DIY Giant Toy Box

If you have kids, you know how quickly toys can pile up and completely make a mess of your home. Having a toy box for them and keeping them organized is a huge part of keeping your sanity.

Today I’m going to show you how I built this toy box utilizing the new lineup of Craftsman V20 tools. Craftsman is the official sponsor of this project so thank you to Craftsman for making this project possible. So without further ado, let’s dive into the project!

Disclosure: This video and article contains paid and product promotion by Craftsman. Check out their new line of V20 tools here: https://bit.ly/2DoDfAD

#1: Plan Out Your Design

This toy box is huge! It’s 90” long by 42” tall and serves a multitude of functions. Obviously it holds a lot of toys, but it also acts as a complete entertainment center

I made my plans in Sketchup, and if you’d like to follow along with this project step-by-step, there are free downloadable plans for it on my website. While you’re at it, check out some of the links to some of the other free project plans I have too!

#2: Create a Template

First, I created a template for the uprights of the toy box. This project is basically the same shape repeated over and over, so I needed a good template. I used a piece of MDF to measure and layout the shape I wanted. Then, I cut the shape out using the Craftsman V20 jigsaw. I used a straight edge as a guide to keep the lines nice and clean.

Taking a piece of ¾” paint grade plywood, I cut a similar shape slightly larger with the jigsaw. I used a flush trim router bit on my Craftsman router, following the template to create 1 finished panel. Then I just had to repeat this process 6 more times. It takes a little while but the template makes it easily repeatable.

#3: Interlocking the Pieces

Once all 6 were cut out, I ripped a piece of plywood to serve as the top and bottom. From there, it was all about dados. And I mean a lot of dados. I chose to use dados because it gives a lot of strength to the build, because each piece interlocks and supports the whole. It adds quite a bit to the workload, but if kids are going to be climbing on it or playing near it, it needs to be sturdy. If I did this project again, I would probably use 1/2″ plywood instead of ¾” because it got to be pretty heavy by the end.

Once the pieces were all in place, I took it apart bit by bit and glued it up and shot it together with the 16 gauge Craftsman V20 brad nailer.

#4: Assembly

Once I finally had the whole carcass put together, I could put the front face frames on. The design is laid out so that each piece can be mitered at 45 degrees to make it easy and repeatable on the table saw. I glued and fastened these in place with brad nails. Once that was finished I added some iron on edge banding to cover up the exposed edges of the plywood. This helps clean up the edges and make it easy for the paint to look uniform without having to add a bunch of coats. Then I could patch the brad holes with some wood filler and prep it for paint.

I also added some adjustable leveling feet to the bottom of the toy box. I glued some 2” wood blocks in the corners and added a threaded insert. Then I used my angle grinder to slice a line in the end of a carriage bolt. This allows you to use a flathead screwdriver to raise or lower the toy box to make it level.

Lastly, I sprayed several coats of wood sealing primer with my paint sprayer before spraying a couple coats of exterior semi-gloss white to finish it off. I chose exterior because I figured it’d be a little more durable than interior. I also added a thin piece of ¼” plywood on the back to finish off the piece.

I’m really happy with the way this toy box came out. Hopefully you enjoyed this project, and if you’d like more detailed measurements and step-by-step instructions on how to build your own, be sure to download the free plans on my website.

I want to say thank you to Craftsman for sponsoring this project and providing the V20 lineup of tools I used in this video. And as always I encourage you to leave me a comment down below and let me know what you thought of the project and what type of project you’d like to see me tackle next.

Thanks so much for checking out this project. I hope you enjoyed it! If you did like it, you might also enjoy some of these other free downloadable project plans. 

Basic DIY Workbench Plans

DIY Sliding Barn Door Plans

Workshop Base Cabinet Plans

DIY Rocking Chair From a Single Sheet of Plywood

In this project tutorial I show you how I built a DIY Rocking Chair from a single sheet of plywood using minimal tools. Check out the video and read the tutorial below to follow along step-by-step.

