Hi

I want to make a box that can be easily taken apart and put back together again.

Any ideas about ways to make these kind of joins? Double points for anyone who suggests a way to do it that doesn't show on the outside of the box (eg that doesn't involve screws etc that would be seen from the outside, if that's possible).

Please bare in mind I'm no expert - far from it. When I make things I get the wood cut to size at the store so all I have to do is join it all together at home. Usually I use MDF and just glue it (or a combination of glue and screws depending on how strong it needs to be), because that's easy and I know how to do it and I don't have to buy extra tools. But any suggestions for other ways and better materials are welcome - unless it involves me having to cut stuff myself as that's not something I'm able to do.

If you need more specific info from me about this project before offering suggestions, please ask.

Any ideas you have will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thanks

Not sure this is the answer you're looking for but have you looked at Chinese Puzzle Boxes. They don't normally come fully apart but one could probably be redesigned to accomplish this.

But the accuracy of the work is phenomenal.

Here's a couple of links to start you off;

Puzzle Box

Japanese Puzzle Box

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Interesting, but I think they would be far too difficult for me to make.

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of ikea/flat packed furniture.

G'day Y'all,
If you dovetail all the sides they will stay together until you knock them apart. Then you can snap them back into place.
This is probably beyond your capabilities now but some practice with scrap wood and a hand saw would eventually get you there.
There are lots of tutorials on the net on how to do this.
Regards
Joe

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Dovetails would be okay but it depends on how often you want to take the box apart and put it back together, the more you do it of course,, the more loose the joints become. maybe a sliding dovetail joint would be more suitable if it could be implemented in some way.

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Cheers John

A lot depends on the size of 'box' you are thinking of. If its something the size of a blanket/toy box that just needs to knock down flat, that a look at this link:

Break down panel chests

I've fiddled around with the cut list a bit & you can get 2 ~80cm long chests, ~45 high and deep from one sheet of plywood and several yards of 70 & 90mm DAR pine. If that's what you are after, PM me & I'll se if I can find my cut list & sketch plans.

best I can suggest is hinges and catches mounted on the inside

but why does the box need to come apart? and how often
this may guide some answers and suggest if knock-down fittings can work for you

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regards from Sydney

ian

Thanks everyone. This has been really helpful. The hinge idea is a great one. I didn't think it would be strong enough, but am encouraged by the link brslee supplied. I will see if I can make it work for what I'm trying to do.

At the moment the box I am thinking of will be about 140x60x50cm, but I also plan to make more in the future, possibly larger.

They are for an art project so essentially I need them to be able to be stored flat and assembled when needed. Not sure how often that will be, so I'm not sure if dovetail joints would be best. I might do some more research into them before writing them off though. Probably above my skill level at the moment, but will keep in mind for the future.

are you talking about boxs to move items of art around the country side?

If so, probably none of the options above are suitable. You might find the traditional box construction of using a sheathed wooden frame held together with bolts cheaper to make and more convenient to assemble.

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regards from Sydney

ian

The way I see it, dovetails or fingerjoints would give the most strength - as well as looking good - to the assembled box.

Of course, if the box is dis-/re-assembled frequently then these joints will be subject to wear, increasing sloppiness and "likelihood of falling apart."

But this will stay true, no matter what methods you use and all you can do is design to mitigate the possible problems. eg. sliding dovies may not fall "out" but will still become sloppy.

One method I'd like to try is 'pinned' joints. ie. make a dovetail/finger-jointed box, then very, very carefully drill down through each corner so a 'pin' or wooden peg or length of wire could then be inserted down through the height of the joint, 'sewing' it together. The 'head' of the pin would be hidden when the lid of the box is closed.

If the walls are too thin to drill, then the same method could be used on what would otherwise be a gusset glued to each inside corner.

Hope that makes sense. At least I know what I'm talking about...

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