Isn't it beautiful? In a way only something made from scrap wood in less than an hour can be?

For the longest time, what I used for a garbage bin in my room was a plain old cardboard box, about the same size as this, which worked for a surprisingly long time. Anyway, I finally got fed up with the tackiness of it, and tossed it contents and all, and hit the shop. My goal was to make a nice, tough, box that I can use for years to come, out of some of the wood that's been sitting around for way too long.

Once again, I wouldn't expect anyone to actually copy this design, I just want to show off how I do things.

Step 1: Materials

Boards! Lots of boards! I didn't take a picture of them before I cut them, but you can imagine a stack of mis-sized boards. I believe they ended being about 20 inches long, all 10 of 'em.

As for fasteners, I used small and medium sized hex screws, 32 or so screws total.

And tools, I used a Slide Saw and a cordless Screwgun, but I'm sure you could get away with hand saws and a hammer and nails.

I think I used a bit of sandpaper on the edges, but that's completely optional, as well as stain or finish(I obviously didn't use any).

Step 2: Making the Sides

I didn't really have a plan for the whole thing, I kind of just figured I'd start with the two sides, and then attach them. So for this side, I laid down three, and set two to simulate the other sides. I then measured in between the two standing boards to see how long a support piece would have to be.

It came out to be about 8.5", so I went and grabbed a few pieces of what I think was poplar, and cut them up. See, when I'm cutting multiple of a length, I only measure the first one. After that, I use the first as a guide by setting it on top of the next one and lining up the backs, and putting it up to the blade, so it comes out the exact same length. My old Woodshop teacher said that all the boards being the same length is much more important than them being the right length, so this is my interpretation....

Next step is simple enough, get a bit that is smaller than the screw but not too tiny, drill a pilot hole, and attach the support pieces. I never bother with countersinks, and I pretty much eyeballed where to drill the holes.

Step 3: The Other Sides

Now that you have two sides complete, you just have to attach them, and form the other two sides at the same time. In this picture, they are just standing up.

I guess I didn't get another picture of this step, but it's really simple. Just attach these other two boards to the support pieces with a screw in each corner of the new sides.

Step 4: The Bottom

After I got the last of the boards thrown on, I figured I'd find something for the bottom. I happened to find a piece of plywood that was the same width of my box, which was kind of lucky. It ended up needing to be about 10.5" x 10", so I just marked and cut it off on the slide saw.

I also didn't get a picture of me attaching the bottom, but I think I just put a screw in each corner. Pilot, screw, you know the drill(hehe).

Step 5: Securing the Top

The last pieces to be added are two more support boards. This will hold together the tops of the secondary sides.

Again, I measured, marked, cut, piloted, and screwed these into place while holding the board together.

Well, if you want, you're done. Like I said, I merely touched up the corners with some rough sanding paper, but that's it. I did not want to stain or finish it in any way. The end product is probably the sturdiest wooden trash box in existence, and quite heavy for it's size, but I like it. The burn/cut marks from the saw actually make a pretty cool effect; I wish I had turned all the boards so they were facing the right way all the way around.

Step 6: The Final Resting Place

Now I have this awesome, sturdy, and fashionable new box to stuff my garbage into because I'm too lazy to get up and throw it away somewhere else. This is right behind where I sit, so it's really handy.

Well then, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. I know I'm a pretty novice woodworker and craftsman, so I'd love some constructive criticism on this.