Boxes made of cardboard and fabric. Boxes of unwanted books. Box of postcards

A handmade gift has always been considered the best. A paper box will be an original gift for any holiday that everyone will like. After all, every woman or little girl has a bunch of little things that need to be put somewhere. In addition, such a box can be an interesting piece of decor.

DIY classic paper box

At first glance, it may seem that making a box is a complex process. But in fact, creating such a casket is very easy. In stores you can find a large number of materials for needlework. But if you wish, you can make a box from improvised means.

For manufacturing you will need:

• cardboard of two types (dense and thinner);
• fleece;
• decor;
• glue;
• scissors;
• fabric of one or more types (optional);
• scotch;
• clamps;
• ruler;
• pencil.

First of all, you need to make a cut. From thick and thin cardboard, two parts are cut out with dimensions of 13 * 7 cm and 19 * 7 cm. Then two parts from thin cardboard measuring 19 * 13 cm and two parts 20 * 14 from thick cardboard. After that, one piece is cut out of thick cardboard 20 * 7 cm and thin - 19 * 7 cm.

After cutting, a fleece 20*36 cm in size must be glued to the parts with dimensions 20*7 and 20*14. The parts must be laid in such a way that the element 20*7 is in the middle, and there is a distance of 0.5 cm between all the parts. Then the resulting part lay on the fabric and make a small allowance on all sides. Allowances are folded and glued to cardboard. This will be the lid of the box. If desired, you can sew on a button that will serve as a lock, and decorate the lid with other decorative elements.

Now you need a piece of thin cardboard measuring 19 * 7. It is also covered with fabric, but the allowances are glued only on the short sides. This element is glued in the middle of the workpiece to the cardboard. The same is done with a piece 19 * 13 made of thin cardboard (in this case, all allowances are sealed). The part is glued next to the 19 * 7 element.

The next step is to make boxes. To do this, take parts from thin cardboard with dimensions of 19 * 7, 13 * 7 and 19 * 13.

Then glue the joints with adhesive tape. The resulting part is cut out of fleece and covered with fabric. The seam lines are additionally sewn on a sewing machine, after which the sides are folded so that the fabric base is inside. This design is wrapped with tape. Thus, the inside of the box turned out. It remains to sheathe it with a cloth and attach the lid.

To do this, you need to take the remaining elements from hard cardboard, duplicate it with fleece and cover it with a cloth. On long slats, the short sides do not bend. Then these long strips are glued to the box received earlier (clips are needed here). After glued short.

The last step is to glue the lid and insert an elastic band that will serve as a lock.

DIY paper box in the shape of a heart

Such a box is very easy to make, spending a minimum of time. To create this casket, you will need thick cardboard, glue, scissors and decorative elements.

First, 2 hearts of the same size and 2 wide rectangular strips are cut out of cardboard. One side is decorated with cloves. With their help, the strips are glued to the heart. Then the resulting sides are glued together. Next, glue two ribbons to the box and to the lid. After that, the inner and outer sides are pasted over with decorative paper. Decor can be anything. Here the flight of fancy is unlimited.

Unusual origami box

If there is no desire to glue something, you can use the original method of creating a paper box using the origami technique. In order to make such a miracle, you only need 10 square sheets of paper and a little skill. Acting according to the indicated scheme, you can easily assemble a pentagonal box.

Step 1. The sheet is folded along one diagonal, straightened and folded along the other. Then the sheet is turned over and the lower corner is folded to the previously obtained diagonal. The sheet is turned over again, leaving the corner at the bottom. The lower part is again folded in half so that the corner is outside. Next, raise the lower corner to the middle (now it will be slightly higher than the diagonal), bend the left corner to the left side of the resulting triangle and bend the right side from the upper corner to the lower right corner of the triangle. Then the protruding piece is folded over. Then the right side is hidden behind the central triangle. After that, the entire structure is bent in half, combining the lower right corner with the left. The top corner is folded in half.

Step 2. Now the resulting structure is unbent, canceling the last two steps. The entire module is rotated 180°. According to the obtained folds, an angle is formed and a fold is laid.

Thus, you can create with your own hands an original gift or gift wrapping that can please and surprise anyone.

Video on the topic of the article

There are many ways to make boxes from scrap materials for storing small items, jewelry or gift wrapping. One of the most popular and affordable materials is cardboard. A cardboard box can be of any shape and with any decor. Any beginner can do such a craft with his own hands, it does not take much time.

We make a simple rectangular cardboard box with our own hands

We cut out the cardboard pattern according to the diagram, which can be seen below. Choose sizes depending on the purpose of the box. A small box is suitable for jewelry, and a larger one, for example, for needlework.

