In this post, I’m sharing how to build a simple DIY shadow box from scrap wood.

Shadow boxes are essentially “thick” picture frames that allow you to frame objects instead of just photos.

So they’re a great way to frame and display awards, keepsakes, and other sentimental items.

Shadow boxes are inexpensive to make (especially if you have a few scraps lying around), but can make incredibly meaningful gifts depending on what you put inside.

If you’re ready to build one, I’m sharing the how to below.

*This post contains affiliate links. See website policies.

What to consider before building

This shadow box is easy to make. The only problem (which really isn’t a “problem”) is that you can make it just about any size depending on what you want to put inside. So the dimensions can vary.

First, you’ll need to figure out what you’d like to put inside and determine the height and width your box needs to be to fit it. You’ll need a piece of ½″ plywood and a piece of plexiglass (or acrylic) that’s roughly this size.

TIP: You can buy precut plexiglass and acrylic sheets online and at most big box or home improvement stores in several standard sizes (I used an 8×10 for this project). You just need a thin (⅛″ or thinner) piece for this.

Then, you need to determine how deep your box should be to fit what you’re putting inside. For my board, I used a 1×4 for my box and when completed, the inside depth was about 2 ¾″. If you need something deeper, opt for a wider board.

This board should be about 4 inches longer than the sum of your sides.

For example, I’m making an 8″ x 10″ shadow box, so I need my board to be at least 8+8+10+10=36″ long PLUS 4″ for wiggle room. So I cut my 1×4 to about 40″ long.

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How to Build a Simple Shadow Box

I’ve included the step by step instructions below. But, if you prefer to watch, I’ve also included a build video as well. 

Love watching how-to videos? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for plenty more where that came from!

Tools & Materials

Step 1: Cut Slots for Glass and Backer

First, I cut the 1×4 board that I planned to use for the sides of the shadow box to length. The length you need will vary based on the size box you’re making, but it should be a little longer than the sum of the four sides. See notes above.

I adjusted the table saw blade height to about ⅜″ and ran my board through so that it cut a groove about ¼″ from one edge. This will be the slot for the plexiglass, so I made sure it would fit into the groove.

TIP: If your plexiglass is wider than your blade width, adjust the rip fence over slightly and run it through again to widen the slot until the plexiglass fits.

Then, I cut a second groove about ½″ from the OPPOSITE EDGE. After this second groove was cut, I adjusted the table saw one more time to carefully notch this out.

Now my board has a thin groove for the plexiglass to fit into and a notched corner that will hold the back panel. This will make more sense as it comes together.

Step 2: Cut Shadow Box Sides

Next, I trimmed four pieces from my board to make the sides of my box. Each end should be beveled 45 degrees.

NOTE: You can cut the beveled ends by laying the board flat and adjusting your miter saw bevel angle. OR, you can stand the board up and adjust the miter angle. Learn how to cut angles on a miter saw here.

Again, the lengths of your boards will depend on the size shadow box you’re making, so cut them to fit around your desired plexiglass size.

In my case, using an 8×10 plexiglass piece, I cut two pieces 8 ¾″ on the longest side and two pieces 10 ¾″ on the longest side. If you err, err on the side of a little too long than too short.

Cut your plexiglass piece to size (if it’s not already precut), and ensure the piece will fit into the grooves on the box and all the sides fit well together before gluing up.

TIP: I kept the protective film on my plexiglass piece until everything was glued up. This just helped protect it from accidental scratches.

Step 3: Glue up Shadow Box

After I knew everything would fit together well, I laid my boards out on my workbench end to end and with the outside facing up and applied painters tape along the joints.

I flipped this over and applied painters tape along the inside edges as well just to help avoid getting glue squeeze out everywhere. Then I applied wood glue to all my beveled board ends.

I carefully placed my plexiglass into the groove and wrapped my boards around it.

The plastic protective film on the plexiglass helps protect it from scratches during assembly, but make sure you pull this away from the edges when gluing up because you don’t want to accidentally glue this into the grooves, too.

The painters tape helps hold the pieces together while you get everything in place, but I also clamped my pieces nice and tight while the glue dried.

Step 4: Install Back Panel

After the glue dried, I sanded the box well to remove any glue squeeze out and residue, then I cut a piece of ½″ plywood to fit into the groove on the back of my box.

After I made sure it would fit, before installing, I painted this piece black. This is completed optional–you could paint it white, yellow, blue, whatever. Or you could leave it natural wood or stain it. It’s totally up to you!

I also applied some Walrus Oil Furniture Finish to my box to seal it, then placed my back into the box and secured it at each corner with some 1″ wood screws.

What to Add & How to Fill Your Shadow Box

Shadow boxes can be made for a WIDE assortment of items. Some people use it for awards, some like to put a flag inside, a jersey, a bouquet, a piece of jewelry, a book, etc.

I actually planned to put a pair of my grandpa’s old glasses and some photos of him inside this shadow box, but for these photos, I just staged it with a few trinkets from my college days.

To put things inside the box, simply remove the back panel. Some items can simply be placed inside, then put the back panel back on–like the sash and rope you see here.

