20″ wide bread box plans

Parts

Cut list

Kerf 1/8″ included. Every cut runs edge to edge.

Steps

• Tape measure
• Speed square
• Pencil
• Drill/driver
• Clamps
• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Dust mask
• Circular saw and a straight edge (or have the store cut the sheets)
• Hammer
• Table saw or track saw for ripping
• Countersink bit
• 3/8″ drill bit
• Sander, 120 and 180 grit

Underlined words have a short explanation: hover or tap them. All of them are on the glossary page.

1. 1Before you start

   Read every step once, start to finish, before you buy or cut anything. Each step names the parts it uses by letter; the parts list gives their sizes.

   Set up somewhere flat with good light. A pair of sawhorses with a sheet of plywood on top makes a fine work table.

   Wear safety glasses whenever a tool is running, hearing protection for saws, and a dust mask for sanding and for cutting treated wood or sheet goods. Tie back long hair and loose sleeves. Keep children and pets out of the work area.

   • Tip At the store, pick straight boards: hold each one up to your eye and look down its length. Skip boards that bow, twist or have big knots near the ends.
   • Tip Measure twice, cut once. Most mistakes are a misread tape, not a bad cut.

2. 2Cut and label the parts

   Cut every part on the cut list. Cut the longest parts first: if one goes wrong, it can still become a shorter part.

   To mark a cut, hook your tape on the end of the board, make a small V with its point exactly at the measurement, and draw a square line through the point with a speed square. Put an X on the waste side.

   Cut on the waste side of the line, so the blade's kerf (about 1/8″) comes out of the scrap, not your part. Cut sheets with the good face down when using a circular saw: the blade splinters the top face.

   Write each part's letter in pencil on a face that won't show, and stack the parts by letter.

   Sand the faces before assembly while they're flat and easy to reach: 120 grit, then 180.

   ✓ Lay the parts out and count them against the parts list. Measure a few: if one is off by more than 1/16″, recut it now.

   STOP. Let the saw reach full speed before it touches the wood, keep both hands clear of the blade's path, and never reach under a board you're cutting. Support long boards on both sides of the cut so the blade doesn't pinch.

3. 3Choose the board and mark the parts

   Pick a 1×12 that lies flat on the floor of the store. Look at the end: if the growth rings curve strongly, the board will cup; choose one where they run more up and down.

   Mark the parts along the board with the grain running the long way of each part: base (A) 20″ × 11″, two sides (B) 8 1/2″ × 10″, top (D) 20″ × 10 1/4″ and door (E) 20″ × 9 1/4″. Keep knots out of the edges you will screw into.

   Cut them, then sand every face with 120 and 180 grit before you build: inside corners are hard to sand later.

   ✓ The two sides are exactly the same size: stack them and feel the edges.

4. 4Drill the air holes

   Bread keeps best with a little air moving, so it doesn't sweat and go mouldy. Drill four 3/8″ holes through the back (C), in a row 2″ below its top edge.

   Put a scrap board under the back where you drill, so the bit doesn't splinter the far side as it comes through.

   ✓ The holes are clean on both faces.

5. 5Build the box

   Stand the sides (B) on the base (A), flush with its ends and 1/4″ in from its back edge, with their front edges 3/4″ back from the front of the base.

   Glue and drive 2 screws, 1 5/8″, up through the base into each side. Predrill and countersink: the screws are near the end of the side and pine splits easily.

   Glue the top (D) onto the sides, flush at the back and ends, and drive 2 screws down into each side.

   Glue and brad the back (C) onto the back edges, flush with the base.

   ✓ Measure both diagonals of the front opening: they match within 1/16″.

6. 6Hang the door

   Stand the door (E) on the base in front of the sides. It covers the sides and the top edge.

   Screw the two no-mortise hinges on the outside, 2″ in from each end: one leaf on the front edge of the base, the other on the face of the door, with the hinge pins right at the joint.

   Fold the door down and back up: it should open until it rests on the counter. Screw the magnetic catch under the top and its plate on the inside of the door. Add the knob 2″ down from the top, centred.

   • Tip Drill the hinge screw holes with a centring bit, or punch the centre with a nail first, so the hinge doesn't slide sideways as the screw goes in.

   ✓ The door closes flush with the sides and the catch holds it shut.

7. 7Ease the edges and finish

   Fill the countersunk screw holes on the outside with wood filler, let it dry, and sand flush.

   Round every outside edge a little with 180-grit sandpaper.

   Paint or seal the outside. Leave the inside bare, or wipe it with mineral oil. Stick felt pads under the base.

   ✓ A week later, open it and sniff: no finish smell inside before the first loaf goes in.