Forget Plastic! - Stackable Wooden Boxes

Tired of looking at those ugly plastic boxes? I did, so I made these boxes at Techshop! www.techshop.ws

I made these to organize my socks (lol, I know going a bit OCD here) but I love how it compliments my closet. It's made out of hardwood ply so its lightweight and easy to handle. I also made feet at the bottom so they can stack on top of one another.

Step 1: Design and Cut

I made the finger joints much thinner than what people have normally designed laser cut joints. This was an aesthetic choice and during the assembly process, just a bit more care is needed to assemble them. However, once it is all glued up, it has deemed to be pretty sturdy.

Once I had my design ready in Corel Draw, I laser cut this using an Epilog Laser. Take the pieces out and it is ready to stain.... I usually don't think about what I want to stain it until I see the stuff together. If you already know what you want to stain/paint it, it would be easier to stain/paint the whole board before laser cutting.

Step 2: Glue and Assemble

Glue the frame together. Do not glue the bottom piece yet! I used a paint brush to apply the glue to the joints.

Now when I said a bit of care was needed, I just meant not to bang the ends together (as you can with real wood). If the joints feeling snug, you just need a bit of finesse to put them in position. If you force it in together you may rip out some plywood.

Once the frame is dried place the bottom piece (that's not glued yet) below the frame. Now place the feet on the inside of the frame. You're basically using the frame as a jig to position the feet. Carefully take out the frame and let dry.

Now flip over the bottom piece, feet facing down and glue the bottom to the frame.

Once this is all dry you can put a couple of coats of clear finish to protect the box.

Step 3: Place Stuff In!

Once it is all dry and cured you now have your stackable boxes! Place your stuff and feel good at not having to look at those plastic boxes again! =)