A PENCIL BOX

Use it to store a screwdriver set or your paintbrushes. Or pencils.

1/ Find a nice straight piece of 19 × 140 mm white pine, 2.4 m long, and then use a circular saw to crosscut a 1.2 m piece from it. Rip the piece to 100 mm on a table saw.

2/ Square one end of the piece to 90° on a mitre saw. Starting from that end, crosscut the two sides (A) to 300 mm long. Cut the bottom (C) to 267 mm.

3/ Set the fence on the table saw to 82 mm from the blade. The odd dimension gives the ends ( B) the clearance they need to allow the lid to slide over them. Rip the last 300 mm or so of the 100 mm-wide piece of pine to this width. Then crosscut two 100 mm pieces to make the box ends.

4/ Take the remaining 1.2 m piece of 19 × 140 mm pine and square one of its ends on the mitre saw. Crosscut a 330 mm piece for the lid ( D), then rip it to 112.5 mm wide on the table saw.

5/ Set the table-saw blade to 6.4 mm high and measure 178 mm from the fence to the outside of the blade. ( Note: That 178 mm dimension is to the outside of an out-leaning tooth.) Test the height of the cut on scrap until correct, then run the sides (A) through the saw. Widen the groove to 6.4 mm by moving the saw fence toward the blade and running the sides through. Repeat if necessary.

6/ Clamp the lid (D) securely to a work surface and use a 13 × 13 mm ball-bearing router bit to cut a rabbet into each of the lid’s long edges. Crosscut the lid to 300 mm to remove any roughness on the ends created by rabbeting.

7/ Clamp together the sides (A) and ends ( B). Drill the pilot holes for the 35 mm No 6 wood screws that will fasten the pieces at each end, then drive in all the screws. Test-fit the bottom. If it doesn’t fit, trim its length or width, then spread carpenter’s glue on its edges and tap it in.

8/ Drill a 19 mm finger hole in the lid ( D) with a spade bit. If the lid feels a little too tight to slide, adjust the rabbet, not the groove, using the table saw (width) or sandpaper (height).