After the workpiece is cut, proceed to the assembly. We will analyze the manufacture of the box step by step.

• We bend the cardboard along the lines.
• We glue all the joints. It is better to choose high-quality instant glue or PVA. In addition, a good option would be to glue the parts with tape.
• The cardboard base must be decorated with wrapping or other decorative paper. You can use clippings of beautiful wallpapers.
• When cutting paper, be sure to leave allowances for the hem.
• We wrap the paper and glue it first to the inside of the box. We paste over the inner walls and bottom with another paper.
• We decorate the box to your taste with any paper elements, flowers, lace, beads and beads, etc.

In the shape of a heart.

This beautiful and romantic little thing can also be made very quickly from improvised materials.

Let's analyze the work in detail:

• From thick paper or cardboard, cut out two blanks in the shape of a heart.
• We also cut out 2 rectangles for the side walls. One of the sides will be with "teeth" for gluing.
• For assembly we use instant glue, it is the most durable. Glue both rectangles.
• Glue the second heart from the bottom, closing the teeth.
• Decorate the box. Imitation of lace will look good.
• In the same way, we make the lid of the box.
• We complement the work with decor in a romantic style - beads, flowers, butterflies, etc.

From cardboard and fabric:

To make the box you will need:

• Details from thick binding cardboard, 8 pieces: two each 16x4cm, 17x11.5cm and 10.8x4cm, one each 16x11cm, 17x3cm.
• Piece of fabric 30x60 cm.
• Details from synthetic winterizer with dimensions: 40x4cm, 17x11.5cm, 17x3cm.
• Decorative scrap paper 30x30 cm.
• Lace strip 30x2(3) cm.
• Decor elements to your taste.
• Glue "moment" quickly drying.
• Ruler and pencil.

Let's get to work on the piece.

Our master class begins with the manufacture of the base. We glue the parts for the walls to the bottom. Lubricate the lower ends of each part with glue, apply, align and press well for a few seconds. If the glue is good, it sets quickly. Small inconsistencies will be covered with cloth and paper.

While the craft is drying, prepare the base paper and fabric. If the scrapbook is with a pattern, we take into account its future location when cutting out the details. We work according to these schemes:

Before gluing any parts, be sure to try them on, at this stage errors can be corrected.

The most accurate way is to cut with a clerical knife and an iron ruler.

It is tedious to draw along the fold lines with a non-writing rod or stick, this facilitates bending.

The fabric should be slightly wetted and ironed, straightening all possible wrinkles. Cut out the details: 7x56 cm and 23x33 cm.

On the side surface of the box from 3 sides (excluding one long one) we glue the padding polyester. You don't need a lot of glue here, a few drops or double-sided tape is enough.

Glue a narrow long strip of fabric on top. We start from the middle of the back side. This will require more glue.

Without pulling the strip too much, we lay it around the entire perimeter, the ends should converge exactly at the back. A few drops of glue can be applied to the synthetic winterizer. A slight overhang is more of a plus than a minus. Glue the second half of the strip on the back.

We fix the edges of the fabric. First, turning the work over, we glue the protruding parts onto the bottom. Glue the long sides first, then the short sides. The bottom will be closed, so you can apply a lot of glue.

Before bending the fabric from above, we cut it with scissors at all corners, not reaching 1-2 mm to the edge of the cardboard. We also glue the long parts first, then the short parts.

We paste over the inner surface with scrap paper, having previously tried it on. First, we glue the strips on the short walls, then on the long ones, and lastly on the bottom. The base of the box is ready.

We are working on the cover. We glue the synthetic winterizer to the back side and top (cover) walls. We lay out the workpiece on a piece of fabric.

We leave a gap of 6-7 mm between the parts. Turn over, leaving the padding underneath. We fix the corners by gluing them to the base. After that, glue the long and short sides. The cover is ready. You can sample it.

Let's start decorating the box. We glue the lace ties, marking directly on the cardboard, a frame (or other selected decoration) on the lid.

We pull the threads inward and tie, fix with tape. We glue the last piece of scrap paper by swiping the handle of the scissors along the fold. We carefully glue the edges.

We glue the base of the box and the cover, applying glue to the bottom. Pay attention to how the back wall lays down. After the bottom dries, glue the side part.

Video on the topic of the article

For those who want to disassemble the manufacture of boxes more clearly and draw new ideas for creativity, we have prepared a selection of video master classes:

Do-it-yourself cardboard jewelry box is very easy to make, and its manufacture does not require financial costs. Many people have wrapping paper, pieces of lace, beads and other similar materials lying around at home, which it is a pity to throw away. And you don’t need to throw it away - you can give them a second life by creating cheaply an exclusive item for storing useful little things.

