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    Home » Woodworking » DIY Home Decor Projects

    Simple DIY Wood Box for Table

    December 2, 2022 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

    In this post, I’m sharing how to make a simple DIY wooden box for your table centerpiece!

    White oak centerpiece box with modern black risers on dining table with mini Christmas tree inside

    If you’ve followed along for very long and this looks a little familiar, you may remember that I built a very similar DIY centerpiece box several years ago.

    I built several of those and gave them away as Christmas gifts that year to several friends and family members.

    Years later, they still talk about them and a few recipients still send me pictures as they change out their decorations for different seasons.

    It’s safe to say these made excellent gifts!

    So this year, I built a couple more of these DIY wooden box gifts, this time, with a few changes and some optional added “risers” on the bottom.

    Close up of ¾" square dowel risers underneath white oak box

    Building a simple wood box like this is an INCREDIBLY easy project that you can build from a single 1×6 board (or scraps!) and they make perfect handmade gifts for the holidays, housewarmings, or even weddings.

    So if you’re ready to get building, let’s dive in.

    Tools & Materials

    *This post contains affiliate links. See policies.

    Tools:

    • Miter Saw (or any saw you can cut straight lines with)
    • Brad Nailer
    • Sander
    • Clamps (optional)

    Materials:

    • 1x6x8 board
    • ¾″ square dowel (optional–for the “risers” under the box)
    • Wood Glue
    • 1 ¼″ Brad Nails
    • Wood Finish of Your Choice

    How to Build a Simple Wooden Box Centerpiece

    This is a really simple project to build, but there are several ways you can make it.

    I used wood glue and brad nails here, but feel free to skip the nails and use wood glue only if you’d rather. In that case, you can simply clamp the pieces tight until the glue dries.

    Or, swap the nails for screws instead. You could go with some black screws for a little extra “industrial” detail.

    You can also add some corner braces for extra detail and stability as well.

    The risers I added are totally optional, so feel free to skip those if you aren’t feeling them 🙂

    Prefer to print your plans? Grab the printable version of this project here.

    Step 1: Cut Wooden Box Pieces to Size

    You can make this entire box (minus the risers) from a single 1x6x8 board.

    Cut List:

    • (2) 1×6 @ 5 ½″ long
    • (2) 1×6 @ 28 ½″ long
    • (1) 1×6 @ 27″ long

    The 5 ½″ pieces will be the short sides, the 27″ piece will be the bottom and the 28 ½″ pieces will be the long sides.

    Pieces cut to length to assemble wooden box laid out on workbench

    I cut these pieces from my board (I used white oak here, in case you were wondering) and sanded them well before assembling.

    Step 2: Assemble Short Sides to Bottom

    I mentioned earlier that I used wood glue and brad nails to assemble my DIY wooden box.

    So I ran a bead of wood glue between the short end of the bottom piece and one of the side pieces and used a couple brad nails to tack it in place.

    Brad nailer sitting next to partially assembled DIY wooden box on workbench

    You could use Fast Dry Wood Glue if you prefer–it’s a little cleaner. But if your boards are a little warped and don’t fit together really tight, the Fast Dry Wood Glue likely won’t work very well.

    Note that the wood grain on the side piece is running opposite the bottom piece.

    Since these 5 ½″ long pieces are 5 ½″ square (1x6s are 5 ½″ wide in case you didn’t know 🙂 ), you can technically run the grain either direction.

    Brad nailer and bottle of glue sitting next to wooden box assembly with both sides attached

    But I didn’t want the end grain on the top edge, so I ran it the other way.

    Once the first side was secured to the bottom, I repeated to add the other short side piece.

    Step 3: Add Long Sides to Wood Box

    Once the short sides were assembled, I used wood glue and brad nails to secure the long sides to complete the box.

    Close up of brad nailer securing long side to wooden box on workbench

    Make sure to nail at both the top and bottom to help keep the short side pieces secure.

    Wooden box fully assembled on workbench

    Step 4: Assemble Risers (Optional)

    The risers here are optional. However, they’re a fun little addition that makes this simple box feel a little more “modern.”

    If you want to make one, it’s simple. They’re assembled from ¾″ square dowels.

    Close up of ¾" square dowel

    You can buy precut dowels, or, if you have a table saw, you can cut your own from scrap 1x material.

    Cut List for Risers:

    • (2) ¾″ square dowel @ 7 ⅛″ long
    • (4) ¾″ square dowel @ 3″ long
    square dowel pieces cut to length for risers

    After lightly sanding each one, I used Fast Dry Wood Glue to assemble two 3″ pieces onto each end of each 7 ⅛″ pieces.

    You can use regular wood glue instead, but I was impatient.

    You can also use brad nails in addition to glue, but it’s tricky sometimes to nail these small pieces, so I didn’t try it.

    Risers in clamps on workbench

    I clamped these together for about 5 minutes, then gave them a coat of black wood stain.

    Step 5: Finish

    Speaking of stain, at this point, you can finish (stain, paint, etc) as desired.

    I left the box a natural white oak color and stained the risers black for some contrast.

    unfinished White oak box on workbench with black stained risers

    You’re welcome to finish these however you’d like and once it’s dry, you can simply place the box on the risers where you want it.

    I didn’t attach the risers so that they are easy to remove later if I decide I don’t want them.

    Wooden centerpiece box sitting on risers on dining table empty

    However, if you do want them permanent, you can secure them with brad nails through the bottom of the box.

    Now it’s ready to fill with garland and Christmas decorations, simple vases, Mason jars and flowers, etc.

    DIY wooden centerpiece box on dining table full of garland, ribbon, and ornaments

    These would be so much fun to change around with the different seasons!

    Prefer to print your plans? Grab the printable version of these plans here:

    WANT SOME MORE DIY GIFT IDEAS?

    With the upcoming holidays, I’ve teamed up with my friend, Kati, from Houseful of Handmade to share some easy and fun gift ideas you can make this season!

    Cookbook Holder
    Scrap Wood Drink Coasters
    Tea Box with Mug Holder
    Toy Barn Totes
    DIY Two Tone Cutting Board
    Easy Beginner Cutting Board
    DIY Plant Stand
    DIY Molkky Game with Carrier
    DIY Wooden Centerpiece Box
    DIY Modern Picture Frames

    If you can’t wait to see what’s next, be sure to subscribe to the FREE newsletter below for priority access to all the latest projects and plans!

    And if you enjoyed this DIY wooden box project and want to save it for later, don’t forget to pin it and share it to your favorite social channel!

    Pinterest collage of wooden centerpiece box showing box at top with mini Christmas tree and box at bottom full of garland with text "how to make a wood centerpiece box"

    Until next time, happy building!

    « DIY Plant Stand End Table
    30+ DIY Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas »

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