Step #1: Materials and Tools Used:

This project really only consists of a single sheet of 4’x8’ ¾” plywood. There are many options out there for plywood and you can spend as much or as little as you like on the plywood. I chose a simple exterior rated sheet of plywood but you could also use marine plywood or something cleaner for finishing like Baltic Birch or finish grade plywood. It’s up to you!

Tablesaw (optional)
Circular saw & Jigsaw
Compass or something to mark radius cuts
Tape measure
4 ft level
Pencil
Clamps
Wood glue
Drill/ driver and bits
Wood screws (2” or 2.5” inch)
Orbital or belt sander
Router and roundover bit (optional)
Wood filler (Optional)
Paint, stain, or weather sealant

Step #2: Making the Cuts for the Legs

To get started you’ll need to rip the plywood into the necessary pieces to make the cuts more manageable. You could use a table saw, circular saw, or track saw for this if you have one. Rip the sheet slightly off-center lengthwise so you have 1 piece that is 28” x 96” and the other 20” x 96 inches. (See the image above for exact measurements)

Once you have your two pieces, cross cut the larger of the 2 pieces in half creating 2 – 28” x 48” pieces. I recommend clamping the 2 pieces together from here so that you can cut through both pieces to create matching legs.

For the arched cut on the bottom of the legs I recommend using a piece of flexible material to mark your cut lines. The ends of the arc should be 2.5” from the edge of the plywood and the bottom should just touch the edge of the plywood to create the arc. Lay out and cut the legs out as shown using a circular saw and jigsaw and then sand them down using an orbital or belt sander. Once you have one set of legs cut, use a piece as a template to mark the next cuts.

Step #3: Prep and Glue Up

With the legs cut out, stack them all together and sand them to make sure they are all uniform. Use wood glue and clamps to glue the legs together. Each leg consists of 2 identical cuts. Apply plenty of clamps and extra weight to glue the legs together.

Step #4: Prepping the Seat and Back

While the glue sets up on the legs, cross cut the remaining 20” x 96” piece of plywood into (4) pieces. (2) @ 30”x 20” for the seat back, and (2) @ 18” x 20” for the seat. Once you have those cuts made, glue and clamp them together into their components. Once the glue is dry on the seat back you can cut out the opening (optional) if you want to. The opening is a decorative feature so it’s up to you if you want to include it or not. The opening in the back is 12” long total and 2” wide in the center of the seat back. If you choose to include it, mark and cut it out with the jigsaw.

Step #5: Assembling the Legs and Seat

For assembling the chair, I recommend putting it on nice flat surface and attaching the seat bottom first. Turn the chair on it’s side and layout the seat. The seat pitches backward which you can lay out by measuring 18” at the seat top to the front of the seat, and 16” to the top of the seat in the back. Make sure your legs stay aligned when mocking up the seat so that it is even. Once you have the seat in position. Pre-drill some pilot holes and attach the seat with 2”-2.5” wood screws & wood glue.

Step #6: Adding the Seat Back

To add the seat back, slide it between the legs and tilt it back so that the backs of the arm rests intersect with the middle of the seat back. You should have somewhere in the realm of 105 degrees between seat back and tops of arm rest. Once in position, drill pilot holes, glue, & screw the seat back in place.

Step #7: Finishing

Because I used relatively inexpensive plywood I chose to paint the chair with some exterior grade paint after filling the screw holes and imperfections in the plywood with wood filler. It’s your choice how you choose to seal and finish the plywood but I’d recommend several coats of whatever finish you choose so as to make sure you have ample protection from the elements!

And here’s the finished product!

I’m really pleased with the way this chair came out for using a single sheet of plywood and very minimal tools. It’s a fun project to tackle and you can really toy with the design and finish to get the look you want!

I hope you enjoyed this project and see that you don’t have to have fancy materials or tools to knock out a unique project! If you decide to tackle this project on your own be sure to share the results with us via Instagram by tagging #DoYourBestWork @AcmeTools and @MrFixItDIY.

If you liked this project, please consider checking out some of my other woodworking & DIY Projects:

Building a Memorial Flag Display Case

How to Restore a Wheelbarrow

Good luck and get to work!

Download the Free Plans here