Cardboard box with compartments for small items

There are many options for home-made boxes, so let's focus on popular models and consider decoupage ideas.

Popular Ideas

With the help of a master class, you can step by step make a specific model of the box. But not always at home there are all the necessary materials, so let's look at how to make the base for the box, and the main ideas for decoration. And then the master can create independently, based on his imagination.

Despite the variety of forms, all models can be divided into three groups:

• Box. Looks like a box with a lid. Inside there is one or more compartments where you can store jewelry or other useful little things.
• Komodik. A small box with drawers, reminiscent of a chest of drawers.
• Figure thing. It can be made in the form of a flower, heart or have any other shape.

box

Simple rectangular model is convenient to use

Making rectangular or square cardboard boxes is the easiest option. The big plus is that you can make such a little thing already from an existing candy cardboard box, having completed only the exterior finish. But you can make a box yourself. This will require:

• a sheet of thick cardboard;
• scotch;
• PVA glue;
• pencil;
• ruler;
• scissors.

Before starting work, you need to determine the dimensions and make a drawing:

• from the horizontal edge of the cardboard sheet, the height of the side of the future product is measured and marked with a straight line;
• the same markup is done from the vertical edge;
• from the resulting right angle, the length is laid off in one direction, and the width of the future box in the other (there should be a square or rectangle - this is the bottom of the future product);
• from the other two formed sides of the bottom, the height of the side is deposited.

The finished drawing will look something like this (the size of the side and bottom can be changed as you wish).

Next, the walls of the box are glued together with PVA glue. If the cardboard is too thick, then it is recommended to fasten the structure with tape to avoid ugly thickening. If necessary, inside the box is divided into compartments for storing small items. It is better to attach cardboard jumpers to the walls and bottom with adhesive tape.

The lid is cut equal to the width of the bottom and fixed to one of the sides with an elastic band.

If desired, the lid can be made removable and with sides, according to the scheme proposed above, but at the same time, 0.5 cm must be added to each edge of the bottom on each side to ensure free opening and closing.

Komodik

How to make a jewelry box with drawers, tell the next master class. The manufacturing technique is similar to that described above:

• a rectangular box is made without a lid (its dimensions correspond to the future “chest of drawers”);
• jumpers for drawers are inserted;
• a box is made 0.5-1 cm smaller in size than the compartment made (for ease of extension).

Drawer options look very original

The number of boxes is not limited and depends only on the desire of the master, but it is not recommended to do more than three (the design will look too massive). The most popular option: a simple box for small items is located on top, and at the bottom there are 1-2 drawers for various accessories.

figured design

A do-it-yourself figured box at first glance seems complicated. But in fact, there are no great difficulties in manufacturing, you just need to carefully read the instructions:

The finished product must be decorated. Try making boxes out of cardboard and fabric, or use pieces of wallpaper, kraft paper, self-adhesive film, and other materials for decoration.

A few topical tips:

• If you plan to make a hinged lid on "soft hinges", then the elastic tape must be fixed before decorative pasting.
• When finishing things with light-colored fabrics or transparent paper, it is recommended to paint the outside of the base with white acrylic paint to preserve the color scheme.
• If the drawers of the chest of drawers are finished, then the front part needs to be made a little wider and equipped with a “handle” for ease of extension (the role of a handle can be played by a glued large bead or a loop of a beautiful ribbon).

After pasting the product from the inside and outside, you can do decoupage at your own request. For this, any materials are used: beads, lace or ribbons. Some masters create unique masterpieces from acrylic-coated pasta or toothpicks. You may try:

• weave flowers from ribbons;
• lay out a mosaic of cereals;
• combine different materials.

The proposed recommendations will help to make an original box of the required size and shape from cardboard and improvised means. An original and beautiful product will perfectly decorate the interior and help to conveniently store small items in one place.

A homemade cardboard box is a great way to present a gift to a loved one. It can also be used as a jewelry box or a beautiful "capacity" for storing photos. Today we will tell you how to make such an accessory with your own hands.

We have chosen for you three step-by-step video instructions with which you can easily master the manufacture of this box. The master classes are similar, but each of them talks about boxes that have certain features. The principle of making the base is not much different, so choose the box according to its appearance.

What will we need?

• watercolor paper
• cardboard for the base (you can take the cover from an old book)
• thick paper
• PVA glue
• clothespins
• decor elements

Using watercolor paper is optional, but preferred. The fact is that such paper is perfectly glued to cardboard and has a beautiful appearance. If you don't have one, take a napkin and do it.

