How to Build a Box

Last Updated: June 20, 2022

Boxes come in all shapes, sizes and material. Building a box is a great way to get into the basics of wood- or metalworking. These projects are simple to complete and can familiarize you with the machinery and tools associated with the craft. Follow this guide to make simple boxes that have a huge number of uses.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Metal Box

1
Obtain sheet metal. You'll want metal that's thick enough to make for a sturdy box, but thin enough to bend. Duct metal is a good material. You'll want to start with a rectangular piece.^{[1]
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2
Measure your cuts and bends. Layout line on your sheet metal to designate where you will be cutting and bending. You will be bending the four sides up to make the walls, so measure out equal lines parallel to the edges. These lines will mark where the walls are bent.^{[2]
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- You will also be bending over the top of each wall to hide the sharp edge. Draw a parallel line a short distance down from each of the edges.
- Mark out equal squares on each corner of the rectangle. This square may already be present because of the bending lines that you drew earlier. This square will be cut out to create flaps that become the sides of the box.
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3
Cut the squares out. Clamp the sheet metal to the workbench so that it doesn't shake or vibrate during the cutting. Use a jigsaw or other metal saw and work slowly to ensure that you are cutting straight lines.^{[3]
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4
Bend the top edges over. Once all of the squares are cut out, you'll be left with the four flaps. You'll be bending over the edges of these flaps to make smooth edges for the top of the box. Insert the first edge into a bending brake. Make sure that it is lined up with the line you measured earlier. Bend the edge 90°. This will create a lip.^{[4]
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- If you don't have a bending brake, lay the sheet on the edge of a table and place a piece of wood on top. Clamp the wood to the table as tight as possible. The piece of wood will act as the brace of the bending brake, allowing you to bend the metal by hand or with a mallet.
5
Hammer the lip down. Continue the folding process by hammering the lip down so that it is flush with the flap. Repeat this process on all four flaps.
6
Bend the walls up. Now that the tops of the walls are finished, it's time to start raising them. Insert one flap into the bending brake, lining up the bending line you measured earlier. Bend the wall up at a 90° angle. Repeat this process for each wall.
7
Secure the corners. At this point, you box should look almost complete. The four walls should all be up, and the top edges all folded over. Now you will need to secure the corners with smaller pieces of metal.
- Measure the height of the box. Cut four strips of metal, each long enough to reach from the bottom to the top of the box, and wide enough to be bent in half and secured (usually about an inch or so on each side, so 2-3 inches total width).^{[5]
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- Insert each strip lengthwise into the bending brake, with half in and half out. Bend each strip lengthwise at 90°
8
Attach the corner securing plates. Once they've been bent, place a corner securing plate onto the corner of the box, and drill holes through the plate and the box. Place tow holes on each side of the fold, at the top and the bottom. Insert rivets into each of the holes. Use a ball-peen hammer or rivet gun to set the rivets.
- Once all the rivets are set, the box is complete.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Building a Wood Box

1
Measure your wood. You will need to make sure that all of your wall pieces are the same height. The opposite walls need to be the same length. You will also need a bottom piece that will fit inside of the finished box.
2
Prepare the corners. At the ends of each of the wall piece, cut a 45° angle out from the inside of each edge. These 45° angles will meet and create flush corners with no grain showing.
- Use a miter box to create exact angles. This will make for seamless joints. Make sure that when you cut the 45° angle that you do not affect the overall length of the wall pieces.
3
Lay out a long piece of packing tape. Place each wall piece end to end on the tape so that the edges are touching. The pieces are laid out as if the box walls have been “unrolled”.
4
Glue the bottom to one of the walls. Let the glue set and keep pressure applied by using a clamp. Once the glue is set, apply glue to the rest of the exposed edges of the bottom piece.
5
Apply glue to the corners. Apply a strong wood glue to the 45° wall corners. Score the edges with a file before applying glue to improve the strength of the bond.
6
Roll up the walls. With the tape still attached, roll the walls up so that the 45° angles fit into each other. If it was measured correctly, the bottom piece should fit snugly into the wall pieces. Clamp the sides and let the glue set.
7
Add a lid. You can create a simple lid by measuring a piece of wood that extends an out beyond the edge of the box. Glue small pieces of wood around the edge of the new piece to keep the lid from falling off.
8
Decorate the box. You can sand the edges down if you'd like them to be more curved. Paint the box to your liking.