A Wooden Box for a Refractometer

Step 1: Materials

I just bought myself a refractometer for homebrewing and it came with a cheesy fake leather case. As luck would have it my truck was in the shop so I had a free day at home to make a nice wooden case for it with scrap wood I had in the basement.

The refractometer is about 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches long so I made my box 10 inches long and 2.5 inches tall. I used scrap pine boards and some birch plywood for the top.

Step 2: The Sides

Here you can see the sides after I cut them. This is the first box I've ever made and I wanted a lip around the top so I made a cut with my table saw about a quarter inch wife and a quarter inch deep on the top of the sides. Then I had to cut the lip off at the two end pieces to make it flush with the lip on the edges.

I screwed it together with some wood screw I found in the random screw and nail jar.

Once I had the bottom on I used a sander to make all the corners and bottom flush. I'm not sure if this is how real carpenters do this bit it seemed the easiest and most straightforward way to me.

Step 3: The Top.

I used the bottom as a template to make the top, I cut strips of pine to make the matching lip and clue those to the top plywood piece. I clamped everything together while the glue dried and the used the sander to make all the outside edges flush.

The top doesn't quite sit perfectly on the bottom, I probably need to get better at making the lips and matching the top and bottom together but it is good enough to do the job.

Step 4: Interior

I used some scrap pieces of wood to make holders for the refractometer. I cut a 1inch hole in a piece of scrap wood and the cut it in half t make a top and bottom holder for the refractometer. I widened the holes with a dremel sander for a better fit.

Lastly I stained it with a cherry stain.

When I get mobile again I'll add hinges and a clasp.