Recipe Card Wall Box
€9,00
Recipe Card Wall Box
€9,00
The old book's wall box has dovetailed corners, a back that stands above the sides with "two holes ... bored ... for hanging the box on nails or hooks", and a lid of "two pieces of wood", "the underpiece fitting down into the box". Ours holds recipe cards: a 4 x 6 in. card stands on its long edge in a space 6 1/4 in. wide and 4 1/4 in. high under the lid, a 3 x 5 in. card stands or lies flat. A 4 x 6 in. card cannot lie flat, because the box is 3 3/4 in. from front to back.
At a glance
- Size: 7 1/4" (184 mm) wide, 6 3/8" (162 mm) high, 5" (127 mm) deep with the lid; the lid is 8 1/4" (210 mm) wide
- Skill: Intermediate
- Build time: One weekend, plus a night for the finish to cure
- Materials: approx. US$35–65
- In the plan: 14-page PDF, US Letter, 12 illustrated steps, imperial, with metric in the lists and steps
Inside the 14-page plan
- The original article and its drawings, restored and reproduced in full
- An exploded drawing that shows how every part goes together
- Dimensioned views of the finished build, in feet and inches
- Materials list and hardware schedule, with today's actual lumber sizes and metric equivalents
- Cut list, so you can cut everything before you start assembling
- Clear illustrated step-by-step assembly drawings: one job per step, every part drawn, fastener positions marked
The PDF plan is a digital download; nothing ships. Adapted from "A Box for Toilet-Paper", The Practical Woodworker, vol. 1, pp. 312-313, with Fig. 18, an unsigned public-domain article. Restored, redrawn and edited by Square & Furrow, produced with AI-assisted tools and checked against the original article. Not affiliated with the original publisher.
Illustrated step by step
Imperial + metric
Cut list & checklist
Instant PDF download
Built to work
Recipe Card Wall Box
Built in home workshops more than a century ago, and redrawn for the way you build today.
RenderingFrom the workshop archive
Restored from the original article
From the archive
“A Box for Toilet-Paper”
Public domain · restored by Square & Furrow
This is the public-domain how-to article home craftsmen built from more than a century ago. We restore its drawings and reproduce the article in full inside your plan, then rebuild it as a modern edition: today's lumber sizes, metric measurements, a cut list and illustrated steps. Every dimension is checked against the original.
Step by step
Every part drawn. Every fastener marked.
Each step is one job with its own clear drawing: the parts it adds are shaded, every nail and screw position is marked, and the hardware and tools sit right beside it. An exploded view shows how the whole build goes together before you make a single cut.
Before you build
Your tools & materials checklist
Tick what you already have. Whatever is left is your shopping list. Your ticks are saved on this device, so you can come back to it from the lumber yard.
0 of 0 on hand
Tools
Materials
Finished sizes (cutting layout: Fig. 1). Stock: thin boards at their real widths (sold as 8" is 7 1/4", as 6" is 5 1/2"): measure yours. Scrap: a flat board, two clamp pads, a tapping block, a heavy book (step 9).
Questions about this plan
What are the finished dimensions?
7 1/4" (184 mm) wide, 6 3/8" (162 mm) high, 5" (127 mm) deep with the lid; the lid is 8 1/4" (210 mm) wide. The drawings are dimensioned in feet and inches; the materials list, cut list and steps give metric sizes alongside.
What skill level do I need, and how long does it take?
It's rated intermediate. Expected build time: One weekend, plus a night for the finish to cure. It suits someone who has built a simple piece of furniture or cut a mortise and tenon before; each step still names the tools it uses.
How much does it cost to build?
Roughly US$35–65 in materials at typical US lumber-yard prices. Prices vary a lot by region, so price the materials list at your local yard before you start.
What tools do I need?
Steel rule; Pencil; Try square; Marking knife and marking gauge; Dovetail marker or sliding bevel (1:6); Level; Stud, pipe and wire detector; Printer (pattern at 100%); US quarter; Fine saw (dovetail or dozuki) with a bench hook; Coping saw; 1/4" (6 mm) chisel; Mallet; Bench vise; Sanding block; Sandpaper 120 and 220 grit; Masking tape; Glue brush; Lint-free rags; Drill/driver with 1/32", 1/16", 3/16" and 1/4" (0.8, 1.5, 5, 6 mm) bits and a countersink; Awl; Hammer; Small screwdriver; 2 clamps, 8" (200 mm) opening or more, with scrap pads; A wood block; plus a tape, pencil, safety glasses, hearing protection and gloves. The interactive checklist on this page lets you tick off what you already own.
Where does this plan come from?
It is restored from "A Box for Toilet-Paper", The Practical Woodworker, vol. 1, pp. 312-313, with Fig. 18, an unsigned how-to article from that is now in the public domain. We redrew it as a modern build guide with a materials list, metric sizes, a cut list and clear illustrated step-by-step assembly drawings, every part drawn. Every dimension follows the original article, and the article is reproduced inside. This edition is our own; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the original publisher.
Can a beginner follow it?
It's rated intermediate, so it helps to have built something framed before, or to have a handy friend on the bigger lifts. Each step is a single job with its own drawing: the parts that step adds are shaded, the nails, screws and bolts it drives are marked where they go, and the hardware for that step is listed beside it. An exploded drawing at the front shows how the whole build goes together before you cut anything.
What do I get?
A 14-page print-ready PDF (US Letter) to download after purchase. It prints well at home or at a copy shop, and reads fine on a tablet in the workshop.