Introduction: Storage Picture

This storage picture is really easy to make and also possible as project for children. It's made out of poplar plywood with a strength of 3 mm. I bought the plywood already sawed into A3 pieces, thats easier to handle. Based on your preference a the style of your wood, you can also coat your finished picture with glaze.

Step 1: Supplies

Before you start your project, make sure you have all necessary supplies you need.

  • 3 poplar plywood sheet (A3, strength 3 mm)
  • a pencil
  • a rubber
  • a retsaw
  • fine-grained sandpaper
  • a set square (triangle)
  • a brush
  • glaze, in the colour you like
  • waterproof wood glue
  • 4 screw clamps

Now you have different opportunities, what you want to store in your picture. Above a desk you can use it to store pencils and other pens, beside your door you can put scarfs, keys or caps inside. It's up to your creativity how you create your storage picture, what to add and what to change.
Because I really need more plants in my living room, I show you a storage picture with plants. These I put into some used Tetrapaks, which I cuted with a stanley knife. This way I have a good space to grow my plants and I'm able to upcycle some trash.

Step 2: Measure Out and Draw Your Parts

Because I wanted to plant my plants into a tetrapak, I took the measures for my pieces.
You need three different ones for the boxes. I draw the exact pieces from below onto my plywood sheets, for this I used the pencil and the set square. Because I wanted to use as much wood as possible, I planned the drawing carefully.

Part 1: Bottom

For the bottom I took 7,5 x 7,5 cm, thats exactly the bottom of a tetrapak.This way I'm able to cover the front side with another piece and you can't see the margins.
I wanted four boxes, thats a good number for an A3 plywood sheet, so I needed 4 bottom-pieces.

Part 2: Sides

For the sides I took again the height and the width of the tetrapak. For mine I choose a height of 10 cm and I added 3 mm for the covering of the bottom (the plywood is 3 mm thick). The width is again 7,5 cm. So this part is 10,3 x 7,5 cm.
To build a box you need 2 for each box, so 8 pieces of this one for 4 boxes.


Part 3: Cover

The cover-piece is in the front and on the backside of your box. You don't have to cut out a backside, I desided to do so because it's more stabilized and you can glue it much easier onto your picture. The height is the same as for the Sides because I also want to cover the bottom part. The width instead is now 8,1 cm. This is because I want to cover also the measures of the side-pieces and each one is 3 mm thick. So I have to add 6 mm, 3 for each side.
So this part has a total size of 10,3 x 8,1 cm.
To build 4 boxes you need again 8 pieces, if you want the front and back part.

As I said in the beginning you can vary your boxes as you like and need them.

Part 4: Stabilizer

To get exact boxes I would highly recommend to create at least 4 more bottom-pieces to stabilize your box later when you glue the pieces together.

Step 3: Cut Out Your Pieces and Sand Them

Cut out the pieces with your fretsaw, be careful to stay on the lines you draw, maby you need some, who helps you holding the wood while you saw.

After you cut all pieces out you should have:

  • 4 bottom-pieces (+ min. 4 to stabilize the boxes)
  • 8 side-pieces
  • 8 cover-pieces

Clean your pieces and sand them!

Step 4: Glue the Sides Onto the Bottom

Put some wood glue on the bottom and stick the side-piece onto it. The set square helps you to get a right angle.

Do the same on the other side an put a bottom-piece in between. Hold the pieces together with a screw clamp.
You repeat this step on the other parts as well, depending on your amount of screw clamps and space, maby you have to do them step by step.

Let the wood glue dry for some hours or over night, then you can put the screw clamps away, but leave the bottom-piece at its place for the next step!

Step 5: Glue the Cover-pieces Onto the Box

Glue the front and the back part onto the sides and the bottom. Maby you need a second stabilization piece or you change the one inside to the new sides. Fix the box again with the screw clamp, maby you need two now. One in the middle and one at the bottom.

Repeat this step for all four boxes and let the glue dry again over night.

Step 6: Fix Your Boxes on the Picture

Clean the boxes again and choose which cover-piece you want at the front side. Befor you glue the pieces together think how you want all your pieces organised on the picture!

Put some wood glue on the back an put in onto the picture. Put something heavy on the top, but be careful not to get the boxes out of place. Let the picture dry over night.

Step 7: Finish

Now you finish your storage picture. You can paint it the way you like or paint some glaze onto it You can screw it on the wall or just place it on a table.

Be creative and build your own storage picture!

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