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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Build a toy box that closely matches Steve Ramsey's or Marc Spagnoulo's design as part of the Wood Whisperer's cancer fundraiser, since each box built raises money for the Cancer Research Institute. The project is simple, uses quarter-inch MDF panels and pocket-hole joinery. Submissions are due November 30th.
Key Points
- Both designs include a side compartment for storing books, crayons, or art supplies, and a top lip so kids can build on the lid.
- Ramsey's version has a lid that lifts completely off so children can set it on the floor and build with Legos while still accessing the box.
- The build is presented as beginner-friendly, relying on basic tools such as a miter saw, pocket-hole jig, clamps, and a nail gun.
- If you own this box, it is being auctioned, with 100% of the winning bid going to the Cancer Research Institute, but it is not shipped and must be picked up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Cut all frame boards to 3.5" wide on a miter saw, cutting them slightly oversized first, then clamp them together and measure the actual dimension before joining.
- Join the frame with glue and screws using a pocket-hole jig, assembling the front and back first, using a 1.5" spacer board to set the bottom of the box 1.5" up, then attaching the sides.
- Keep pocket holes on the inside of the frame; Ramsey's mistake of placing them on the outside shows that the side with exposed holes should be the back against the wall.
- Attach 1.5" ledge pieces around the bottom to support the floor. Clamp warped boards into position, then tack with a nail gun, or drive nails with a hammer, or clamp and let glue dry.
- Build the lid from quarter-inch MDF with glued strips and small cleats that extend a quarter inch below the lid to create a lip holding it in place.
- Fill misplaced pocket holes with a glued dowel or manufacturer plugs, then sand flush. Sand the lid with 60-grit sandpaper and fill rough spots with spackle, then sand with 120-grit and ease sharp edges.
- Ramsey notes the boards are slightly warped, so extra clamps are needed to force them into position.
- Submit photographs of finished boxes by November 30th, with details available as mentioned in the video.
Bottom Line
This is a low-complexity woodworking project where building a box that matches the provided designs directly supports a cancer research fundraiser, with submission details for the fundraiser as mentioned in the video.
