The UnaBox

From MAKE Magazine

From MAKE Magazine

This project first appeared on the pages of MAKE magazine.

Make a keyless, secret, wooden compartment.

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My architect friends Lorenzo Bini and Roberta Pezzulla made this little project for a very young and dynamic client: Lorenzo’s 6-month-old goddaughter. They wanted to make a box that the child could use her whole life to store small, personal, precious things. So they created the UnaBox, taking inspiration from an Indian box (by an anonymous designer) that had an obscure opening system with 2 pivoting lids.

The box’s dimensions are based on the golden ratio, and it allows access only to patient and curious people; many adults have tried to open it and failed. Here’s how to build one yourself!

Sections
Files
Tools
Relevant parts
  • Board, hardwood, 27.5cm×57.5cm×1.5cm thick Our original box used the best Italian olive wood. Sourcing the wood locally avoids hardwoods with uncertain (and possibly destructive) origins.
  • Peg, thin, wooden, 3mm×20mm for the locking pin
  • Screw, 3mm×20mm for the cover pivot
  • Glue, woodBuy it
  • Wax, natural
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Cut the pieces.  ¶ 

  • The box is made from 11 pieces cut from a single board, plus a screw and a thin peg for the pivot and locking pin. Check out the files section for a rough schematic and visit http://makezine.com/20/unabox for CAD drawings and an assembly sequence.

  • To make the pieces, you can send the drawing to a CAD/CAM company and wait for the mailman, give it to a good carpenter, or cut the pieces yourself using a small handsaw or band saw.

  • Finish everything roughly with a wood file, and then more precisely with plenty of sandpaper.

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Add Note Edit Step 2 — Assemble the lid and box.  ¶ 

  • Following the plan, drill a hole in piece 11 and a slot in piece 9 that your screw will slide through (to cut the slot, drill each end and then thread in a saw blade). Also drill smaller holes in the pieces for the locking pin, running the drill only partway through piece 9. Drill both holes with the 2 pieces stacked together to make sure they align.

  • The diagram in the downloads section shows how the parts of the UnaBox fit together. With precise cutting, the bottom and sides of the box, parts 1­–5, should assemble with almost no glue; use small clamps to hold them while the glue cures.

  • Glue stacked pieces 6–8 together and glue them to piece 1, the bottom of the box. Also glue together pieces 9 and 10 for the box’s top. Once you’re done with the glue and the clamps, drill pieces 6–8 to hold the bottom of the pivot screw.

  • Finally, finish the box with a good natural wax and polish it. This makes the most of the wood, and gives it a nice smell and touch that kids love.

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Add Note Edit Step 3 — Learn the secret.  ¶ 

  • The closed box gives few clues to how it’s opened. You need to remove the peg and swing part of the top away before the rest of the top has enough clearance to slide back and swing open.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • So far, we’ve built 2 of these boxes: the first one with olive wood, the second with cherry. If you build your own UnaBox, we would love to hear from you at lb@binocle.it

Get SketchUp and AutoCAD models of the UnaBox pieces, and drawings of the assembly sequence in Flash and SVG, at http://makezine.com/20/unabox.

This project first appeared in MAKE Volume 20, page 65.

For more information, check out the Woodworking category page.

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safest, securest, most un-saw-able material = wood.

wait wat?

Herpy, · Reply

How cool would this be as a coffee table? I awesome I think, keep my 1.5 yo outta my misc electronics lying around.

Jason Davis, · Reply

I had an uncle who made this box more than 20 years ago, so it isn't really new. But it's a nice puzzle.

Richard

Richard Bravenboer, · Reply