Option one: vintage-style cardboard box

This craft would make an amazing gift for a woman of any age. The product looks no worse than an ordinary wooden box.

The manufacturing scheme is quite simple, but the accessory is quite durable. You can add a beautiful “antique” metal decor to the cover to make the box look even more beautiful.

Option two: a box with a lock

A great idea for making a functional beautiful jewelry box.

Inside, you can make additional compartments and partitions to organize its interior space. Such caskets are especially liked by modern girls.

Option three: a box with a key

Such a cardboard box will appeal to those who are going to store some secret papers in it.

Put letters from fans, photos of dear people or just money in the box (why not?).

As you can see, all these ideas are very easy to repeat. You won't spend even an hour making any of these caskets. Unless, of course, you think of too complex decor (for example, decoupage). Try it again - you won't regret it!

A box with a lid and, perhaps, several compartments for storing small items is needed by everyone and everywhere - from the office of a respectable businessman and the boudoir of a professional beauty to the matrimonial bedroom, living room, nursery and kitchen. Making a box with your own hands is a matter of prestige and a touchstone for a craftsman, but it's not just about creative self-expression.

Hobbyists make boxes from a wide variety of materials (see picture), from traditional wood and metal to things like old postcards, packing boxes, beads, yarn, and even... pasta (bottom row in picture).:

A beautiful box can be made, for example. from an adhesive tape reel, see video:

Video: scotch tape box

What's the secret?

Such different caskets in fig. something in common. A seemingly uncomplicated little thing - a box - combines the requirements for the strength and reliability of the base, the quality, durability and durability of the finish, the originality of the design, combined with a subtle style, and therefore traditionally costs a lot of money. 5000 rub. for a good box of the middle price segment, this is still a little, and therefore there are more than enough people who want to make boxes on their own. Well, just a box with a lid, what's in it? But in fact, it turns out that the box is not so easy to make with your own hands. The work of making a box is simple, but painstaking. The key to the most exquisite beauty is a solid foundation. Michelangelo complained that it sometimes takes him longer to find a suitable block of marble than to sculpt a statue. This is in Italy, whose marble is considered the best in the world. Therefore, this article is not sustained in the key: N photos + M video = K ideas, although it is provided with illustrations and video materials, hopefully enough .. And not in the spirit: “We take a tool called scissors in our right hand (a detailed description follows, what is it such, with a classification worthy of Linnaeus according to types, genera and species). In this publication, the emphasis is given, firstly, on how to see the weak points of the design in the conceived product and strengthen them. Secondly, how, without having an art education, you can still make it beautiful and your only one inimitable.

Note: Unfortunately, the article does not consider boxes made of carved stone and forged metal. For their manufacture, in addition to delicate taste, a sharp eye and a faithful hand, complex production equipment and solid skills in using it are required.

Nuance with material

So, we will make a box from what is at hand at home. You may have to think about purchased high-quality material if you are planning a jewelry box made of precious metals with real stones, natural or synthetic (cubic zirconia, garnetite, etc.). Jewelry can be stored in a regular box with several compartments, see below.

What's the matter? First, in the abrasion of the basis of jewelry. Jewelry gold 583 rubs, of course, less than 9999, but still wears out. Therefore, it is impossible to line the jewelry box with any fabric or make it cardboard (see below). Fibers of cellulose, wool, silk and polymers at the nanoscale are a good abrasive.

Second, in the microclimate of the box. It should breathe like a wooden house, and the material of the box should not emit a single bit of harmful fumes. Harmful not to humans, to stones. Insignificant impurities of some organic substances constantly present in the air can spoil the water of even a ruby ​​​​or sapphire, and the color of microporous stones (agate, jasper, turquoise, lapis lazuli, malachite, selenite, etc.) will definitely be affected over time. Silver and its alloys are known to darken in air, and excessive cleaning is also abrasion of the metal.

An amazing coincidence, but the conditions for storing jewelry at home are almost the same as those for ... smoking cigars. If you come across an empty cigar box or cigar box, a humidor is the finished base for your jewelry box. Humidors are made from Spanish cedar, but linden is just as good. Birch is also suitable, although its fibers are harder than lime ones. The tree, of course, should be room-dry (up to 12% humidity), seasoned, without defects.

Note: Siberian cedar as a plant is actually not a cedar (Cedrus sp.), but a cedar pine Pinus sibirica. For a person, furniture made of planks of cedar pine is certainly useful; for jewelry also definitely not.

Cardboard boxes

The cardboard box, of course, will not wait for the grandchildren of the hostess. But she herself is able to serve for many years, and does not require knowledge of carpentry. And most importantly, it will give you the opportunity to feel the work and skills of decoration. A finish that adheres securely to cardboard will be all the more durable and resistant to wood. Suddenly the product did not work out - it's okay, the cardboard is the same.

