Pallet Wood & Dowel Corner Gift Box

I made this pallet wood gift box with doweled corners for the Sterling Davis pallet wood challenge on YouTube.

I made the box with mitred corners and I was going to use splines to make the corners stronger but decided to use dowels instead.

I made a YouTube video of the process for my channel BCDesign

What you will need:

• Drill
• 8mm wood bit
• Mitre saw
• 8mm wood dowels
• Wood glue
• masking tape
• 2 hinges
• 10cm of chain
• 16mm screws
• Clasps to close the box
• Sandpaper
• danish oil

Step 1: Cut the Pallet to Size

• Find a Pallet that is in good condition
• I used a jigsaw to cut the best boards from the pallet
• I needed enough wood for the 4 sides a top and a bottom
• I used my mitre saw with a stop block to make mitred cuts for the corners.

Step 2: Glue the Box Together

• I dry fitted the parts together before gluing
• I used masking tape to hold the glued mitred corners together
• I then added 2 awesome Piher clamps, make sure not to over tighten the clamps or the corners will slide apart
• I left the box overnight for the glue to dry

Step 3: Drill 8mm Holes for the Corners & Base

• I removed the box from the clamps and sanded the box from 120-320 grit
• I then marked the corners and base where I wanted to put the dowels
• Make sure you pick the appropriate size drill bit and dowels for the thickness of the wood you use.
• Be careful when drilling the corners that you don't drill through to the inside of the box.
• I used a scrap piece of wood clamped to the side of the box that the drill tip would exit to prevent tear out.
• I then put glue in the holes and on the dowels and tapped them into position with a mallet.
• I also drilled holes around the base and added dowels to strengthen the base.

Step 4: Add Hinges & Clasps

• I marked out the position for my hinges
• I then used a chisel to recess the area the hinge would fit in,this makes the lid sit flush when closed
• Screw the hinges into place and make sure the lid closes properly.
• I then marked the position for the clasps on the lid and front of the box and drilled pilot holes to prevent the wood splitting and secured them with screws

Step 5: Cut Chain & Finish With Danish Oil

• I cut 10cm of chain and used a pliers to crimp the first & last links so I could secure it to the box with some screws.
• I then applied 3 layers of danish oil sanding with 320 grit between each coat
• I think the box turned out very nice and like the way the dowels look exposed on the outside of the box.

I made a YouTube video of the process please subscribe and thumbs up if you like it!

https://www.youtube.com/user/bazza866/videos