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Student Box for Storage in Craft & Design

Personal Storage Box for Student Belongings in the Craft & Design Classroom

Let students create their own individual storage boxes in Craft & Design. These boxes can be used to store all their materials, including work in progress and completed projects throughout the school year. The box can be made from 4th grade and follow the student up to 7th grade, where Craft & Design is a mandatory subject. The box can be personalized with different design elements, and additional details can be added over the years as new techniques are learned.

Techniques and Skills:

Sawing in wood
Hammering nails
Perpendicular box construction
Managing multiple components during assembly
Personalizing a project

Materials Needed for a Student Box:

Approx. 3.70 m of boards, e.g., boards about 95 mm wide
4 pieces of board, each 18.5 cm long and approx. 30 mm thick, for the square corner sections. Use a circular saw for cutting
Wood glue
50 nails

Tools to Use:

Handsaw
Japanese saw
Angle ruler
Pencil
Pyrography pen

Recommendation for 20 Students

In the overview of products and materials available for purchase in the Linå webshop, you can see Ulla’s recommended shopping list for a class of 20 students. In the list, you can adjust quantities or remove specific products if you already have the tools or materials in your workshop. This way, you can quickly get an estimate of the project’s cost.

For this project, it is important that each student has their own saw and hammer.
The Japanese saw can be shared by four students. They only need to saw two pieces with it, but since it cuts along the grain, it takes longer.
The angle ruler can be shared between two students, or possibly three, but not more.
Make sure to have at least two containers of 750 ml wood glue available for the students. There will likely be some glue left over, but one container for twenty students is not ideal.

Time: The time required varies, but expect between 6 and 8 hours plus additional time for decoration.

How to do it:

Step 1

Start by giving the students a common introduction to the storage box and download this paper, which you can hang up in the classroom. The paper contains a short instruction and models for students to measure from.

Every time a student reaches a new step in the process, it is a good idea to gather all students to demonstrate the next step. After that, they can continue working at their own pace. Some students will need help along the way, but this method makes it easier for them to assist each other before asking the teacher.

Step 2

Saw the following boards using a handsaw:
4 pieces of 33.5 cm
3 pieces of 27 cm
4 corner pieces of 18.5 cm
3 bottom slats of about 37 cm. (It may be a good idea to wait to cut these last, as measurements may change slightly during the process.)

Step 3

Now, split one of the 27 cm boards by sawing along the grain with a Japanese saw.

This will give you two narrow pieces that will be used as handles.

Step 4

Take two of the long boards (33.5 cm) and mark with a pencil where the nails should be placed.

2 nails at each end, a total of 8.

Hammer the nails in so that they are secure. They should be slightly visible on the back.

Step 5

Apply glue to two “corner pieces” and place the two boards on top of each other so they align perfectly. Hammer in the nails.

Step 6

Do the same with the other two boards and “corner pieces.” Now you have the sides of the box.

Step 7

Mark where the nails should go on the four end pieces, and hammer them in securely.

Step 8

Fix one side in the workbench and hammer the short end pieces in place so the sides align. Remember to use glue.

Then hammer the other side of the box in place, so three sides are now connected.

Step 9

Repeat steps 7 and 8.

Step 10

Now it's time to make the bottom.

Place a board on the table and put the box on top. IMPORTANT: The sides must align perfectly. Mark with a pencil and cut. Repeat until you have three pieces. Depending on the width of the boards, one may need to be trimmed to fit the bottom. (If you want to avoid trimming, the box can be made wider). We used a Japanese saw for this, as it is well-suited for cutting along the grain.

Step 11

Mark where the nails should go, hammer them in, apply glue to the edges of the bottom, and secure it with a hammer and nails.

Step 12

The box is now complete and can be decorated with the student's name and any other decorations.

Use a pyrography pen to burn the name into the wood.

The DIY guide has been created by teacher Ulla Lindholm