How to build a wooden toy box

Tips, instructions and design plans for building a wooden toy box yourself.

f you have at least one child, then you need a wooden toybox. A toybox is an efficient way to organize your son or daughter's toys so they don't end up cluttering up their bedroom floor.

There are many different types and styles of toyboxes on the market today. You can easily build a wooden receptacle yourself, though. By building it yourself, you can decide on its size, as well as its design.

The simple tools you'll need for this project include a measuring tape, an electric saw, a hammer, and a screwdriver.

The materials you'll need include Pine wood, nails or wood screws, four wheels or casters, a pair of metal hinges, a pair of metal handles, and a lid holder.

A soft wood such as Pine will work well for a toybox. Pine is relatively light, yet sturdy enough to hold the largest of toys. (The wood can be anywhere from a quarter of an inch to a half of an inch thick.) If you want to build a receptacle that measures, let's say, three feet long, and is eighteen inches wide, and a foot a half deep, then you'll need four pieces of measured and cut wood. The two side pieces will need to be three feet long and measure eighteen inches wide. And the end pieces will need to measure

eighteen by eighteen inches. (Remember, you can make the receptacle as long and as wide as you wish.)

These four Pine boards will be the body of the toybox. You should assemble them together by using either nails or wood screws.

Then, measure and cut two more pieces of wood for the top lid and the bottom. Fasten the bottom board onto the body of the toybox by using additional nails or screws; set the lid aside for now.

Most toyboxes that you can buy don't have these, but wheels or casters on the bottom make moving it around much easier. So, the next step is to secure four wheels or casters on the bottom of the receptacle, one at each corner. Use a screwdriver and the included hardware to fasten them on.

Now, carefully flip the toybox so it's right side up on the floor again. Attach the lid to the top of the box by using a pair of metal hinges and the hardware that's included with them.

Then, attach the metal handles - one to each side - by using a screwdriver and the hardware that comes with the handles.

Before you start on the final step of this project, you'll need to add two very special safety features to this receptacle. You'll need to add a lid holder and a finger saver. A lid holder is a long metal piece that slides up and down. It's connected at each end to the lid of the toybox and to the inside body of the receptacle. You'll need the included hardware and a screwdriver to install it. A lid holder locks the lid open so it can't fall down and hurt your child.

You can make a simple finger saver yourself by cutting a small chunk of wood that measures about an inch square. Position it inside of the receptacle, along the front corner, so that it extends slightly above the side. Secure it into place with a wood screw. Now, if the lid happens to slam shut, it won't shut completely. This means that your son or daughter won't get their fingers pinched!

Finally, sand down the rough edges of the Pine wood, then either paint or stain the wooden toybox to your liking.