Build your own minimalist storage boxes: Practical and stylish

There is a basket of vegetables, a chopping board with cheese and several wooden storage boxes on a kitchen counter. — Look great in any kitchen: Minimalist, wooden storage boxes.

Difficulty

medium
Cost

20-40 €
Duration

3-4 h

Introduction

Anything that keeps food fresh for longer is always a good idea. But conventional plastic boxes often don't look very impressive. How about a stylish and more sustainable alternative? Minimalist, wooden storage boxes look sophisticated in any kitchen and are extremely practical. We explain how to build them in just a few steps.

Have you discovered our 18-volt system yet? It incorporates lots of tools for a wide range of applications. What makes it special, as demonstrated in this project, You can complete all applications using the same battery every time. Simply pull out the battery pack, insert it into another tool from the system and you can get straight on with the next step of your project.

Of course, with every step you must pay particular attention to your safety and take certain precautions to keep safe. See our safety-precautions for the appropriate protective clothing for all applications.

You need

Tools

Utilities

pencil
g-clamps
Metre rule or set square
glue
masking tape / adhesive tape
wooden board to place underneath

Materials

1 pine strip; 80 x 13 x 2000 mm
3 pine grooved strips; 12 x 12 x 1000 mm (groove: 4 x 4 mm)
1 pine plywood panel (width: 4 mm); 100 x 200 mm (woodcut)
2 plexiglass panels (darker colour); 156 x 3 x 247 mm
8 wood screws; 3.5 x 30 mm
1 name plate + 2 screws

L: Length, W: Width, H: Height, D: Diameter

Step 1 5

Cutting wood to size

Use a NanoBlade saw to trim a wooden slat. — A jigsaw can also be used as an alternative.

You need: NanoBlade saw, pencil, g-clamps, pocket rule, 1 pine strip; 80 x 13 x 2000 mm, 3 pine grooved strips; 12 x 12 x 1000 mm (groove: 4 x 4 mm), 1 pine plywood panel (width: 4 mm); 100 x 200 mm (woodcut)

First, slowly and precisely trim the pine strip (80 x 13 x 2000 mm) to the following lengths for your chosen box size:

S – 1 x 200 mm (base), 2 x 179 mm (side panels)

M – 1 x 200 mm (base), 2 x 219 mm (side panels)

L – 1 x 200 mm (base), 2 x 269 mm (side panels)

Then cut the three grooved strips to size (grooves with an elongated notch: 12 x 12 x 1000 mm) according to the same principle:

S – 2 x 200 mm (lid), 4 x 174 mm (base + lid), 4 x 151 mm (side panels)

M – 2 x 200 mm (lid), 4 x 174 mm (base + lid), 4 x 191 mm (side panels)

L – 2 x 200 mm (lid), 4 x 174 mm (base + lid), 4 x 241 mm (side panels)

You must now also trim the plywood panel to 64 x 200 mm in size.

Always use two screw clamps to secure all strips and panels when cutting them to size.

Step 2 5

Drilling holes

Use a cordless combi drill to drill holes into a wooden board. — Place a board underneath the working surface to secure it and for splinter-free drilling.

You need: Cordless combi drill, Brad point drill bits, HSS countersink bit, g-clamps, pencil, pocket rule, wooden board to place underneath, Wooden panels and grooved strips from step 1

Then mark the positions of the drill holes in all four corners of the base plate (80 x 200 x 13 mm). The lateral distance between the short and long side of the wooden board should be 5 mm. Then use a 3 mm wood drill bit to drill the holes. To make sure that the screw head fits the holes perfectly, you should simply re-drill the holes with a countersunk drill bit.

Repeat this step with the two grooved strips (12 x 200 x 12 mm). To ensure that you do not drill through the groove, you should position the grooved strips so that the groove faces to the side.

Step 3 5

Cutting and gluing

Use a multitool to cut off a piece of wood. — This step works best with a multitool.

You need: Multifunction tool, pencil, g-clamps, Metre rule or set square, glue, masking tape / adhesive tape, Previously machined wooden pieces

On the side panels you have already cut, mark a recess of 4 mm in height and 12 mm in width at one of the top ends of each panel. It is then best to use a multifunction tool with the appropriate saw attachment to cut out the recess cleanly. Accuracy is all-important here.
Then glue the grooved strips to the centre of the side strip edges. The groove should face upwards.

For the base plate, repeat the steps as outlined for the side panels.

For the lid, you must glue the 2 x 200 mm grooved strips together with the 174 mm grooved strips. The groove on the longer strip should face to the side. The groove on the shorter strip should face upwards. These grooves act as a guide rail for the disc parts to be inserted.

You should secure the individual parts with adhesive tape while the glue is drying.

Step 4 5

Screwing the box together

Use a cordless combi drill to drill a hole into a workpiece. — You can prevent the wood from splintering by pre-drilling.

You need: Cordless combi drill, Suitable bit set, Brad point drill bits, g-clamps, Workpieces from step 3, 2 plexiglass panels (darker colour); 156 x 3 x 247 mm, 8 wood screws; 3.5 x 30 mm

Once the glue has dried (follow the manufacturer's specifications), combine the individual parts together correctly. The ends of the side panels without a recess are connected to the base. The grooved strips that have been glued together are connected to the side with the recesses.

You should therefore first screw the base plate to the side strips. Before doing this, you should pre-drill with a 3 mm wood drill bit in order to prevent the wood from splintering.

Then insert the plexiglass panels in the colour of your choice from above into the shell that has been screwed together. Also fit the grooved strips that have been glued together to make a lid (make sure that the groove faces inwards).
Then pre-drill again with a 3 mm wood drill bit and screw each side together gradually.

Step 5 5

Sanding and completing

Use a cordless multi-sander to sand down the wooden box. — You should continue to clamp your workpiece securely when sanding it

You need: Multi-sander, Sanding Sheet Set 6 Pieces, g-clamps, Shell that has been screwed together from step 4, 1 name plate + 2 screws

To produce beautiful and clean edges, you should then resand the edges and screwed corners of the shell using a sanding sheet with 120 grit. Finally, sand the plywood panel (64 x 200 mm) until it fits perfectly into the corresponding grooves as a sliding lid. You should still proceed with caution in order to ensure a perfect fit.

If you so wish, you can also screw on a name plate at a location of your choice. You have now finished building a practical storage box that is an eye-catching addition to any kitchen!

Tip

If gaps have appeared between the individual wood pieces, apply a little bit of glue during the sanding process and discreetly resand them. The sanding dust will mix with the glue and therefore fill the gaps.