Pony Display Shelf and Carrying Case

My daughters love their little plastic ponies. They love to display them and take with when they leave the house. That was my inspiration for this project. A display shelf for little 3 inch plastic ponies that converts to a carrying case.

Materials needed for this project are:

six 1x4x9 inch boards

four 1x4x10 inch boards

Scrap pieces of paneling or 1/4 inch plywood

hinges

drawer pull that fits the child's hand

paint

You can adjust the project based on scrap you have around or just get some 1x4's.

Sand the 1x4's and dry fit.

Ensure all fit nicely, trim if necessary

Ensure there are no rough spots, to reduce the chance of splinters.

My favorite way to join two pieces of wood is with glue and biscuits. I use a few staples to hold the piece while it dries. Not everyone has a plate joiner in their workshop, but there are plenty of other methods to fasten the boards to each other.

Glue and screws work great. Just be sure to pre-drill the holes and counter sink the heads.

Finish nails and glue would work well too. Again, just be sure pre-drill the holes.

As you are fastening, be certain the pieces remain square. Take a diagonal measurement from each corner and the number should be the same if they are square.

Measure and cut the paneling to fit the back of each shelf piece. I used my table saw to cut to size, however, a circular saw, jig saw or hand saw will work too.

Attach the paneling. I used small staples with my pneumatic stapler. Small nail would work just as well.

Use paintable wood putty to fill in all nail and screw holes. Let dry, then sand.

Paint. I used white on the inside, then brown on the outside. Let dry.

Add your hardware.

For the handle I used a drawer pull that looked like a suite case hand grip.

I used brass hinges and brass latch. Plus, I added brass corners to make it look like old style luggage.