Hardwood Cash Box

Ever had soo much cash lying around that your like, "Man, I gotta build me a cash box so I can keep all this moolah organised!". Yeah...that's not normally my problem either. I generally, have very little cash to stow away, but it's still a fun project that I can make. It's easy to make, fun to have, and if you think about it it's kinda like your own modern day treasure chest!  

1. Some hardwood (I used hardwood from my dad's desk I ripped apart, and some scrap pieces from a friend who works at a cabinet shop)
2. a chop saw
3. a table saw
4. wood glue
5. stain
6. polyurethane finish
7. a ruler
8. and a sharpie

First thing you'll need to do is mark out the base for your box. Mine was 10.5" x 4.25" with .75" thick walls. The dimensions of your box depend on the thickness of your walls. The idea is to have room for the walls, and still enough room for a bill to fit in with a little room on each side. Also if you are going to have a spot for coins like I did, make sure and figure that in too.

Now cut out the base. Then measure and cut out the side walls. You'll need two 10.5" long walls, and two 2.75" long walls. How tall to make the walls? That's really up to you, I guess it depends on how much money you think you'll be stacking up in there! Cut all the walls out and set them together making sure they fit right, and are flush with the base.

Now cut another 2.75" long wall. This wall will be a divider between the coins and the bills. I also shaped a coin slide, so the coins would slide out easier. It's optional...I opted for it. To make the coin slide, cut another 2.75" long wall out of soft wood this time and use a belt sander to get the curved shape. 

Use wood glue to glue all the walls in place. Try to fit the walls together as closely as you can. Once all the walls are glued down, use clamps to hold them in place while they dry.

Now it's time to make the lid, cut the lid the same size as the base. Then cut out two pieces of thin plywood, cut one at 6" x 2.5", and the other at 2.5" x 1.5". Glue them to the inside of the lid, make sure they are positioned right before the glue is dry.

Finally choose a color of stain that you like best, dip a paper towel in it, and wipe it over the box. Coat the whole box thoroughly, and use a dry clean paper towel to wipe off the excess stain. Allow the stain to dry for a couple days before you put the polyurethane coat on. Apply the polyurethane the same as the stain. 

Once the finish dries, enjoy your finished cash box! I had a fun time making this project, hopefully you did too!