But if needed, you can also tape, screw, glue, or string items onto the back as well. I used double sided mounting tape to attach this medal to the back before putting it back on the box.

Once filled, this box is ready to display on a table, a shelf, or, if desired, hung on the wall.

Looking for More easy DIY projects?

With the upcoming holidays, I’ve teamed up with my friend, Kati, from Houseful of Handmade and Anika, from Anika’s DIY Life to share some easy and fun gift ideas that you can make this season!

I’ve included their projects in the gallery below plus a few of my own (click on the images to see how to make each one).

Enjoyed this project and want to save it for later? Be sure to pin it or share it to your favorite social channel!

Until next time, happy building!

In this post, I’m sharing how to make a simple DIY scrap wood catch all tray in any shape or size!

The great thing about these catch all trays is that they can be cut entirely with a jig saw. No CNC machine or router required!

It’s a great way to use up some of those colorful offcuts you’ve been saving in the scrap pile and the perfect handmade gift idea to give for almost any occassion!

I made these in an oval shape to keep things quick and simple, but they’re easy to customize to any shape or size, so it’s a fun project to get creative with, as well!

If you’re ready to dive in and see how to make them, let’s get building.

*This post contains affiliate links. See website policies.

What to consider before building

These simple catch all trays are a great project to make in batches. If you have several pieces of scrap to work with, you can make a few of these at once.

They’re quick to make, but it does require some time for the glue to dry. If you’re impatient, consider adding some CA or super glue in with your regular wood glue to allow you to move onto the next step while the regular glue fully cures.

Consider making multiple sizes and shapes to get creative–a square, a monogram, a logo, or an animal. Several years ago, I made trays similar to this in the shape of a pumpkin and a leaf!

This project calls for using a jig saw, but if you have a scroll or band saw you’d rather use, those would work well, too!

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How to Make a Catch All Tray

I’ve included the step by step instructions below. But, if you prefer to watch, I’ve also included a build video as well. 

Love watching how-to videos? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for plenty more where that came from!

Tools & Materials

Step 1: Select Board(s) for Tray

First, I needed to find a board (or two…or three!) that I liked to make these catch all trays from. The board should be no more than ¾″ thick (which is the thickness of standard nominal 1x lumber like you find at the big box store).

RELATED: Understanding lumber sizing

And it should be at least double the length you’d like to make your tray. For example, if you want a tray 10″ long, make sure your board is at least 20″ long.

The board WIDTH doesn’t have to be any specific size–it really just depends on how big you’d like your tray. A 1×6 or 1×8 size works well for a small tray, but you can go bigger if you want!

So I dug around in my scrap pile and found some 1×8 pine scraps.

And I also found some small off cuts of a few colorful hardwoods. Any of these can work, but I opted to make one pine and one walnut catch all tray.

Step 2: Cut Out Middle

Once I selected my boards, I found the center of each one and marked it.

Then, I used a quart sized paint can to help me trace an oval shape on one half of my board. I made sure my oval shape was at least ¾″ in from the center line and my board end.

I need to cut this oval shape out, so I drilled a large hole inside the shape to give me a place to get my jig saw blade started.

Then I carefully cut this out using my jig saw. I recommend using a scroll or a fine finish wood blade in your jig saw and keeping your orbital setting (if your saw has them) turned off for best results.

Step 3: Glue up Catch All Tray

After I cut my oval out, I cut my board in half down the centerline that I marked in step 2.

Then, I sanded both pieces well. Make sure to sand the inside of the oval! If your jig saw cuts were a little off, you can sand it to help shape and smooth it out.

Then, I glued these two pieces together. Be careful not to apply TOO much wood glue because you don’t want it to squeeze out into the center.

I applied a good bead around the edge, then used my finger to spread it out a little to get good coverage.

Then I carefully clamped the oval cut out piece onto the solid piece and clamped. Be sure to wipe away any glue squeeze out that makes it into the oval cut out!

I’ve been showing you this process with my pine board, but I did the same thing with my walnut board as well–I made my pine board a little “chunkier” and my walnut board a little “thinner.”

I was sure to give the glue plenty of time to dry, then, I removed the tray from the clamps.

Step 4: Cut Final Shape & Finish

Next, I used my Kreg MultiMark tool to help me draw an offset around the oval to sketch out my final tray shape.

On my pine board, I set my Multimark to ¾″ and traced a ¾″ lip around the oval cut out. You could also use other templates or objects to trace your final shape as well.

Then I cut this out with a jig saw. This piece is thick, so cutting with a jig saw is doable, but it’s slow. Take your time. Make sure to use a good blade and one that is long enough to cut through the whole piece.

The cut doesn’t have to be perfect because after cutting, you can sand to smooth things out I recommend sanding the edges to smooth the shape with 80 grit, then work your way up to 220 or higher.

RELATED: How to sand wood

After cutting this “chunky” lip on the pine tray, I wanted to do a thinner lip on the walnut tray, so instead of a ¾″ offset, I used ¼″ offset and repeated this process on it the exact same way.

Once both trays were cut and sanded well, I finished them with some Walrus Oil Furniture Finish. This is an oil that is easy to wipe on and let soak in.

