Magazine Storage Box

This design pleases me on many levels. First, I am recycling boxes. Second, I am creating something for nothing. Third, I am organizing my periodicals so they store neatly and can be retrieved easily.

The first thing you need to do is measure the magazine you want to store. The big pattern that I am going to describe first handles most standard size magazines, 8” x 10½”, with room to spare. Once you make one of these standard size boxes, you can easily adjust the dimensions for difficult to fit magazines. The small pattern is one I developed to store my Workbasket magazines.

     The next thing you have to do is find a large box that you don’t need for anything else. You are looking for one that can be opened up to make a rectangle 15” x 29”. Usually that means you have a deep box, at least 15 inches deep. Most boxes that deep are at least 15 inches wide as well. So you probably will be able to make 2 storage boxes from this one large discard.

Once you have the box, you must open it flat. Carefully slit any strapping tape and unfold all the flaps. If the flaps are held together with staples, get pliers and pry out those staples. If the outside of the box has printing on it, make the inside of the box into the outside of your magazine box.

Next, find the seam line in the box. This is usually along a corner where the box is glued to itself. Carefully pull this seam apart. Sometimes it helps to slip a flat head screwdriver in between the 2 layers of this seam to strip it open. If you are certain that this box is much wider than you need, you can cut this seam open. But it usually comes apart easily enough without cutting.

Okay, now you have a completely flat sheet of cardboard with some creases and cutouts. Draw out the following pattern using a marking pen and ruler. If you are going to make several storage boxes, draw out the pattern on newspaper. Then you can just lay the pattern over the flattened box to mark your cuts and folds without having to measure every time.

When you draw your pattern on the cardboard, take advantage of any creases already in the box. Attached is a scale drawing of the pattern. The following instructions sound complicated, but if you look at the drawing, you will see that it is simpler than it sounds.

Draw the pattern.

  Next you will mark the bottom flap cutaway lines. The instructions start at the left of the rectangle and work across to the right. The flaps are numbered for the folding sequence, not the measuring sequence.

Next you will mark the top cutting lines. Once again, the instructions will start at the left of the rectangle and work across to the right.

Cut on the cutting lines.

Crease on the fold lines by placing a ruler along the fold line on the inside of the fold. Use a stylus (dull pencil, ballpoint pen, knitting needle, or crochet hook) to scribe the line. Still holding the ruler along that line to be folded, lift one side of the cardboard up, making the fold. To assemble the box, glue the front flap to the backside of the front. (If you are impatient and don’t care that the tape shows, you can just tape the flap in position and not wait for the glue to dry.)

When the glue is dry, fold in the bottom flaps according to their sequence number. The 4th flap ought to lock the bottom of the box in position when its tab is pushed under the 1st flap. Press the front reinforcing flap to the inside of the box. The small tab at the top of this flap ought to squeeze into the bottom and hold its position.

Your box should be ready to use. You can now label, paint, or otherwise decorate the box.

The Small Magazine Storage Box is constructed in the same manner. Just the dimensions are adjusted. Check the drawing for those dimensions.