A toy chest is one of those great memories of childhood that’s lasts forever in our minds. I can still remember what my toy chest looked like. My father had made it when I was first born. It was a simple oak structure that served its purpose well. It took a good beating from my toys, crayons and even a few misplaced snacks.
I could just imagine how proud my father must have felt when he watched me destroy his beautifully made toy chest as I tried to spell my name for the first time with black magic marker.
You can get that same feeling of joy and wonder by creating your own wonderful child and building him/her their own unique wooden toy chest.
In this simple project you only need one piece of plywood depending on how you make the seat. In the blueprint, the toy chest has large sides and back panel. This makes the project require two sheets of ¾” plywood. You can alter the size of the back and side panels to decrease the amount of plywood needed and therefore decrease the price.
So depending on what kind of budget you have, you’ll either need one or two sheets of finish grade ¾” plywood. You’ll also need one long hinge or a set of hinges for the lid and a box of 1″ woodscrews. Also pick out a good paint, stain or varnish to protect the toy chest from wear and tear.
Set up a pair of sawhorses for your plywood, and then cut out all of the pieces according to the blueprint with a circular saw. Use a jig saw to cut out any curves our angles you might want. Remember that this is also going to be a bench, so add whatever design you want for the back and sides your imagination can come up with. This would be a good place for a theme. For instance, a race car if your doing cars in a boys room or a royal crown for a girl’s princess themed room.
Paint all of the pieces of toy chest before you begin assembly. First, attach the two sides to the bottom piece. Make sure that each side is not flush with the bottom piece. You’ll need to recess the bottom piece about 1/8″. This will leave a little lip so that the edges take most of the weight and will make the toy chest much more stable. Use four of the 1″ woodscrews to hold the pieces together. Attach the front panel to the base, and the two sides, again using the 1″ woodscrews.
Now attach the back panel to the bottom and two sides using the woodscrews. Just insert two screws in to the back panel to tack it in place while you make a mark where the lid would come down. Once this is done, remove the back panel and attach the hinges to the lid and the back panel on the marks you just made.
Reattach the back panel with at least four woodscrews in each of the sections of the toy box. Check to make sure the lid works correctly and sand any burrs or rough spots. Touch up any paint or spots that may have been damaged during construction and enjoy your new toy box!
