I’ve been keeping my tea in the cardboard box it came in and I thought I needed a classier way store it. Because it’s Boxing Day I figured that is a good excuse to make a simple tea box. My box rests on edge and fits perfectly on my coffee and tea shelf so the replacement needed to fit the same dimensions or at least, close. I designed the box so the inside dimensions matches the outside dimensions of the existing box. And the other criteria was that it had to be fast and easy to build – so not fancy joints or corners, no dados and no rabbets. To make this even easier I use a pin hinge so no cost for hinges and no worries about fit up.

Tools and Materials

The materials you need for the box are a single piece of 6-1/2” x 40” x ¼” Oak, Cherry or Maple, glue and two ¾” brads. You can easily do this project with hand tools, you will need a saw, and a plane. I used a Radial Arm Saw to crosscut, Table Saw to rip, a block plane and an Orbital Sander. Oh, and a hammer

Layout

No big layout for this project. You will need to mark for your crosscuts and that is about it.

Sanding

Totally different than most of these project, we are going to sand first. Why? Because it is easier to sand a single large piece than multiple small pieces. And, this will be a two step sanding process.

First grab your sander and thoroughly sand everything with 220 grit sand paper.

Next, you will want to wet a paper towel and dampen the surface (both sides). This will raise the grain, all those fibers that are not tied down.

Then switch to 320 grit paper and again thoroughly sand. This will give you a super smooth finish and you shouldn’t need to resand after applying lacquer.

Cutting

Now you get to crosscut your pieces. You will need 3 pieces that are 8” long and one piece 6” long. So, mark and crosscut them now.

With that done you will need to rip two 6” pieces 2-1/2” wide and tow 8” pieces 2-1/4” wide.

Finally, you will need to rip the bottom to 5-1/2”. DO NOT rip the top yet.

Box Assembly

Next you will apply glue to the edges and gently clamp the box together.

Adding a Radius to the Lid

To make the pin hinge work you will need to put a 1/8” radius on the hinge edge of the lid. You can do this with a router with a 1/8” Radius Bit or you can take a block plan and knock off and round the corner. I use the blockplane then sanded. By only doing one side the lid will only open to 90 degrees. If you want to to fully open you need to radius the top and bottom of the hinge edge.

At the point you probably need to decide on your handle configuration. I just used a pointed tab that I cut using a jigsaw. You may also need to sand the edges if the fit is a bit tight.

Drilling the Pin Holes

With the glue dry, you need to drill 2 holes, one on each end for the brads. You will need to find a drill small enough to match the brad diameter. Next mark a ¼” x ¼” square on the outside of the box and drill a hole at the center.

Sanding

At this point, if you need to, you can sand the edges of the box even if they are a bit proud. If you do, you will need to raise the grain again with a damp paper towel and final sand with 320 Grit.

Finishing

Like all my projects, you can choose your finish. I had originally thought I would use a spry lacquer but in the end I decided to use a Oil and Beeswax finish that I make in the shop. You just rub it in, let it stand for 5-10 minutes the wipe it off and rub it out. Oil and Beeswax is perfect for this project.

Final Assembly

OK, the last step is to install the lid and hinge pins. Use a single business card on each side just to lift the lid a bit so it can swing. Next insert the brads and then make sure you have the back edge of the lid lined up. Then tap the nails in.