Making a Storage Box

General
1

I’m aiming to make a storage box down at the hive, and I’d like to send an email out to request some things:

For those who have made boxes that have conformed to the size restrictions, could they share how they laid out the cuts on the plywood? I’d like to know what base size of plywood I’m going to need and how to cut it.

For the plywood, I need something strong enough to get the job done, so nothing too terribly fancy. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should be looking at? Alternatively, does anyone have any extra plywood that I could buy off of that would be enough to make a box, or does anyone need a sheet of plywood themselves but probably doesn’t need a full sheet like me? I’m new to buying materials, honestly, so I’m in some uncharted areas here.

Finally, would anyone be willing after a Tuesday meeting to take a few minutes to show me the operation of the tablesaw? Being as it should all be straight cuts, this is a perfect opportunity for me to learn how to use that tool.

Thank you in advance, makers.

TW

2

I’m aiming to make a storage box down at the hive, and I’d like to send an email out to request some things:

For those who have made boxes that have conformed to the size restrictions, could they share how they laid out the cuts on the plywood? I’d like to know what base size of plywood I’m going to need and how to cut it.

Box slots are 12"x15"x44". I suggest making two boxes for each slot. That means you’ll need the following pieces:
2x 12"x15"
2x 12"x22"
2x 15"x22"

I suggestion some 1/2" plywood, which is a good compromise between weight and strength. At 1/4" you’re likely to run into issues with the box breaking, 3/4" makes the box heavier than it needs to be, though I think it’s okay. I’d also recommend buying some cheap metal handles. Handles make boxes very light.

Once you’ve selected your material you’re probably going to want to do simple butt joints at the ends, which means you’re going to need to take into account the size of the sides. If you put the 12" sides into the 15" sides that means they actually need to be 11" long, since you’re got two sides at 1/2", taking up a total of 1". I’d attach the front and back pieces in front of the box, instead of inside the longer pieces.

Since you’re not going need anything longer than 22", having the hw store cut the sheet of plywood in half should make it easier for transport as two 4’x4’ sheets.

Finally for construction brads + glue seems to be fine. You could get fancy with screws, at which point I’d suggest some 3/4 or 1" #8 with a square or torex head. There is a complete set of square clamps for doing boxes and other square things. I suggest using those while the glue is drying.

Finally, would anyone be willing after a Tuesday meeting to take a few minutes to show me the operation of the tablesaw? Being as it should all be straight cuts, this is a perfect opportunity for me to learn how to use that tool.

Should have mentioned this while I was there today, I would have been happy to help you out. I might be down tomorrow, might not. If I am, I can take some time to help you with this, or better explain building a box.

3

Thanks for the help. I'm probably not going to be down at the hive today, so I'll have to meet up with you some other time. No rush, I'm a patient man.

BTW, those dimensions are slightly different from what's on the wiki, I believe. Should the wiki be updated?

4

Probably not. I can’t remember where I got the 15" from, but 16" vs 15" in width doesn’t seem like a big deal. The 12" is a hard requirement, since you won’t fit if you exceed it. I have no idea why it says 38", since the distance between the supports I’ve seen is 42", and then you’ve got space behind the racks, usually several inches.

I’ll probably be at the next meeting as well, we can talk then.

5

it used to be in metric. someone must have converted it to sae for some reason. i believe in metric it was 30x40x100.
Cheers.