And with that, these simple catch all trays are ready for catching all the things. These would work great on a nightstand or by the door to toss in keys, glasses, and accessories.

They would also work well on a desk to corral pens, paper clips, and other odds and ends.

They’re such a great way to use up some scraps while also making something practical and unique to gift to anyone on your list!

Looking for More easy DIY projects?

With the upcoming holidays, I’ve teamed up with my friend, Kati, from Houseful of Handmade and Anika from Anika’s DIY Life to share some easy and fun gift ideas that you can make this season!

I’ve included their projects in the gallery below plus a few of my own (click on the images to see how to make each one).

Enjoyed this project and want to save it for later? Be sure to pin it or share it to your favorite social channel!

Until next time, happy building!

In this post, I’m sharing how to make your own custom DIY bookends from scrap wood!

These simple bookends would make the perfect handmade gift for just about anyone because you can customize them with different shapes.

As you can see above, I made these “music themed,” but you could swap the music notes for a car, a monogram, a logo, an instrument, an animal, or just about any shape you can think of.

So, you can easily personalize these for whoever you’d like and whatever their interests are.

I actually made some similar bookends several years ago in the shape of a guitar!

These are a quick build, so if you’re ready to dive in, I’m sharing how to make you own below.

*This post contains affiliate links. See website policies.

What to know before building

This is a really great scrap wood project because the pieces needed are small.

You only need about 16-20″ of board length for the bookend parts (the L shaped pieces). I used a scrap piece of 1×4 white oak for my bookends, but any board about 1×4 or 1×6 size would work fine.

And I used some 1×12 pine scraps to cut out my shapes. A 1×12 was actually much bigger than I really needed, but that’s just what I had on hand.

You can use any type of wood you’d like for this project. You might consider doing a two tone look and making the shape one wood type and the bookends another.

Of course, you can also paint or stain them different colors as well.

Either way, I do recommend using a softer wood for the shape cut out. A hardwood can be challenging to cut (especially small details) with a jig saw.

Want to be the first to know about new projects and plans? Subscribe to the newsletter for priority access!

How to make personalized bookends

I’ve included the step by step instructions below. But, if you prefer to watch, I’ve also included a build video as well. 

Love watching how-to videos? Subscribe to my YouTube channel for plenty more where that came from!

Tools & Materials

Step 1: Select a Shape & Create Template

The first step is deciding what kind of shape or design you want to put on your bookends.

In my case, I wanted to add music notes, so I literally just did a Google search for “music notes” and copied and pasted an image into a Word Document. Then I sized it about 3 ½″ tall and cropped it into two pieces.

Then I printed it out and cut out the shapes with scissors.

So, first, you just need to create a template for whatever shape you’re wanting to cut. You can freehand your design, find one online, trace a figurine, whatever.

Step 2: Cut Out Shapes

Once I had my two music note pieces cut out, I traced them onto a scrap piece of 1×12 board.

Then, I carefully cut these out with a jig saw.

Now, here’s an important note: I could have printed off the music note as one piece, cut it out as one piece, then just cut it in half.

So it doesn’t matter WHEN it becomes two pieces, just THAT it becomes two pieces.

OR–It’s also worth noting that you don’t even have to split your shape. If you wanted to cut a dog shape for one side and a cat shape for another, you can totally do that. Or if you wanted to just cut a triangle shape for both sides, that’s fine, too!

Feel free to get as creative or as simple as you’d like. This is the part you can customize.

Once I had my music notes cut, I sanded them well to smooth out any uneven edges, then spray painted them flat black.

Step 3: Assemble Bookends

While the paint dried on my music notes, I cut a scrap piece of white oak 1×4 into two pieces about 3 ½″ long and two pieces about 4 ½″ long.

Make sure these are big enough to fit your shape–adjust sizing as needed.

I glued and clamped the 3 ½″ long pieces to the 4 ½″ long pieces to make two bookends in an L shape.

Step 4: Attach Custom Shapes to Bookends

After the paint on the music notes was dry and the glue on the bookends was dry, I applied a little wood glue to my music notes only where they will touch my bookends and carefully placed them inside.

You may need to use some spacer blocks or painters tape to help hold your pieces in position while the glue dries.

You can see below, the note on the left could stand on it’s own while the glue dried, but the one on the right would fall. So I leaned it over so it stayed in place.

After the glue dried, I applied a little Walrus Oil Furniture Finish to the oak bookends to finish this up.

NOTE: I did not apply an oil based finish to the oak before gluing the pieces on because the wood glue is water based. It would not stick if an oil was applied, so I applied the oil AFTER gluing the music notes on.

And now these adorable little bookends are perfect for music books, or just for decoration on the bookshelf.

They’d make such a cute gift for the musician on your gift list!

Looking for More easy DIY projects?

With the upcoming holidays, I’ve teamed up with my friend, Kati, from Houseful of Handmade and Anika, from Anika’s DIY Life to share some easy and fun gift ideas that you can make this season!

I’ve included their projects in the gallery below plus a few of my own (click on the images to see how to make each one).

Enjoyed this project and want to save it for later? Be sure to pin it or share it to your favorite social channel!

Until next time, happy building!