Make a Side Table From a Old Wooden Box

If you go to Facebook Marketplace and type in 'wooden case' you should find people selling old, vintage wooden cases. These were usually hand made and used by apprentices who were doing trades, kids at school and for handymen (or women) to store these tools etc in.

I buy these every time I find them as you can usually pick them up for a bargain! They are beautiful objects and don't deserve to be sitting in someone's shed or attic. The problem is - what do you do with them?

Well I discovered that they make fantastic side tables! You can buy hairpin legs

PARTS:

1. Wooden Case - Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree or any other place that sells things like this. Just type in wooden case and see what comes up
2. Hairpin Legs - Ali Express, Amazon
3. Ply wood. This is used to strengthen the case and helps to add structure for the legs to be connected. Hardware store or if you know a place that gets deliveries by pallets, then you can sometimes pick up sheets that have been used for delivering products
4. Varnish - I used 'Cabothane Clear' but you can use whatever you can get.
5. Stain - I used 'Aged Teak' which helps bring up the grain and gives the case a nice finish
6. Vinegar - I used this to soak the hardware in. It all depends on the condition of the hardware on the case and whether you can use vinegar or something stronger to get the grime off.

The first thing to do, prior to any cleaning of the case, is to remove all of the hardware

STEPS:

1. Make sure you have a few good Phillips head and screwdrivers around. The screws are usually pretty old on these cases and might take some effort to get undone
2. Remove each of the screws and store them in a safe place along with the hardware you remove
3. If you do come across a threaded screw, then you might have drill it out. I've tried to use tools specifically to remove threaded screws but haven't had much luck. I find that by using a drill bit a little smaller then the screw head and drilling off the top of the screw works ok. You will then need to use some pliers or muti grips to remove the rest of the screw

The hardware on case might not be worth using again and if that is the case, then you'll need to buy new hardware. However, as these vintage cases usually have a fair bit of patina already, I like to use the original hardware as it keeps the character of the case and with a little work, you can usually get the hardware to look good.

STEPS:

1. The hardware on my case had some type of varnish on it and weren't looking great. The first thing I did was to soak them in some vinegar for 24 hours. This was enough to loosen the grim but they still didn't look great.
2. If you find that vinegar isn't doing the job, then you might need a stronger cleaning solution to help clean them up
3. To remove the rest of the rust and varnish, I used a dremel. I used a brass wheel which worked well. I then used a wire wheel on my grinder to help remove the rest of the varnish. I did this lightly as I didn't want to damage or scratch up the hardware.
4. Lastly, I used a buffing wheel to give them some shine and did a final clean. They are not perfect but I didn't want them looking like new.

I've made a few of these now and I find that the best way to clean the case is just with some hot water and soap. It ensures that you are only removing dirt and grime and not the patina or character of the case

STEPS:

1. get some hot water in a bucket and use dishwashing liquid to clean the case
2. I like to start with a cloth first and see if I can get away with that. On this case, I also used a soft scourer to help remove the grim that was in deep.
3. Make sure that you use clean water to remove the soap from the case
4. Leave to dry for an hour or so.
5. Note - Don't use harsh cleaners like Jiff. It is too abrasive and small particles from it will get caught in the grain and you will see white steaks that you won't be able to get out.

I like to make the insides of my side tables look nice and clean which is why I add the ply wood to the inside. However, there is also a structural reason why to add ply wood to the insides. Usually these boxes are nailed together and the wood over the years has become weak along with the joints. If you are using it as a side table, then adding ply to the inside of the lid will help support whatever is on top. The ply on the bottom of the case will ensure that the screws from the legs have something to drill into.

STEPS:

1. measure and cut all of the pieces needed for the ply inside the case. This includes top and bottom and the 4 sides.
2. The fit should be nice and tight and the top section of the ply on the sides should be just below the top of the case.
3. Once you have everything fitting nicely, it is time to glue the ply into place. I don't use nails as I don't want anything to take away from the case and having fresh nails in it wouldn't look great!
4. Add wood glue to the ply base and push it into place
5. Do the same for the 4 sides. Use clamps and weights to ensure the plywood has good connection to the inside of the case
6. leave dry for 24 hours

You don't have to do this if you don't think it is necessary. However, adding a vanish will help protect the case and bring out the grain.

STEPS:

1. To give the case a bit of a facelift, I like to use a stain like 'aged teak' This helps to protect the wood and helps to show off the grain in the wood.
2. Just add one coat - any more and it starts to take away the patina and age of the case
3. I also like to add a vanish to do a final protection of the wood. Adding a varnish also brings out the grain in the wood and gloss to the finish. As I mentioned, it isn't necessary to add the varnish. you might like how the case came out just with some soap and water and that's fine.

Adding the hardware back onto the case is pretty straight forward. The only issue that you might run into is, the old screws might be not good any longer. In this case, you can just replace them with new ones or if you are like me and have a box full of old, vintage screws, then go through that and find something suitable!

STEPS:

1. Carefully screw each piece of the hardware back into place
2. You might need to drill the holes again (I usually do) to ensure that the screw's go through the plywood ok and that nothing splits
3. Add the hinges back on and connect the lid to the top of the case

The legs that I use are called 'hairpin' legs. They work fantastic on a build like this and are easy to install.

STEPS:

1. Place one of the legs onto the bottom of the case. and align it with the corner of the case. I like to bring in the legs about 5 mm's from the edge to ensure that the screws get a good grip of the plywood inside the case
2. Mark the holes and pre-drill the holes for the screws
3. Place the lag back into place and add the screws into place. It can be a little awkward adding the inner screws due to the angle of the legs. Just make sure you have a good Phillips head bit and it will go in ok
4. do this for all 4 legs and add the little plastic feet to the ends of the legs

That's it!

Turn the case over and place it in a nice spot in your house so you can admire the beauty of these lovely cases.

I gave this one away to my mum. She has to say she loves it :)

The first photo is the table all set up in her home.

Happy making.