A cardboard box can look just great (see fig.), And even in appearance it can be almost indistinguishable from one made from a more expensive and difficult-to-work material, see the video:

Video: do-it-yourself cardboard box

Working methods

Cardboard for the manufacture of caskets is used solid, simple, or, better, electrical, and packaging corrugated; the latter is often in the form of finished boxes. The methods of working with them are quite different, but they have in common, firstly, the impregnation of workpieces with a water-polymer emulsion (WPE), which will strengthen the material and make it less hygroscopic. Impregnation is done with a brush in 2-6 steps alternately on both sides. Each time they are not impregnated abundantly, with interruptions so that the cardboard does not become limp, but the WPE should soak it through and through. After impregnation, the workpieces are dried at room temperature for one day.

Second, loop(s) for hanging the lid. These are 2 strips of canvas, or thin hemp burlap, 35-45 mm wide (approx. 5 mm per fold), glued with PVA on both sides of the parts. The outer strip is cut out with wings in the middle; the back wall is made 5 mm lower than the front and sidewalls. After gluing, nylon, silk, propylene, etc. are pulled into the resulting sleeve. slippery cord with a diameter of approx. 4 mm, it will be instead of a hinge. Since the box is not a skirt or pants, the safety pin to which the insert is fastened is pushed into the sleeve with a thin knitting needle. Finally, the wings are folded inward and stitched. You can’t put the insert in advance: if it sticks to at least one part, the cardboard will wrinkle and tear.

And thirdly, the workpieces are impregnated at intervals of 10-30 minutes, without waiting for the complete drying of the previous one. Some skill is needed here, but in the end, a slightly wet workpiece easily bends according to the pattern; you just need to wrap it with PE film so that it does not stick. The workpiece dries through the film for a rather long time, up to 3-4 days, but due to the absence of residual stresses in the material, bent dry in place, the product will turn out to be very durable. It is not necessary to make a template specifically; very often it is possible to get by with improvised means. For example, how the blanks of the sidewalls of the box in the form of a heart are bent with the help of a pair of household dishes without wrapping the blanks with a film, see Fig. on right. Moving and rotating them, we get the desired configuration. It is necessary to bend a couple of strips at once so that the heart does not come out sideways, i.e. containers are high enough. You need to put some weights in them or pour water so that the drying cardboard does not pull the supports. The voids of corrugated board blanks in this case should be oriented vertically.

Note: kanzashi-style heart boxes look very impressive, see video:

Video: kanzashi style box

One piece cardboard

It is easier to work with solid cardboard, because. there is no need to protect the ends of the parts from crushing. There is only one nuance - with electrical cardboard. It is very strong and rigid, but if it was rolled up, it will not work to turn it back into a dry sheet. We'll have to properly impregnate with WPE and dry under pressure between the films; so the electric cardboard can dry for a week or more.

A box made of simple solid cardboard is made in the usual ways in cartoning; see the master class in pictures in the figure:

In this case, pre-impregnation of sheets of material is not used, so the whole work takes a couple of hours at most. But a box made of impregnated and dried cardboard will last much longer, up to 10 years or more.

Note: patterns of 3 original caskets made of solid cardboard are given in fig. below. Bends (wings) for gluing are not conventionally shown, because it is better to glue cardboard boxes in a more aesthetic and reliable way, see below.

Corrugated cardboard

Corrugated cardboard is more difficult to work with. its sections are easily wrinkled, and they fall on the corners of the box and the edge of the lid. Because of this, the assembly technology is changing, ensuring the strength and durability of the product. A round corrugated cardboard box glued with a reinforcing decor can be quite durable, see below, as well as the video:

Video: corrugated cardboard craft box

The greatest difficulties arise in the process of gluing boxes-boxes and complex shapes. Firstly, only the outer layers of parts are stuck with glue, and its entire cake is held on by factory gluing - fragile, because corrugated cardboard is a single-use material. Secondly, the limbs (wings) for gluing are thick and it is difficult to close them with a finish.

