell you how to make such wooden boxes with your own hands.
Creative projects do not require large quantity time, complex measurements and planning. There are no carpentry joints in the boxes, and the starting material for their manufacture can be unnecessary trimmings, lying around in the workshop.
The creation of lightweight, durable and elegant boxes is based on the utmost simple technology. Products are cut on a band saw or jigsaw machine from whole piece wood, cut into two parts and glued back together. Plywood allows you to relieve internal stress, eliminating deformation and cracking of the box as the wood dries out. After this, a lid is made and the bottom is glued in.
All boxes are made using the same technology, however, each of them is distinguished by its own unique style. These projects welcome creativity. Experiment with limitless variations of shape and decoration, creating unusual and stylish boxes for jewelry, rings, watches and other small, and if desired, large items.
Quick sketch . On the processed workpiece, cut lines are drawn with a pencil. A simpler option is to paste a pre-printed drawing with dimensions onto the upper plane of the workpiece. When transferring the sketch, it is important to maintain the longitudinal orientation of the fibers.
Blank for lid . A flat longitudinal part 15-20 mm thick is sawed off from the main workpiece, which will later become the lid of the box.
The angle of the table is changed by several degrees.
By changing the tilt of the table by 2-3°, the part is cut in half and the internal waste part is cut out, forming a conical cavity of the box.
The two halves are glued back together. Plywood allows you to relieve internal stress, preventing deformation and cracking of the wooden box. The glue is applied in a thin and even layer. Excess that bleeds through is very difficult to clean inside the box.
Drying . The glued workpiece is carefully placed under the clamps, carefully checking the absence of displacements and distortions.
Blanks for the lid and bottom . Returning the table to horizontal position, two sections are sawn off from the waste part. This will be the lid element and the bottom of the box.
Drawing of the blank for the lid and bottom
Cavity painting . If you want to decorate a wooden box not only on the outside, but also on the inside, paint its cavity while there is easy access on both sides.
Sawing out external walls . Returning the saw table to an inclined position, make cuts along the outer contour.
Apply a thin layer of glue to the ends of the bottom and insert it into the lower part of the box, pressing it with your fingers until it stops.
The element intended for the lid of the box is glued onto the blank made at the very beginning.
Sawing the lid . After the glue has dried, trace the main outline of the lid and cut out this final part.
The presented technology is universal. It allows you to experiment with design and unusual shapes, creating at home beautiful and original boxes that are not similar to each other.
Simple walnut box
A similar sequence of actions underlies next project- four-walled wooden box. Thanks to its unusual curved shape, its design looks stylish and modern.
How to decorate a wooden box with your own hands
Despite the external attractiveness of the form, the truly original style of the box acquires after decoration. It gives unlimited freedom for creativity in this matter.
