I want to build a wooden box

[super_cub]

I'd like to try build a small wooden box as pictured. I've never done woodworking before and would like advice on what equipment I need, what sort of timber to use (thickness + type). It will be my first project so any advice is appreciated.

[MitchellMc · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @super_cub. It's great to have you join us, and many thanks for your question.

Is there any functionality to those internal shelves? Are they drawers or just steps to display items on? It's also a little hard to gauge the size of this project. Did you have any dimensions of the size you'd like to achieve?

I'd suggest using relatively soft timber for your first woodworking project, like pine. I assume this is quite a small box using the seedpod as a reference. You might like to use 12mm thick Pine boards for the construction. You could use 140 x 12mm 1.2m Standard and Better Pine DAR for the exterior framing boards and then a combination of 90mm, 65mm and 40mm timber for the shelves.

You would need a hand saw or circular saw to cut the timber to length. A cordless drill would come in handy to fix the screws in place. It would also be a great idea to glue the joints together with PVA glue.

I've included some illustrations below of how the unit and shelves could be created.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[super_cub]

Hi @MitchellMc 

The functionality for the internal shelves are for displaying items, the dimensions that I want to achieve is about a size of a shoebox or something smaller than 30cm.

That is an amazing illustration, what program did you use?

I was going to use pine but I have some 9mm plywood boards at home, will they be sturdy enough?

Also can you recommend a stain that I can use over my ply board once I finish building.

Thanks for your assistance.

[MitchellMc]

Thanks for the additional detail, @super_cub.

I've used a free online program called Tinkercad. It's straightforward to use and doesn't have a steep learning curve. It's great for basic drawings like this or even more complicated ones like the sandpit I've used it for below. Give it a try; I'm sure you'll love it.

9mm plywood would be sturdy enough for this project. You'll need to use some fairly fine screws when fixing into its 9mm thickness. Alternatively, you could join the boards with PVA glue and pin style nails.

Stain choice comes down to your colour preference and the colour of the plywood you have. Your inspiration image looks like it has no stain on it and just a clear coat. You might like to check out the Cabot's colour visualiser for an idea of what stains to use.

Keep the questions coming. We're here to help.

Mitchell