Therefore, only a one-time gift box can be glued with adhesive tape (on the left in the figure). The sides to the bottom on the limbs-petals are glued without problems, only if the box is made of solid cardboard. If this is a packaging corrugation, then the petals will have to be broken so that the corner will come out weakened and the box will lead pretty soon. Correctly, a corrugated cardboard box is glued in a way, the basis of which is illustrated on the right in the figure:

1. a bottom sweep with sides is cut out;
2. pasted over with background decor (eg wallpaper) or, better, canvas or jeans. Pasting is done with a twist of 15-20 mm;
3. the joints of the bottom with the sides are cut to half the height of the corrugation;
4. joints are sealed with strips of gauze, calico, calico or other thin cotton fabric;
5. the sides rise, the box is pulled together with a not tight elastic band;
6. internal corners are pasted over as in paragraph 4;
7. after the glue has completely dried, the strapping is removed and a cord is glued into the outer corners on PVA or other non-quick-drying glue. If the reinforcing pasting is decorative, then the decorative cord is taken thicker. If the reinforcing pasting is rough, then a thin cord is glued in, so long as it forms an even angle.

If there is a ready box

The casket from the box is a kind of transitional stage from cardboard to wooden ones, because. a suitable box can be of any material. Appropriate working methods are applied accordingly.

If you come across a wooden box of suitable size, for example, an instrument box, then the point is to cut its height, if necessary, remove unnecessary internal partitions and lodgements, and then decorate as you like and know how (on the left in the figure). But the decor of cardboard boxes (on the right) requires preliminary hardening of the container, because. it is disposable.

To turn a packing box into a box, you need (in the figure from left to right):

• Glue the corners inside and out; best of all with a thin cotton cloth.
• Glue at least one transverse partition.
• Glue a cord along the upper cuts of corrugated cardboard parts - it will be a damper for the lid
• Paste the entire product with reinforcing material.
• If there is a possibility and desire, stick on rigid decorative panels, for example. from carved plywood, see below.

These methods are unequal in terms of the created strength and complexity of the work. Cutting thin plywood stiffeners (item 1 in the figure) is not as difficult as it might seem, see below. Joiner's connections, if they have to be done, are the simplest, because. a cardboard box glued inside will give the entire product sufficient resistance to mechanical stress.

Continuous pasting of a cardboard box with small solid elements: coffee beans (pos. 2), seashells, etc., will give the box no less strong and durable if glued with a thermal gun and covered with acrylic varnish on top. Additional gluing with a decorative fabric (item 3) with layers of furniture foam rubber of brand 35 or more with a thickness of 5-7 mm will make the cardboard box durable if handled carefully, but if it is dropped along with the contents, it will most likely be wrinkled. But gluing little things on cardboard randomly at intervals (pos. 4) will only weaken the product.

Design and decor

It is possible to decorate the box in various ways, suitable for acc. materials. Equally suitable for cardboard and wooden products, it gives wide artistic possibilities, but does not require expensive materials and decoupage is easy to work with. shoebox, see 3-part video below:

Video: shoebox box

Decoupage on wood materials under the stone:

Video: wood box imitating stone

Mini decoupage of corrugated cardboard phone boxes:

Video: box from the phone box

The easiest way to decorate a wooden box is with inlays: this technique also provides extensive expressive possibilities and does not require skills developed by many years of practice, see the video tutorial:

Video: wood box with inlay

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Cut plywood? It's simple

Nowadays, it’s really simple, although through carving on plywood with a jigsaw (artistic sawing) is by no means an easy task. But - ask the surrounding furniture makers, where there is a laser cutting of wood materials nearby. Most likely there is, in small and piece furniture production, laser cutting is now used everywhere.

Then ask the cutters what formats of graphic files they work with (the computer controls the entire installation), and prepare accordingly. file in a linear (not pixel!) scale 1:1. An alternative is to draw a contour on paper, also 1:1. The cutters must have a scanner, they simply cannot work without it. Then you give the workpiece and after a short time you get a slotted panel. With grooves for mounting spikes, if you remember to mark them. The prices for this work are not ruinous.

Pattern? It's simple too

Yes, but how to draw a pattern without being an artist and being a drawing truant in school? Patterns for the walls are usually created by repeating finished elements (leaves, figurines, rosettes) and in the overall design of the casket they have a subordinate meaning. The face of the box is a lid, and its pattern is created from the same ready-made elements according to the kaleidoscope principle, like a paper snowflake.

Cut out 4 identical 90-degree sectors from paper for a square cover, 6 by 60 degrees for a 6-angled one, or 8 by 45 degrees for an 8-angled one. On the same stencil, paint on each damn thing that you cut out. Then fold the sectors with vertices, turning each next 180 degrees along the longitudinal axis. You get something like the one in Fig. on right. That's how the kaleidoscope worked.

Some schemes of patterns of various artistic, but not technological complexity for the covers of plywood boxes (see below) are given as an example in fig. The grooves for the lid latches are marked with red. On the left is a side; in other cases, ribs. Beveled ribs are better: work is easier (no need to match the corners), the ends of the spikes are lost in the overall decor or even complement it, and the lid with ribs never gets stuck.

