Easy to Make Wooden Magazine, File or Book Box

This easy to make Magizene, Book or filebox storage box is a beautiful addition to any home or office and is an effective way to tidy up files, books and/ or magazines.

Step 1: Marking and Cutting Sides

First mark and cut the sides out of 3ply plywood. The sides need to be 280 mm by 335 mm but i recommend cutting them about 25mm oversize which will heap with assembly. When you have these marked out cut them out. For this i used a scrollsaw.

Step 2: Cutting the Sides

The sides of the box are made out of 19mm Merbau. Cut 2 pieces at 242mm and 2 more at 335. I like the boards to have a 90mm width but this can be changed to accommodate the amount of things you want to store in it.

Step 3: Drilling the Holes for Dowls

Now drill 2 holes per end in the 335 mm pieces. The dowls should be half the width of the materal in from the edge. With a drill but to accommodate your dowl drill the holes on the drill press. With the holes drilled clamp the other piece to a board that you know is a right angle and use the predrilled piece to line up the bit and drill the holes. Don't forget to mark the joins so you know which pieces go together.

Step 4: Gluing Up the Sides

With all holes finished its you can now glue up the sides. Make sure you put glue on the faces as well as on the dowls. When the glue is dries you can use a flush trim saw or a hacksaw to cut the dowls flush.

Step 5: Sanding the Edge

Any misaligned edges can be sanded flush with a belt sander.

Step 6: Cutting Off the Lid

Now mark 100mm on one side and use a square to mark and line and 150mm on the other side and mark with a square. Now cut these off on the bandsaw.

Step 7: Cutting the Plywood

Now use the piece you just cart and mark out the ends. Take that like and extend it 50 mm in on both sides and a draw another line matching the ends of the last 2 lines. then cut the ply on the scrollsaw making sure you stay on the line (use the pictures to get a better understanding of where to cut. With both pieces cut make sure everything will go together.

Step 8: Sanding the Inside

Its a lot easer to sand the inside before you put the sides on so do that now.

Step 9: Gluing the Sides On

Now its time to glue the sides on. The most important thing to do is get the 2 ends that you cut lined up. We cut the ply oversize so it will protrude out. this can be fixed with a router after.

Step 10: Making the Sides Flush

Now that everything is dry use a router but to flues the plywood sides with the merbau. If you would like you can use a rounder over bit to round over the sides.

Step 11: Sanding and Applying Finish

Now sand the box up to 320 grit. Don't sand the ply with anything coarser that 240 to prevent breaking through the top layer. Now its time to apply finish. I use a special Polly oil blend and more info on that can be found in this video. I like to apply 5 coats over the corse of 2 days.

Step 12: Attaching the Hinge

With the finish dry its time to attach the hinge. I cut the hing of a larger length of piano hinge. Dont forget to pre drill the holes to prevent striping the heads of the screws. The use tape to hold the hinge wile screwing the screws in.