# making a box with thin wood



## itgiawa (Jan 1, 2016)

I'm making a box for 100 magic cards in thin sleeves. 

I want to use thin wood to keep the depth as small as possible so the box can fit in my pocket. 

I don't mind if the box is wide or tall however, so in those areas I think I can use thicker wood to add some strength. 

I've attached a sketch and prototype pic.

I've never done wood working before and the only tools I have are a wood saw, wood file, wood glue, clamps, and a moto tool.

My questions are:

1) Can you think of a better design? 

2) What kind of wood should I use for the thin part? Is 1/8th of an inch thick enough to not break? 

3) What kind of join should I use to join the thin wood to the thick wood? 

4) I was thinking of using the same thick wood on the bottom of the box. What kind of join should I use on that? I have no idea how to cut a 45 % angle for a miter join...

5) Will I need a new tool for the sliding lid? I'm not sure how to cut it...

6) Is there anything I should read about woodworking before I get started? 

Thanks!


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Take a look in the hardware store at what is called "door-skin". Usually a rotary cut veneer of 3 plys of mahogany, used to make interior doors in houses for strange sizes like closet doors.

With 1/2" "drawer-side" for the sides, I've used door skin to make some wood carving tool boxes that turned out better than I expected.


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## Pcride (Jun 4, 2012)

If you have a planer, plane down some Purple Heart. It should be really strong at 1/16" . The problem you'll have is trying to glue it up.


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## todd.carpenter (Oct 6, 2015)

Hmm... Since it's so small and you're new to woodworking, and you have a need for thin wood, I'd be tempted to use plywood from your local hobby shop. You can get as thin 1/64" plywood (too thin for what you need to do probably) but you can get it in small quantities and experiment a bit. This will allow you to "fine tune" your design as well to find what works best for your skill level.

HTH


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

I second heading to the hobby store for their thin ply. Possibly make the sides a bit thicker so you have more surface to glue to.


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## B&O Craftsman (Mar 2, 2016)

I always try to avoid using hinges but you could always do that if you don't feel comfortable making the sliding door.


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