The pattern on the right is certainly not kaleidoscopic. It is given to illustrate another simple technological technique that allows creating the illusion of weaving on a flat pattern. In places marked dark, the top layer of plywood is not completely selected with a microchisel (see below) and slightly burned with an electric burner (this simple device can be made by hand) to look like a shadow.

Note: The main decoration of a solid, tasteful jewelry box, and many other items is a medallion. How to make a medallion for a box with your own hands, see video

Video: making a medallion for a box

Wood and plywood

The difference between wooden and plywood caskets is that for through carving on planks, approx. 20 mm requires valuable wood of special species, and it is very easy to break the carved parts from it when assembling the product. But both have something more essential in common.

In one of Agatha Christie's novels, either Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple recognize an aristocrat dressed as a commoner by her shoes: she has clean, elegant shoes on her feet in wet weather. As the explanation says, a real lady can get dirty from head to toe, knock down her hair, dress in rags and tatters, but she will never put on dirty worn out shoes. Boxes made of wood and plywood, made by amateurs or experienced craftsmen, have two such “moments of truth”: inserting the lid hinges and connecting the corners of the walls (the side of the lid also, if any).

Cover hinge

The lids of the boxes are hung on ordinary miniature card loops. But due to the small size of the product, the difference, whether the hinge wings are visible or not, is immediately noticeable, see Fig.:

There is a way to cut the hinges of the lid of the box flush both inside and outside, if the thickness of the parts is more than 10-12 mm, and the master has a desktop drilling machine and a microchisel. You can’t find it in stores, but you can make it yourself from a suitable handle and a large sewing “gypsy” needle. The neck of the handle made of wood at the very edge is tightly wrapped with thin wire or a collar is put on the neck from trimming a thin-walled metal tube; This is to keep the handle from cracking. Then they hammer a needle into it and break off its eye. The rest of the eye will be slightly wider than the shaft; it is sharpened on a wedge, like a chisel. They work with a microchisel without a hammer, only by hand.

The hinges of the lid of the box cut into the full pot according to the scheme in fig. on right:

invisible fastener

At the box - a "real lady" all connections should be invisible. A solid wooden box is made of valuable wood, and the material is not completely covered with final finishing. The small size of the box means small conjugate surface areas of the parts and the unreliability of adhesive joints, and the small thickness of the walls makes it impossible to fasten with steel hardware: if the part does not crack immediately, then later, from changes in humidity and temperature. For a novice master, for invisible butt fastening, flat microdowels - dowels remain, and for angular ones, it seems, only a visible connection is a through spike - a groove.

The grooves for the dowels are selected with a microchisel, as described above. Corner joints can be somehow adapted to the overall design (on the left in the figure), or hidden at least partially, in the center. However, there is also a way to make hidden corner joints on thin wood material (right). For it, you will need brackets for a stationery stapler: with a wall thickness of 6 mm, 10 mm, for walls of 8 mm, 12 mm (half-inch), and for thicker walls, brackets of 16-20 mm are needed. Fastener installation step in height 50-70 mm; indents of extreme fasteners from the edges of parts 15-20 mm. Each bracket bites exactly in half. You will also need a foam insert with dimensions exactly equal to the dimensions of the box inside the box.

The method of assembling a drawer of a wooden or plywood box on hidden corner joints is shown in Fig:

• At the ends of the parts, bevels are made at 45 degrees.
• If the box is with partitions, choose the grooves for them.
• The parts are assembled dry without fasteners, tightened with an elastic band and mark the fastening points.
• In the bevels of the walls, nests are pierced with an awl for staples and holes are drilled with the tip of a 1.5-2 mm drill, as shown in pos. 1a fig. Without holes, the folds of the staples will not allow the parts to come together closely.
• A couple of drops of PVA are put into the sockets of any of the short walls and staples are driven into them with light blows of a 20-50 gram hammer, pos. 2.
• Glue is dripped into the mating sockets of the long walls, the mating surfaces are lubricated with glue, and with the same hammer they put the short wall on the long ones, pos. 3.
• In the same way, they put the second short wall, pos. 4.
• Insert the insert, tighten the shell of the box with an elastic band (do not forget to lay a plastic wrap!), pos. 5 and leave the assembly to dry.
• It dried out - the sidewall of the drawer of the wooden box, strong and rigid even without a bottom, is ready.

Note: there is, however, a variety of caskets, for the corners of which a “bare” connection through a spike - a groove is preferable for aesthetic reasons. These are wooden organizer boxes for business people's offices, see drawings in fig. on right. They are not additionally finished in any way, and the visible joinery emphasizes the nobility of the material.

Nuances of materials

A good, solid box made of wood or plywood requires high-quality material and the correct cutting of parts from the board for the manufacture. Especially if the corners are connected in the hidden way described above. The tree species can be any, incl. ordinary battle pine. The orientation of the layers on the side cuts (along which there will be a corner connection) is also insignificant. But - pay attention - the orientation is precisely the annual layers, and not the fibers of the wood! The fibers should go into solid wood approx. perpendicular to the vertical end of the part (marked with green "!" in the figure). And if the texture of the wood shows that the fibers run parallel to the end or obliquely (crossed out in red), the box, fastened flush, will warp and / or crack pretty soon. Given this circumstance, it is necessary to cut out the details from an array or boards.

Nuances of plywood

Plywood products can look amazing, see fig., especially since laser cutting allows you to create the finest knitting on it. Plywood boxes are often left openwork, pos. 1. If the box is intended for small items (pos. 2) or its finish is already very thin (pos. 3), then the product inside is pasted over with cardboard for general strength, see above. In this case, a specially designed slot allows, with a lining, to form curved contours in one plane, pos. 4.

The requirements for the quality of plywood for the box are even stricter than for solid wood. Signs of plywood sorting are shown in fig. below. So, the box is best obtained from plywood IV (!) Grade - with frequent small knots from young branches. After abundant VPE impregnation on both sides, grade IV plywood is equal in strength and moisture resistance to second-rate plywood, which is more than enough for a box; WPE wood does not tint and does not add shine to it. Grade II plywood needs to be tinted with mineral stains before impregnation to emphasize the texture. In this case, strong plywood of the 1st grade is redundant, and after toning it will remain decoratively inexpressive. And grade III plywood with rare individual knots from adult branches will seem clumsy, especially since such knots are very prone to falling out of the core.

If the box is fastened with hidden corner joints on the brackets (see above), then the wood fibers on the vertical sections of the walls should go into the part also perpendicular to the end, as for wood. On the cut, such layers appear darker. At least one pair of veneer lengthwise - veneer across should remain from the points of fastener installation to the faces of the parts. In what places it is possible and not to put hidden fasteners in the cuts and bevels of the details of the plywood box, shown in fig. resp. green "!" and red "X".

secretary box

The original is not a catchy / glamorous appearance, but an extended functionality of a secretary box made of wood or plywood. It is suitable for both children and businessmen of both sexes. Papers and writing materials are placed in the rear elevated part, and anything in the front, usually closed, is everything from favorite toys and love notes to cosmetics, perfumes or a “small gentleman's set”: a flask of cognac, shot glasses, a lemon on a saucer, a deck of playing games. kart.

The device and dimensional drawing of the secretary box are shown in fig. Its details (see below) are not necessarily connected into a spike; hidden corner joints can be used as described above. In this case, the parts are cut to size, and instead of grooves for spikes, bevels are cut

The drawings of the most complex assembly of the secretary box - the flip lid - are given on the trail. rice. It is better to put an acrylic mirror in the lower insert, it is lighter, glued with ordinary mounting glue on wood and does not break. It is possible to do without the top insert at all, then the box can be used as a bureau.

Drawings of the side, rear walls and bottom are shown in fig. The design of the bottom is arbitrary; it can be just a plank, on which the shell is placed on glue and reinforced from under the bottom with small carnations. The other walls are just planks: the front one is 200x70x10 mm (for a tenon-groove connection with spikes and grooves 10x10), and the intermediate one is 186x66.5x10 with smooth edges. The intermediate wall is inserted into the grooves of the side walls.

About chests

In the living room, bedroom and, again, in the nursery, a box-chest will come in handy. These are made of wood in general in the same way as "real" chests, but easier due to the small size, see the plot:

Video: homemade box-chest

However, it is also possible to make a box-chest original not so much in appearance as in essence, and thus valuable and representative. How? For example, by making it from a solid piece of wood:

Video: solid log box

Note: it is better to start experimenting with caskets-chests with cardboard options, see the video:

Video: an example of finishing for a wooden or cardboard box

Non-traditional materials

In conclusion, let us recall the unusual materials for caskets. For example, about beads. In this case, the most utilitarian basis will come in handy: food containers, see fig. The beads strung on a thread are glued to the base with a glue gun. The advantages of this technique: the product is resistant to falling, etc., it is easy to clean inside and small objects do not cling to anything there.

The second, very popular option is a semi-soft heart-shaped box made of yarn for knitting. For craftswomen, in this case, the possibility of rich decoration in the simplest ways is attractive, see fig. below:

And the box-base of the box of threads can be made in just 10 minutes, see the video in conclusion:

Video: a simple box in 10 minutes